Endowments Minister Kottu unveils temple tourism package

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Endowments, Kottu Satyanarayana, has unveiled groundbreaking initiatives aimed at fostering spiritual tourism in the State.
Highlighting the government’s commitment to spiritual tourism, he emphasised the provision of darshan to devotees at all major temples across the State.
During the Temple Tourism Package and Vehicles inaugural event organised by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) at the Vijayawada tourism divisional office, Deputy Chief Minister Kottu Satyanarayana participated actively. Commencing the proceedings, he conducted a special Pooja for the vehicles, marking the launch of spiritual tourism buses.
Subsequently, Kottu Satyanarayna revealed that the state government, in collaboration with AP Tourism Corporation Limited and Pilgrim Pathways Private Limited, is dedicated to streamlining darshan experiences for devotees at renowned temples statewide. This partnership has introduced one-day and two-day tour packages covering 18 circuits encompassing major temples.
In a significant shift, the government now offers daily tour packages inclusive of meals, accommodation, special poojas, and Abhishekam ceremonies for devotees, departing from earlier seasonal offerings.
The initial phase of these tour packages interconnects temples such as Tirumala, Srisailam, Mananandi, Ahobilam, Yaganti, Srikalahasti, Annavaram, Simhachalam, Arasavalli, Sree Kurmam, Bhimavaram, Draksharamam, Samrlakot, Pithapuram, and other prominent spiritual destinations.
Present at the event were Vijayawada Central MLA Malladi Vishnu, APTDC Executive Director Padmavathi, General Manager (Transport) R Sasidhar, Divisional Manager PN Krishna Chaitanya, Assistant Manager K Sridhar, Central Reservation Manager M Suresh, and other dignitaries.