Bhubaneswar: 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.
“The proposal is among a slew of recommendations compiled in a booklet for the growth of tourism in Odisha and attracting visitors to different destinations of the state,” HRAO Chairman JK Mohanty said.
He added that states like Rajasthan, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are ahead of Odisha in terms of social media presence.
“Coming to Facebook and Twitter, Odisha ranks lower among the top states in almost all matrices,” the HRAO booklet read.
It pointed out that the Odisha Tourism website is not even linked to its 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 parameters like people, culture, governance, immigration, investment, tourism and exports.
A popular actor may also be roped in 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 added.