Andhra Pradesh to host PATA 2008

Vijayawada, Oct 8: About 50 countries are expected to participate in the Pacific-Asia Travel Association (PATA-2008) meet at Hyderabad next year.

Talking to newspersons here yesterday, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Minister A Ramnarayana Reddy rpt A Ramnarayana Reddy said earlier the meet in Indonesia had accepted the State's proposal to host the conference.

The meet would help the development of tourism sector in the country. About seven crore foreign tourists visited the country in 2006-2007, with their number increasing every year.

Mr Reddy said the Tourism Department had proposed to construct 35 budget hotels across the state. Tenders had been called for four hotels, to be set up at Vijayawada, Nuzividu, Jaggaiahpet and Machilipatnam at a cost of Rs 12.80 crore.

The department would take up the revival of Kolleru lake area and develop it as a tourist spot at an estimated cost of Rs 6.80 crore with the Centre's assistance. An amount of Rs 3.80 crore had already been released for the purpose, he added.

Mr Reddy said, the works of four luxury cottages at a cost of Rs 60 lakh in Bhavani island in River Krishna, a Rs 40 lakh theatre and a conference hall in Berham park were under progress.

He said the Government would put on tracks 'Southern Splendour express' covering most of the tourist spots in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Orissa at a cost of Rs 40 crore, for which the Railway Ministry had approved.

UNI