Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao on Wednesday said the department would introduce a special app by Dasara to provide information related to tourism destinations, hotels and special packages, to the public.

At a press conference, the Minister said under the pandemic impact, the revenue of the department had depleted from ₹120 crore to ₹60 crore. To provide an impetus to the tourism sector, the government proposed to establish five-star and seven star hotels in Public-Private Partnership mode. The Oberoi Group had come forward to invest in a five-star and a seven-star hotels at Visakhapatnam and Tirupati respectively, he said.

Referring to sea planes, Mr. Rao said the proposal was on as it would attract tourists in large numbers and special tourism packages would be offered attract local crowds.

The Minister said World Tourism Day would be celebrated on September 27 and said plans were also afoot to improve amenities at the four tourism zones proposed in the State.

Sports policy

Mr. Rao said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was keen on improving the sports sector by bringing a new sports policy. The thrust would be on development of sports infrastructure and encourage players in rural areas and imparting them adequate training.

Construction of Sports Centres in PPP mode in 15 locations in the State was also on the cards, he added.