Bhubaneswar, April 12: The city is slowly turning a new leaf and becoming a preferred destination for international and national conferences and sporting events.

An international conference was held here in March for strengthening maritime security and trade among Indian Ocean Rim countries. As many as 20 nations, including Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, Singapore, participated in it and presented their views on reviving ancient maritime relations of trade and culture.

The 35th edition of the Champions Trophy men's hockey tournament was also hosted in the city in December last year. The elite International Hockey Federation (FIH) event was held at the Kalinga Stadium for which practice turfs of international standards were laid.

Such events would go a long way in propagating the triumphs of Bhubaneswar on the global map. "Throughout the event, the spotlight was on the city with top hockey players from across the world gathering in Bhubaneswar fighting it out for the title. A number of journalists and sports personalities had come over to witness the event. The tournament was a landmark towards cementing the capability of the city at hosting an international sporting event," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

The successful tournament has given Bhubaneswar an edge in claiming matches for Hockey World Cup to be hosted by India in 2018.

Moreover, more than 400 scholars from across the country came together for the Indian Anthropological Congress that was held at Utkal University in February.

The 75th Indian Roads Congress for sharing the knowledge and experience of experts in various fields of roads engineering was also organised in January.

Earlier in 2012, the biggest congregation of the country's best and brightest scientists, Indian Science Congress, was held in Bhubaneswar that was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Tourism experts feel the city offers a perfect blend of culture and infrastructure making it favourable spot for hosting events. "The city is peaceful with good roads and hotels. That apart, the cultural traditions of this place is quite rich," said chairman of the Odisha chapter of the Indian Association of Tour Operators Benjamine Simon.

Simon further said: "Such events add to the tourism portfolio of the state as well. We could claim that Bhubaneswar has hosted so many important events thus attracting more and more tourists. It has helped in providing an edge to our sector over others."

Already, a few conferences have been lined up for January next year. The 12th International Conference on Distributed Computing and Internet Technology will be held here from January 15 to 18 next year. An international doctors' conference is also on the cards.