Bhubaneswar: In a major step to position Odisha as a premier adventure tourism hub in eastern India, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Tuesday launched the ‘Go-Adventure’ portal at Lok Seva Bhavan. The government also signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) and the Aero Club of India (ACI).

Parida said through national and international partnerships, along with a renewed focus on spiritual and experience-based tourism, the state aims to modernise the sector and attract fresh investment, particularly from young entrepreneurs.

Chief Secretary Anu Garg, who was present at the launch, said the government is prioritising tourism development with the vision of achieving Utkarsh Odisha by 2036 and Viksit Bharat by 2047. She expressed confidence that adventure tourism would boost local economies and generate significant employment opportunities.

Officials said the Go-Adventure portal will streamline registration, verification, and licensing processes for adventure tourism projects, making it easier for operators to set up and expand their services.

Under the MoU with the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, safety audits and training programmes for land-based adventure activities such as trekking and rock climbing will be strengthened. Meanwhile, the partnership with the Aero Club of India will help regulate aerial adventure sports like paragliding and paramotoring in accordance with national aviation safety standards.

During the event, domestic operators were issued ‘Licence to Operate’ (LTO) and ‘Recognition to Set Up’ (RTS) certificates, and several adventure tourism operators were formally granted licences.

Former Union Minister and ACI President Rajiv Pratap Rudy attended the programme, while National Institute of Water Sports representative Pawan Gupta joined virtually. Senior officials from various departments were also present.