Andhra Pradesh which is currently receiving 2.7 lakh foreign tourists aims to become top inbound destination in India. “We are working on a vision document which has been prepared by the state for the next 10 years. The document is divided into two phases: the first phase is getting over in 2029 and the second phase is by 2050. The documents aim to position Andhra as a top domestic and inbound destination by 2024 and 2029 respectively. We are lagging behind in foreign tourist arrivals (FTA). Our position in terms of FTA is 15th as of now and 3 years ago we were ranked at 22nd. Three years ago we were getting only 70,000 foreing tourists. Today we are getting 2.7 lakhs foreign tourists. In the next 2 years, we want to reach 5 lakhs and in another 10 years, we want to reach at top,” Mukesh Kumar Meena, Secretary –Tourism, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh said on the sideline of a press conference in New Delhi recently. Andhra is currently ranked at third position in domestic arrival. “Our aim to reach at the top in next 5 years,” he informed.
Keeping the target in mind, the state tourism ministry is also trying to develop adequate tourism infrastructure in the state by attracting private investment into the sector. “We are looking to attract private investment. We have received 195 proposals in last 2 years under which around Rs 15,000 crore of investment has been proposed. Our target is to complete the investment of Rs 10,000 crore on ground to create a lot of infrastructure by 2020. We have already completed Rs 4000 crore on ground and another Rs 6,000 crore will be completed in next 2 years,” Meena said adding that these are gestation stage for construction which takes time.
Elaborating further, he said that the Ministry is also emphasizing on developing 4 tourism zones in the state. “The first is the Vizag Zone where some sort of infrastructure is already in place. Vizag is already receiving a lot of people from the eastern and NE states. Here, we are creating an integrated resort in 40 acres which will have amusement parks, museums, craft village, accommodations and convention facilities. Hotels have already taken land there and we are now looking for some amusement park players for which tenders are already out,” he said and added that another important master plan has been prepared for River Island in Vijaywada on Krishna River where we have about 700 acres of land. “We are planning to set up a wellness resort to cater to the high end segment and amusement parks for common tourists. We have already finalized few thematic parks here. We are now calling for tender for 2 wellness resorts and a people’s plaza. There are small two islands of 70 acres and 40 acres,” Meena revealed.
Another zone that the state government is planning is the adventure zone in Andikotta. “It has got beautiful gorge, an old fort and beautiful facilities for adventure. We have sanctioned ropeway there,” he said. And the last tourism zone comprises of the Buddhist circuit. “Initially, we have identified 5 places such as Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Vijayawada, and Nagarjuna Sagar etcetra out of the 40 Buddhist sites in the state. We are looking at setting up Buddhist culture centre and basic infrastructure,” Meena informed.
Apart from these, the state tourism ministry is also developing beaches to make Andhra a beach destination. “We have identified 5 beaches in Vizag and surrounding areas. We have already developed 3 beaches and development works are going on for another two beaches. All beach destinations will be ready in another 6 months,” he said. The state government has already allocated 12 acres of land to the Lulu Group for development of a Convention centre in Vizag. The foundation stone has been laid down,” he said.
Speaking on the marketing and promotional strategy, Meena said that the state tourism department is going to organize roadshows in overseas and various Indian states. “We have been participating in trade fairs and promoting the destination on various media channels including social media. Last year, we launched three campaigns. Our TV campaign is getting ready and we will be launching it in October. Overall our tourism budget is Rs 270 crores and marketing Budget is Rs 30 crore,” he said.
