VIJAYAWADA: In an interesting move and a major step towards transforming the tourists’ experience, the State government has launched an ambitious artificial intelligence (AI) powered tourism initiative aimed at making the State the first AI-driven tourism destination in the country. Also, the government is planning to use the new initiative to be used widely for the upcoming major event Godavari Pushkaralu in 2027.
“With this new initiative, visitors no longer need to search for guides to learn about a temple or tourist destination. By simply scanning a QR code installed at various places in the temple premises with their mobile phones, they can access information in their preferred language. The AI system provides details about the history and significance of the location, highlights nearby attractions, and even helps visitors plan their travel itinerary,” said the Tourism minister Kandula Durgesh.
Speaking to TNIE, he said the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority (APTA) has signed a three-year strategic agreement recently with a leading travel technology company Explurger to deploy its “NiVU AI” (Neural Intelligence Vernacular Unified Model) platform. The technology had already been successfully tested through pilot projects at the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple and Sri Panakala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Mangalagiri. Hundreds of devotees have been using the AI service daily to learn about the temples’ history, rituals and significance in their preferred languages, receiving encouraging responses.
Under the agreement, AI-enabled services will be introduced at more than 100 major tourist attractions and religious sites across Andhra Pradesh. The first phase will cover 30 prominent locations during the initial year, while the project will be expanded statewide over the next three years. The agreement may be extended further based on its performance.
The initiative is designed to eliminate the need In an interesting move and a major step towards transforming the tourism experience, the State government has launched an ambitious artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tourism initiative aimed at making Andhra Pradesh the country’s first AI-driven tourism destination. The government also plans to deploy the initiative extensively during the Godavari Pushkaralu in 2027.
“With this new initiative, visitors no longer need to search for guides to learn about a temple or tourist destination. By simply scanning a QR code installed at various locations within a temple premises using their mobile phones, they can access information in their preferred language. The AI system provides details about the history and significance of the location, highlights nearby attractions, and even helps visitors plan their travel itinerary,” Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh said.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, he said the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority (APTA) recently signed a three-year strategic agreement with leading travel technology company Explurger to deploy its NiVU AI (Neural Intelligence Vernacular Unified Model) platform.
The technology has already been successfully tested through pilot projects at the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple and the Sri Panakala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Mangalagiri.
Hundreds of devotees have been using the AI service every day to learn about the temples’ history, rituals and significance in their preferred languages, with the pilot receiving an encouraging response.
Under the agreement, AI-enabled services will be introduced at more than 100 major tourist attractions and religious sites across Andhra Pradesh.
The first phase will cover 30 prominent locations in the initial year, and the project will be expanded across the State over the next three years. The agreement may be extended further based on its performance.
The initiative is designed to eliminate the need for tourists to search for guides or struggle with language barriers. Visitors will simply have to scan an “ASK AI” QR code installed at tourist locations using their mobile phones. .
“The Artificial Intelligence platform provides detailed information on the history, cultural significance and heritage of monuments, temples, forts and beaches. It also recommends nearby tourist attractions, offers personalised travel suggestions based on visitors’ interests and assists in planning travel itineraries. The platform will also generate real-time analytics for APTA by analysing visitor preferences, languages and behavioural patterns, helping the State bgovernment improve tourism planning and services,” Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh said.
