Curtain raiser for WTO launched

Rs 50 crore for each tourism project Hyderabad: Union Minister of A State for Tourism K Chiranjeevi launched the curtain raiser for United Nations World Tourism Organisation conference scheduled to be held in the city from April 12-14. Talking during the inauguration program, he termed tourism wing as a strong medium for projecting the country's rich traditions and cultures. The three-day conference would also deliberate on the future programmes of UNWTO commission. The Minister informed that Rs 5 crore has been allocated for organising the conference and an amount of Rs 221 crore has been allotted for tourism in Andhra Pradesh for the year 2013-14. The growth rate of foreign tourists to India is 2.5 per cent in the last quarter and AP topped among domestic tourists because of pilgrim tour to Tirupati, he added. Some of the projects that are to be taken up during the next year in the State include a mega tourism circuit at Konaseema, Bhadrachalam and Papikondalu besides mega circuit at Kondapally and Ibrahimpatnam with a budget of Rs 50 crore each. Circuits at a cost of Rs 8 crore have also been planned at Pileru and Nizamabad, he added. State Tourism Minister Vatti Vasanth Kumar, who also took part in the programme thanked the Union Minister for allotting International culinary institute at Tirupati.