Bargarh: Endowed with scenic beauty and a host of other attractions, Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha witnessed an increased flow of tourists from different parts of the country and abroad during this winter.
Among the prime attractions for the tourists are the new Cruise & Safari packages managed by local communities, surrounding Debrigarh Sanctuary, as well as the nature parks.
With increasing number of visitors, the total revenue earned by Debrigarh Ecotourism up to the end of December has already crossed Rs 2.3 crore, sources said.
Officials are hopeful that by the end of the current financial year the volume of revenue will be highly encouraging. Noting that there are 14 rooms available for night stay, they said all rooms are booked from November, 2023 till January, 2024.
The Safari package appears to have become a major attraction. There are a total of 18 Safari vehicles, including 8-seater and 12-seater vehicles – both AC & Non-AC. All the vehicles are fully booked since October this year.
Wildlife sighting has increased multi-fold including sighting of leopards during this winter in Debrigarh, while bison, sambar, chittal, wildboar, bear, peacocks are commonly spotted by the visitors during safari.
Proper grassland management, strict protection, community participation in conservation & village relocation has contributed a lot to the success of ecotourism at Debrigarh.
Altogether 15 speed boats are also fully functional for Cruise to different islands in 700 Sq km Hirakud lake. Beside these, kayaking, cycling, trekking, camp fire, bird watching etc are also availed by visitors.
Two new “Luxury Cruise” also started from Sunday at Hirakud reservoir & wetland by Hirakud Wildlife Division. These are spacious with 360 degree rotating chairs with dining facility. These cruise boats will also be managed by local communities.
More than 25000 visitors have availed all these activities till date this year. More than 75 families are earning livelihood from Debrigarh Ecotourism and each family is earning around Rs 15,000 per month round the year.
Tourist footfall was 30,000 with revenue of Rs 2.5 crore during the last financial year.
During 2023, new Safari packages were launched to Govindpur Birds Village, Barabakhra Pilgrimage Site & Veer Surendra Sai Memorial. It has become very popular among Indian and foreign tourists.
Newly opened Debrigarh Nature Park at Zero point and Hirakud Nature Park at Govindpur, Souvenir Shop etc facilitated eating and resting facility for long distance visitors coming to Debrigarh.
