Taking Chhattisgarh to Bhubaneswar — And Why This Moment Feels Different

There is something quietly significant about standing in a room full of travel professionals in Bhubaneswar and talking about Chhattisgarh. Not because it is difficult — but because, for the longest time, getting people to listen was.

I have been promoting this state for 24 years. I started at the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board in 2002, when the state itself was barely two years old. There was no tourism infrastructure to speak of, no established circuits, and very little awareness beyond the state's borders. What there was, was a destination of extraordinary potential — and a small group of people who believed in it enough to start building something from scratch.

Ice Cubes Holidays came out of that belief. When we set up operations in 2011, we made a deliberate choice to focus on Chhattisgarh — not as one product among many, but as our core offering. It was not the easiest commercial decision at the time. But it was the right one.

Bhubaneswar, June 2026

The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board recently organised a destination road show in Bhubaneswar — a well-structured event that brought together stakeholders from Chhattisgarh and the Odisha travel trade for a day of presentations and B2B meetings. I was invited to speak on stage and represent the ground operator perspective.

The Odisha market is one that we have always believed holds genuine potential for Chhattisgarh. The two states share a border, a cultural DNA, and deep tribal heritage. Bhubaneswar is a mature travel market — agents there are experienced, discerning, and looking for destinations that offer their clients something beyond the obvious. Chhattisgarh fits that brief precisely.

The conversations during the B2B sessions were encouraging. There was real curiosity — about Bastar's tribal culture, about Barnawapara and its wildlife, about Sirpur's Buddhist heritage, about Chitrakote. These are not questions you get from an audience that is being polite. These are questions from people doing mental itinerary arithmetic.
 

What We Bring to the Table

At Ice Cubes Holidays, our pitch to travel agents has always been straightforward: we are not aggregators. We are ground operators.

We run our own transport fleet, which means we control the quality of every vehicle and every driver on every circuit. We have spent over a decade building relationships with stay options across the state — from heritage properties to jungle lodges to riverside camps — and we know which ones deliver and which ones do not. Most importantly, we design and operate our own itineraries. Every programme we offer has been walked, driven, and experienced by our team before it goes on the shelf.

That kind of ground knowledge cannot be outsourced. It is accumulated slowly, over years, through the kind of sustained presence in a destination that most operators are not willing to commit to. We made that commitment early, and it is the foundation of everything we offer today.

For agents in Odisha — or anywhere else in India — looking to add Chhattisgarh to their portfolio, we are the partner that removes the uncertainty from the equation.

The Timing Could Not Be Better

Here is what made this road show feel different from others I have participated in over the years.

The state government is more actively supporting tourism promotion than at any point in my career. The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board has been consistent, well-organised, and genuinely market-facing in a way that creates real confidence for those of us doing the selling.

And then there is this: for the first time in the history of Chhattisgarh, two national tourism conventions are coming to the state. The ADTOI Convention is scheduled for December 2026, and the TIA Convention for January 2027. In 24 years, I have never seen this happen. These are not small events — they will bring tourism professionals from across the country to Raipur, exposing them to a destination most have only heard about in passing.

For those of us who spent the early years making the case for Chhattisgarh when almost nobody was listening, this is a significant moment. It does not happen overnight. It is the result of years of persistent work by many people — the tourism board, the trade, the hospitality industry, and the state administration working in the same direction.

I will not pretend it has always been easy. There were years when Chhattisgarh barely registered on the national travel radar. When we attended trade shows and spent most of our energy explaining where the state was on the map. When putting together an inbound group tour felt like an act of faith.

But that is exactly why standing in Bhubaneswar and fielding genuine questions from Odisha travel agents feels meaningful. It is the result of a long, slow build — and it is beginning to show.

A Note to the Trade

If you are a travel agent or tour operator who attended the Bhubaneswar road show — or if you are reading this and Chhattisgarh has been on your radar — we would genuinely like to talk.

We have ready-to-use itineraries on our website covering Chhattisgarh's major circuits, which you can use as-is or adapt for your clients. Our team is accessible, our ground support is reliable, and we are invested in making every group we handle a success — because our reputation, like our focus, is entirely tied to this one state.

There has never been a better time to sell Chhattisgarh. We are ready when you are.

Jaspreet Singh Bhatia Founder, Ice Cubes Holidays, Raipur President, Chhattisgarh Travel Agents Association (CGTTA) Co-Chairman, IATO MP & CG Chapter

📞 +91 98266 03500 🌐 www.icecubes.in ✉️ jaspreet@icecubes.in