Bhubaneswar: The Tourism department has decided to dedicate this year’s World Tourism Day (September 27) celebrations to the pledge of Plastic-free Odisha.
This was revealed at a review meeting held recently under the chairmanship of Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda.
Like previous years, the state government will organise ‘Tourism Walk’ from Kalinga Stadium to Utkal Mandap. Cultural performances will also be performed during the walk at different locations, said an official.
A slew of activities have been lined up to celebrate this event through participation of its stakeholders and general public at large.
Arrangements have been made to extend traditional welcome to the guests at Biju Patnaik International Airport and Railway station at Bhubaneswar and Puri. Coinciding with the event, a food festival is being organised here at exhibition ground which will start September 27 and continue till October 8.
To make this event broad-based, local communities would be roped in and cleanliness drives would be undertaken by the respective tourism officers of the districts, the officials added. The Paryatan Bibhag Sanskrutika Parishad (Tourism Department’s Cultural Association) will organise cultural function in the evening, he said.
Under the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) umbrella, September 27 is being celebrated as World Tourism Day across the world. The theme of this year is ‘Tourism and Digital Transformation’.