Hyderabad: Undivided Andhra Pradesh was the most preferred destination for domestic tourists in 2012, revealed a study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
AP recorded a significant surge in domestic tourist arrivals, up from 11 crore in 2006 to 20 crore in 2012.
Assocham, which released its study titled ‘Indian Tourism Industry: The way forward’ also pointed out that the undivided AP state did not figure among the top-10 states with a high share in foreign tourist arrivals in India.
The state attracted about 2.9 lakh foreign tourists in 2012, which had increased by about 11 per cent from 2.6 lakh in 2011.
There is a huge scope for investments from the private sector in the two new states, Telangana and residual Andhra Pradesh that have abundant entrepreneurial talent, highly competent bureaucracy and forward looking political leadership.
“There is need for both the State governments to provide clear land bank policies for improving the physical infrastructure in order to attract new investments in the hospitality sector in their respective states,” said secretary general D. S. Rawat, while releasing the findings of the study.
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Odisha are leading states attracting investors in the hotels and tourism industry.
