Odisha: Hospitality sector stakeholders seek Tourism Development Authority

Stakeholders in Odisha's hospitality sector have sought the establishment of a Tourism Development Authority to give a fillip to the tourism sector.

The Hotel & Restaurant Association of Orissa (HRAO), the apex body of the hotel industry has submitted a memorandum to Chief minister Naveen Patnaik to this effect. HRAO has pitched for setting up the authority in similar line with the Skill Development Authority of Odisha which will be led by a senior bureaucrat nominated by the state government for a five-year term period.

“The tourism development authority of Odisha can be an extended arm to assist the state tourism department with a continuity term of five years and can be given target in terms of tourist footfalls to the state, boosting image of Odisha through national and international publicity, branding of Odisha at different levels, attracting investments to boost the infrastructure in the tourism sector and give rise to the employment generation in Odisha”, J K Mohanty chairman of HRAO said in the memorandum.

The state tourism development authority would aim at boosting the image, branding, publicity and employment generation in the tourism sector of Odisha under your able guidance, Mohanty added.

As a sector, tourism has more potential above the soil than mineral resources below the soil, he said. Regular changes in key government postings like director and secretary is a setback to tourism promotion, he rued.

The HRAO chief, however, admitted that Odisha has made notable progress over the past decade in terms of industrial growth. The state enjoys a host of advantages in terms of connectivity, mineral reserves, vast tourism potential and various attractive policies which make the state a preferred investment destination.

Commenting on the potential of tourism, Mohanty said it is the only industry which has the capacity of earning foreign exchange without exporting any commodities, minerals and materials from the country. Tourism can be the largest employment generator for the country (both direct & indirect) and the highest foreign exchange earner for the country, he opined.

The total contribution of travel & tourism to employment (including direct & indirect) was 9.2 per cent in 2017.

By 2027, travel & tourism is forecast to support 4,98,68,000 jobs (9.6% of total employment, an increase of two per cent over the period), the memorandum stated.