Naidu asked the officials to come up with a home stay policy to arrange home says in several places including Araku.
Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has called for a major fillip to the tourism sector in AP by developing the beautiful coastlines, setting up experience centres, arranging sea/river cruises.
“We must promote the tents culture and also encourage home stays in select areas,” he said while holding a review meeting with the officials from the tourism department here on Monday.
Naidu called for developing a ‘tourism festival calendar’ so that year-long tourism programmes could be arranged in all the major tourist centres to promote tourism by 20 per cent.
“We must be developing more tourism projects so that several firms would come forward to participate in them. Officials must take up a study on the launch of ‘Night Safari’ on lines of Singapore,” he said.
We must also identify the coastlines having scenic beauty in order to develop them. Though AP is the number-one in aquaculture, there are no tourism projects to reflect this. Let us try and have Dolphin Shows.”
Naidu called for efforts to get ‘Unesco World Heritage’ status to Gandikota. Referring to the works taken up under the ‘Praasad’ scheme in the temples of Simhachalam and Annavaram, he called for efforts to complete them expeditiously.
There should also be efforts to develop Bhavani Island, Hope Island and other islands in the state, he said.
The CM asked the officials to set up 150 Araku Coffee stalls and 50 experience centres.
When the officials informed him that 14 experience centres were being developed at Kondapalli, Kuchipudi, Kadiam, Mangalagiri, Chirala, Bapatla, Araku and other areas, the CM wanted 50 such centres.
He called for promoting temple tourism in 20 major temples in the state in addition to promoting health tourism in Visakhapatnam and Amaravati.
The officials informed the CM that they were developing tent cities in six areas including Araku and Gandikota. Some 180 tents would be set up in addition to providing house boats in Rajahmundry and also in Vijayawada at Berm Park and Surya Lanka.
They said there was a need to upgrade 15 hotels and resorts related to the tourism sector at a cost of Rs 76 crore in addition to plans for eight mega events, 11 national fairs and 10 international fairs. Several agencies were showing interest to invest a total of Rs 12,565 crore to set up hostels and restaurants having 8,073 rooms through 69 projects.
Officials also told the CM that they have identified 10 new places to set up rope ways.
Naidu asked the officials to come up with a home stay policy to arrange home says in several places including Araku.
