Sambalpur: Increased Tourist Flow at Debrigarh Sanctuary, Launch of 2 luxury Cruise Boats
Endowed with scenic beauty and a host of other attractions, Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary witnessed an increased flow of tourists from different parts of the country and abroad during this winter. Hirakud Wildlife Division has brought two new luxury cruise boats for comfortable sightseeing at the eco-tourism site at Hirakud and nearby places. The boats, which started operations on Sunday, have seats to give a 360-degree view of Bat Island, Sunset Island, and Hirakud Reservoir, among other points. “Each boat has a seating capacity of nine and can be hired for two to seven hours. This facility is going to add to the sheen of Debrigarh,” DFO, Hirakud Wildlife Division, Anshu Pragyan Das, said.
With an increasing number of visitors, the total revenue earned by Debrigarh Ecotourism up to the end of December has already crossed Rs 2.3 crore, sources said. Officials are hopeful that by the end of the current financial year, the volume of revenue will be highly encouraging. Noting that there are 14 rooms available for a night stay, they said all rooms are booked from November 2023 till January 2024.
The Safari package appears to have become a major attraction. There are a total of 18 Safari vehicles, including 8-seater and 12-seater vehicles – both AC and non-AC. All the vehicles have been fully booked since October this year. Wildlife sightings have increased multi-fold including the sighting of leopards during this winter in Debrigarh, while bison, sambar, chittal, wild boar, bear, and peacocks are commonly spotted by the visitors during safari. Proper grassland management, strict protection, community participation in conservation & village relocation have contributed a lot to the success of ecotourism at Debrigarh. Altogether 15 speed boats are also fully functional for Cruising to different islands in 700 sq km Hirakud Lake. Besides these, kayaking, cycling, trekking, campfire, bird watching etc are also availed by visitors.
More than 25000 visitors have availed of all these activities to date this year. More than 75 families are earning livelihood from Debrigarh Ecotourism and each family is earning around Rs 15,000 per month round the year. Tourist footfall was 30,000 with revenue of Rs 2.5 crore during the last financial year. During 2023, new Safari packages were launched to Govindpur Birds Village, Barabakhra Pilgrimage Site & Veer Surendra Sai Memorial. It has become very popular among Indian and foreign tourists. Newly opened Debrigarh Nature Park at Zero Point and Hirakud Nature Park at Govindpur, Souvenir Shop, etc facilitated eating and resting facilities for long-distance visitors coming to Debrigarh.
