Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday showcased the tourism potential of Odisha with a focus on rich Buddhist tradition, to the Japanese tour operators in Kyoto and urged them to explore Odisha.

Naveen hosted a roundtable discussion in Kyoto in Japan with a focus on opportunities for collaboration between Japan and Odisha in tourism and sports.

“The discussion was attended by major tour operators and representatives of the hospitality sector from Japan as well as participation from various Japanese sports associations and representatives from the sports sector,” said a press release issued by the chief minister’s office.

“During the discussion, Naveen highlighted the immense potential of Odisha as a tourist destination, with a particular emphasis on leveraging Odisha’s rich Buddhist tradition, especially the heritage sites in Dhauli, Lalitgiri, Ratnagiri, Udayagiri,” said the release.

The dome-shaped Dhauligiri Shanti Stupa (peace pagoda) located atop the Dhauli hill on the banks of the river Daya, about 10km from Bhubaneswar, recalls the famous Kalinga war and the transformation of King Ashoka from a tyrant into a benevolent monarch.

On the other hand, Lalitgiri in Cuttack district is home to stupas, “esoteric” Buddha images, and monasteries, which is the oldest site in the region. The complex at Lalitgiri includes Buddha’s relics. Ratnagiri, a major Buddhist monastery in Jajpur district, and Udayagiri in the Khurda district, with major dilapidated Buddhist stupas, still attract a number of tourists.

Naveen also highlighted the significant strides made by Odisha in the sports sector with a focus on the field of hockey.

During the event, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the government of Odisha and Arcelor-Mittal Nippon Steel for the development of a state-of-the-art Gymnastics Centre in Odisha and for collaboration between AM/NS and the government of Odisha to further promote sports in the state.