Luxury train project finds suitor

The Orissa tourism department's plan to start a luxury train modeled on the famed Palace on Wheels has gained ground as a private player has evinced interest in investing in the project.

“The state tourism department would hold talks with the private player, who has experience in operating luxury trains in other states, on October 5 this year. We are trying to get our project entirely funded by him”, an official source told Business Standard. However, the source declined to name the party. The proposed service is estimated to cost Rs 37 crore and it was intended to be implemented in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. Earlier, the state tourism department had negotiated with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for working out the modalities of the luxury train. Apart from providing catering services, IRCTC will also be responsible for designing the interiors of the train.

The luxury train 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.

Unlike other luxury tourist trains operating in the country such as Palace on Wheels, Deccan Odyssey and The Golden Chariot which cater to high end tourists, this service would also be affordable for the middle income groups.

Meanwhile, the state tourism department has completed the first round of negotiations with a private player for the first inter-state cruise tourism project involving Orissa, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.

The project involves cruise connectivity from Visakhapatnam to Kolkata via Orissa.

The project was to be implemented in the PPP mode and a private operator was to operate the cruise. The cruise tourism project has been mooted by Debi Prasad Mishra, the Orissa tourism minister, who has taken the initiative to negotiate with his counterparts in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh on the project. Meanwhile, the state tourism department has decided to have dedicated land banks exclusively meant for development of tourism projects.

The tourism department aimed to acquire 400-500 acres of land by the end of October this year for this purpose. The move is expected to woo private players to invest in the state’s tourism sector to help increase the state’s inbound tourist arrivals