CM targets 50K rooms
Amaravati: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has unveiled an extensive tourism expansion roadmap, setting a target of building 50,000 hotel rooms and over 10,000 homestays by 2029, vesting a high-level committee, led by the Chief Secretary, with the task of driving execution across departments.
At a review here on Wednesday, the Chief Minister directed officials to fast-track projects cleared by the State Investment Promotion Board and attract national and international hotel brands. He stressed large-scale promotion of homestays without restrictions and ordered the introduction of a rating system, with a focus on scaling up facilities ahead of the Godavari Pushkarams, particularly in Rajamahendravaram.
Naidu called for the development of caravan parks in 10–15 locations, including Araku Valley, Chintapalli, Munchingiputtu, Gandhivanam and Maredumilli, along with infrastructure to support family tourism. He directed preparation of plans for amusement parks in Visakhapatnam and Tirupati.
The Chief Minister set May 2026 as the deadline for completing projects under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme and Swadesh Darshan schemes, mentioning that proposals worth Rs 663 crore have been submitted to the Centre. He instructed officials to also develop key destinations such as Gandikota, Suryalanka Beach, Araku and Borra Caves into major tourist hubs.
With timelines in focus, Naidu directed the completion of Godavari Pushkar ghats by August and restoration of the Havelock Bridge by December to boost tourist access.
While expanding tourism avenues, Naidu pushed for houseboats, heli-tourism, seaplanes under the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme, and water aerodromes at Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Srisailam, Gandikota and Kambhampadu Lake. He also called for cruise tourism from Visakhapatnam and Krishnapatnam ports, targeting visitors from neighbouring states.
Naidu directed the establishment of 1,000 “Tent Cities” ahead of Pushkarams to make tourism accessible, and stressed integration of temple tourism through better connectivity, along with eco-tourism projects in coordination with Forest and Endowments departments.
Highlighting urban and destination development, the Chief Minister proposed upgrading Visakhapatnam and Tirupati under the Centre’s Iconic Destination Scheme with potential funding up to Rs 500 crore each, and called for focused development of Suryalanka Beach, lakes in Tirupati, and canals in Amaravati.
Positioning tourism within the creative economy, the Chief Minister spoke of Amaravati as a “Creative City” and called for large-scale content creation. He also revealed investment interest from actor Sanjay Dutt.
In a parallel initiative, the State signed an MoU with the Indian Culinary Institute to promote Telugu cuisine globally, focusing on skill development, employment generation, and food tourism events.
Tourism Minister K Durgesh, APTDC chairman N Balaji and senior officials attended the meeting.
