Visakhapatnam Is the “Crown Jewel” of Andhra Pradesh’s Tourism Sector

Vijayawada: Declaring Visakhapatnam as the “crown jewel” of Andhra Pradesh’s tourism sector, Minister Kandula Durgesh on Tuesday said the coalition government was firmly committed to transforming the port city into an international tourism hub.

Replying to a question raised by Visakhapatnam South MLA Ch. Vamsi Krishna Srinivas in the AP Legislative Assembly, the minister detailed an ambitious roadmap anchored in the AP’s Tourism Policy 2024–29. Under the ‘Hub and Spoke’ model, Visakhapatnam is being developed as an anchor hub, integrating thematic circuits such as Simhachalam, Buddhist, beach and eco-tourism corridors.

Durgesh revealed that investment agreements worth Rs 8,650 crore were signed through the recent CII Summit, bringing 50 projects to the region. Leading hospitality brands such as Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Taj Hotels, Mayfair Hotels & Resorts and Atmosphere Core are set to establish a presence in the city. Additionally, the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB) has cleared 16 projects with investments of Rs 4,098 crore, facilitating the addition of 2,858 hotel rooms.

Under the Centre’s PRASAD scheme, Rs 54.04 crore has been sanctioned for the development of Simhachalam Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple, while Rs 28.87 crore has been allocated for the development of Borra Caves under Swadesh Darshan 2.0.

Water sports activities, including scuba diving and paramotoring, have been launched at Rushikonda, Thimmapuram, Sagar Nagar Beach and Gosthani backwaters near Bheemunipatnam, with over 25 activities introduced in the past six months. Plans are underway to create a Buddhist circuit linking Thotlakonda and Bavikonda.

Proposals have also been submitted for sea cruise circuits connecting Visakhapatnam with Bhubaneswar and Kolkata, and another linking Chennai and Tuticorin. Seaplane services between Visakhapatnam and Araku, heli-tourism, and cruise services connecting Chennai and Puducherry are being strengthened.

The government has introduced caravan tourism between Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam and rolled out a caravan policy to establish parks across the state.

The recently launched hop-on hop-off double-decker buses between Visakhapatnam and Bheemunipatnam are yielding encouraging results.

On Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms, the minister clarified that the state has repeatedly urged the Centre to reclassify certain Beach Road stretches from CRZ Zone-3 to Zone-2 to facilitate tourism infrastructure. He expressed hope that the implementation of CRZ 2019 norms would ease construction hurdles.

Reiterating that the tourism sector, which suffered setbacks between 2019 and 2024, has now been put back on track, Durgesh affirmed the government’s vision to develop Visakhapatnam, Amaravati and Tirupati as three major tourism hubs, steering Andhra Pradesh towards a vibrant tourism future.