November 15, 2016 TnH Global

Kuchipudi dancers mesmerize audiences at WTM London

Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of Tourism and Culture (I/C), Government of India, inaugurated the Incredible India pavilion at World Travel Market London 2016, along with Vinod Zutshi, Secretary-Tourism, Government of India, and Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister of State for Tourism & Culture, Government of Odisha. Dr. Sharma also visited A.P. Tourism booth and interacted with Mr. Girija Shankar MD APTDC.

During the two day event this week, Dr. N. Srikant Secretary Tourism Go AP met Tour Operators & Travel Agents, Key Tourism Hotel Groups & Tourism Investors of UK, Tourism Specific Association & Indian/ NRI/PIO Associations in the UK, Travel Writers of UK, to highlight the potential of Andhra Pradesh as a tourist destination. Secretary, Tourism GoAP alongwith MD,APTDC also had meetings with Tourism officials of Bhutan, Nepal and Srilanka to promote our Buddhist sites and to invite them to Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh for FAM tours to experience our rich culture and traditions.

The state has contributed immensely in defining the cultural heritage of India. Its rich culture is discernible in its mellow music, dazzling dances, delicious cuisine, aboriginal arts &crafts, pious people, religions, and fairs & festivals. Today, it stands as one of the most desirable states in the country. Andhra Pradesh has a large bouquet of tourist attractions. Its diversity has always attracted both foreigners and locals to explore its mirth and gaiety. To showcase our traditional dance form Kuchipudi to the world, we had Kuchipudi artists at our booth and they also performed at the inauguration of the India Pavilion to showcase the “Sunrise State of Andhra Pradesh” as part of the country’s popular ‘Incredible India’ program.

Dr Srikant Nagulapalli (IAS), Secretary, Culture & Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh, said “Andhra Pradesh state has a unique mix of tourism destinations that include beautiful beaches, lush green valleys, unique rock formations, pristine backwaters and several important forts and heritage sites. The state also takes pride in its rich Buddhist History represented by the several ancient Buddhist monuments in the state, dating back to 200 BC were showcased during this event.”

Tourism has received a special thrust from the Honorable CM Sh. N. Chandrababu Naidu as an industry in Andhra Pradesh. It also rakes in big business and impacts almost every other industry. With special focus on rural tourism the plan also ensures that locals will get employed and the tourism ecosystem also gets a boost.

With this rich culture & heritage, the Sunrise State of Andhra Pradesh is set to emerge as a global tourist destination. To boost AP’s potential, Tourism Secretary of Government of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. N.Srikant I.A.S and Sri Girija Shankar IAS ,MD ,APTDC along with other tourism officials have taken part in WTM 2016 at EXCEL London from 7th Nov to 9th Nov 2016. They also had various B2B meetings with tour operators to increase foreign tourists into AP. Tourism development is a priority for Andhra Pradesh and the State Tourism Board is keen to promote Andhra Pradesh among global tourists and out-bound tour operators worldwide.

As part of this, the team promoted beaches in and around Vizag, the Hill stations, the backwaters of Kakinada, Konaseema, the Hope Island & the Coringa Mangroves, the rich Heritage & Culture of the state and also the Buddhist circuits linking Amaravati and Nagarjuna Konda. Andhra Pradesh, which has an advantage having the longest coastline on the Eastern side of India that stretches nearly 1,000 kilometers and is among the top 5 most visited states in the country.

At WTM 2016 the state tourism board promoted AP Tourism based on the following themes:

1) Heritage & culture

2) The new back waters of Incredible India – Konaseema

3) Religious circuit