Wonderla, Imagicaa to Set Up Theme Parks in Andhra Pradesh
The principal secretary however pointed to delays in land allocation, saying there have been instances of identified tourism land being allotted to other departments.
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh has attracted two marquee theme park projects — Wonderla in Visakhapatnam and Imagicaa World in Tirupati — marking a major boost to the state’s tourism-led growth strategy.
Notably, the state government had declared tourism as a top priority sector for AP’s economic development.
Presenting a comprehensive review at the 5th collectors’ conference here on Wednesday, tourism principal secretary Ajay Jain said Wonderla, one of the largest amusement park chains, would be developed on a 50-acre plot in Visakhapatnam. Imagicaa World would establish its park on 20 acres in Tirupati.
Ajay Jain said the recently concluded investors summit yielded strong results for the tourism sector, with 209 MoUs signed across all 26 districts, involving investments of Rs 28,977 crore. Of these, 27 projects have already been grounded with an investment of Rs 5,820 crore, generating 10,645 direct and 18,030 indirect jobs, and adding 4,597 hotel rooms across the state.
Visakhapatnam emerged as the frontrunner with 66 proposals worth Rs 11,092 crore, followed by Tirupati with 27 proposals worth Rs 5,321 crore. Visakhapatnam also leads in grounded projects, with nine hotels adding 1,880 rooms at an investment of Rs 2,916 crore, while Tirupati has six projects adding 1,003 rooms worth Rs 1,123 crore.
The principal secretary however pointed to delays in land allocation, saying there have been instances of identified tourism land being allotted to other departments.
The Chief Minister underlined tourism’s primacy in the state’s development agenda. “Tourism should be given the first priority, then IT. First to stay, then to work. Giving priority to hotels is a big game changer,” he said.
