AP Tourism policy by this month-end
Hyderabad, Feb 9 (INN): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the state will have a tourism policy which will be unveiled in Tirupati by this month-end.
In a review meeting on the upcoming tourism projects in the state today at Secretariat, the Chief Minister said that food festivals should be held for every 2-3 months and other cultural festivals on a monthly basis.
Tourism should emerge as one of the main revenue generating sectors of the state by 2029, the Chief Minister said, adding it will rake in big business and will impact almost every other industry.
'Tourism can be important in regional areas because it diversifies the area's economic base and creates numerous jobs,' he added.
The Chief Minister said that private investors and PPP projects in tourism have to be encouraged.
Companies/ businessmen/ investors keen on taking tourism projects in the state will get single-desk clearances, he said.
He informed officials that Andhra Pradesh should be marketed as 'Sunrise AP' from now.
Highlighting that the key role in the tourism sector will be played by private players, he said that the state government will act only as a facilitator in this area.
Officials should focus on marketing the advantage of AP having a long coastline which is poised to become a logistics hub of South East Asia, the Chief Minister said. He said that officials should set a target of raking in Rs10,000 crore of investments by 2020 and Rs20,000 worth investments by 2029. He also emphasized on increasing the number of tourist arrivals to the state.
He asked officials to promote novel concepts such as theme-based tourism, eco-tourism, adventure tourism, spiritual tourism (including Buddhist tourism), beach tourism and heritage tourism. Some of the major tourism projects also include construction of convention centres in Vijayawada, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam for which the Lulu Group and ITC have come forward, he said. He added that Andhra Pradesh has great potential to become a tourism hub because of its historical significance.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also briefed officials about the successful promotion of tourism in Singapore and Japan and said that Andhra Pradesh can take the support of the two nations to promote Buddhist tourism.
Minister K Achhan Naidu, Tourism Secretary Nirab Kumar and other officials.
News Posted: 9 February, 2015
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