Explore new ideas to boost tourism

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy emphasized the need to develop the tourism sector not just as a source of revenue but also as a major employment creator.
He said that despite Telangana’s rich historical and cultural heritage past governments had failed to market it effectively and explore new ideas to boost tourism. He directed officials to modernize the tourism department to connect Telangana’s past with the present paving the way for future growth. Reviewing the tourism sector at ICCC on Friday, Revanth stressed the importance of encouraging investments in semi-urban and rural tourism projects.
He asked officials to set up a boat house in the Nagarjuna Sagar backwaters and promote Telangana as a prime destination for destination weddings. Special attention should be given to temple tourism and wildlife sanctuaries, he added, directing authorities to take steps regarding this.
The Chief Minister specifically mentioned the need to enhance facilities and publicity at places like Bhadrachalam, Saleshwaram, Ramappa Temple, Mallela Theertham, Bogatha Waterfalls, Buddhist stupas and Jain Temples.
He also inquired about the status of the Bhongir Fort Ropeway Project and asked officials to speed up land acquisition and invite tenders immediately. He also ordered conservation of the historical
structures atop the fort. The CM stressed the need for coordination between departments like Forests, IT, Energy, TSIIC, Medical and Sports to ensure a seamless tourism policy. He warned against inter-departmental conflicts that could hinder tourism and called for prioritizing adventure sports and creating hassle-free medical tourism facilities for international visitors. The CM said that the Tourism Department would receive more allocations to fund these programmes.
Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, CM’s Advisor Vem Narendra Reddy, Tourism Development Corporation Chairman Patel Ramesh Reddy, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, Infrastructure Advisor Srinivas Raju and others attended the meeting.