Global player may be roped in for Shamuka tourism project

In a shot in the arm for the Shamuka beach tourism project, the Washington State India Trade Relations Committee (WASITRAC) is making efforts to rope in a globally reputed player to act as the master developer for the project.

The master developer which would develop a stretch of 1500 acres at the project site would invest $1 billion (around Rs 4500 crore) in setting up five-star hotel, golf course, international spa and wellness centres, an entertainment zone and sports facilities.

A team of WASITRAC and US-based Becker Architects visited Sipasarubali, the site of the showpiece project on Tuesday along with the officials of the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC). It has been decided to conduct a market feasibility study before bringing in the master developer.

 

"We visited the site of the Shamuka beach tourism project on Tuesday and we have decided to bring in a master developer for the project. We believe that the project has huge potential for pulling in domestic as well as international tourists”, said Tanja Reiners, project architect, Becker Architects.

Debadatta Dash, co-chair, WASITRAC said, “We are looking to bring in a single developer who can develop a stretch of 1500 acres at the site. On Tuesday, we had visited the Shamuka beach tourism site along with OTDC officials”.

The WASITRAC team on Wednesday gave a presentation to the state Chief Secretary B K Patnaik.

The Shamuka tourism project needs around 3000 acres of land in all and the land acquisition is being done in phases. The project is being developed near Sipasarubali, about 10 km south of Puri on the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. The state government had lined up an investment of Rs 120 crore on external infrastructure like water supply, electricity and roads for the project.

Apart from the four five star hotels, the Shamuka tourism project would have facilities like a convention centre of international standards with a seating capacity of nearly 1,500, an 18-hole golf course, boutique hotels, international spa and wellness centres, an entertainment zone and sports facilities.