Andhra Pradesh’s ₹20K-Cr Tourism Revolution

The Andhra Pradesh government has unveiled a strategy aimed at attracting investments of more than ₹20,000 crore to position the state as a leading multi-experience tourism destination.

The initiative is centred around the Tourism Policy 2024–29, under which the tourism sector has been granted industrial status. The policy offers incentives such as capital subsidies, SGST reimbursements, and stamp duty exemptions to encourage private and public-private partnership (PPP) investments.

N. Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan have led the initiative, under which 117 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) have been signed over the past two years. The projects are expected to initially generate around 1.22 lakh employment opportunities, with long-term plans targeting jobs for five lakh people, the development of 50,000 classified hotel rooms, and the establishment of 10,000 homestays.

Several global hospitality brands, including Taj Hotels, Marriott International, ITC Hotels, Hyatt, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, and Hilton, are expected to add more than 7,700 hotel rooms across the state.

Infrastructure development plans include seven anchor tourism hubs, more than 25 tourism circuits, and major MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destinations in Amaravati, Visakhapatnam, and Tirupati. The state is also promoting niche tourism offerings such as heli-tourism, luxury cruises, and enhanced pilgrimage infrastructure.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.