APTDC Vizag posts 34% revenue growth

Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Limited (APTDC)'s Visakhapatnam division, which comprises four coastal districts from Srikakulam to East Godavari, has registered a 34 per cent growth in revenue earnings in the fiscal ended March 31, 2005.

Speaking to Business Standard, P Jeevan Prasad, divisional manager of APTDC Vizag division, said, "The corporation's revenue increased by Rs 2.18 crore last fiscal. Influx of tourist arrivals and the increase in tourism guest houses' occupancy rate are the main factors that attributed to the significant growth in our revenue earnings."

In 2004-05, the division earned revenues to the tune of Rs 8.52 crore as compared to Rs 6.34 crore in the previous year, representing a growth of 34 per cent.

Of the total revenues, Rs 5.84 crore was generated through room rents and restaurants and Rs 2.39 crore was generated from the transport division, while Rs 29 lakh came through water fleet, Prasad said.

APTDC's Vizag division currently has 152 rooms and cottages at Visakhapatnam, Araku, Rushikonda and Tyda. In 2004-05, the occupancy rate was around 60 per cent. In the last fiscal, 3.36 lakh tourists visited Borra caves as compared to 3.11 lakh tourists in the previous year, he said.

"In a bid to meet the growing demand, the corporation is adding 117 rooms and cottages at four different locations in the district. APTDC is spending around Rs 8.5 crore to construct 24 rooms at Rushikonda, 19 cottages at Ananthagiri hill resort, 68 rooms at Araku and four cottages at Tyda, and these rooms and cottages would be ready by this December-end," Prasad said.

The corporation's Vizag division is aiming at earning more than Rs 11 crore revenue in the current fiscal.

"Most of our new rooms and cottages, which are under construction, will be ready by July-August. So, we expect our income from rooms and cottages to increase significantly," he said.

"The tourism development corporation's Vizag division has recently introduced three new package tours from Hyderabad to Araku. Apart from this, we are taking steps to increase our revenue from the existing package tours. The recently-introduced Konaseema boat tour package at Razole in East Godavari district is getting an overwhelming response from tourists. Owning to these reasons, we are confident of achieving Rs 11-crore revenues in the current fiscal," Prasad stated.