Hyderabad, March 27: In a bid to attract private investments and give a fillip to the tourism and hospitality sector, the State Government on Friday, said it is creating a land bank, which will be leased out to private players.
With measures such as this besides initiatives like Aam Aadmi tourism, the Tourism & Culture Department is targeting Rs 1,500 crore investments into the State over the next ten years.
“To promote the sector, we need to concentrate on infrastrucutre.
So, we are creating a land assembly, which is nothing but chunks of land spread across the State that will be made readily available for investors. We will offer land on long-lease to interested parties for over 33 to 66 years,’’ said Tourism Minister Geeta Reddy.
Currently, the tourism department has over 3,000 acres of land.
Giving the valedictory speech at the Travel, Hospitality and Tourism – Entrepreneurship Summit 2010 organised by TiE, she said the Government will offer investment subsidies to companies depending on the size of their investments.
For the commonman, the department is floating a novel concept titled `Aam Aadmi tourism,’ which will facilitate less-expensive travel packages and budget accommodation facilities.
Boasting of super-speciality hospitals, the State is also set to be projected as a medical tourism hub.
Likewise, the Government is also trying to promote heli tourism between Hyderabad and Nagarjuna Sagar, Nagarjuna Sagar to Tirupati and Bangalore to Puttaparthi.
Plans are also afoot to set up diverse tourism projects such as theme parks, amusement parks and crafts village.
“With several initiatives in place, we anticipate investments of over Rs 1,500 crore over the next ten years,’’ said Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Secretary to Government, Department of Tourism.
The minister said the first draft of the new tourism policy is already out and the department is seeking suggestions from stakeholders.
“The industry has requested extension of provisions made in the present policy such as stamp duty, registration fee exemption for one more year. We are considering the proposal and will try to accommodate the recommendations,’’ Geeta Reddy explained.
Meanwhile, the State is targeting a 14-15 per cent growth in international tourist traffic, while it is aiming to maintain a 24 per cent growth in domestic tourist traffic over the next ten years.
While India recieved about 527 million domestic tourists in 2008, Andhra Pradesh took the top slot with 127 million tourists.
“The State witnesses lot of domestic visitors to places such as Tirupati, Puttaparthi, Vizag and Hyderabad. We foresee modertate growth in Hyderabad market, while the other places will register good growth,’’he said.
Similarly, of the 5.08 million international tourists, AP registered 0.76 million visitors, thereby garnering $23 million in foreign exchange.
–Agencies