Odisha Tourism to hold road shows in Pune

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar, Aug 19: In its bid to attract domestic tourists from various parts of the country, Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha will be holding its road shows in major cities of the country.The first road show to attract tourists from Maharashtra will be held in the modern, cultural and industrial hub Pune on August 23.The objective is to promote Odisha and its variety of tourism products in the western parts of the country.Odisha Tourism has been organising such road shows in different cities, and five road shows were held last year.It has been planned to organise eight road shows this year starting from Pune.The other cities will include Bhopal, Bangalore, Patna and Visakhapatnam.Located on the eastern coast of the country, Odisha is a tourists’ paradise and has many stunning destinations which offer a visual feast to the tourists and visitors.It also throws an educative and culturally pleasing insight into one of the oldest civilizations of the world.The road show will benefit and provide information on Odisha Tourism to the tour lovers, tour operators, travel agents, travel writers, journalists, decision makers etc.Odisha is famous for its golden beaches, sprawling lakes, luxuriant forests, teeming wildlife, majestic temples and monuments, Buddhist sites, exotic handloom and handicrafts, primitive tribes, colourful fairs and festivals and the scintillating music, dances & cuisine which attract large number of tourists.Travel to Odisha is truly an amazing experience that attracts people from all parts of the world for its sculptural and artistic heritage.The Sun Temple at Konark, a UNESCO heritage site, the temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri, one of the four cardinal centres for Hindus (Char Dhams) of India and temple city of Bhubaneswar are important and popular tourist destinations.The Buddhist heritage of Odisha comprising of Ratnagiri-Lalitgiri-Udayagiri-Langudi and Dhauli attracts tourists from overseas and domestic front. The serene beaches at Puri, Chandipur, Gopalpur and Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, the second largest mangrove forest in India, Simlipal National Park to name a few are very famous tourist attractions.The rock-cut caves of Khandagiri & Udaygiri at Bhubaneswar depicting Jain heritage throw ample light on the magnificent past of Odisha.Chilika, the largest brackish water lake in Asia and a Ramsar site of India with 1100 sq km area is famous for Irrawaddy dolphins and migratory birds.Apart from these, Odisha has successfully nurtured three great religions like Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.Depart of Tourism is also organising a number of Tourism events like Konark Festival (1st–5th December), International Sand Art Festival (1st–5th December), Parab Tribal Festival (16–18 November), Dhanu Yatra Festival (Dec–Jan), Rajarani Music Festival (18–20 January), Mukteswar Dance Festival (14–16 January) etc.to attract more of domestic and international tourists.Odisha Tourism Development Corporation has also been playing a key role in the promotion and development of tourism in the state.It covers a wide range of facilities to the tourists and visitors with its 22 strategically located hotels and restaurants with fine Odia delicacies, boat riding in Chilika Lake, tour and travels and transport facilities.