Tourism to Indian Cyclone hit region is picking up

Tourism in Cyclone Phailin-hit Ganjam district in India has started picking up with gradual inflow of visitors to locations like Gopalpur-on-Sea, Rambha and Tara Tarini temple.

Ganjam district is a district in the Indian state of Odisha located on the border of Andhra Pradesh. Ganjam’s total area is 8,070 km² (3,116 mi²). Its population is approximately 2,704,056. Ganjam is known for its beaches bordering the Bay of Bengal, the most famous ones being Gopalpur (a famous tourist destination) and Dhavaleshwar. The most populous city in Ganjam, Berhampur, is famous for silver filigree and silk sarees woven with gold and silver threads.

As the peak tourist season spans from October to March, all the 20 major hotels including the state-owned ‘Panthanivas’ have been getting visitors soon after the authorities cleaned up Gopalpur, hoteliers said.

Visitors from the USA, Canada, Italy, Korea, Britain, Germany and Belgium have been visiting the town once normalcy was restored after cyclone Phailin battered the sea resort on October 12 last, they said. “We have restored the lighting system in the beach on priority basis for the convenience of the tourists,” said Gopalpur Notified Area Council Executive Officer R Mishra.

Tourists from West Bengal and some other places have come to Rambha. They have lodged at Rambha and Barkul before visiting the Chilika lake. “The restoration work is almost complete.

Boating has also started in the site,” Rambha ‘Panthanivas’ Manager Rabi Das said. Another tourist spot Tampara lake, located near Chhatrapur, has suffered a serious set back as its boating club, jetty, decorative electric poles and other facilities were destroyed. “It will take some more time to restore normalcy at Tampara Lake area,” the tourist officer said.