Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao has said that the government is committed to place the State on the world tourism map by providing the infrastructure and promoting the tourist spots in a big way.
Participating in the State-level World Tourism Day celebrations on Sunday, he said a DPR (Detailed Project Report) has been prepared for 5-Star and 7-Star hotels at 12 places in the State. Tenders would soon be called in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
“Investor-friendly tourism policy would be released soon. The stakeholders could expect transparent and speedy clearance of proposals as ‘single window clearance’ was proposed,” he added. He explained that the stakeholders would be segregated into small, medium and large operators. This would enable the government to extend incentives to only those in the need. He called for innovative ideas from the stakeholders for sustained growth. Visakhapatnam, which was poised to become the Executive capital of the State, has immense tourist potential, and plans are on the cards to promote it as an international tourist destination, he said.
CEO of AP Tourism Authority (APTA) and AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) MD Pravin Kumar said the employment generation potential of the sector was 10 times that of others . The theme of this year’s World Tourism Day was ‘Tourism and Rural Development’, as part of which Tourist destinations would be identified and promoted in every district, he said.
District Collector and District Tourism Council Chairman V. Vinay Chand elaborated on the vast tourism potential in the district, which has a mix of Agency (hilly areas), rural areas and the city.
AP Official Language Commission Chairman Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad underlined the need to place Visakhapatnam on the world tourism map by promoting the tourist attractions along Beach Road, development of film studios and places of religious importance like Simhachalam.
MLC P.V.V. Suryanarayana Raju, MLAs Golla Babu Rao, Karanam Dharmasri, A. Adeep Raj and Tippala Nagi Reddy spoke about the tourist potential in their respective areas. Former MLAs S.A. Rahaman and Malla Vijay Prasad, Regional Director of Tourism Ram Prasad, South India Tour Operators Association president K. Vijay Mohan and Sun Ray resorts MD Raja Babu were among those present.
