“The government needs to proactively promote tourism in the State, Visakhapatnam district in particular, as it not only generates jobs but also revenue,” vice-president of Vizagapatam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, A.V. Monish Row, said in a statement.
Since the State government is planning to shift its offices out of Hyderabad it should seriously consider locating the Tourism Department in Visakhapatnam, which is a major tourist destination and has immense scope for development.
In view of the high tourism potential of the district, it would be better to allow the department to function from here even after the new Greenfield capital was developed in Amaravati, he added.
The government, which has announced its tourism policy, needs to take a few other decisions immediately to give a boost to this sector. For instance, the licence fee for liquor is the highest in the State compared to other States in South India.
The Hotel and Restaurant Association had made several representations to the State government in this regard but to no avail.
Unless it was accepted immediately the State stood to lose, he pointed out.
