Bhubaneswar, Sept. 21: The influx of tourists to the state can be expected to increase soon as the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) has signed an MoU with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on Tuesday. Both organisations will promote each other’s tour packages to develop outbound as well as incoming tourism in the state.

The venture promises a number of benefits for tourists from Orissa and will popularise tour destinations of the state all over the country.

“Tourists from the state will be able to avail the Bharat Darshan and Bharat Tirtha packages at our booking counters. IRCTC has introduced special weekly packages for tourists from Orissa, which are modestly priced, to encourage outbound tourism here,” said Alok Mishra, manager, Marketing, OTDC.

“Moreover, tourist destinations of Orissa will be highlighted in all their literature. Their website and counters all over the country will also sell OTDC tour packages. They will particularly highlight the tour package of Bhubaneswar-Puri-Konark, the Golden Triangle of Orissa tourism, to their customers,” he added.

The Buddhist circuit of Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri and Udaygiri and the various wildlife packages of Orissa will also be promoted by IRCTC. As per the MoU, IRCTC tourists will be given services of OTDC for accommodation, transport and local tour packages.

“We have launched 10 weekly packages for tourists in Orissa to major tourist destinations in the country such as Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Maharashtra,” said Amlan Biswas, regional manager, IRCTC.

IRCTC officials also showed inclination towards coming up with projects with local hotels. The tie-up between OTDC and IRCTC would boost tourism in various regions in the country, said OTDC Chairman, Jyotishkar Mohapatra. “Both corporations will mutually benefit from the tie-up since we will promote their packages and sell them at our counters while they will encourage tourists to visit Orissa and use OTDC services,” said Mohapatra. The MoU has been signed for a period of one year. “It might be extended depending on the response of tourists,” he added.