Tourism hopes

Visakhapatnam has everything to become a perfect tourist destination, provided infrastructural and other needs are taken care of.

BEAUTIFUL beaches and the vast blue sea, green-capped hills, breathtaking valleys, dense jungles and crystal clear cascades, million-year-old caves, a famous hill temple dating back to the 11th century, ancient Buddhist sites, the only submarine museum of the subcontinent, lush green parks, and salubrious climate - Visakhapatnam has everything to make a perfect tourist destination.

In fact, the tremendous tourism potential of the district has long been acknowledged by the Andhra Pradesh government, which has declared it a special tourism area. Once a small fishing village, Visakhapatnam has witnessed the reign of Asoka and also Pallava, Chola and Ganga kings. Today, it has the country's top-ranking major port with a natural harbour, the largest shipbuilding yard and a giant steel plant in a busy industrial belt. It is the biggest city in the State after Hyderabad. It is one up on the capital city in tourism, thanks to the beach stretching endlessly and dotted with secluded coves and creeks.

If the tourist turnout so far has not been up to expectations, it is because the government has long-term plans for the place which are being implemented in a phased manner. The first project taken up by the government is to improve the infrastructure, like roads, and to prevent haphazard growth, apart from developing tourist circuits. Besides the city, there are three other circuits - the Visakhapatnam-Bheemunipatnam circuit, the Araku valley and the Sankaram-Etikoppaka-Kondakarla Ava circuit. The strategic planning of the circuits, done by the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA), has proved that tourism is also part of urban planning and that by playing a pivotal role in urban development, it is also developing the tourism sector.

Said S.G.K. Kishore, Vice-Chairman of VUDA: "Instead of developing different places all over the district, we have taken up circuits. First we took up Kailasagiri, the most attractive tourist spot in the city. We have laid the ghat road and set up an art gallery, a hill-top garden and food courts. Now there is a proposal for a ropeway at a cost of Rs.5 crores from downhill to the top. A capsule lift to the highest point and a circular train on the hill that will involve an investment of Rs.5 crores are also being planned. We are spending about Rs.15 crores on Kailasagiri alone, which we hope will continue to be a big draw.''

While the government has taken up the task of developing basic infrastructure, ropeways and circular trains are to be given to the private sector on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. Besides, an MGM theme park is being set up in VUDA Park at a cost of Rs.10 crores; this is the first of its kind in the State. Among other tourist spots in the city is Dolphin's Nose, a single massive rock jutting into the Bay of Bengal about 350 metres above sea level and resembling a dolphin. This famous landmark has turned Visakhaptnam port into a natural harbour. The Kali temple, the Yoga village, a beautifully designed aquarium, the War Memorial commemorating the victory at sea during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, the Lumbini Park, and the century-old Kurupam Tomb are all located on Beach Road.

About 20 km from the city is the famous Simhachalam hill temple of the 11th century, where the presiding deity Varaha Lakshminarasimha is always covered with sandalwood paste. The actual form of the idol is viewed only once in a year, during the Chandana Yatra. Simhachalam, which is visited by lakhs of devotees every year, is being developed as a `Divya Kshetram', to make it second only to the Tirumala temple.

The Visakhapatnam-Bheemunipatnam (or Bhimili) road stretching over 30 km along the beach is claimed to be the only one of its kind in the world. Beginning from the fishing harbour and the Ramakrishna Beach in the city, there are many beaches on its way, including Lawsons Bay, Rushikonda and Bhimili, a 17th century Dutch town and the second oldest municipality in the country. Besides, there are heritage areas such as Thotlakonda and Bavikonda, ancient Buddhist sites dating back to the Vajrayana period, Erramatti Dibbalu (red sand mounds), Lumbini Park and Kartikavanam. Roads have been laid on Thotlakonda and Bavikonda and there is also a proposal to connect the two hills with a ropeway. The government has leased out land to private agencies for developing resorts on the road. An Indo-American project as well as the Senora beach resorts are coming up shortly, at a cost of about Rs.15 crores.

Rushikonda is being developed as a model beach. The place is ideal for yachting and water sports. Plans are on to have a tourism project of international standards for every couple of kilometres on the picturesque road. This will involve road widening, providing viewpoints, souvenir shops, food courts, landscaping and so on. This is also the only area on the east coast where the Eastern Ghats meet the sea. The entire stretch is being developed as an eco-friendly zone, which may involve an expenditure of about Rs.50 crores.

Araku is a major hill station which is being developed. Located 110 km away from the bustling city, Araku, in the thick of the Eastern Ghats has beautiful green valleys against the backdrop of picturesque landcapes and waterfalls. There are huge coffee plantations here.

Aboriginal tribes indigenous to the place have kept their tradition and culture alive till date. The Dhimsa dance by the tribal people is offered as an attraction for the tourists visiting Araku. There is a Tribal Museum in Araku, which offers a glimpse of the traditional lifestyle and cultural and social features of the tribal people. Hunting tools and artefacts are on display here.

Padmapuram Gardens is a popular leisure centre in Araku. The 26-acre (10.4 hectare) location has tree-top cottages, which have become popular among tourists.

The Jungle Bells Nature Camp is in a sleepy village, amidst pristine environs. There are facilities for trekking, rock climbing and bird watching, and one can enjoy the stay in log-huts.

A garden is being developed at a cost of Rs.1 crore at Matsyagundam, a pond where fish are protected by the local people, Chaaparai, a perennial stream dodging and cutting across huge rock formations, and the Ananthagiri waterfalls are the other attractions in the circuit.

However, the biggest draw is the Borra Caves, 90 km from the city en route to Araku. The one-million-year-old natural formations of stalactites and stalagmites in the now-illuminated caves provide a grand spectacle. The Visakhapatnam-Araku train route, which has 42 tunnels, will soon provide a `scenic' journey with VUDA designing `vista-domes' or see-through coaches and the Railways placing an order with the Integral Coach Factory in Perambur, Chennai, to build them.

The third circuit being developed includes Sankaram or Bojjannakonda, another Buddhist site; Etikoppaka famous for its toys; and Kondakarla Ava, a natural lake attracting migratory birds. There is a shallow beach at Mutyallammapalem near Kondakarla Ava and another beach at Pudimadaka, both are famous picnic spots.

``Once the circuits are developed and more spots identified and added to them, Visakhapatnam will turn into an enchanting international tourist destination, said Kishore. "We are not going for aggressive publicity now, as we don't want the tourists to come before everything is ready and feel disappointed. In the meanwhile, we are conducting the annual Visakha Utsav, Araku Utsav and Bhimili Utsav to throw light on these potential tourist areas; we are also bringing out brochures on them. After the circuits are developed by means of judicious planning in a couple of years, we may go for road shows, chartered tourist packages, and so on in the next phase."

The National Games which will be co-hosted by Visakhapatnam along with Hyderabad in December, will also enable people from other places to have a first-hand knowledge of the tourism potential of Vizag.

The VUDA Vice-Chairman does not agree that the lack of nightlanding facilities at Visakhapatnam airport is coming in the way of developing tourism in Visakhapatnam. Surely Visakhapatnam will prove more than a match for Goa and Kerala in tourism in the near future.