Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Vizag swarms with tourists as pleasant climate attracts many

- Photo:K.R. Deepak

All for a ride: Tourists waiting for their turn for a boat ride at the Fishing Harbour in Visakhapatnam . Heavy rush was seen following suspension of the service of one of the two boats following a technical snag.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Heavy influx of tourists and holidaymakers to Visakhapatnam has left all hotels and private guest houses packed to their capacity.

Those who are arriving without advance booking are being greeted with ‘no rooms please’ messages at various places. The star hotels, which have limited accommodation in the city, are already full to their capacity due to business class guests and two hotels with four-star status undergoing renovation.

The wonderful climate of winter, the pleasant fog and cooling comfort of Araku valley – known as ‘Poorman’s Ooty’ and the spectacular view of sun-kissed beaches here have been attracting the tourists in large numbers particularly from West Bengal.

The million-year-old Borra caves have already recorded 70,000 visitors this month. The rush for boat ride near fishing harbour has gone up so much that a serpentine queue is seen everyday. The AP Tourism has also stopped ferrying tourists in a vintage bus to the harbour from RK beach as tourists are allowed to board from near ONGC jetty instead of slipway. The VUDA’s boat service has been suspended for past one month due to repairs.

The AP Tourism’s ‘Visakha Boat’ with a capacity to take 45 being the star attraction in the city is making 15 trips a day – almost double than normal days. For the 30-minute boat-ride in the rescue vessel renovated into a cruise liner, APTDC charges Rs.50 per adult and Rs.40 per child.

“The tourist season has gained momentum from last week and this will continue for next few weeks due to the pleasant climate in Visakhapatnam,” Jeevan Prasad, Divisional Manager, APTDC told The Hindu on Tuesday.

The APTDC has 271 rooms at its facilities at Rushikonda and Yatri Nivas in the city, resorts at Araku and Anantagiri and Jungle Bell at Tyda. “We have got bookings a month ahead,” he said and informed that online bookings were being done at all reservation offices and facilities like hotels/resorts of APTDC.

With the travel operators offering budget tours, there is also heavy demand for accommodation at the serviced apartment opened in MVP Colony and private guest houses like Kamat, Satya and Chandamama. With almost everyone having one member of their family working abroad, the NRI syndrome has led to surplus money and motivating the locals too to inculcate the outing culture.

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