Odisha’s landscape is not only dotted with heritage sites of immense significance, but it is also blessed with celestial scenic beauty. Heritage sites such as Gupteswar to Mukteswar, Lingaraj temples, Panchalingeswar, Khiching, Jagannath temple and the Sun Temple at Konark are known to everyone. But innumerable lesser-known yet equally ancient and attractive sites have not received the attention they deserve.

Had nature lavished its bounty on a country such as Spain or Switzerland or Sweden or Luxemburg, or Thailand or Singapore or Malaysia, their tourism sector would have been among the largest and most prosperous in the world.

What differentiates our states, particularly Odisha, from countries that are small in size, have limited natural resources, fewer heritage sites and a population that would be smaller than that of a district in India?

What indeed are the reasons, or could be the reasons for the spectacular success of tiny countries that earn more from their tourism sector while, despite our best efforts, our earnings from the tourism sector are abysmally low, in fact so low that the whole earning from the tourism sector would be less than that of a strategically located five/seven star resort!

The element that is missing in all our endeavours is the human touch. The policy makers and the implementing agencies, individual functionaries as well as the local people, all seem to lack zeal and enthusiasm. This is where people and countries elsewhere score over us. We want to leave everything to somebody else!

Our tourism industry is manned by people having no knowledge of our history, culture and tradition and they show scant regard for visitors or their queries.

At every step, efforts are made to extract as much money from the visitors as possible. This undermines the endeavour to showcase the state as a ‘tourist hub’ or a ‘tourist destination’. In the absence of well-trained personnel, the visitor is furnished with exaggerated or distorted information that confuses outsiders.

Categorisation of tourists is as important as identification of their tastes and interest areas. It has to be kept in mind that all tourists do not belong to the affluent category. Most have a shoestring budget and plan to spend judiciously. So plans should be in place to cater to the needs of all kinds of tourists.

It would also be prudent, as well as practical, to divide Odisha into specific zones taking into account the importance of places, communication facilities and, most importantly, provisions for safe lodging and boarding. We have 30 districts, but three or four of them can be clubbed into as a single unit and packages can be drawn up accordingly. We can also have independent packages for the coastal areas, forest, lake, waterfalls, Buddhist circuit, the tribal belt and art and craft and so on. We can even have a package based on festivals celebrated at different places and in different seasons. Tourists, depending on their preferences and their budget, may accept any number of packages they want. Tourist information centres in major cities, airports, railway stations and district headquarters will be a great help. Of course, we have such centres, but these are manned not only by unprofessional people, but by those who are underpaid. Unless the professionals trained and given incentives, they will not give their best. Such centres should have literature on Odisha’s tourist spots, its geography and the cost of packages and they should take advantage of the latest in information technology.

For such packages to be attractive, several factors such as the local terrain, season and existing facilities have to be taken into consideration. Besides many prominent sites and places, there are numerous lesser-known places, temples, ancient excavated sites that can be imaginatively marketed. Newly excavated sites can be a source of huge attraction.

When we talk of packages, some other dimensions can be considered. These include health, adventure, cuisine, folk and wilderness tourism. Innovation is the key here and new ideas will give us a distinct edge over our competitors. We know that Odisha as a tourism hub has immense potential, yet we are at the same time aware that the state is far from realising it.

So there is an urgent need for all the stakeholders – policy makers, implementers, tour operators, captains of the hospitality industry, professionals — to put their heads together and come up with concrete and viable proposals to transform the state into a an attractive tourist destination.

Doing things in the PPP-mode had held out much promise in this sector, but experience has shown that things moved from bad to worse in most instances. The government went on spending on infrastructure, the private parties took a lion’s share of the profits and the poor tourist suffered.

One may recall the much-hyped “Hop-on-Hop-off” venture, which was a disastrous failure. It was a good example of “good intention-bad implementation” resulting in sheer embarrassment to the government. It was also a case of how mandarins in the corridors of power never felt the pulse of the people.

How does a tourist feel when the menu card contains nearly 100 items that include Indian, Chinese and continental dishes, but what is actually available are a few traditional, mostly chicken-mutton-fish based, Indian or Odia dishes. As far as Chinese dishes are concerned, only good old noodles and soup are offered. Cooks in small towns or in remote areas are utterly ignorant of ignorant of Chinese cuisine.

Indigenisation is the key to generate interest and inquisitiveness. Experts on Odia cuisine may sit with the local representatives and select items for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The truth is none ever thought of tourism as a viable alternative to economic prosperity and a source of regular income for many. There is indeed a glaring gap between what the policy makers think and what the people in general know and feel. This gap has to be bridged. Tapping into our strength and recognising our weaknesses will carry the sector forward. Adopting an indigenous approach will strengthen the sector that cannot be a money spinner, but also a huge employment generator.

The need of the hour is to sensitise all our stakeholders to the various dimensions and benefits of such care-and-concern tourism. Evolving new concepts and strategies will be a right step in that direction. Readers will do well to recall the age-old tradition of Puri where servitors went to different states scouting for devotees and tourists and when they arrive, provide them with the best possible hospitality. Such devotees have contributed immensely to Odisha’s economy in general and to Puri’s in particular.