Odisha Tourism undertakes activities ahead of Hockey World Cup
The Odisha Tourism, host partner of the Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, celebrated the World Tourism Day on Friday holding a heritage walk, food festival, a cultural event and many other activities.
This year is a special one for Odisha Tourism as it is preparing to welcome thousands of tourists both nationally and globally. The day was kicked off with a walk from the iconic Kalinga Stadium to Utkal Mandap in Bhubaneswar.
Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda, Secretary Vishal K Dev and Tourism Director Archana Patnaik participated in the walk, among others.
A food festival, launched at the Idco Exhibition Ground, would continue till October 8. The department has further undertaken a pledge for a plastic free Odisha.
The festivities concluded with a cultural performance at the Rabindra Mandap in the evening organised by Paryatan Bibhag Sanskrutika Parishad.
“We are committed to the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day i.e. Digital Transformation. Bhubaneswar is already known as the numero uno Smart City of the country. It is the only Indian city to win the prestigious American Pierre L’Enfant International Planning Award and to be ranked among the world’s best performing Smart Cities by British marketing agency Juniper Research. More importantly, we are putting in efforts to develop the infrastructure within the state to attract more tourists,” said Dev.