The Odisha will host the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018 from November 28 to December 6 in Bhubaneswar. The event is expected to attract about 15,000 visitors – fans, media, officials, and players. The organisers are reportedly engaged in talks with India’s budget hotel room aggregator network OYO Rooms in a bid to overcome the anticipated demand from the tourist influx for the 19-day multi-nation competition.
The Odisha State Government, hosts for the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018, are also in talks with hoteliers in Puri and Cuttack for accommodating hockey fans who are expected to throng the State during the World Cup, states a Business Standard report.
“For accommodating the teams and officials, there is absolutely no issue at all. We are expecting a large number of fans for which hotel availability will be a shortage. We recently had a meeting with OYO for bringing in more hotels under its fold. The discussion we had with OYO was for 1,000 odd hotel rooms,”, Odisha Tourism secretary Vishal Dev said at the Third Odisha Tourism Conclave hosted by Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO).
Dev, who is also the secretary of the sports department, expects a footfall of about 10,000 to 15,000 international tourists during the sporting spectacle.
Also Read: Odisha State plans massive campaign for the Men’s Hockey World Cup
Odisha is also looking forward to join hands with corporates, IT companies, as well as management and technical institutions to curb the excess demand for hotel rooms by hockey fans flocking to the State for the hockey’s most coveted quadrennial men’s event.
The State has also planned packages for about 500 tourists during the World Cup that will include accommodation, tickets and sightseeing. Besides, a one-day sightseeing package has also been planned for the visitors.
Speaking at the conclave, J K Mohanty, Chairman Hotel & Restaurant Association of Odisha said, “It’s high time for Odisha to get its due prominence in the tourism map of India.”
“We have so many options like eco-tourism, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism, ethnic tourism, adventure and wildlife tourism and religious & spiritual tourism, film tourism, tribal tourism, handicraft and textile, the art, craft, culture and cuisine to promote. I am sure, with an aggressive marketing and promotional activities the inflow of foreign tourists to Odisha can definitely take a leap forward,” he added.
Also Read: Men’s World Cup Hockey: Odisha to launch promotional campaign from Mumbai
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