National Geographic Traveler magazine has named the state, Odisha in its “50 Tours of a Lifetime” list in the 2013 edition.
Odisha has a 500 Km coastline which consists some of the most beautiful beaches of the world and a number small islands. The land of Lord Jagannath is also the host of more than 140 ancient temples of mythological importance. This land hosts some of the famous historical Buddhist monuments of the country, where the famous Ashokan Edicts can still be found. Besides these a few forts are there.
The state also has been bestowed with number of lakes, water falls, hot springs which are a delight for the nature lovers. There are also a number of wildlife sanctuaries for wildlife lovers.
Odisha’s government has identified 329 locations to be developed and promoted as key tourist destinations in the state.
A new scheme for developing eco-tourism was introduced in 2009-10, and US$ 0.15 million was spent to develop Anjar in Keonjhar district, Ansupa in Cuttack district and Sidhamula in Nayagarh district as eco-tourism destinations. During 2010-11, eco-tourism infrastructure was developed at Mahavinayak in Jajpur district and Nrusinghnath in Bargarh district.
The state government has come up with Odisha Tourism Policy 2013 with the objective of promoting sustainable tourism to bring about socio-economic benefits to the community.
