Despite constraints, Puri still a hit with tourists

Bhubaneswar: "I had heard a lot about Puri, its beach and Jagannath temple. But I never felt like spending more than half a day there," Sashank Dey, who was on his maiden tour to Puri with his family last week, told TOI.
Dey's feedback corroborates the general feeling of many other tourists for whom Puri, which is considered a rich tourism treasure of the state, appears no longer a happy hunting ground.
"I, along with my family, strolled for some time on the beach, we could not find any facilities for recreation. The beach is dirty and hawkers keep chasing you at many places," Dey said.
Some tourists had no good words for Jagannath Temple either. "The temple complex lacks the religious and peaceful ambience. There is utter chaos all over and some priests even misbehaved with us. They chase you and pester for money. Sanitation inside the shrine is also a major concern," said Pankaj Thakur, a tourist from Rajasthan.
Despite such complaints, the beach town continues to witness a steady rise in the flow of tourists.
Tourism stakeholders found flaws with the government for failing to tap the potential of Puri. "Puri is the only place in eastern India where one can find a sprawling beach. Though the beach in Vizag is no better than Puri, a large number of visitors flock there as they find a host of recreational facilities. We need to add value to our tourism products. The government should invest to improve the infrastructure facilities in Puri," said Benjamin Simon, a tour operator.
Puri draws almost half of the total visitors to Odisha. Of about 1.15 crore visitors to the state last year, about 42 lakh paid a visit to Puri.
Tour operators expressed shock that the state government has failed to woo tourists despite the presence of two other major tourist destinations - Konark Sun Temple and Chilka Lake - in the vicinity. Simon said the tourism department should explore the lesser-known tourist spots near Puri, such as Raghurajpur crafts village, famous for Pattachitra painting. There are some other small villages on the outskirts of Puri that need to be promoted and developed to lure tourist as well, he added.
Hoteliers said the state should create small parks and allow restaurants on the beach. "We have been demanding that the tourism department allows us to construct makeshift wooden huts on the beach, which can be used as restaurants and pubs. This is will not only woo tourists but also shore up revenues. The government ignored our proposal on the pretext of environment pollution," said a hotelier, requesting anonymity.
That Puri is losing its sheen is evident from the low footfall of foreign tourists last year despite massive publicity campaigns for Nabakalebara festival of Jagannath Temple. A 2013 survey by the state tourism department revealed the average duration of stay of foreigners has come down to 11 days. In 2008 survey, the average duration of stay of foreigners was 15 days.