Finance
In a big drive to establish Odisha as a top adventure tourism destination in Eastern India, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida launched the ‘Go-Adventure’ platform on Tuesday at Lok Seva Bhawan. She also inked memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) and the Aero Club of India.
Addressing the audience, the Deputy Chief Minister emphasized safety as the foundation of the state’s adventure tourism boom. The government intends to revamp the business and attract new investment from young entrepreneurs through international alliances and a renewed emphasis on spiritual and experiential tourism. She appreciated the joint efforts of the Tourism, Sports, and Home Departments in opening a new chapter in Odisha’s tourism landscape and called upon all departments to work collectively to make Odisha a world-class tourism destination.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg, present on the occasion, said the State Government is prioritising tourism development with the vision of achieving ‘Utkarsh Odisha by 2036’ and ‘Viksit Bharat by 2047’. She stressed that all departments should explore ways to contribute to tourism growth alongside their core responsibilities and emphasised the importance of collective efforts. She expressed hope that adventure tourism would boost local economies and create large-scale employment opportunities and called upon stakeholders to adopt the mantra: “Think India, Think Odisha.”
Officials said the Go-Adventure portal will simplify registration, verification, and licensing procedures for adventure tourism projects.
The Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Mountaineering Foundation is planned to boost safety assessments and training programs for land-based adventure activities including hiking and rock climbing. The agreement with the Aero Club of India will ensure that aerial adventure activities such as paragliding and paramotoring adhere to national aviation safety standards.
To make conducting business easier, domestic operators were provided ‘Licence to Operate’ (LTO) and ‘Recognition to Set Up’ (RTS) certificates, and some adventure tourism operators were legally granted licenses during the program.
Among the illustrious guests were Rajiv Pratap Rudy, former Union Minister and President of the Aero Club of India, and Dr. Pawan Gupta from the National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS), Goa, who participated electronically.
Dr. Sudhanshu Sarangi, the Director General of Fire Services and Home Guards, was also present. Tourism Commissioner-cum-Secretary Balwant Singh, Secretary Sports and Youth Services Bhupendra Singh Poonia, and Director Tourism Dipankar Mohapatra all played important roles in planning the event.
Arvind Badoni, General Secretary of the Aero Club of India, and Kirti Paisa, Honorary Secretary of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, were there to explore technical collaboration. IG Fire Services Umashankar Dash also came to inspect the safety arrangements. Senior Tourism Department officials and members of adventure tourism associations attended the event.
The project is expected to improve safety standards, boost investment, create jobs, and position Odisha as a top adventure tourism destination in India.
