PRESS RELEASE · Submitted by BKK News Desk
PRESS RELEASE
Odisha Ready to Lead India’s Tourism Growth: Dy CM Pravati Parida
7th Odisha Travel Bazaar 2026 to be held from October 3–5 in Bhubaneswar
– Tourism benefits to reach local communities
– 200+ Buyers, 100+ Tourism Businesses and 6,000+ B2B Meetings first time ever to Drive Business Opportunities at OTB 2026
Bhubaneswar, 1st October, 2026: Odisha is positioning itself to play a leading role in India’s tourism and hospitality growth, with a strong focus on attracting global visitors, promoting local entrepreneurship and creating employment opportunities for the youth.
Deputy Chief Minister of Odisha Smt. Pravati Parida on Thursday officially announced the 7th edition of Odisha Travel Bazaar (OTB) 2026, which will be held from October 3 to 5 at Mayfair Sanctuary, Bhubaneswar. The announcement was made at a pre-event press conference held at Mayfair Lagoon.
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 B2B tourism marketplace will bring together more than 92 private company exhibitors, foreign tour operators from 27 countries and domestic buyers from 32 cities. The event is expected to facilitate more than 6,000 pre-scheduled business meetings.
Speaking at the press conference, Smt. Pravati Parida said Odisha is pursuing an ambitious tourism strategy aimed at generating direct economic benefits for local communities while strengthening the state’s position on the global tourism map.
With participation from international and domestic tourism stakeholders, OTB 2026 is expected to provide a platform for business networking, destination promotion and partnerships, while strengthening Odisha’s efforts to expand tourism-led employment, entrepreneurship and local economic development.
MUMBAI, 29 September 2026: Mr Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Tourism & Culture, Govt of India today while addressing the 26th edition of ‘FICCI FRAMES 2026’, said that in next 2-3 years, the world will start moving towards content with little AI involvement, content with fewer filters, and human-only content. “Therefore, as we embrace the opportunity before us during this period of change, we must also work with equal determination to ensure that this opportunity does not diminish our creativity,” he emphasized.
Speaking on the theme of FICCI FRAMES – India’s Media Moment: Creating Value in an Age of Infinite Content, Mr Shekhawat said that it is not only relevant but imperative in today’s time. “It is an era of infinite content, and our biggest challenge is not shortage of content but it is originality and human connection. It is the trust which is invaluable and we need to work to protect the trust on priority,” he added.
India, he added not only possesses content but it also possesses context along with diversity and tradition of storytelling. “India is the largest center of creativity for the world. Today, it is the time to advance India’s culture, economy, employment, global standing and tourism, together. This is our creative capital,” stated Mr Shekhawat.
Emphasizing on three key changes he said, “We must move beyond making India just a content consumer and work together to make it a world leader in content creation and creativity. Second, we must move beyond the scale of our audience and build original Indian intellectual property and Third, we must connect the India seen on screen with the experience of travelling through the real India, so that stories inspire tourism and tourism creates local prosperity,” noted Mr Shekhawat.
Speaking on the use of newer technologies and opportunities he said that the creative economy can generate great opportunities in various sub sectors including AVGC, XR, gaming, virtual production, and artificial intelligence are new languages of storytelling. “They can bring ancient cities to life, can reveal the complete story of an object in a museum and offer a new way for the younger generation to engage with culture and cultural practices,” added the Minister.
Mr Prabhat, Additional Secretary (I&B), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt of India said that government can create institutions, policy frameworks, platforms, and international linkages. But ultimately, a creative economy is built by creators and industry. “India’s next phase of media and entertainment growth must focus on greater investment in original Indian intellectual property and a greater willingness to back new writers, creators, musicians, animators and game developers,” he added.
Mr Ayushmann Khurrana, Acclaimed Actor and FICCI FRAMES Ambassador said, “A story can begin in a small town in India and find an audience anywhere in the world. A creator with a phone can reach millions. That is the opportunity in front of us. We have more stories, more voices, and more ways to share them than ever before, and a chance to take India’s creative imagination to an even bigger global stage.”
Mr Anant Goenka, President, FICCI and Vice Chairman, RPG Group said that India must convert its scale into lasting value and our stories should remain unmistakably Indian. “We should give Indian storytellers the confidence, capital, technology and reach to go global, without removing what makes their work Indian,” he added.
During the event, FICCI FRAMES Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Mr Uday Shankar, Past President, FICCI, and Vice-Chairman, JioStar by Mr Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Tourism & Culture for his outstanding contribution and visionary leadership in shaping India’s Media & Entertainment industry.
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