AP Ready to Facilitate International Theme Parks Establishment: Minister
6 March 2026 1:12 PM IST6 March 2026 1:12 PM IST
The Tourism Minister observed that projects of Disney World and Universal Studios scale require an investment of up to Rs 60,000 crore
Andhra Pradesh Tourism Minister K Durgesh on Friday said the government is ready to extend cooperation for the setting up of international theme parks in the state. (File Photo)
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government is willing to extend full support for establishment of international-standard theme parks in AP if private investors come forward, Tourism minister Kandula Durgesh informed the AP Legislative Assembly on Friday.
Responding to a question from Prathipadu MLA Burla Ramanjaneyulu regarding the proposal to set up a Disney World-style theme park over 171.14 acres at Karnuthala village in Vatticherukuru mandal of Guntur district. The minister said the government would facilitate the project by providing land, clearances and incentives.
However, Durgesh clarified that mega theme parks, such as Disney World or Universal Studios, typically require investments ranging from ₹35,000 crore to ₹60,000 crore. Such theme parks are generally developed and operated by private firms across the world, while governments play a facilitating role.
Further, they are usually located in global metropolitan centres such as Orlando and Los Angeles in the US, Tokyo in Japan, Paris in France and Shanghai in China, where tourist inflow and spending capacities are high.
In India, the average tourist spending capacity is about ₹20,000–₹21,000, which is relatively low by international standards, the minister pointed out.
In this regard, he pointed out that AP has accorded industry status to tourism and is offering attractive incentives under the AP Tourism Policy 2024–29 to attract large investments. The incentives include capital subsidy up to ₹40 crore (5–10 per cent of fixed investment), 100 per cent stamp duty reimbursement, full exemption on land-use conversion charges, reimbursement of electricity charges as per industrial tariffs, and 100 per cent SGST reimbursement for 7–15 years. In addition, the government will reimburse 50–100 per cent of EPF and ESI contributions for three years, with additional incentives for mega projects on a case-by-case basis.
Durgesh said the Tourism department has held discussions with major amusement park operators, such as Imagicaa and Wonderla, which have shown interest in projects at Tirupati and Visakhapatnam. He disclosed that at the recent Visakha Partnership Summit, Tourism department signed 102 MoUs worth ₹18,448 crore, three of which are related to theme parks.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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