Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government has unveiled a new tourism policy for the next five years, setting a target to attract private investments worth ₹25,000 crore to enhance infrastructure, services, and innovative tourism models, bolstering sector competitiveness.
The policy, announced through a government order issued by the tourism secretary V Vinay Chand, is aimed at increasing the tourism sector’s share in the state economy, enhancing employment opportunities and creating diverse livelihood opportunities across associated industries.
The policy mainly focuses on promoting beach tourism, eco-tourism and spiritual tourism. It also sets an ambitious target of positioning Andhra Pradesh among the top 10 states in India for Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs), enhancing its global tourism profile. It also proposes to elevate the average spending by domestic tourists from ₹1,700 to ₹25,000 every year.
The initiative seeks to elevate Andhra Pradesh’s tourism landscape by introducing Thematic Circuits, specialized travel pathways focused on specific themes to provide tourists with richer and more immersive experiences.
The state aims to establish over 25 thematic circuits, including Buddhist circuits, temple circuits, beach circuits, river cruise circuits, eco-tourism circuits, sea cruise circuits and seaplane circuits.
Among the Buddhist circuits, the policy projects key Buddhist landmarks such as Shalihundam, Thotlakonda, Bojjanakonda, Amaravati Stupa, Undavalli Caves, and NagarjunaKonda to offer tourists an immersive journey through Buddha’s teachings and heritage.
On ecotourism, the policy proposes the development of three eco-tourism circuits: Srikakulam–Visakhapatnam Circuit, East Godavari–Guntur Circuit and Kurnool–Nellore Circuit which will encompass destinations known for their ecological and natural significance, including Araku Valley, Belum Caves, Nallamala Wildlife Sanctuary, Kondapalli Forest, Gandikota, Erramatti Dibbalu, Papikondalu, and Kadiyam Nurseries.
Follow us
