Kurnool: The Central government would promote 'geo-tourism' and undertake a publicity push to enable the rock gardens of Orvakallu to get international recognition.
Officials from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) visited the site recently and conducted both high-resolution and drone-enabled videography to capture the special features and diverse geographical conditions of the area.
Thousands of years ago, natural formations in interesting shapes surfaced in the Rock Gardens region in Kurnool. The area surprisingly features rocks in the shapes of arches, turtles, rabbits among others atop the hills.
The valleys are also a special attraction. During Telugu Desam's previous term, the area was developed as Rathivanam. This led to a substantial increase in tourist visits and the filming of many movies.
“These diverse areas will now be developed as 'geo-heritage sites.'
With the Central government now taking the initiative to develop geo tourism, the GSI officials have reached the area and undertaken high-resolution photography, videography and drone-enabled videography to highlight the peculiarities of these areas, tourism department officials said.
Short films are also being made in this backdrop to attract international tourists.
Nandyal district boasts of prominent eco-tourist spots like the Nallamala forests, the Nawab Bungalow and heritage sites such as the Belum and Valmiki caves. Plans are on to develop tourism packages encompassing these locations.
Tourism officials in Nandyal are preparing daily travel packages to attract sightseers as packages for 2-3 important sites a day.
Nandyal collector G. Raja Kumari said, “We are keen on generating revenue from the tourism sector by providing facilities and offering daily package tours.”
In the coming months of Shravana and Kartika, a good number of devotees are expected to visit the shrines in the district. Plans are being made to create a circuit package that includes all the temples in the district, the collector said.
