Tourism to be flagship of Orissa economy - Naveen

Bhubaneswar, Aug 7 (UNI) Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today promised to provide all facilities to promote and market the state as a preferred destination for tourists.

Inaugurating the 24th Indian Association of Tour Operators here, Mr Patnaik said Orissa has tremendous potential for tourism and the government would promote it.

The Chief Minister said the state government had taken tourism as a priority sector for economic growth. With lengthy coastline, dense forests, superb monuments, exotic handicrafts and handloom and many tribes, tourism could become the flagship of Orissa's economy, he said.

Mr Patnaik said the state had a tourist friendly environment and an investment friendly infrastructure base for development adding that for facilitating all round growth of tourism, major tourism -related activities like hotels, motels, way side amenities, water sports, aero sports, health resorts, golf courses and amusement parks had been declared as industries.

Under the Orissa Industries Facilitation Act, a single window clearance committee had been created for speedy clearance of tourism projects.

The Chief Minister invited the public sector to invest in tourism sector as it was not possible to develop all the infrastructure in public sector in the capital intensive tourism projects.

He said the state government had focussed on the convergence of resources of different departments for the integrated development of tourism and called upon the tour operators congregated from all parts of the country to take advantage of the facilities offered in the state and exploit the fresh potential.

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