Divya Agarwal
The hospitality executive outlines a 10-point agenda linking destination development with private capital, longer stays and local employment
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], October 12: Odisha’s next phase of tourism development should focus on preparing viable hospitality projects, improving connectivity and building itineraries that encourage visitors to stay longer, according to Dr. Souvagya Mohapatra, Chairman, FICCI Eastern Region Tourism Committee, and Managing Director—India, Nepal, Bhutan & Sri Lanka, Atmosphere Core.
Outlining a 10-point roadmap, Dr. Mohapatra called for a coordinated approach to investment and destination planning. The emphasis is on translating the state’s heritage, coastline, forests and spiritual traditions into experiences supported by reliable infrastructure and quality accommodation.
“Odisha does not have a tourism-product problem. Odisha has a destination-development, connectivity, investment, and commercialization opportunity,” Dr. Mohapatra said.
At the centre of the proposal is a practical investment agenda: clear land titles, defined development conditions, essential utilities and coordinated approvals. These measures would help hospitality investors assess project viability and move from initial interest to execution.
Dr. Mohapatra’s roadmap identifies ten priorities:
1. Develop destinations as complete visitor ecosystems.
Build eight to ten professionally managed tourism zones where accommodation, transport, sanitation, signage and public amenities are planned together.
2. Give travellers reasons to stay longer.
Extend the Bhubaneswar–Puri–Konark itinerary into five to seven night journeys incorporating coastal stays, wildlife, regional cuisine and wellness.
3. Bring investment-ready sites to market.
Resolve land and infrastructure requirements and clarify approval processes so investors can evaluate development costs, timelines and operating potential.
4. Turn tourism circuits into bookable journeys.
Develop five connected offerings covering spiritual, Buddhist, tribal and wellness, wildlife and nature, and coastal and marine tourism, supported by transport, guides and accommodation.
5. Broaden the geography of hospitality investment.
Encourage suitable accommodation around Koraput, Chilika, Gopalpur, Satkosia and Similipal, with development guided by ecological sensitivity, carrying capacity and applicable approvals.
6. Develop a distinctive spiritual and wellness proposition.
Connect pilgrimage with Ayurveda, yoga and restorative stays while preserving the religious character of destinations and respecting local practices.
7. Place local enterprise within the tourism value chain.
Create earning opportunities for artisans, performers, guides and small businesses through Odia cuisine, Pattachitra, Gotipua and community-led experiences.
8. Address the last mile of the visitor journey.
Improve airport and highway connections, approach roads, local transport and public conveniences to make travel between destinations more dependable.
9. Measure investment facilitation through delivery.
Establish a specialist cell to resolve project bottlenecks, tracking completed developments, operational hotel rooms, employment and tourist nights alongside investment commitments.
10. Set a clear competitive ambition for 2047.
Work towards positioning Odisha among India’s top five tourism destinations, with a recognised identity in spiritual, wellness, nature, heritage and experiential luxury travel.
The roadmap’s central argument is that tourism growth depends on the readiness of the entire destination. Hotels require dependable access and supporting services, while longer stays depend on a range of experiences that visitors can readily discover and book.
Dr. Mohapatra emphasised that implementation would require sustained coordination between government, investors, hospitality operators and local communities. Progress, in this assessment, should be judged by projects becoming operational, visitors spending more time in the state and tourism generating stronger local livelihoods.
For Odisha, the proposed direction is to build investor confidence through greater project certainty and ensure that hospitality development produces lasting commercial and community value.
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