APTDC revenues to cross Rs 62cr this fiscal

Riding on a slew of tourism-promotion measures, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) will be crossing the Rs 62-crore mark in revenues this fiscal as compared to Rs 46 crore in the last financial year.

This implies a year-on-year growth of 34 per cent. This apart, it is also embarking on new projects in the next fiscal to maintain the momentum of this growth.

Speaking to Business Standard, T V N Rao, managing director of APTDC, said, "This fiscal, we started a couple of new projects like the ropeway at Srisailam, Taramati Baradari culture complex where three national cultural festivals were organised, and the Konaseema resort that, for the first time, promotes backwater tourism in Andhra Pradesh. The corporation, therefore, is doing well and we are looking at better revenues in the coming years."

The corporation earns a major part of its revenues from packaged tours, followed by hotels, water fleet, lease rentals and entertainment activities like sound-and-light shows.

"The coming fiscal will see part of the Lower Krishna Valley Buddhist Circuit being commissioned at Nagarjunasagar and Amaravati. We will be developing a theme park, tourist amenities and an interpretation centre besides recreating a stupa in around 80 acres of the area in the next fiscal," Rao said. This will involve an investment of around Rs 11 crore.

"This apart, the Rs 24-crore Paryatak Bhavan, a one-stop tourist facilitation centre, will also be commissioned during the same period. We will also be commissioning a new cruiser on the Hussainsagar lake that will be larger than the existing ones by the end of May," he added.

The corporation has so far developed way-side amenities on four highways and plans develop it on 12 more highways.

"Way-side amenities in the form of restaurants, general stores, etc will be developed on 12 highways (state and national) at a cost of Rs 50 lakh each. These will be in places like Suryapet, Annavaram, Dornala and Lepakshi," Rao said.

"We will also be adding nine new Volvo buses to our existing fleet of 116 buses and replacing six hi-tech buses. The corporation is also setting up a Rs 3.5 crore 24-room resort at Anantagiri in Araku Valley. We are looking at organising trekking programmes and other adventure sports like wilderness camping and rock-climbing here," Rao said.

"On the Bhavani Island in Vijayawada, we are considering setting up a resort with private participation on a build-operate-transfer basis that will have rented accommodation, houseboats and facilities for water-sports," he added.

The corporation is looking at touching the Rs 80-crore turnover target in 2005-06, followed by Rs 100-crore in 2006-07, with these new measures.