Odisha Rides On Transformative Power Of Tourism; Sand Arts, Bike Rally & Trip Around City Of Temples

Puri: On World Tourism Day on Tuesday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik invited people to explore Odisha and experience the myriad wonders it has in store.

Taking to social media on World Tourism Day, Naveen said Odisha is immensely blessed with natural beauty, glorious heritage, fascinating landscapes, timeless monuments, varied flora, and fauna. “On World Tourism Day, reiterate commitment to showcase the marvellous mélange to the world to unlock the transformative power of tourism,” he tweeted.

This year, the agenda – surrounding the international celebration – is centred around the theme ‘Rethink Tourism’, striving at inclusivity in this sector with the focus on women and other marginalised groups that could benefit from the tourism industry, while ensuring that the industry’s growth does not come at the expense of people or planet.

In Odisha capital, Commissioner of Police SK Priyadarshi flagged off ‘OdishA by Road 3.0’, a campaign showcasing various destinations in Southern Odisha, which was launched by the Tourism department.

The superbike rally from Infocity to Dhauli kicked off in presence of Tourism Director Sachin R Jadhav and Odisha Super Riders Convenor Devjyoti Patnaik. More than 150 superbike riders participated.

A special guidebook ‘Unexplored Odisha’ was also launched by Tourism Minister Ashwini Kumar Patra in the presence of BMC Commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange and Khurda Collector K Sudarshan Chakravarthy. The guidebook along with the state’s tourism map showcases the hidden tourism gems of Odisha.

On the other hand, the Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) listed out the route numbers for a tour of the ‘City of Temples’ with ‘Mo Bus’. “Hop on Route Nos. 13, 32, 33, 34, 51, 70 and explore the Temple Complex of the Old Town,” tweeted CRUT.

Sand artists in Odisha are also spreading the message of tourism and travel through the medium of art on Puri Sea Beach. Sudarsan Pattnaik tweeted a sand structure of Konark Sun temple and another made by his student while exhorting people the promote ‘Incredible India’.

Another sand artist, Sudam Pradhan, appealed to people to explore and travel across Odisha through his piece of art.

He took inspiration from the Infamous statue of Rio De Janeiro, Christ the Redeemer and motleys of other tourist sites such as Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower of France. It took him 12 hours to create the structure with over 20 tonnes of sand.