The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Andhra God's very own country: Geeta Reddy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 21, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra God's very own country: Geeta Reddy

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC. 20. The Tourism Minister, J. Geeta Reddy, on Monday said a strategy was being worked out to attract tourists to Buddhist sites.

Inaugurating a national seminar on `Recent trends and strategies of eco tourism in India' here, the Minister said there were as many as 144 Buddhist sites in the State, including Nagarjuna konda. There was a lot of tourism potential and the Government would work to promote it. Dr. Reddy said the State had everything in eco tourism a tourist could dream of -- from sanctuaries to picturesque hills and valleys, caves and lakes. "Kerala may call itself God's own country. But Andhra is God's very own country, endowed with everything one can imagine and more. The only thing lacking is pride in what we have," she said.

Efforts on tourism

The department was making concerted efforts to showcase tourism spots in the State. It was concentrating on training `frontliners,' persons who give the first impression to tourists, like autorickshaw drivers. "We want to make the State most tourist-friendly one," she said.

The Government City College, the first Government institution in the State to get the National Assessment and Accreditation Council's `A' grade, is hosting the University Grants Commission-sponsored seminar.

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