Jharsuguda airport will boost tribal tourism: Odisha CM

Jharsuguda airport, Odisha

Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, has expressed optimism that the development of the diverse Odisha tourism products will receive a major stimulus following the functioning of the new commercial airport at Jharsuguda.

While speaking on the second edition of the Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) 2018, organized by Odisha Tourism and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) last week, Patnaik said the Jharsuguda airport will boost tribal tourism and develop travel and tourism facilities in western Odisha.

The airport, named after the freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September.

Veer Surendra Sai Airport is the second operational airport in Odisha after Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar. It is also the 32nd airport under the UDAN project by the central ministry.

The Chief Minister said the strength of Odisha is basically vested in its rich cultural heritage. However, new tourism products such as ethnic tourism, Buddhist tourism, eco-tourism, MICE tourism have gained the momentum and attract lot of tourists to the State for this unexplored sector.

The Chief Minister also said that the state was all set to host the 14th edition of the Hockey World Cup in November 2018 in which 16 world teams will be participating. This was bound to have a cascading effect of travel and tourism, he added.

“Our constant drive is to position Odisha as one of the preferred destinations in the country,” said Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister for Tourism, Odia Language Literature and Culture, Odisha.