Bhubaneswar, Feb. 9: Your desire to tour the state, crisscross the country or fly away to foreign locales has now become easier.

To attract tourists from the state and outside, the regional office of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) today announced special tour packages. Those keen to explore the state have six holiday packages to pick from. The package includes a few coastal destinations as well.

A tourist can spend Rs 1,647 to catch a glimpse of Puri and Konark in a daylong affair. While the adventurous ones can opt for two days and one night package that will take them to Puri, Konark and Chilika for Rs 3,275. The package includes a boat ride on the lake up to the Satapada sea mouth.

"Tourists coming to Odisha from various parts of the country and abroad can avail ofour tour plans and enjoy short holidays in the scenic coastal waters of the state. We have planned most of these packages in such a manner that one can fit into any of these on a weekend," said IRCTC regional manager Kranti Sawarkar.

Several packages were also announced for the people of the state who wish to travel to other states or even enjoy holidays abroad. The air packages start from Bhubaneswar, Calcutta and Visakhapatnam. Those interested in foreign tours can opt for trips to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Of the domestic air packages on offer, the Golden Triangle tour covers Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Mathura, Ajmer, Pushkar, and Jaipur. Similarly, the Golden Triangle of Karnataka tour includes Bangalore, Mysore, Ooty and Coorg. Charming Himachal package covers Delhi, Chandigarh, Manali and Shimla, while the Shirdi Saibaba special tour covers Mumbai, Shirdi, Shani Shingnapur and Nashik.

"Odia people are increasingly opting for international and domestic tour packages. The packages we have designed include return airfare, accommodation, meals, transfers and sight seeing as well as travel insurance. We have tried to keep the entire package very reasonably priced," said Sawarkar.

With summer vacations coming up within a couple of months, many people seemed excited about the packages. "The prices are all inclusive and within our budget. We can plan to go to Andaman or even Thailand this summer," said Shoma Maharana, a travel enthusiast.