Bhubaneswar: The Covid pandemic has hit hard the tourism industry with a 91.14 per cent and 77.77 per cent drop in foreign tourist visits to Odisha in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
In a written reply to a question by BJP MLA Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, Tourism Minister Aswini Kumar Patra informed that while there had been a 30.98 per cent, 10.80 per cent and 3.88 per cent increase in foreign tourist visits to Odisha in 2017,2018 and 2019 respectively, foreign tourist visits to the State saw a sharp decline of 91.14 per cent and 77.77 per cent in 2020 and 2021 respectively under the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
