Odisha's foreign tourist income soars 68% in 6 years on increased spending

Odisha's earnings from foreign tourists has surged 68 per cent between 2013-14 and 2019-20. Inflow of money from the inbound overseas tourists rose from Rs 308.94 crore to Rs 521.26 crore.

Figures collated in Odisha Economic Survey for 2019-20 show that a foreign tourist spends 3.7 days on an average in the state compared with 11 days for a domestic tourist. The per capita expenditure in case of a foreign tourist was found to be Rs 4,167 as against Rs 2,763 for a domestic tourist.

The survey report says earnings from domestic tourists rose 54 per cent from Rs 10,288.6 crore to Rs 15,855.55 crore in the period under review. 

Even though the footfall of domestic tourists significantly outstrips that of international tourists, the latter tend to spend more. But given their diminished numbers, earnings from overseas tourists is considerably lower than their domestic counterparts. 

More than 1.5 million domestic tourists visited Odisha during 2018-19 whereas the count of overseas tourists was much lower at 114,000, registering growth of 8.75 per cent and 10.4 per cent respectively. Composition of tourist arrivals indicate that domestic tourists account for more than 99 per cent of the total tourists visiting the state. 

Odisha has witnessed an average annual growth rate of 9.25 per cent in inbound tourist arrivals in the last five years. 

Lately, Odisha has been promoting sports alongside tourism in domestic and international locations. In its aspiration to be the 'Sports Capital' of India, Odisha has played host to an array of national and international sports events in the past two years. Hockey World Cup in 2018 was the latest mega sporting extravaganza hosted by the state. The influx of tourists spurred by these sports events has substantively contributed to the state's tourism output. Odisha has seen marked increase in revenue from leisure and tourism.

Development of hotel infrastructure is a credible indicator to the growth of tourism sector. As per the Economic Survey report, the number of hotels and restaurants in the state has risen from 1,328 in 2011 to 1,906 in  2018. At the end of 2018, Odisha boasted of 39,917 rooms and 79,978 beds to accommodate the tourists. Over the years, the share of High Spending Groups (HSG) Hotels and Middle Spending Groups (MSG) Hotels has appreciated by 25.7 per cent in 2009 to 39.7 per cent in 2018. 

“As Odisha is growing as an industrial hub, it would be beneficial to invest in MSG and HSG hotels in order to attract business tourism and introduce greater diversification in tourist attractions”, the survey report noted.