Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao said that a new tourism policy will be brought out soon to develop the sector in the State in a month or two. He said that Public Private Partnership (PPP) will be encouraged by conducting an investors’ meet in August.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, the Minister said that as per the Central Government guidelines, all the Tourism Department’s hotels, as well as private hotels and restaurants, can be opened from June 8. He said that guests can book rooms online at all the hotels run by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC).
“In one or two days, there will be a meeting with all tourism department stakeholders in Vijayawada to discuss and finalise the dos and don'ts at the food section and check-in and check-out counters, and the norms that will have to be followed when it comes to garbage disposal and room maintenance,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao said.
He also said that tourism activities which have come to a halt in the past few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Andhra Pradesh will also be opened soon post the lockdown, on the condition that social distancing norms be strictly followed.
He also said that in the last one year, a number of tourism festivals were organised in the State and the Tourism department also promoted the tourist spots in the State at major festivals in and around the country.
He also said that pending tourism projects in the State will be taken up and completed soon. A few museums in the State are up for inaugural and some Shilparamams need repairs, he added.
The Minister also said that the Tourism Department has inaugurated three restaurants at Erra Matti Dibbalu, Yarada and Araku. But due to a delay in tender works, they have not started functioning. The Lambasingi cottage works are also nearing completion, he said.
Boating activities
The Minister also said that in view of the tragic boat accident in East Godavari district last year, the State Government is setting up control rooms at nine locations where boating activities are taken up in the State, to monitor boating operations and to curb accidents. The control rooms will be monitored by the police and Mandal Revenue Officers (MROs). The control rooms will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy this month, he said.
The Minister also said that an exclusive State Tourism Department app is being developed and will be launched by the Chief Minister soon.
