Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to establish seven anchor hubs in Visakhapatnam, Araku Valley, Rajahmundry, Amaravati, Srisailam, Gandikota and Tirupati.
On Tuesday, State Tourism, Culture, and Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh launched the new Tourism Policy 2024-2029 at the Tourism Investors’ Conference held at Hotel Vivanta, Vijayawada, in collaboration with the CII and AP Chambers. The minister extended an invitation to investors to engage with the policy and emphasized that the government would provide full support to those willing to invest.
Minister Durgesh reassured investors, explaining the tourism policy procedures and emphasizing a smooth investment process without any cause for concern. He outlined the vast opportunities for tourism development in the State, supported by a comprehensive approach and a vision for growth.
The new policy aims to attract Rs 25,000 crore in investments in the tourism sector, leveraging Andhra Pradesh’s vast coastline, rich historical heritage, natural resources, and rivers. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, the government plans to transform Andhra Pradesh into a world-class tourist destination within five years by developing infrastructure of international standards.
Key highlights of the policy include:
1. Establishment of tourism circuits to encourage tourists to extend their stays for up to five days.
2. Increasing hotel room availability to 50,000 rooms across the State.
3. Diversification of tourism into various categories, including temple tourism, adventure tourism, eco-tourism, village tourism, wellness tourism and agri-tourism.
4. The minister noted the importance of PPP models in achieving these targets and emphasized proper management policies to ensure effective implementation. To support tourism development, 3 eco-tourism circuits, 10 temple circuits, 2 Buddhist circuits, 5 beach circuits, 4 river circuits, and 2 cruise circuits will be established.
5. Highlighting the government’s focus on safety and infrastructure, Minister Durgesh mentioned ongoing central government-supported projects such as Akhanda Godavari and Gandikota, funded under the SASK scheme.
Tourism Secretary V Vinay Chand called the new policy a game-changer, outlining its focus on promoting local communities, enhancing tourism infrastructure, and achieving responsible and sustainable tourism.
The government is planning to:
1. To connect key religious and cultural sites, such as twelve Jyotirlingas, eighteen Shakti Peethas, and Shaiva Kshetras.
2. Detailed the development of 5 coastal circuits in Vizag, Kakinada, Srikakulam, Nellore, and Machilipatnam.
3. Development of a river tourism circuit, and 2 cruise tourism circuits.
APTDC MD Amrapali Kata presented the policy’s procedures, emphasizing its goals of economic growth, employment generation, and cultural exchange. She revealed plans to:
1. Increase tourism’s contribution to the state’s GVA from 4.6% to 28% and employment share from 12% to 15%.
2. Establish 7 anchor hubs in Visakhapatnam, Araku Valley, Rajahmundry, Amaravati, Srisailam, Gandikota, and Tirupati.
3. Set up Buddhist tourism circuits in Amaravati-Nagarjunakonda and Visakhapatnam-Thotlakonda.
4. Amrapali reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring tourist safety and creating infrastructure to drive higher tourist spending, ranging from Rs 1,700 to Rs 25,000.
5. AP Hotels Association also pledged its support for the initiative to establish 50,000 hotel rooms across the State.
