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Published on : Tuesday, June 9, 2020
In a bid to drive cruise tourism significantly, the Odisha State Government has planned to develop day cruises at select water bodies, rivers and lakes with participation of the private sector after the lockdown, aiming domestic tourists mainly. The day cruise facilities will be available at Chilika Lake, Mahanadi, Bhitarkanika, Satkosia Gorge and Hirakud in the first phase. It will be developed further based on the response from visitors.
The Tourism Department has asked for proposals from potential investors and experienced cruise operators with their location-specific project plan, operational mechanism and proposed activities to be performed.
The Odisha Tourism Policy offers financial incentives to projects like water sports, adventure sports, house boat, cruise tourism project, aquarium and aqua-park by means of investment and interest subsidy for boosting private sector investments.
The State Government has already framed Odisha Boat Rule, 2017 to standardize water sports activities. Tourism Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev said that the plan is for operating both day cruises and multi-day cruises with separate itineraries at preferred tourist destinations in the State. “The 30-km cruise at Satkosia is absolutely stunning and breathtaking. The idea is to provide a quality cruise to people with a different experience. The day cruise has one route and the multi-day and night cruise has a separate route,” Dev said.
He added that the Odisha government aims to bring a quality and classy cruise over its destinations with dining facilities, quality food, proper guide and safety protocol. It is not like normal boating exercise. One will be a full day cruise and another will be a multi-day cruise covering a number of destinations over a period of four to five days a week.
Tags: Odisha, Odisha State Government