HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Saturday called for extensive use of digital technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to take Telangana’s tourism sector to international standards and project its natural, historical, spiritual and cultural heritage globally.
Speaking at World Tourism Day-2026 celebrations at Shilparamam, themed “Digital Agenda - Reimagining Tourism with Artificial Intelligence”, Bhatti stressed the need to modernise tourism in line with emerging technologies. He unveiled a redesigned Telangana Tourism website and a coffee-table book featuring tourist destinations. Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao attended the event.
Bhatti said Telangana had immense potential in health, temple, rural and nature tourism. Work on wellness centres had begun in Vikarabad, while tiger reserves, forests, waterfalls, ancient temples and historic structures were attracting tourists. He directed officials to market these attractions internationally and improve visitor safety and infrastructure.
He called for large-scale investments in international-standard hotels and other infrastructure through the Public-Private Partnership model, saying tourism had received greater priority in the budget.
Bhatti also suggested special plans to encourage Hyderabad’s software professionals to visit destinations across Telangana on weekends. He directed officials to discuss the proposal with IT company CEOs and tourism operators and suggested “tourism coupons” for employees.
An MoU was signed between the Archaeological Survey of India and the Telangana Archaeology Department. A panel discussion on AI and digital technology in tourism was also held, focusing on eco-tourism, film tourism, sports tourism and heritage tourism.
New tourism initiatives
Redesigned Telangana Tourism website
Online homestay registration system
New tourism trailers
Interactive AR/VR-based Learning Management System
Coffee-table book showcasing tourism destinations
“My Telangana, My Story, My Destination” video and poster campaign
Eco-tourism promotional video
