Bhubaneswar: The state tourism department will launch special packages for the Men's Hockey World Cup here from November 28.
A wholesome package that would include tickets to matches, accommodation facilities and sightseeing arrangements will be one of the highlights. Around 500 tourists can avail themselves of the package on a first-come first-serve basis.
"We are working on the package and have held discussions with hotel owners here," said Vishal Dev, secretary of the tourism department, on Friday.
"Once finalised, we will open it for bookings from the first week of September."
He was speaking at the sideline of the third Odisha Tourism Conclave hosted by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha.
Day-long tour packages will also be launched for the visitors. Dev said: "We are expecting around 15,000 foreign tourists during the event."
The state government will collaborate with hotel aggregators to provide 1,000 rooms for tourists by upgrading existing facilities at budget hotels in cities such as Bhubaneswar, Puri and Cuttack.
"The players and hockey delegates will be hosted in hotels with three stars and above. Now we are working on accommodation for tourists and facilitating online booking for them," he said.
Members of the association lamented the lack of star properties in the state and put forward other challenges. Changes in guidelines for approval of hotels under the planning and development authorities, implementation of fire safety rules through alternate modern technologies, cleanliness of beaches at Gopalpur, Puri and Chandipur, cleanliness around temples and other cultural heritage sites, providing adequate hygienic toilet facilities near cultural sites are some of the issues that still remain unresolved, an association member said.
"We are regularly working in close cooperation with various departments of the state government to highlight the problems of tourism from time to time," said J.K. Mohanty, chairman of the association.
The state government said it was creating land banks for allocation to the hospitality sector.
"In the next two years, three to four star hotels will make its entry to Odisha. We will come up with a fast and transparent process for land allocation," added Dev.
According to sources, The Crown, ITC Hotels and Hyatt Group were the few players that would set up hotels in and around Bhubaneswar.
