HRAO urges Odisha to prepare tourism investment plan

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO), a body representing hospitality sector, has urged the state tourism department to prepare a master plan on the investment opportunities in the tourism sector.

The HRAO has made this appeal in the backdrop of forthcoming golden jubilee convention of Federation and Hotel Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) in Bhubaneswar in September.

"We request your good office to kindly prepare an investment opportunity plan for Odisha in the tourism sector so that interested entrepreneurs and investors can be attracted to our state for investment in this sector," J K Mohanty, chairman, HRAO wrote to Ashok Chandra Panda, state tourism minister.

While unveiling the golden jubilee convention charter in June, Panda had said that the FHRAI convention will open up the prospects of investment opportunities in the tourism sector.

"So far, we do not have a master plan on the investment opportunities in the tourism sector of the state," Mohanty said.

About 1,200 delegates representing top echelons of the hospitality and tourism industry in India, leading hoteliers and other stakeholders in the industry are likely to participate in the convention starting from September 27. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy are expected to attend the event.

As per the Odisha Economic Survey, 2015, the growth rate of trade, hotels and restaurants sectors has exhibited fluctuating trends since 2005-06. The rate of growth has slid down to a lowly 6.94 per cent in 2013-14 from a buoyant 21.45 per cent registered in 2006-07.

In real terms, the sub sector has contributed 13.37 per cent to the state Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in 2013-14. It is expected that the sector would contribute 13.09 per cent to the real GSDP in 2014-15 at 2004-05 prices.

Between 2005 and 2013, the number of hotel beds has increased by 79 per cent. During 2013, there were 1,585 hotels in the state with 33,349 rooms and 65,967 beds. Of this, 306 catered to high spending groups, 356 to middle spending groups and 923 to lower spending customers.

It may be noted that the state government, in its Tourism Policy-2013, offered fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for different tourism activities with interventions on infrastructural and social needs. The fiscal incentives include concessions, exemptions, reimbursements of entertainment taxes, stamp duty, registration charges on land in different projects.