The Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Yadagirigutta. , Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
The tourism sector in Telangana has rebounded, but has not reached the pre-COVID levels, shows data from Ministry of Tourism. In pre-COVID 2018, Telangana saw 92.87 million domestic tourists visiting the State. But after three years, when the sector was affected by COVID pandemic, the numbers have reached 60.75 million in 2022. The low point was in 2021, when just 32 million domestic visitors entered the State.
The low numbers are surprising as the State has made impressive addition to the tourism infrastructure and attractions. Two years back, Telangana got the first World Heritage Site in the Ramappa Temple in Palampet. It also has Pembarthi, Chandlapur, Pochampally which have been recognised as best tourism villages over the past two years.
Hyderabad itself has undergone a transformation with the addition of sound and light show at the Osmania University Arts College, lighting up of Charminar, restoration of the Residency Building and the ongoing conservation work at the Qutb Shahi Tombs Complex. The cable suspension bridge has become a tourist attraction with even filmmakers choosing the spot for shooting urban locations. Incidentally, only the Golconda Fort was among the top 10 tourist attractions in Telangana with 14.06 lakh footfalls in 2022-23.
The dip in tourist footfalls has impacted the tourism sector as noted by the Union Budget documents. However, the State Economic Survey document highlighted how the sector is bouncing back. “The State witnessed an increase in domestic tourists from 3,20,00,620 in 2021-22 to 6,07,48,425 in 2022-23, an increase of 89.84%. During this period, foreign tourists increased from 5,917 to 68,401 an increase of 1056.01%,” says the State government data.
