VISAKHAPATNAM: The two-day National Travel Mart commenced in Visakhapatnam on Friday, reflecting the Andhra Pradesh government’s renewed focus on strengthening the tourism sector and expanding its national presence, Tourism, Culture and Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh said on Friday.
Addressing tour operators, hospitality representatives and travel stakeholders at the event, the Minister stated the initiative was aimed at promoting Andhra Pradesh’s coastal, tribal, heritage and eco-tourism destinations while encouraging greater domestic tourist inflow. The event was jointly organised by the State government and the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India.
Durgesh described tour operators as key stakeholders in tourism development, stating that their role in promoting destinations and designing travel experiences is essential to increasing visitor numbers and improving the State’s visibility in the tourism market.
The Minister said the state is positioning itself as a competitive tourism destination through policy reforms and investment facilitation. He highlighted the Tourism Policy 2024-29, which provides industry status to tourism projects, along with incentives such as subsidies, SGST reimbursements and stamp duty exemptions.
According to official figures, the State has signed agreements worth Rs 20,088 crore across 117 tourism projects over the past 18 months.
On the other hand, the two-day National Travel Mart recorded around 700 registrations, including more than 500 buyers from across the country and over 80 sellers from Andhra Pradesh.
The event featured business-to-business meetings between tour operators and tourism stakeholders.
Representatives from multiple States, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, participated in the event.