AP Govt to bear expenses of 'Southern Splendour'

Hyderabad, July 25 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Information and Public Relations and Tourism Minister A Ramanarayana Reddy today said the state government would bear the cost of 'Southern Splendour,' a luxury train connecting important tourist places in South India.

Speaking to newspersons here on the sidelines of 63rd Travel and Tourism Fair, Mr Reddy said the Railway Ministry had accepted the proposal submitted by the state government after it agreed to the guidelines set by the Railways.

Stating that the government would spend Rs 50 crore for the project initially, he said the train facility, connecting Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, would be operated in three months and would become a major tourist landmark in the country.

The government was also planning to take up 'cruise connectivity' service along the 924 km coastal area in the state. The Minister said all arrangements were being made for the successful conduct of Pacific Asia Travel Agencies (PATA) International Conference, to be held here in September.

More than 2,000 travel agencies from 90 countries would attend the conference.

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