Tourist facilities in Vizag to be reopened after Diwali

People relaxing at the beach in Visakhapatnam on Sunday amidst the rubble and the debris a week after the devastating cyclonic storm Hudhud hit the city. Photo: K.R. Deepak

After launching restoration work on a war-footing with initial sanction of Rs.50 crore, the State government has decided to reopen Hudhud-hit Visakhapatnam to tourists from October 25.

“Though we are not in a position to ensure normalcy immediately, we are working round-the-clock to reopen AP Tourism Development Corporation’s resorts at Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam, Tyda and Anantagiri on the foothills of Eastern Ghats immediately after Diwali,” Tourism Special Chief Secretary Chandana Khan told The Hindu on Sunday after inspecting facilities badly damaged by Hudhud.

Ms. Khan said they were reopening the facilities partially in a record time so as to have a normal tourist season. A large number of domestic and foreign tourists throng Visakhapatnam during the festival season from September to January due to pleasant weather conditions.

Power supply is yet to be restored to at the Harita resorts at Araku Valley, considered Ooty of Andhra Pradesh, and Yatri Nivas on the beach road in the city.

She said the setback received by them would not dampen their efforts to transform Visakhapatnam into one of the leading tourist hubs in the country. “We will go ahead with the Rs.45-crore beach corridor project as per plan made by ILFS,” she said.

International convention centre, Arogyadham (ayurveda health village), science city, London eye, Wonders of World (with miniatures of world famous landmarks) and other projects pending for past three years would be implemented at a cost of Rs. 850 crore with the process on to appoint KPMG as the bid consultant.

Stating that the severe cyclone had devastated tourist facilities in Visakhapatnam, she said their first priority was to revive the industry and instil confidence among the leisure tourists that it’s a safe rendezvous for holidaying.

Ms. Khan said they would seek a special package of Rs.150 crore from the Centre for creation of world-class infrastructure and prepare a comprehensive master plan with landscaping to explore the huge tourist potential of Visakhapatnam.