Special summer packages on the anvil for backpackers in Andhra Pradesh

VIJAYAWADA:The State tourism department is planning special summer tour packages to attract tourists from across the country, which will also help the department to increase its revenue.Apart from the coastal areas like Visakhapatnam, Konaseema and Araku, the department is planning to increase tourist footfalls in the Amaravati region. The department has put packages in pre-summer, summer and post-summer categories.

The pre-summer category will focus on tourism in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. The summer category is focussed on  tourism in hill stations and forest areas of Andhra Pradesh.Drawing inspiration from the Kutch festival, the tourism department is going to organise ‘Glamping’ event from April 20 to May 20 in Araku. The event will attract adrenaline junkies as numerous adventure activities, like trekking--along with musical nights and camping, will be organised. The tariffs for it will range from `2,000 to `5,000.

Speaking to Express, APTDC director Himanshu Shukla said, “During summers, tourist footfall in Araku is generally high, but many face issues with accommodation. For this reason, we planned  Glamping where luxurious tents will be provided for accommodation, and adventure sports and special programmes will keep the participants engaged.”

The Vijayawada city will also host a similar event, ‘Rigetta’, where many water sport activities is planned to be organised. The event would take off at Bhavani island in the first week of May.“We have prepared a tourism calendar based on the destinations and themes targeting people from different age groups. We have listed 30 destinations across the state that will house eight variety of themes to attract tourists. We are working to engage more people for the public private partnership mode and conduct similar events,” the APTDC director said.