Why did Elite US Tourists skip Puri?

The 74-member group of elite tourists from the United States, dealt a blow to Orissa Tourism department, by skipping Puri, the most sacred place of the state. While lakhs of visitors throng to Puri every year, what could be the reason behind their decision not to visit Puri? They instead, visited the Konark Temple.

The simple logic that worked here was the stubborn attitude and mismanagement of the temple authorities. Not long ago, even the Hindu tourists from Bali, Indonesia were denied worshipping Lord Jagannath, because they could not reveal their "Gotras". What a shame!

Currently, non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the shrine. However, thousands of people belonging to other religions enter the Jagannath Temple and the temple authorities don't have means to check that. But they interrupt people on the basis of their skin color. Isn't it ridiculous?

According to Benjamin Simon, who organized the tour for those tourists, they preferred not to visit Puri because of poor infrastructure and a dirty beach. According to the tourists, if they can't visit Jagannath Temple (the most famous place in the state), then there is no use visiting Puri.

While the state government makes tall claims about the development of Puri as a most sought-after tourist destination, the ground reality remains completely different. If the government does not take immediate action to address the areas of grave concern, tourism in Orissa will see a downward trend.