Andhra Pradesh targets beach corridors, homestays and caravan parks

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has unveiled an ambitious roadmap to transform the state into a major tourism hub, directing officials to significantly expand infrastructure in line with rising tourist footfall.

At a review of the Tourism Department, the Chief Minister set a target of 50,000 hotel rooms and over 10,000 homestays by 2029, stressing that accommodation capacity must grow rapidly to meet demand. He also clarified that there should be no restrictive caps on homestays, encouraging widespread participation from local communities.

The Chief Minister instructed officials to attract national and international hotel brands and ensure that tourism projects approved by the state investment board are grounded swiftly. With the upcoming Godavari Pushkarams in focus, he called for large-scale development of homestays in Rajamahendravaram and surrounding regions, along with a rating system to standardise quality.

A key highlight of the strategy is the development of a coastal tourism corridor from Baruva to Nellore, aimed at unlocking the potential of Andhra Pradesh’s long coastline. The government plans to upgrade major beach destinations and introduce new tourism experiences.

Naidu also directed the establishment of caravan parks and tent cities across scenic locations such as Araku, Chintapalli, Munchingiputtu, Maredu Mili and other eco-tourism zones. These parks will be equipped with essential infrastructure, allowing families to safely experience nature-based tourism.

In addition, the government is preparing action plans to set up amusement parks in Visakhapatnam and Tirupati, while promoting eco-tourism and temple tourism through coordination between forest and endowment departments. Projects under central schemes like PRASAD and Swadesh Darshan are targeted for completion by May 2026.

The Chief Minister also proposed forming a high-level coordination committee under the Chief Secretary to streamline tourism development across departments such as tourism, forest, police and marine.

Innovative initiatives such as houseboats, heli-tourism, seaplanes under the UDAN scheme, and cruise tourism from Visakhapatnam and Krishnapatnam ports are also on the agenda. Plans are underway to establish water aerodromes at key locations including Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Srisailam, Gandikota and Kambham Cheruvu.

Highlighting growth trends, officials reported that the state recorded over 30.9 crore tourist visits last year, with a 21% increase in footfall in the current year so far. The Chief Minister stressed the need to sustain and accelerate this growth.

He also emphasised the development of iconic destinations like Visakhapatnam and Tirupati under central schemes, with investments of up to Rs. 500 crore per site, and called for the integration of temple circuits to boost religious tourism.