Odisha makes it to London – Here’s how

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to attract European tourists to the state, the Odisha government has participated in the World Tourism Market held in London.

The stall of Odisha Tourism was inaugurated by Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma in the presence of state Tourism & Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda, along with other dignitaries. The 3-day mega event was kicked off on November 7, an official release said.

The Odisha Tourism, through its stall has showcased its products to attract more tourists from Europe and adjacent countries. The sand art of Konark, known as Black Pagoda prepared by Sudarshan Pattanaik was a unique attraction in the market, Panda said.

He said potential tour operators, agents, media houses and journalists were invited to the meet. The tour operators were informed of the state's tourism potential such as World Heritage Site at Konark, Golden Triangle of Bhubaneswar-Puri-Konark, Buddhist Circuit, Bhitarkanika- Similipal and Chilika.

There was also discussion to attract more tourists for various destinations of beach, tribal, religious and eco-tourism in the state.

World Tourism Market in London is one of the biggest of its kind in which thousands of tourism organisations, tour operators, hoteliers, airlines, environmental associations, destination management companies and many more related to the hospitality sector participate to showcase and promote their respective products and destinations.