Action plan soon to develop Tirupati as tourist hub: Tourism Minister

Tirupati district will be developed as a tourist hub and a special action plan will be formulated for the same in the coming days, said Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Cinematography Kandula Durgesh.

After visiting the Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala on Monday, the Minister said that a meeting would be held in Tirupati on August 7 and 8 to discuss tourism development in the district. The meeting will be attended by officials from various departments, including Tourism and Endowments.

The Minister also announced that all the temples and tourist spots in Tirupati district would be connected to form a tourism circuit. He added that the Gandikota tourism project, which has been sanctioned under the Central government’s Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment scheme, is expected to be launched on August 1 by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

With the grant of industrial status to the tourism sector and the announcement of a new policy, several investors are coming forward to set up five-star hotels in Tirupati and Visakhapatnam on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, Mr. Kandula Durgesh said, adding that efforts are being made to facilitate the establishment of these hotels.

Later, the Minister announced that water sports and beach resorts will be set up along the State’s coastline. Efforts are under way to launch a cruise service between Visakhapatnam and Chennai, and to introduce seaplanes on a full scale. The Rishikonda Palace will be developed to serve the needs of the public, he added.