Bhubaneswar: Taking bold strides to position Odisha as a leading hub for adventure tourism in eastern India, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Tuesday launched ‘Go-Adventure’ portal at Lok Seva Bhavan here.
The portal would streamline registration, verification, licensing, and operational processes for adventure tourism ventures, making it easier for operators, investors, and enthusiasts to engage with certified activities and destinations.
Addressing the gathering, the Deputy CM, who holds the Tourism portfolio, emphasised safety as the cornerstone of the state’s adventure tourism expansion. “Through international partnerships and a new focus on spiritual and experience-based travel, the government plans to modernise the sector and attract fresh investment from young entrepreneurs,” she said.
Parida appreciated the coordinated work of the Tourism, Sports, and Home departments in opening a new chapter for Odisha’s tourism and urged all stakeholders to collaborate in transforming the state into a world-class destination.
The government also signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) and the Aero Club of India (ACI). The IMF partnership will enhance safety audits and training for land-based adventure activities such as trekking and rock climbing, while the ACI collaboration will ensure aerial sports such as paragliding and paramotoring adhere to national aviation safety regulations.
The event also saw ‘Licence to Operate’ (LTO) and ‘Recognition to Set Up’ (RTS) certificates being issued to domestic water-based adventure tour operators, aligning with efforts to improve the ease of doing business in the sector.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg, who was also 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.”
Former Union Minister and President of Aero Club of India Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Dr Pawan Gupta from NIWS, Goa, attended the programme virtually. Fire Services and Home Guards DG Sudhanshu Sarangi, Tourism Commissioner-cum-Secretary Balwant Singh, Secretary Sports and Youth Services Bhupendra Singh Poonia, and Director Tourism Dipankar Mohapatra were also present.
General Secretary of Aero Club of India Arvind Badoni and Honorary Secretary of Indian Mountaineering Foundation Kirti Paisa held technical collaboration discussions.