VIJAYAWADA: As part of the Tourism Tech AI 2.0 Conclave, representatives of the Andhra Pradesh Star Hotels Association met Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and submitted key proposals to strengthen the tourism sector.
The delegation included prominent hospitality leaders such as Prabhu Kishore (Novotel Varun Group), Gokaraju Ganga Raju (Lemon Tree Premier), Rajaiah (Taj Vivanta), Muttavarapu Murali Krishna (Fortune Murali Park), and Sharan Vallur (GRT Grand), along with Association President RV Swamy, General Secretary S Murthy Chitturi, and Vice President Venkat.
In the presence of Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh, Special Chief Secretary (Tourism) Ajay Jain, APTDC Chairman Nukasani Balaj, and APTDC MD Amrapali Kata, the delegation urged the government to extend industrial status benefits—such as concessions on electricity, water, and property tax—to all existing star hotels, not just new ones.
While acknowledging that investment subsidies rightly apply to new projects, they sought recurring incentives for all operational hotels to ensure equitable treatment.
The hoteliers also appealed for reclassification of star hotels under the green category in environmental clearances, instead of the current orange or red tags, to ease compliance burdens.
Naidu and Durgesh assured the stakeholders that their suggestions would be reviewed carefully.