Odisha has recorded a 30% growth in foreign tourists in the last three years, according to government data.
Odisha tourism minister Ashok Panda said in 2017 over one lakh foreign tourists visited the state. In 2014, the number was 71,417.
In 2017, 1.40 crore domestic tourists visited Odisha in comparison to 1.07 crore in 2014.
Addressing a news conference on Tuesday (May 15), Panda said Odisha Tourism brand campaign on national and international platforms, along with international flight services from Bhubaneswar to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, helped increase tourist flow.
Pertinently, the Odisha government has set up 8 tourist police cells at Puri, Chandrabhaga, Dhauli, Gopalpur, Nandankanan, Lingaraj Temple, Satapada and Chandipur to ensure safety of the people visiting the state.
“We have started tourist police patrolling on the Puri-Satapada and Puri-Konark routes,” Panda told reporters.
Odisha is a land of rich culture and heritage. The eastern state is one of the key pilgrimage places of India as the Jagannath Temple, which is one of the Char Dham of Lord Shri Krishna, is located here.
Other tourist attractions include Konark Sun Temple, Mukteswara Temple, Chausathi Jogini Temple, Museum of Tribal Arts & Artifacts, Odisha Maritime Museum, Netaji Birth Place Museum, Hirakud Dam, Konark Beach, Nandankanan Zoological Park, Ratnagiri Buddhist Excavation, and Udayagiri Pilgrimage.