Lepakshi wins 2023 best rural tourism village award on World Tourism Day

Vijayawada: Tourism minister R.K. Roja has disclosed that Lepakshi has been awarded the Best Rural Tourism Village of India award for 2023. 795 villages from 31 states and union territories had competed for the award.

Roja said it is a great honour that Lepakshi has received this award from the ministry of tourism on occasion of the World Tourism Day, which she celebrated at a function held at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram in Vijayawada on Wednesday.

The minister pointed out that this year, World Tourism Day is being celebrated with the theme – Tourism & Green Investment for People, Planet and Prosperity. She attributed the award for Lepakshi to the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Roja pointed out that with intervention of the CM, Oberoi Group is developing 7 star hotels at three locations in Andhra Pradesh – Gandikota, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam, which will boost tourism. Mayfair Group of Hotels will develop a 5 star hotel at Annavaram in Visakhapatnam while 5 star Hotel Hyatt will come up in Tirupati.

The minister said AP had conducted Global Investors Summit in Visakhapatnam, wherein MoUs worth ₹19,345 crore had been signed, which would provide employment to 51,083 people in the state. She explained that state government has identified 288 potential beaches along the 974 kilometre coastline of AP from Donkur in Srikakulam district to Nawabpeta in Tirupati district. These beaches will be developed in PPP (public, private partnership) mode.

Speaking on the occasion, APTDC managing director K. Kanna Babu underlined that tourism is one of the key economic growth engines, which also generates maximum number of employment. He pointed out that in 2022, travel and tourism sector contributed 7.6 per cent of global Gross Domestic Production (GDP).

AP State Planning Board vice chairman Malladi Vishnu and NTR district collector S. Dilli Rao were among those who spoke on the occasion.