Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh has said that the State Government has been striving to revive tourism sector in Andhra Pradesh, which was completely neglected by the previous government. He said that the main agenda is to engage and attract tourists with various activities during their period of stay, for which the government is planning to develop specialised tourism circuits like religious, health, wellness, eco-tourism, adventure tourism etc connecting different places.
He was speaking during the ‘CII Tourism Summit’, being conducted on theme ‘Building Tomorrow’s Tourism: Sustainable, Innovative, Resilient’, held here on Friday. The meeting was also attended by Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat and film producer Suresh Babu.
Addressing the delegates, Mr. Durgesh said that the new tourism policy is being prepared keeping in view the needs of stakeholders and will be introduced in the next few months. Reminding that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had already accorded ‘industry’ status to the tourism sector, Mr. Durgesh urged investors to invest in luxury cruises, meditation decks, ropeways, tribal markets, caravan, film tourism, amusement centres, floating hotels, destination weddings, beachside shopping etc.
Appealing to the film industry to organise shootings in beautiful locations across the State and set up studios and dubbing theatres, he said that the government is ready to give all permissions. Mr. Durgesh said that though there are ample number of shooting spots in Andhra Pradesh, not many shootings are taking place due to lack of amenities. He also urged the film sector to promote the tourist places by displaying the name of locations in their films.
Stating that the Centre has been very positive towards development of tourism in Andhra Pradesh, the Minister announced that around ₹1,000 crore is going to be sanctioned as part of ‘Swadeshi Darshan’ and ‘PRASAD’ scheme.
He also stressed the need for developing beaches with more amenities. “Though we have a vast 974 km of coastline and beautiful beaches, only Rushikonda beach is a ‘blueflag’ beach,” he said.
The Minister also stressed the need for more promotional activities on tourist destinations for which he sought help from the private sector.
Mr. Sribharat stressed the need for improving hygiene, sanitation and value-based approach in the hotel sector. He said that there is a better scope for beach tourism in the State.
Impressive growth
Chairman, CII Andhra Pradesh, V Murali Krishna, said that the State has shown impressive growth in tourism, with domestic tourism increasing by 8% annually and foreign tourist arrivals rising by 3.2 % over the past two years.
“During the year 2023, A.P. welcomed over 200 million domestic tourists and 1.5 million international tourists. The opportunities for budding entrepreneurs in A.P.’s travel and tourism space are immense”, he said.
CII Chairman, Visakhapatnam, Rajesh Grandhi, highlighted Visakhapatnam’s allure as a tourist destination with its pristine beaches, scenic spots and religious landmarks.
Published – October 25, 2024 06:50 pm IST
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