Bhubaneswar, Sept. 11: The municipal corporation is doing everything possible to deck up the city ahead of the golden jubilee convention of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) scheduled from September 25 to 27.
The FHDAI, an apex body of four regional associations representing the Indian hospitality sector, will conduct its much-awaited meet at Mayfair Lagoon and Convention at Jayadev Vihar.
The state government is also planning to grab the occasion to ink deals with top hospitality players to take up new projects in the state.
Besides discussion among hospitality entrepreneurs, tourism experts and government officials, the three-day extravaganza will also have a handicraft exposition at the Exhibition Ground in Unit III and a grand carnival on Janpath between Master Canteen and Rupali Square.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has teamed up with the forest, public works, tourism and culture departments and Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC) to take up beautification work at major roads such as airport to Jayadev Vihar, airport to Utkal University and Ram Mandir Square to Housing Board Square.
BMC additional commissioner Sudhanshu Mohan Samal said: "Though the overall coordination for the entire event involving national and international delegates is being done under the leadership of tourism principal secretary L.N. Gupta, the vital city-level coordination rests with the municipal corporation."
While repair of major roads and colouring of medians will be done by works department, forest department and OFDC will look after plantation on the median. "The beautification of walls and redesigning of the disfigured works are already being taken up and we have asked our public-private-partnership agencies as they are helping us in this matter for several years," Samal said.
Prominent hospitality entrepreneur Debashish Patnaik said: "We are expecting delegates from across the globe, so our city should dress up smartly. At a time when the city has already been listed as a smart city by the Centre, our preparations will have a lasting impact on the minds of the participants."
Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena told The Telegraph: "The event will help lift the city's image and since it hosts a number of important monuments, Bhubaneswar will prove itself as one of the most sought after convention centres of the nation."
The biggest event of the hospitality and tourism industry in India this year is based on the theme Atithi Devo Bhava, which means 'guest is god'. More than 1,200 delegates of the sector, including leading hoteliers and other stakeholders in the industry, are expected to participate in it.
The convention will include technical sessions on growth of hospitality industry in India on the first day. The second day will be the Odisha Day and will focus on the various aspects of tourism promotion in the region. Folk dances and cultural programmes by well-known artistes from the state will also be held.
The concluding day will be crucial as it coincides with the celebrations of the World Tourism Day.
