Centre, state throw tourism spotlight on Koraput district

BHUBANESWAR: The beautiful Koraput is all set to be given a place of pride in the national tourism map with the central government including the district - best known for its majestic hills, caves, culture and coffee - in Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0).

At the same time, the state government is working towards projecting the district as a perfect wedding destination both nationally and internationally. Attending the 5th Odisha Tourism Conclave organised by the Hotel and Restaurants Association of Odisha on Thursday, regional director of India Tourism Sagnik Chowdhury said, “Koraput is one of the 50 destinations in the country chosen for promotion as part of India’s new destination-focused tourism policy under the redesigned Swadesh Darshan scheme, which was announced by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the Union budget.” 

Chowdhury said the project report for Koraput under SD2.0 will be prepared by the state government and sent to the Ministry of Tourism where the steering committee will decide on what elements to be finalised in the scheme. The state government, on the other hand, is also contemplating introducing the concept of wedding tourism at Deomali hill in Koraput on the lines of Jodhpur in Rajasthan.