Vizag, Manyam And ASR Mark Tourism Day With Development Push
Visakhapatnam, Alluri Sitharama Raju and Parvathipuram Manyam districts marked World Tourism Day with new tourism initiatives and development plans.
Visakhapatnam’s tourism potential took centre-stage during the World Tourism Day celebrations on Sunday, with the tourism department, GVMC and the district administration jointly organising a Vizag Waves programme at Siripuram Dronamraju Circle.
District In-charge minister Dola Sri Balaveeranjaneya Swamy, MLAs and senior officials attended the event.
Swamy said the state government was committed to developing Visakhapatnam as a hub for IT, medical and beach tourism. He highlighted the potential of Araku, Paderu and the region’s Buddhist heritage sites, and said new policies and infrastructure projects were being introduced to promote tourism.
District collector Abhishek Kishore said Visakhapatnam accounted for a significant share of the state’s tourism activity and foreign visitors. Several luxury hospitality projects were under development, he said, noting that international investors had compared the city’s scenic, clean coastline with Italy’s Amalfi Coast.
Police commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi described Visakhapatnam as a safe destination, particularly for women travellers. MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu said development projects worth `4,000 crore had been launched, including a second approach road to Kailasagiri, improved parking and upgrades at Thotlakonda.
Work on the proposed four-lane beach corridor from Jodugullapalem to Bheemunipatnam is expected to begin by December, he said.
MLC Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao said industrial and IT investment would complement tourism growth. GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg outlined plans to improve civic infrastructure and highlighted the hop-on hop-off bus service for visitors.
The celebrations also featured cultural performances and the felicitation of three well-travelled tourists. Meanwhile, the Alluri Sitharama Raju district launched tourism programmes that will continue until October 3. Collector Nishanti unveiled the Discover Alluri digital portal and a QR code-based system offering information on attractions, tribal culture, history and routes.
The platform also includes artificial intelligence-powered multilingual assistance.
In Parvathipuram Manyam district, celebrations began at Parammakonda in Pachipenta mandal with traditional drum and Dhimsa performances. Women and child welfare minister Gummadi Sandhyarani highlighted the district’s hills, valleys and attractions such as Loddha Falls, calling for coordinated efforts to develop it into a major tourism destination.
