Kandhamal– A Unique Tourism Destination: A Case Study

Abstract

Odisha in the Eastern Coast of India attracts thousands of Domestic and Foreign tourists every day to various places of tourist interest such as scenic beauty of Koraput, historic monuments of Puri-Bhubaneswar, sea beaches of Puri, Chandipur, forest of Similipal, wildlife of Bhitarkanika, waterfall like Duduma, handicrafts like Sambalpur Saree, water bodies like Chilika, classical dance like Odissi, folk dances like Chhau. Out of thirty districts in Odisha, Kandhamal is one of the highly tribal dominated districts. Natural scenery with ghats, waterfall, sanctuary, hill station, releigious place, rivers, festivals, dance, and handicrafts of Kandhamal attracts the tourists to the district. The distinct ethnicity live and culture of various tribal groups living in this region boost the tribal tourism in Kandhamal district. Kandhamal is an un-written book for the anthropologists who read social structure of tribal life and culture. The study tends to examine the tourist arrival to Kandhamal district and highlights the unidentified tourist centres. The study also tries to grasp certain problems regarding the low tourist flow to the district.