Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday called for developing island and beach tourism in the State on the lines of the Maldives and asked officials to prepare a comprehensive master plan. He said large-scale tourism development could help attract visitors and generate significant revenue.
Addressing a meeting of the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB), the Chief Minister said Suryalanka beach, also known as Bapatla beach, should be developed over a 15-kilometre stretch. He also suggested developing small islands near Sullurpeta as part of the beach tourism plan. “We should develop island tourism like the Maldives. If we can build 25,000 rooms, we can attract tourists,” he said.
Mr. Naidu also asked officials to focus on tourism development in the Papikondalu–Polavaram region. He said Konaseema, Pulicat, and Visakhapatnam could emerge as strong tourism clusters, while Anantapur to Gandikota also holds tourism potential. He set a target for the Tourism Corporation to generate ₹1,000 crore in income over the next 15 years.
The SIPB approved 14 projects worth ₹19,391 crore, expected to create jobs for over 11,700 youth. Meanwhile, Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhool met the Chief Minister in Amaravati and discussed development initiatives and the welfare of the Telugu diaspora.
