Plan to popularise river tourism in the state
Bhubaneswar: In an attempt to add vibrancy and diversity to its offerings, Odisha Tourism is all set to launch houseboats, floating restaurants, and catamarans as part of its river tourism plans.
The major destinations that will be developed as hubs of river cruise are Vikas Eco Resorts in Chilika, Silver City boat club, Cuttack, Hirakud boat club in Hirakud, Chandrabhaga and Satkosia. The tourism department is also giving special emphasis on developing support infrastructure like jetties, passenger terminals and amenities like restaurants, toilets, and parking. Odisha Tourism shared its ambitious plans during a Cruise Tourism Conference held in Mumbai on May 14 and 15.
The department is launching first of its kind luxury houseboats at Barkul in Chilika soon, which will be two-storey and have two suites, four premium rooms, bars and restaurants. There will be an open-air lobby in the deck for meetings and conferences. Besides, the department is procuring two cruise boats each with a capacity of 40 people and one floating restaurant from a manufacturing facility in Kerala. “All these vessels are expected to be operationalized in Chilika in a couple of months,” said Sachin Jadhav, director, tourism.
The department has also planned to introduce a 30-seater floating restaurant and 50-seater catamaran at Silver City boat club in Cuttack soon. The cataraman will operate from Cuttack to Dhabaleswar on a day trip. Similarly, the department is developing a boat club at Hirakud with modern facilities like jetties for different types of boats to operate, restaurant and boardwalks. The work has already been commissioned, Jadhav added.
The department has taken the initiative to refurbish and convert existing four catamarans into luxury houseboats in public-private partnership (PPP) mode in order to promote river cruise tourism at par with global standards. Tour packages would be curated for tourists which would cover Bhitarkanika National Park and adjoining areas of Gahirmatha Wildlife Sanctuary.
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