Plan activities at all tourist spots: Official

Visakhapatnam: Lack of activities at tourist spots in Vizag city and Visakhapatnam district is leading to poor mileage to Visakhapatnam tourism, according to tourism department principal secretary Neerabh K Prasad. He compared the situation to a silent film. The principal secretary convened a meeting with officials of various departments and stakeholders to take up new initiatives to promote tourism in Vizag.

District  collector N. Yuvaraj, GVMC commissioner Pravin Kumar, Vuda vice-chairman T. Baburao Naidu, Tourism commissioner R.P. Khajuria, Paderu ITDA project officer Harinarayana, officials from railways, Visakhapatnam Port, airport, APTDC, prohibition and excise, forest department, archaeology, endowments and others participated in the meeting. He insisted that officials should work in coordination to develop Visakhapatnam as a global hub of tourism.

The tourism development activities would be taken up at district-level instead of centralising them at the state-level, he said. The district collector will be the nodal authority and the regional tourism commissioner will be the implementing authority. Single-desk system will be continued for extending support to the investors as well as the implementing authorities in the tourism sector, the principal secretary explained.

However, adding activities to the tourist destinations is the urgent need for attracting more number of visitors to Visakhapatnam, Mr Neerabh said. Cultural festivals, sports events and other activities should be organised at the tourist spots to involve the visitors, apart from being a feast to the eye.

Mr Prasad told the officials that new attractions like heli tourism within the city and from the city to Araku have to be included to attract more people. More number of air links to Visakhapatnam, cruise tourism within the Vizag sea waters, specially designed activities at temples, shopping festivals and other events should be planned to make Vizag tourism more attractive and a happening city, said the principal secretary.

He asked the airport authority officials to take initiative to introduce arrival e-visa at Visakhapatnam airport  to attract foreign tourists. The APSRTC and railway officials were asked to improve the transport facilities to tourism destinations. The principal secretary also had interaction with stakeholders of the tourism sector in Visakhapatnam and asked them to air their views. Earlier in the meeting, district collector Yuvaraj gave a PowerPoint presentation on the issues being faced by the tourism sector.