Hotel owners ask Odisha govt to promote state via social media

Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) Sunday asked the state government to prepare a tourism master plan and spend 20 per cent of its publicity budget on information technology to promote destinations via social media.

This was among a slew of recommendations compiled in a booklet which was released on Sunday for the growth of tourism in Odisha and attracting visitors to different destinations of the state, HRAO Chairman J K Mohanty said.

He said Rajasthan, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat were ahead of Odisha in terms of social media presence.

"Coming to Facebook and Twitter, Odisha is much below the top states in almost all matrices," the HRAO booklet observed.

It said Odisha Tourism website is not even linked to Facebook page and suggested that steps should be taken to engage with branding experts, hire professional IT agency, create comprehensive plan for branding and positioning Odisha, create a strategic plan to develop, communicate and facilitate tourism on each parameters like people, culture, governance, immigration, investment, tourism and exports.

A popular film star may also be appointed to promote Odisha as an attractive tourist destination, it suggested.

Mohanty said the association wants Odisha Tourism to focus on research to appropriately promote tourist destinations and prepare a tourism master plan for the next five years with a target for annual growth in footfalls to the state.

Recommendations in the booklet were compiled on the basis of suggestions made by participants including experts, officials and hoteliers during the 3rd Odisha Tourism Conclave organised by HRAO in August this year, Mohanty said.

(With inputs from agencies.)