Secretary, Department of Tourism, Language and Culture, Mukesh Kumar Meena said traditional artisans producing enchanting range of handicrafts and weavers creating brilliant line of handloom apparel were integral part of the tourism sector. “We want to create a well thought out platform for the craftsmen to find easy marketing avenues for their products,” he said at the first of a series of workshops the department has planned for artisans across the State, here on Sunday.
He said tourists seek information on special attractions of a place such as food, lifestyle and the local crafts. Mr. Meena said the AP tourism wing would take care of the marketing and promotion of the local handicrafts in an organised way at the national and international platforms and would simultaneously work to bring the craftsmen closer to the sector.
CEO of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority (APTA)) Himanshu Shukla said the local handicrafts had vast potential in the international market but there were gaps which needed to be filled. Sharing a personal experience, he said a Kalamkari dress which sold for ₹5,000 in Srikakulam was up for sale for ₹2 lakh in a high-end showroom in Melbourne. He said promotion of the handicrafts would serve the dual purpose of increase in the number of tourists resulting in better income to the artisans and employment generation.
To facilitate a direct tourist-craftsmen link, the department is developing tools to guide the visitors about where to go, what to eat, where to stay and what to buy. “Reducing this gap will go a long way in improving the footfalls in the State,” he said.
Director (Administration), APTA, Sambasiva Rao, said the department would come up with a coffee table book on the handicrafts and information on the craftsmen, to keep the tourists abreast of the local crafts.
Later, Mr. Meena went around the exhibition of crafts and interacted with the artisans. Responding to their plea on GST, he said he would try to impress upon the authorities to take the burden of GST off their shoulders.
Former Minister M. Hanumantha Rao, president of Mangalagiri Master Weavers Association J. Varaprasad Rao and president of Pedana Kalamkari Association B. Mohan Rao, spoke.
The workshop was attended by Kalamkari artisans from Pedana, toy-makers of Kondapalli and weavers of traditional saris and dress material from Mangalagiri.