Days after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted Odisha’s tourism potential as part of the Centre’s Look East policy, the state government has announced a significant increase in its tourism budget. On Thursday, the Odisha government allocated Rs 800 crore to the tourism sector, marking a substantial increase of Rs 140 crore from the previous financial year.
In the 2023-24 financial year, the tourism budget was Rs 660 crore, up from Rs 590 crore in 2022-23. This year’s allocation focuses primarily on the development and management of tourist destinations within the state. With several destinations still unexplored despite their potential, the government has earmarked Rs 445 crore for the development and management of existing and new tourist infrastructure, which is Rs 45 crore more than last year.
For promoting the state’s tourism products, the government has proposed an expenditure of Rs 279 crore. This allocation for publicity is significantly higher than last year’s budget of Rs 157 crore.
However, the allocation for the senior citizens’ pilgrimage scheme, Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana, has been reduced. This scheme, launched in 2016, provides financial assistance to economically disadvantaged senior citizens aged 60 to 75 for undertaking pilgrimages across the country. The allocation for this initiative has been reduced from Rs 30 crore last year to Rs 20 crore in the current budget.
Additionally, the Chief Minister has proposed an allocation of Rs 50 crore for the Mahanadi Riverfront Development scheme. This project aims to transform areas along the Mahanadi River in Sambalpur and Cuttack into a world-class riverfront, similar to the Sabarmati riverfront project in Gujarat.
The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) has welcomed the substantial increase in the tourism budget, emphasizing the urgent need for developing tourist infrastructure. According to the HRAO, new infrastructure is required not only for the Bhubaneswar-Puri-Konark circuit but also for other popular destinations like Deomali, Bhitarkanika, Satkosia, Similipal, and parts of western Odisha.
HRAO chairman JK Mohanty stated, “We strongly feel that the Tourism department should come out with a roadmap to achieve greater tourist footfalls in collaboration with the industry stakeholders.” The HRAO has already called for the formulation of a new tourism policy to support these goals.
