TIRUPATI:
After lying low for more than two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism has bounced back to a high in the erstwhile Chittoor district, one of the hot destinations for tourism in Andhra Pradesh.
- Prior to the pandemic, the tail-end district remained the favourite destination for tourists, thanks to the pleasant retreats like Talakona waterfalls, Horsley Hills, Chandragiri Fort and famous pilgrimage stations including Tirumala, Kanipakam and Srikalahasti. But the tourism sector here had taken a hit due to the Covid-induced lockdown.
- Even after the commencement of unlocking after the first wave, the chances of the tourism sector getting revived had looked bleak due to the restrictions on darshan numbers at Tirumala temple, which remained in place until the end of the third wave.
It may be noted that the rush of pilgrims at Tirumala make up the bulk of the district's tourist population.
However, with TTD lifting all restrictions on darshan numbers and with the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) taking up the revival measures, the tourism sector got a major impetus.
The increase in tourist footfall now has been fetching the APTDC sizeable revenues on par with the pre-Covid days.
According to sources in APTDC, the tourism units across the erstwhile district generated a revenue of Rs 11.58 crore in 2021-22 as against Rs 6.26 crore in 2020-21. Similarly, the transport sector, a major contribution to the corporation’s revenue, had fetched Rs 36.1 crore in 2021-22 as against Rs 7.22 crore in 2020-21. From April to August this year, the corporation had generated around Rs 20 crore.
“The tourism statistics in the erstwhile Chittoor district are generally linked to the pilgrim rush to Tirumala. With all the pilgrim packages to Tirumala having been resumed, the transport sector is generating good revenues, more than the pre-Covid days. We are trying to increase revenue by improving the quality of services and mainly concentrating on a reduction of maintenance and other costs,” a senior tourism official said.
Of the total revenue generated through the transport sector in 2021-22, the APTDC accrued Rs 14.76 crore through its own transport services linked to Tirupati and got Rs 21.43 crore through the Joint Partnership Mode (JPM) with private operators.
Under JPM, the APTDC provides back-end service at cost and private bus operators (service providers) will operate buses as per the terms and conditions stipulated by the APTDC.
Meanwhile, the occupancy rate at the Horsley Hills also went up to the pre-Covid levels. In 2021-22, the hill station has registered Rs 3.22 crore of revenue as against Rs 2.36 crore in 2020-21. The APTDC restaurant at Tirumala is fetching over Rs 1- Rs 1.5 lakh per day now, and other hotels at Srikalahasti, Puligundu, Kailasakona and Palamaner also started earning revenue for the corporation.
