Bhubaneswar: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) on Tuesday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal encouraging citizens to prioritise domestic travel, saying the move could act as a major boost to the country’s tourism and hospitality sector.In a release, the association head, J K Mohanty, said the PM’s vision for stronger domestic tourism has the potential to create a “transformational opportunity” for the sector by stimulating travel demand, increasing tourism-related spending and accelerating economic activity.HRAO stated that India’s domestic tourism market has emerged as one of the strongest growth drivers for the hospitality industry, contributing significantly to infrastructure utilisation, regional development, entrepreneurship and livelihood generation.“In the present global economic and geopolitical environment, stronger domestic tourism can also help reduce foreign exchange outflow while creating a more resilient and self-sustaining tourism ecosystem within the country,” Mohanty said.At the same time, the hospitality body stressed the need to continue promoting inbound international tourism, stating that foreign tourists play a crucial role in earning valuable foreign exchange, supporting aviation and hospitality industries and enhancing India’s global tourism positioning.The association also flagged operational challenges being faced by the hospitality sector amid changing travel patterns and economic conservation measures. It cited rising fuel and energy costs, food inflation, increased logistics expenses, reduced corporate travel and pressure on conference, events and banquet businesses as key concerns.