Borra Caves See Dip in Tourist Footfall
Despite the setback, APTDC officials remain hopeful that numbers will rebound once infrastructure upgrades are completed and weather conditions stabilise in the coming months.
Visakhapatnam: The popular tourist spot Borra Caves in Anakapalle district has witnessed a noticeable decline in tourist arrivals this October and November, despite intermittent gains earlier in the year. Official data from the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) shows total footfall up to October in 2025-26 stood at 3.23 lakh, slightly lower than the 3.33 lakh visitors recorded during the same period last year, a dip of 10,086 tourists.
Month-wise figures reveal an uneven trend. April, July and September registered healthy growth, with September seeing the most significant jump, 47,329 visitors compared to 26,850 last year. But these increases were overshadowed by declines in May, June and, most sharply, October. A key holiday month for the caves, October drew only 63,621 visitors, far below the 86,663 arrivals logged in 2024-25.
Tourism officials attribute the slump to two factors: ongoing construction of resorts and tourism facilities in and around the caves, which has curtailed accommodation options, and travel advisories issued in the wake of Cyclone Mantha, which deterred holiday travellers in October. Despite the setback, APTDC officials remain hopeful that numbers will rebound once infrastructure upgrades are completed and weather conditions stabilise in the coming months.
