The number-graph of foreign tourists visiting Odisha has been on an upward trend since the Biju Patnaik International Airport here started handing international flight operations a week ago.As many as 60 per cent of the seats of the Air India flight from Dubai to Bhubaneswar are being booked by foreign tourists now, according to the Tourism Department. While more than 150 foreign tourists have travelled to the State in six days since the operation started, it is expected that the number would go up further during the Nabakalebar Rath Yatra.
Apart from the Air India flight, seats of five other flights operated by private carriers have also been filled. Overall 80 per cent of the seats of all scheduled flights till Saturday to the airport have been booked.The elated State Government has stepped up preparations to address the needs of the tourists. It has pressed into service 30 taxis to ferry the passengers only to Puri. Information kiosks have also been set up at the airport to help the tourists.It may be noted that the overall foreign passenger inflow to the State has increased sharply in the past three months due to Nabakalebara of lord Jagannath. More than 7, 000 foreign tourists have visited the State after the Banajaga Yatra started on March 29. More than 5, 000 of them visited various Nabakalebara-related spots and Puri. While the State witnessed about 2,000 tourists in June itself, it is expected to go even higher by this month end.
“We have set up counters at the railway station and the airport to keep a tab on the number of foreign tourists. These counters also provide information to the tourists about their places of visit,” said a Tourism official. He too informed that more than 800 visitors have come to the State by air between July 1 and 15. About 300 of them are from foreign countries like Dubai, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri lanka, England and Japan,” he saidAs per the department’s statistics, while 593 foreign visitors came to the State in June 2012, 217 visited in June 2013 and 300 in June 2104.