Bhubaneswar: With COVID-19 positive cases showing downward trend and the situation under fair control of the government, Odisha now gets ready for “facing the new normal” in hotel, restaurants, hospitality and tourism industry.
Addressing a state-level workshop here on Wednesday, attended by hospitality and tourism industry players, chief secretary Asit Tripathy said though tourism and hospitality industry faced the worst hit during the current pandemic, new positive trends have started coming up.
“With positive and concerted efforts, the tourism and hospitality industry soon will overcome the shock of COVID-19, he said, advising the stake-holders to attach utmost importance on providing excellent experience to the guest visitors.
“Tourists coming to Odisha will be the real ambassadors and promoters of Odisha tourism if they return back with best experience,” Tripathy said.
He directed the hoteliers, tour operators and hospitality providers to make no compromise in the matters of health, hygiene, safety and security of the guest visitors. “Along with international tourism, Odisha is an attractive place for domestic tourism as well and all stakeholders should focus on attracting more tourists from different states,” he said.
The stakeholders from government, hoteliers, tour operators and travel and tourism enterprises deliberated at the workshop.
Hotelier and secretary of Hotel Association of India Jitendra Kumar Mohanty said Odisha is the first state in the country to organise such common deliberation in a state level workshop. He expressed the confidence that with successful containment of the pandemic, the government would facilitate the hotel, hospitality and tourism industry to open up with all new normal conditions. He assured that the hoteliers and restaurants owners would ensure all COVID-19 prevention norms.
