Luxury train for tourists soon

To boost inbound tourist arrivals and enable the tourists to have an enriching experience of the various tourist hotspots in Orissa, the state tourism department plans to have a luxury train on the lines of the famed Palace on Wheels.

The proposed luxury train which would cover all the tourism destinations of Orissa will provide the tourists with a flavour of the state’s wildlife, beaches, Buddhist sites, exquisite temples, arts and crafts, dance forms, Chilika lake and the tribal culture.

“We are negotiating with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for working out the modalities of the proposed luxury train and the response from IRCTC is expected within a month. Apart from providing catering services, IRCTC will also be responsible for designing the interiors of the train”, a tourism official told Business Standard. Unlike other luxury tourist trains operating in the country like Palace on Wheels, Deccan Odyssey and The Golden Chariot which cater to high end tourists, our luxury train would also be affordable for the middle income groups, he added.

The state tourism department is also mulling to appoint special tourism promotion officers (STPOs) who are likely to be posted in other states of the country as well as abroad. The concept of STPOs is to promote Orissa tourism both within the country and overseas with a vast network of Non-Resident Oriyas and Non-Resident Indians.

The role of STPOs will be to disseminate information on Orissa’s tourism products throughout the globe and to get instant feedback. They will also assist in organizing events, road shows and publicity campaigns on the state’s tourism destinations.

Moreover, for wide global marketing of Orissa’s tourism products, the state tourism department plans to launch a tourism portal soon. The portal will have the participation of the different stakeholders from public as well as private sectors. The portal will not only enable the potential tourists to get updated information about Orissa but also facilitate e-reservation and marketing.

Plans are also afoot to set up eco-adventure camps in different locations of the state with private participation. The private parties would build and operate these camps on land leased out by the Orissa government for a period of ten years.

Besides, the state tourism department also plans to augment tourism infrastructure with the participation of private players. The tourism department proposes to develop state-of-the-art tourism related infrastructure like motels, small hotels, wayside amenities, bed and breakfast facilities, entertainment complexes.