Bhubaneswar, Aug. 10: Visitors walking through the deserts and palaces of Rajasthan will soon be encouraged by the Rajasthan government to give the beaches and temples of Orissa a shot.

At the ongoing Indian Association of Tour Operators’ (IATO) convention, the two states have entered into a partnership to promote tourist attractions in their partner states. If plans work out, Pondicherry and Orissa, too, would be marketing each other’s products and would be encouraging tourists to visit their partner state. Both would facilitate bookings, exchange of tourists, fairs and state-linked tours.

The tourism department signed an agreement with its Pondicherry counterpart to cement the alliance recently. “The objective is to build an inter-state relationship for the development of tourism in the regions concerned,” said Orissa tourism minister Debi Mishra.

Orissa, in its part, will showcase artists and crafts persons of Rajasthan in its government-sponsored fairs and festivals. Rajasthan would make similar moves to promote Orissa’s craft and culture through festivals.

“Orissa and Rajasthan, both popular destinations for their arts, crafts and culture, can now share their expertise,” said Rajasthan tourism minister Usha Punia.

The significance of the IATO convention lies in the fact that even on previous occasions the region experienced tremendous tourism growth after the conclave. “IATO contributed to more than 40 per cent inbound arrivals to India and assured that Orissa would figure prominently in their brochures and programmes in the international market,” said state minister Debi Prasad Mishra.

About 1,200 Indian and foreign tour operators are participating in the convention, with airline representatives, hoteliers and travel writers from India and abroad — who would be travelling across the state as a part of pre and post-convention tours. Familiarisation tours have also been planned. The event is expected to provide a Rs 1,000-crore boost to the state travel industry.