Vijayawada: The department of tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh was awarded the best new hot spot destination at the Patwa Awards, the world’s biggest tourism expo — ITB Berlin-2017. The Patwa award was conferred to Andhra Pradesh tourism officials by secretary general of United Nations World Travel Organisation (UNWTO) Taleb D. Rifai.
Speaking on the occasion, principal secretary to Government, Tourism and Culture, N. Srikant, said that this award helps in adding to the global footprint of Andhra Pradesh growing into a sought-after destination for economic, tourism and development efforts of putting Andhra Pradesh on the world map.
CEO, AP State Tourism Authority, Himanshu Shukla, who received the award, said that the toursm department is working towards attracting quality tourists for state’s beaches, culture, cuisine, Buddhist lineage and heritage. The state also takes pride in its rich Buddhist history represented by the several ancient Buddhist monuments in the stat, dating back to 200 BC, he added.
Andhra Pradesh is participating at ITB Berlin-2017 along with over 15 Indian states to meet key travel industry professionals. The ITB Berlin is the world’s largest tourism trade event.
