In a move to attract international tourists and boost the tourism prospective of Odisha, the state government plans to offer special tour packages to players, delegates and tourists during the men’s hockey world cup which is scheduled to be in November. The tourism department has been given the responsibility for framing the tour packages, which would be different from the ones that are being currently offered to the tourists. The idea was suggested by government’s core committee after reviewing the preparations made for hosting the world cup.
The reports suggest that the packages will be designed in such a way that is affordable to a larger section of people. The government has also planned to start special bus routes to connect main tourist sites in the city throughout the event. The tournament will feature 16 teams and more than 10,000 fans and spectators from around the world are expected to arrive for the event. The sports and youth affairs department authorities believes that this will be ideal opportunity for the audiences to explore the key tourists spots like Bhubaneswar, Konark and Puri as the matches are scheduled for evenings. The event will be a great stage for the state to exhibit its tourism potential and will offer a great time for the tourists.
“It is the greatest opportunity for the state government to showcase the tourism power of Odisha. The state does have a great tourism potential, but due to less branding options, the inflow of tourists is comparatively low. The hockey world cup is a great platform to be used here,” said tour operator Piyush Tripathy.
