Hotel Industry of Odisha
In this article I have explain about the Hotels that attracts outsiders to Odisha. There are nearly about 30 star hotels offering more than 1000 air conditioned room. Recently added Hotel Oboroi has extraordinary facilities for the VIP customers. It is fully air conditioned. There is a report that Taj and ITC's welcome group are also proposing to put there hotels here. Since the numbers of tourists to Odisha increases year by year so star hotels numbers also increases.
Hotel Industry in Odisha
Odisha was among the first to declare hotels as an industry so that concessions could be granted to them. Hotels in the private sector play an important role as government or public sector-owned tourist bungalows lodges, etc. There are present nearly 350 private hotels and many more are coming up. There are nearly 30 hotels with different star ratings offering more than 1000 air conditioned rooms. A recent addition has been the hotel Oberoi,Bhubaneswar constructed in the temple style of architecture amidst modern settings the pride of the state. Mr. Mohanty, President Hotel And Restaurant association of India,is himself the owner of the recently built sleek-looking Hotel Swosti situated of Bhubaneswar.
The Oberoi Bhubaneswar is situated about 10km. From the airport and stands on a 14acre site nearly 5kms from the city. The 70 rooms hotel is fully airconditioned, has modern facilities like swimming pool, 2 tennis courts, a badminton court, a jogging track and conference rooms. Another hotel in Odisha belonging to the same 30 member chain, Oboroi Palm Beach, is located on the charming sea-side resort of Gopalpur-on-sea. There are reports that Taj and ITC's Welcome group are also proposing to put up hotels there. Several local entrepreneurs have also opened hotels and lodges. The tariff range from Rs. 25 to Rs. 100 per day. The hotel association claiming that compared other parts of the country these were very reasonable, but owning to lack of proper publicity and the promotional drive these hotels have not been fully utilised. The state electricity board; had not been willing to apply-industrial electricity concessions to hotel but the former Chief Minister J.B. Patnaik, intervened and made them applicable to them. Another problem worrying hotel owners is non exemption from payment of sales tax on vegetables food items stoved at their establishments.
The East India Hotel Ltd. Running the Oberoi chain hotels in the country, has taken a decision to promote holiday resorts in a big way. With a view to cater to the needs of the lower income group of tourists, the Government of India has sanctioned construction of two yatri Nivasa one each at Satpada near Chilika and Konark.
The restriction of construction within 500 metres of the high type line has been relaxed to 200 metres. The Government intends to provide accommodation at Rs.15 to Rs.100 in a big way.
The number of international tourists visiting the state at the start of the sixth plan period [1979-80] was 19,916 and this figure had risen to 28,514 by the end of the plan, similarly, the number of domestic tourists visiting was 140,296 and 619,226 respectively. By the end of the seventh plan the yearly arrival of the international tourists is estimated to be 0.46laksh and domestic ones 10lakhs.
As regards accommodation, at the commencement of the sixth plan there were 112 rooms with 238 beds in 12 tourists bungalows managed by the Government and 3015 rooms with, 168 beds in the private sector. In the later 1, 713 additional rooms with 339 beds came up. By the end of the plan the total numbers of room and beds available in these hotels increased to 4,726 and 9,265 respectively.
Besides the newly created Odisha Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. [OTDC] to which all the tourist bungalows established by the state department of Tourism were transferred by the commencement of the plan operating 220 rooms and 470 beds by the end of the plan. Four projects spiled over to the seventh plan include hotel Nilachal Ashok in collaboration with ITDC, a new tourist bungalow at Rourkela fast becoming the showpiece of the nation with its making and neatly organised townships, expansion of the Panthanivas[tourist bungalow] at Bhubaneswar and panthanivas at Puri with two new ones with 68 additional rooms and 135 beds. Expansion of existing tourist bungalow is designed to raise capacity by 85 rooms and 170 beds. The central Department of Tourism has taken up the construction of forest lodges. An economy hotel is to be constructed at Puri. A total outstanding of Rs.303.80lakhs has been allotted for seventh plan for the creation of accommodation of the order of Rs.567lakhs, 30 percent of number of construction man days that the said investment will generate is 1.701000.
