The impact of tourism on Telangana and its budget can be seen from the sharp drop in footfalls. From a high of 8.3 crore visitors in 2019, the total tourist arrivals dipped to less than half at 3.5 crore till October 2020.
The numbers are lower than before the formation of the State when it logged 7.2 crore visitors in 2014. The number of foreign tourists plummeted from a high of 3.2 crore in 2019 to 0.5 crore till October 2020.
The figures from the Socio-Economic Survey show the blow to tourism sector in Telangana which has an unbroken heritage legacy from Buddhist sanctuaries to Kakatiya-era creations followed by Qutb Shahi and Asaf Jahi reign historical monuments. “The State has tremendous potential for tourism, with a rich heritage and culture and various historical monuments and places of interest for nature lovers,” says survey about future of the sector.
In his speech, the Finance Minister Harish Rao, earmarked an amount of ₹ 726 crore in the Budget Estimates 2021-22 for the Tourism and Cultural sector. He also announced setting up of a Kaleshwaram Tourism Circuit. The many lakes and reservoirs built as part of the Kaleshwaram irrigation project have become a big tourism draw during the monsoon of 2020.
However, one of the biggest outlay for a project is ₹ 350 crore earmarked for the Yadagirigutta Temple Development Authority in the 21-22 budgetary estimates. Interestingly, in a year that was economically ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, Telangana government spent ₹ 350 crore on the temple project near Bhongir. Over the last three years, the State has spent ₹ 618 crore on the temple
Finished in granite on a massive scale, the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Yadagirigutta is being touted as a tourism draw to rival other grand temples in the country.
