Tag Archives: Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh was declared the best state for comprehensive development of tourism at National Tourism Awards 2015-2016. Rajasthan emerged as second best while the third prize was shared between Kerala and Goa. Commemorating World Tourism Day, the Ministry of Tourism organised the awards at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on September 27, 2017. President of India Ram Nath Kovind graced the occasion as Chief Guest and gave away awards in various categories. K.J. Alphons, Minister of State (IC) for Tourism, Government of India, presided over the function. Tourism Secretary Rashmi Verma welcomed the dignitaries and guests including Tourism Ministers of States and State Government Officials, members from the travel and hospitality sector, leading hoteliers, travel agents and tour operators. The President launched the ‘Incredible India 2.0 Campaign’; ‘Adopt A Heritage’ Project and new Incredible India Website on the occasion. ‘Incredible India 2.0 Campaign’ marks a shift from the present generic promotions being undertaken across the world, to market specific promotional plans and product specific creatives, with greater focus on digital presence and social media. ‘Adopt A Heritage’ Project plans to entrust heritage sites to the public sector and private sector companies and individuals for the development of tourist amenities. They will become ‘Monument Mitras’ and adopt bthe sites. The ‘Incredible India Website’ is an advanced version of the website with more useful features.

Association of Domestic Tour Operators (ADTOI) will have their 2017 convention in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh in November. P. P. Khanna, President, ADTOI, has revealed the tentative dates, and said that they are planning to hold the convention from November 17-19 followed by fam tours. More details regarding the convention will be subsequently shared by the ADTOI team.

The Confederation of Indian industry in Andhra Pradesh in association with Andhra Pradesh Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh, recently organised a conference on ‘Destination Vizag: A Hidden Paradise of the East’ in Vishakhapatnam to promote the destination. About 25 representatives of various destination management companies attended the conference and were later taken on a tour to Thotlakonda Buddhist circuit, Bheemli Beach and Kailash Giri as well as an eco tourism tour to Araku Valley hill station in Visakhapatnam district. While addressing the conference Pravin Kumar, IAS Collector Vizag said that most of the tourist attractions in Visakhapatnam are unexplored, and mentioned that through promotional initiatives and marketing the city could emerge as major tourist destination. Visakhapatnam’s hilly region and tribal lives could be attractions for foreign tourists. Sreekanth Nagulapalli, IAS, Secretary, Tourism, Go AP shared tourist attractions in Andhra Pradesh and Government’s tourism policy to promote infrastructure in tourism sector. He also shared proposed initiatives to promote Vishakhapatnam as destination of hills and beaches. Dr Subhash Goyal, Chairman, STIC group said that Vishakhapatnam needs to be marketed well. He suggested to form a joint working group to initiate the discussion Andhra Tourism Mart. He also suggested various policy initiatives to the state government which could increase tourist arrivals into the state. Chetan Gupta, General Secretary, ADTOI suggested for more air connectivity, a need for Tourism Information Offices in the micro cities and need for developing package tours.

Andhra Pradesh has registered 20 per cent growth in tourist arrivals in the first 8 months of 2016 over the corresponding period last year. The state which has some of the most pristine beaches, hill stations, temples, backwaters etc. have recorded 9.78 cr tourist footfalls till August in this year. The figures reflect a massive increase in foreign tourist arrivals; till August as many as 2.32 lakh foreigners visited the state which is a whopping growth of 122 per cent compared to the corresponding data last year. Anantapur district which houses the famous Puttaparthi and Lord Veerbhadra temple at Lepakshi, became the most visited destination by foreign tourists. Majority of the foreign tourists were from the South – East Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Middle East countries such as Dubai among others. Andhra Pradesh also registered domestic footfalls of 9.76 Cr during the period as against 8.14 Cr in the last year, which is an increase of 20%. The state has witnessed a lot of traction from tourists who came for business, education and pilgrimage. Dr. Srikant Nagulapalli, I.A.S., Secretary to Government, Tourism & Culture, said, “The tourist arrivals into the state is very encouraging and will motivate us to work harder to progress towards our endeavor of creating a tourism friendly environment in the state. Our focus on fast tracking projects will eventually enhance infrastructure and engagement at tourist sites.”

In a bid to attract more tourists to its shores, Andhra Pradesh has launched a host of water sports and adventure tourism facilities. In line with the surge in tourist interest in water sport activities, the state has already introduced a plethora of such facilitates for example parasailing, jeep parasailing, para-motoring, water skiing, speed boat etc. in Bhavani Islands in Vijayawada. Work is also well underway to replicate the same across other key beaches such as Rishikonda, Bheemili, Mangamaripeta, Thotlakonda, among others. Also, two houseboats have been launched with one and three bedroom capacities respectively in the popular tourist destination of Papikondalu in Rajahmundry. To strengthen the tourism development in the state, Andhra Pradesh is also launching 33 hotels offering more than 2766 rooms and with a total investment of Rs. 2400 Cr. Notable global brands such as Taj group, ITC group, Accor group Holiday Inn Associates and JW Marriot Associates etc. has already invested in such projects. Tourism in Andhra Pradesh is also geared up to add a new feather in its cap with the launch of amphibious vehicles in Vijayawada and Rajahmundry. These special kinds of vehicles which can operate on both land and water will give visitors an unforgettable experience. Encouraging Heli tourism, the state is also coming up with sea planes to be functional in Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Kakinada. In Vizag, one of such helicopters will be operated from one of the most prominent tourist attractions of Kailasagiri Hills. Site for setting up sea plane jetty has been identified in all the destinations and currently design work is underway. Neerabh Kumar Prasad, I.A.S., Principal Secretary to Government, Tourism & Culture, said “We are extremely proud to …

Andhra Pradesh reportedly attracted 1,218.3 lakh tourists in 2015 from across the globe. Domestic footfalls to the state increased to 1218.3 lakh in 2015 as against 933 lakh in 2014, thereby registering a growth of 30 per cent. Neerabh Kumar Prasad, I.A.S., Principal Secretary to Government, Tourism & Culture, says, “In our endeavor to make Andhra Pradesh as India’s most preferred tourist destination, this data comes to us as a great encouragement. Under the leadership of our Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu and with a focused strategy in place, we are hopeful of this growth momentum to be replicated year after year going forward. We will continue to invest and focus to develop tourism in Andhra Pradesh of global standard.” Anantapur district which houses the famous Puttaparthi and Lord Veerbhadra temple at Lepakshi, became the most visited destination by foreign tourists with a footfall of 1.37 lakh foreigners. Among international tourist arrivals, 2.37 lakh tourists visited the state during the year 2015 as against 66,333 visited in 2014. Majority of the foreign tourists were from the South – East Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Middle East countries such as Dubai among others. Dr. R.P. Khajuria, I.F.S., Commissioner, Department of Tourism says, “Andhra Pradesh is one of the few states in India, which has such a rich diversity in terms of tourism and has the capacity to attract tourists across all age groups. The potential that lays ahead for the state is vast and these numbers are testimonials to the fact that increasing number of tourists both in India and abroad are realizing what the state can offer.” Andhra Pradesh also witnessed large number of footfalls from business travellers …