Welcome Back: Odisha To Reopen All Tourist Destinations In October

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will reopen all tourist destinations in the state from the first week of October, said Tourism Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi on Sunday.

The minister said this on the occasion of International Tourism Day.

Panigrahi said Odisha tourism has sustained massive loss due to the pandemic and therefore the government took the decision to reopen tourist destinations with strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines.

“A total of 358 tourist destinations recognized by the state government will be reopened in a phased manner from the first week of October. Apart from this, other tourist places not recognized by the government will also be reopened. To ensure that the tourists will strictly abide by the COVID-19 guidelines, the Health and Family Welfare Department will issue a standard operating procedure (SOP),” Panigrahi said.

Stating that the eco tourism project of Odisha has been widely acclaimed across the world, he said the state government has decided to set up eco retreats at five tourist destinations this year. “Besides, the state government has also launched an exclusive project to attract more tourists to Odisha, he added.

On the reopening of Jagannath temple in Puri, Panigrahi said the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and Law Department will jointly take a decision in this regard. The Law Department will also decide on the reopening of the remaining temples in the state.