Odisha tourism is planning to promote ecotourism after COVID-19. The Forest and Environment department’s wildlife wing has collaborated with Odisha Tourism to train community members so as to open up ecotourism sites in the state. The Odisha government is looking at the future post COVID-19, and looking at ways to make tourism safer during this pandemic.
Already, the tourism department and the Forest and Environment department’s wildlife wing have come together to train managers and community members in 40 ecotourism sites. Among the 40 ecotourism destinations, you have beach resorts, hill stations in tribal areas, forests, and nature camps. Around 600 community members manage 300 rooms in such locations, and this can be very fruitful for tourism in the state. At the same time, there are seven ecotour properties currently under construction, in places such as Koraput, Nurapada, and Sundargarh, to name a few.
The state of Odisha had a promising run last year in terms of ecotourism. There were more than 30000 tourists who made night stay in properties in 2019. The total revenue earned was INR 6.6. crore until the end of December 2019. With new initiatives, this number can go higher in the future. The Satkosia Sands Resort located at Badmul had peaked by receiving 4000 tourists in 2019.
Training local members is extremely important during this time of a global pandemic. As part of the training, the community members involved in ecotourism will be taught the basics of safety protocols, such as social distancing, how to use a mask, and more. The aim of the tourism department here is to make the experience as safe as possible for tourists.
All ecotourism locations, such as nature camps and others will be well equipped with sanitisation products, and more.