Rs 11.5K crore new proposals in bag for Odisha’s tourism sector
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Saturday announced fresh investment intents of Rs 11,509 crore in the tourism sector, with a potential to generate 1.20 lakh jobs.
Sharing the details on the opening day of the seventh edition of Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) here, officials said the proposals received for all districts involve hospitality units amounting to a whopping 14,000 keys (hotel rooms).
The investment proposals do not include the Rs 8,100 crore received during last year’s Utkarsh Odisha: Make-in-Odisha Conclave. Projects worth Rs 5,800 crore of those have already been cleared through the state’s single-window mechanThe new proposals include star hotels, resorts and other tourism projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore for Khurda and Rs 850 crore for Cuttack; Rs 530 crore for Koraput, Rs 525 crore for Jagatsinghpur and Rs 510 crore for Ganjam. Hotel, resorts and ecotourism project plans worth around Rs 290 crore have been received for Balasore and Rs 220 crore for Bhadrak.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi inaugurated the Travel Bazaar organised in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He invited domestic and international investors and hospitality brands to invest in the state.Majhi said Odisha was moving beyond conventional sightseeing-based tourism towards a world-class, investor-friendly ecosystem.
“Tourism is a key pillar of the Viksit Odisha vision and will drive sustainable growth, employment and heritage conservation. The state government is preparing comprehensive master plans for 15 marquee sites to develop them as global destinations,” he said.
Highlighting the Odisha Tourism (Amendment) Policy 2026, Majhi said the minimum room requirement for star-category hotels have been reduced from 50 to 10. The CM also announced introduction of tourist police at major tourism destinations, deployment of 1,000 trained lifeguards at beaches and watersports destinations and appointment of destination managers at high-footfall tourist locations.Officials said around 145 domestic tour operators from 32 cities and 45 foreign tour operators from 27 countries are participating in OTB 2026, along with more than 100 local tourism service providers. Over 6,000 B2B and B2G meetings have been scheduled, while an investors’ session involving around 40 national hospitality brands and 250 state investors is being held.
Deputy chief minister and Tourism minister Pravati Parida said, “Odisha Travel Bazaar is a reflection of our belief that tourism grows through partnership. We are taking forward collaborations and MoUs with partners in areas including mountaineering, aero club, water sports, archaeology as well as banking to bring together different strengths related to adventure tourism