Eco-retreat at Pentha beach

The festival is likely to generate income for the locals

Kendrapara: The Tourism Department has decided to organise an eco-retreat festival in a bid to give exposure to the serene beach at Pentha in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, officials said.

A festival of this nature is being organised for the first time at the scenic beach. It will be a three-and-a-half-month long event that is scheduled to commence from November 15, a district official said.

---

Fifteen luxury tents will be pitched for the tourists’ stay amid the lap of nature for 106 days. Cultural festivals, food festivals and trekking in the nearby mangrove forest are the added attractions of the event.

Last year, the department had organised a three month-long eco-retreat festival at Nalitapatia village, close to the Bhitarkanika national park.

The Tourism department will shortly begin the online booking of the tents for the festival, district tourist officer Himalaya Tripathy said. The camp is contiguous to the good looking mangrove and casuarina forest cover. Nature lovers will relish the picturesque beauty of the beach, an official said.

The festival is likely to generate income for the locals. A photo exhibition, seminar exhibition of films on Bhitarkanika and its rich flora and fauna will also be held during the fete.

It’s a virgin beach situated amid idyllic surroundings. In close proximity to the tranquil beach, luxuriant mangrove and casuarina forest cover add to the attraction of the spot. It’s an exciting eco-tourism spot.

Pentha beach is still unexplored as a tourist destination, Rajnagar MLA Dhruba Sahoo said.
The Tourism department has rightly decided to organise an eco-retreat festival at Pentha to promote beach tourism at Pentha, Sahoo said.