THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR,
OCTOBER 5, 2026
Odisha is seeking to
turn its growing tourism appeal into stronger business opportunities,
investment and local economic activity, with the seventh edition of the Odisha
Travel Bazaar (OTB) 2026 concluding here on Monday after three days of
intensive trade engagements, destination showcases and industry deliberations.
Organised by the
Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha, in partnership with the Federation
of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the three-day event at
MAYFAIR Sanctuary brought together more than 200 buyers and over 100 tourism
businesses, giving the State’s tourism industry a platform to forge commercial
partnerships with markets in India and abroad.
The scale of the
engagement was reflected in the participation of 145 domestic tour operators
from 32 cities and 45 international tour operators from 27 countries. More than
9,000 structured B2B and B2G meetings were facilitated during the event,
providing tourism enterprises, hospitality players, tour operators and
destination partners an opportunity to identify new markets and build business
relationships.
While Odisha’s
established strengths in heritage and spirituality remained central to the
showcase, OTB 2026 sought to project a broader tourism proposition. Beaches,
wildlife, nature, adventure, culture, tribal experiences and cuisine featured
prominently, reflecting the State’s effort to position itself as a destination
where travellers can move beyond conventional sightseeing to immersive and
experience-led tourism.
For the tourism
industry, the marketplace was as much about business matchmaking as destination
promotion. Direct interactions between Odisha-based enterprises and travel
trade partners offered opportunities to expand market reach and create new
tourism products tailored to changing traveller preferences.
The event also sought
to bring investment into sharper focus.
Around 40 leading
national hospitality brands and 250 State investors participated in an
investment-oriented engagement exploring opportunities in Odisha’s tourism and
hospitality sector. Discussions highlighted the State’s efforts to create a
more investor-friendly ecosystem through policy support, incentives, land
availability, streamlined clearances and facilitation mechanisms.
The emphasis on
investment comes at a time when tourism is increasingly being viewed not merely
as a leisure activity but as an engine for employment, entrepreneurship,
infrastructure development and local economic growth.
Another significant
focus was the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) segment.
A high-level roundtable brought together policymakers, industry representatives
and other stakeholders to examine how Odisha can strengthen its ability to host
national and international business events.
The discussions
covered infrastructure, professional services, policy support and the need to
build a more competitive ecosystem for conferences and corporate events.
A significant
development during the roundtable was the inauguration of the Odisha MICE
Incentive Portal, a dedicated digital platform aimed at promoting the State as
a venue for corporate conventions and facilitating applications for eligible
financial incentives.
The initiative adds a
business-tourism dimension to Odisha’s tourism strategy, seeking to tap a
segment that can generate visitor spending beyond traditional holiday seasons.
The bazaar also
underscored the growing role of food, crafts and culture in shaping destination
identity. Odisha’s culinary traditions received particular attention with the
participation of celebrity chef and Official Brand Ambassador for Odia Cuisine
Ranveer Brar.
The focus on cuisine
reflects a wider shift in tourism marketing, where local food, craft traditions
and community experiences increasingly form part of the traveller’s motivation
to visit a destination.
From traditional
flavours to tribal experiences and handicrafts, OTB 2026 presented these
cultural assets not merely as attractions but as potential components of
marketable tourism experiences.
The business
engagements were complemented by destination familiarisation programmes
designed to give hosted buyers and tourism professionals a first-hand
understanding of Odisha’s diverse tourism circuits.
The pre- and
post-event programme included eight FAM tours, taking participants across
different tourism experiences in the State. The initiative was aimed at
encouraging travel trade partners to develop itineraries that go beyond
Odisha’s better-known destinations and bring lesser-explored experiences into
the tourism marketplace.
This focus could
prove important for distributing tourism activity more widely and creating
opportunities for enterprises and communities outside established tourist
centres.
The conclusion of the
seventh Odisha Travel Bazaar marks another stage in the evolution of the event
from a destination-promotion exercise into a broader tourism business platform
connecting buyers, investors, hospitality brands, government agencies and
tourism enterprises.
The underlying
ambition is increasingly clear: to convert Odisha’s rich tourism assets into
sustainable economic opportunities by strengthening market access, attracting
investment and encouraging private-sector participation.
With more than 9,000
business and government interactions, participation from domestic and overseas
operators, and a parallel focus on hospitality investment and MICE tourism, OTB
2026 has sought to place Odisha more firmly on the map of India’s emerging
tourism and business destinations.
For the State, the next challenge will be to convert the partnerships and conversations generated at the bazaar into actual tourist arrivals, new investments, stronger tourism enterprises and wider local economic benefits.
The successful conclusion of OTB 2026, however, signals that Odisha’s tourism story is moving into a new phase — one in which travel, lifestyle, enterprise and investment increasingly converge.
