Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh
The state tourism department has attracted over ₹30,000 crore in private investment in the last 16 months.
Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh met investors in Amaravati on Wednesday accompanied by senior officials.
He said that of the 27 hotel, resort and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) projects approved by the State Investment Promotion Board, three are ready to be inaugurated, 12 are under construction, five are about to break ground and land has been allocated for the remaining seven. These projects will create 4,597 new tourist rooms across the state. One-third of the 11,272 hotel rooms planned nationally for 2025-26 are coming in Andhra Pradesh, reflecting investor confidence in the state government, he said.
The minister said the tourism department has secured ₹428 crore from the Center for Infrastructure Development in eight major destinations – Akhanda Godavari, Gandikota, Suryalanka, Ahobilam, Nagarjuna Sagar, Araku, Annavaram and Simhachalam – the highest allocation since bifurcation.
He said recent reforms, including granting industry status to tourism, unveiling the 2024-2029 tourism policy and introducing new guidelines for adventure sports, homestays, employment, caravan tourism and land allocation policies by 2025, had boosted the sector. The upcoming policies on concrete structures, monuments, MICE, beach shacks and film tourism are expected to give further impetus.
The minister said the ministry has set ambitious targets for Mission 2029 – creation of 50,000 rooms, 10,000 home stays, 20% contribution to VAT and 15% job creation. There are also plans to build 4,500 to 20,000 classified rooms accessible to all income groups.
He said the ministry promotes sustainable and responsible tourism by supporting PPP projects, streamlining approvals and engaging local communities.
The meeting was attended by Special Secretary General Ajay Jain, Director General of AP Tourism Development Corporation and Director General of AP Tourism Authority Amrapali Kata and other officials.
Published – 10 Dec 2025 20:48 IST
