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Delay in Konark festival hits tourism

BHUBANESWAR: For the Orissa Government’s Department of Tourism, hosting about half a dozen annual cultural festivals costing the State exchequer more than Rs.1 crore are apparently mere routined rituals unlike their counterparts in Rajashtan, Kerala or Maharashtra where they try to sell their festivals for the benefit of the industry.

The 18-year-old annual Konark festival could be a case in point. An unusual delay in preparations for this prestigious festival disappointed the hospitality industry and the connoisseurs of Indian classical dances the world over. The list of artistes was released by the department a day before the festival started on December 1.

Considered the second best festival of its kind in India after the Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, the five-day festival of Indian classical dances staged on the open-air auditorium in Konark with the famous Sun temple as its backdrop attracts a large chunk of travelers from abroad. It also lures dance lovers from across the country. As per decision of the Government, preparations for the festival that is being held from Dec. 1 to 5 every year should commence at least six months earlier. “It helps tour operators to announce their special packages well in advance while tourists from abroad decide their journey schedules. But the inordinate delay every year badly hampers the tourism trade prospects,” observed a senior officer of Tourism Department.

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Delay in Konark festival hits tourism

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