Minister Durgesh said that AP has a vast coastline of 1053 km, and the beauty of the coastline is the main asset of AP.
Visakhapatnam: The tourism sector got an investment worth Rs 17,973 crore in 104 MoUs signed at the CII Partnership Summit that concluded in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.
Minister for Tourism Kandula Durgesh revealed that a total of 97,876 people will be employed in the tourism and hospitality sectors, 34,406 directly and 63,470 indirectly. He said that the MoUs worth about Rs. 6,500 crore signed at the summit will focus on issues such as theme parks, marinas, film cities, wellness centres, roadside facilities, cruises, adventure and water sports.
He said that for the first time, tourism foreign direct investment (FDI) MoUs worth Rs. 1,860 crore have been signed, which will create 12,500 jobs. He said that the huge response from industrialists has given a new impetus to the tourism sector.
On the second day of the summit, he participated in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. Later, he discussed investments in a panel session with tourism investors chaired by him. Later, APTDC Chairman Nookasani Balaji, Special Chief Secretary for Tourism Ajay Jain, and Tourism MD Amrapali Katala exchanged MoUs with investors. On this occasion, Minister Kandula Durgesh explained the opportunities for tourism investment in the state.
Minister Durgesh said that AP has a vast coastline of 1053 km, and the beauty of the coastline is the main asset of AP. In this regard, he said that a big push is being made for the development of beach activities and cruise tourism. He said that three key coastal circuits will be developed with private partnerships, and steps were being taken to develop more beaches like the Blue Flag beach like Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam with the aim of environmental cleanliness and tourist safety.
Marine sports, wellness, Ayurvedic retreats and adventure tourism are being promoted. He said with new ports coming up in the state, cruise activities along the coast are being given a big boost, and the state will be made a hub for luxury yachting.
He added that the spiritual, cultural and historical heritage is being encouraged starting from the holy hills of Tirumala to ancient Buddhist sites like Amaravati and Thotlakonda.
The minister said Visakhapatnam will be developed as the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) Capital of the South by setting up airports in the state to facilitate international travel.
After Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu accorded industry status to tourism and with a new policy in vogue, the investors were attracted to invest in Andhra Pradesh.
Electricity subsidy, land allocation required for the project, employment-based incentives, speed of doing business, and investor-centric policies would make it easy for grounding projects.
