The Department of Tourism has begun the ground work to bring INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, to Visakhapatnam as a tourist attraction.
The 24,000-tonne world’s oldest aircraft carrier is all set to be decommissioned in June this year, and it is likely to be handed to the Andhra Pradesh Government at a price of Re. 1 for converting it into a 500-room floating luxury hotel.
It is learnt that CRISIL, the AP Government, and the Navy are working on a feasibility report on the tourism project.
Sources say that discussions are taking place on whether the floating behemoth should be docked close to the shore and converted to a hotel, or be anchored in the sea, and be called a floating hotel.
It is learnt that the annual maintenance cost of the ship could be around Rs. 100 crore to Rs. 150 crore, and there are strong indications that it could be anchored away from the coast to give that extra edge to the hotel project to recover the cost.
“Ferries or speed boats from a dock to the ship can be used to transport guests, men and materials, and that itself could be an attraction.
A lot of value needs to be added such as mid sea sunrise, golf course on the deck, speciality restaurants, and adventure options to make the project viable.
The government should also go ahead by giving licence to run a casino on board,” said sources in the Tourism Department.
