Bhubaneswar, Dec. 28: The state tourism department has initiated the process to have a tourism plaza in the city to facilitate activities involving tour operators and tourists. The building will cost the exchequer Rs 7 crore.

The plaza will have rooms for all the 30 districts of Odisha and offices of tourism departments of other state governments as well. Space will also be reserved for tour operators on business in the state and other regions, so that people can have a spectrum of choices before them to zero in on their destinations. An office of the India Tourism Development Corporation will also be set up there.

Sources said four places - Delta Square at Unit-VIII, Forest Park at Unit-VI, Odisha State Museum premises and the Culture University at Madanpur campus - have been shortlisted, because the general administration department has land available at these sites. The tourism department has sent a request letter to the general administration department to allocate land in any one of these locations.

Tourism minister Ashok Chandra Panda said: 'We are hopeful that land would be made available either near Sishu Bhavan Square in close proximity to Forest Park or Delta Square at Unit-VIII. But, if this is not possible, it can be set up on our department's own land inside the Odisha State Museum complex.'

Talking about the facilities that will be made available inside the plaza, the minister said: 'Besides the offices, there will be souvenir shops inside the plaza set up by other states. It will also form a perfect platform for a theme such as national integration, as we see things from other states in places such as Delhi Haat. Indirectly, it will also help the handicrafts and handloom products of Odisha get more customers.'

Tourism secretary Arabinda Padhee said: 'An architect has been selected for the multi-storey plaza. While any state can set up its tourist office to showcase its important tourist destinations, preferences will be given to states that have a high flow of tourists to and from Odisha. It will facilitate cultural exchange among the states.'

Tour operator Debashish Mohapatra said: 'A tourism plaza will help operators to have a better platform, because they will be able to exchange ideas, plans and discuss strategies at a single platform in the city. It will also help the district tourist offices to get customers from other states.'

Travellers enquiring about tour plans of other states are happy that a tourism plaza is going to come up in the city. 'We had planned to visit Kerala this winter. But, we could not properly chalk out everything on time, and the trip did not happen. If a tourism plaza is built in Bhubanswar, planning trips will become much easier,' said Nrupesh Patnaik, a senior citizen.