Padmarani Seela
On the sidelines of at the Business Leisure Travel and MICE Exhibition (BLTM 2025), TDM interviewed Padmarani Seela, Chief Marketing Officer and Communication Officer, AP Tourism Authority. She shared more on the popular destinations of the state, development and strategy for the growth of Tourism in Andhra Pradesh.
Tirupati Balaji is the most visited Hindu temple in the world
Sharing more information on the state of Andhra Pradesh as far as tourism numbers go, she said: “In terms of numbers we are at third place. That is mostly because of tourists visiting Tirupati Balaji, it is the most visited Hindu temple in the world and a lot of tourists keep coming. However, we want to be number three in terms of centralisation, like spreading out to other places and other segments as well, like Buddhist tourism, beach tourism and niche segments like handicrafts.”
Elaborating on the most popular destination for international tourists in Andhra Pradesh she added: “Currently, I think, apart from Temple tourism, we can also promote Araku Valley, which is good for tribal tourism and also for Coffee plantation, it is a beautiful destination to visit. Also, Buddhist tourism is popular around Vizag, we have certain circuits, Amaravati and Vizag (Visakhapatnam).
Need to provide last mile connectivity and develop infrastructure
Inbound tourists’ numbers to India have been dwindling, sharing more on what is missing she added: “There is the need to provide last mile connectivity. And also, infrastructure wise, we need to develop much more, and we have to coordinate with other departments and other states as well, making it very easy for inbound tourists to come to a particular state like Andhra Pradesh.”
On initiatives taken to attract development she said: “We had come out with a new tourism policy for 2024 to 2029 where we offer investors many incentives. And apart from that, marketing wise, we have fixed 91 events going on in the state. So out of that we have earmarked eight mega events, which will be promoted in a big way. And we are just making our way to bring people into Andhra Pradesh and make our presence felt.”
Buddhist trails and Tribal tourism being developed
On the eight mega events and festivals she added: “We have Flamingo Festival, and we have Gandikota, which is called Grand Canyon of India. And we have Visakha Utsav, it's Vizag Beach festival and along with that yard festival as well. And we have Amravati, where they have literary, music and dance festivals. In Araku Valley there is the Chali Festival. So, all these events are very unique in their own way, and which can attract tourists from all over India, as well as inbound.”
On the varied markets she said: “Southeast Asian travellers are more interested in Buddhist trials. So we are trying to promote Buddhists trails. And for European and American markets, I think tribal tourism is the niche point where they are much interested. And also e few countries are interested in handlooms and handicrafts. We had a team from Sri Lankan, and they were interested in only Handlooms. So, we have different markets, catering to different USPs of Andhra Pradesh.”
She concluded with: “We want more of influencers and bloggers coming to Andhra Pradesh. Currently, we are just making our presence felt to start with, and from here we are connecting to tour operators and all stakeholders from all over Andhra Pradesh, as well as India and also abroad. We are attending international events as well; next we will be going to WTM London.”
