Speaking with ANI, Deputy CM said, "The Government of India has said they want to promote internal tourism in the country and since Odisha has a long coastline, the Indian government has talked about, in the budget, about wildlife, heritage and religious tourism."
Vardhan Singh Deo further added, "Overall, the Indian government has placed emphasis on tourism in the budget, the state government is now working on the tourism plans and then we will contact the central government."
"She (FM Nirmala Sitharaman) has mentioned the development of ports and the coast of the Bay of Bengal for tourism sites. For the first time, there is a government in the centre that is talking about vastly developing tourism," he added.
The Deputy CM praised the central government for developing tourism.
"Earlier, the development of tourism was left to the state government, now the central government is also taking responsibility for it," he said.
On Sunday, Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited. (CRISIL) said in its latest report that India's tour and travel operators are set to expand their revenue by a robust 15-17 per cent this fiscal year, driven by rising domestic tourism and an increasing propensity for overseas travel.
The growth will be supported by improving infrastructure, rising disposable incomes, a shift in travel patterns, and the government's focus on boosting domestic tourism.
This growth follows a strong fiscal year where revenue surged by approximately 40 per cent to around Rs 14,500 crore, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by about 20 percent. The credit profiles of travel operators are expected to remain healthy, supported by strong balance sheets and steady operating margins of 6.5-7 percent, resulting in substantial cash flows and low reliance on debt, the CRISIL report noted. (ANI)
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