State Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh said that the government has focused on how to use Rishikonda buildings and a decision will be taken within a month. Speaking at the Tourism and Travel Summit 2024 in Visakhapatnam under the auspices of CII, he admitted that the purpose of Rishikonda Palace, constructed during the previous government is not known and there is a lot of work to be done on the use of such luxurious buildings.
The minister said that both the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister stated that they are looking into all aspects of the matter of these buildings. Durgesh said that these are a direct reflection of the constructions made by a corrupt government.
Daggubati Suresh Babu, a producer who came to Visakha for this program said that film tourism is a concept that has been around for decades and its realization now depends on the initiative of local enthusiasts.
He opined that many movie shootings are taking place in Araku and Visakhapatnam areas, and it would be very beneficial if these can be promoted as film tourism centers. He explained that now the format of the film has also changed and many people are earning heavily through YouTube.
Minister Kandula Durgesh revealed that a new tourism policy is being formulated and the tourism policy is being designed according to the activities of the tourism policy with the inputs taken from various stakeholders. The Chief Minister has already taken a decision to grant industry status to state tourism, which is a very good development, he said.
“The income is more in AP than in Telangana through film shootings. More filming is done here than in Telangana and other regions. But we are unable to provide adequate facilities. This may be one of the reasons why AP is lagging behind in film tourism”, he said.
“If all the film majors come to Vijayawada, let’s sit and talk about how to develop film tourism. Make a good policy. Let’s discuss. We know that there are many beautiful places in AP, but all that is missing is the amenities,” Durgesh added.