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A bit of this and that

AP hopes to lure tourists with a mixed platter – cruise tours, jungle walks, Buddhist circuits and golf. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo gets the bigger picture

Far from the madding crowd Retreat to the picturesque Rishikonda or Srisailam

If a walk on the wild side is your idea of an ideal weekend, sample this. Jungle walks are part of the recent initiatives by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) targeting the IT and ITES sectors eager to take up adventure tours.

Summer and with it the holiday season has just passed us by. If tourism boards across India are taking stock of how they fared, they’re also chalking out plans for the next season beginning September. If Madhya Pradesh asked tourists to ‘come prepared’ for tours as varied as religious, adventurous or leisure, Kerala continued to leverage on its backwaters. Uttar Pradesh is now luring tourists to ‘yoga destinations.’ AP scores on temple tourism – Tirupati Tirumala Devastanam in particular.

Eager to position AP as a multi-feature destination, the APTDC has earmarked specific interest areas – temple tourism, Buddhist circuits, eco tourism, alternative medicine and ayurveda, cruise tours and avenues for golf. While some are already in place, others are on the anvil.

“AP attracted 56 lakh tourists in April 2006-March 2007 through APTDC properties. The overall figures for tourists outside the APTDC properties accounts for a larger number. From having had 14 lakh tourists in 2003, we’ve seen a significant rise in numbers. Soon, tourists will be able to make e-bookings through the e-portal www.aptdc.in,” informs Raymond Peter, managing director, APTDC.

Here’s a look at what’s on and the shape of things to come:

Cruise tours: Cruise rides on the Godavari (Papikonda) have many takers and the corporation is considering cruises up the Krishhna as well. Leisure trips on the Godavari may get a shot in the arm with upgraded cruises that have segrega ted air conditioned and open-air seating.

Eco tourism: The Chennai-Mamandur and Horseley Hills-Talakona zones are the most popular choices for trekking. The Bangalore-Hognekkal and Vizag-Maredumilli tours are some of the other options available. Community based eco tourism is being planned to cater to the Hindi-English-Telugu speaking IT and ITES sector. Vana Samarakshana Samiti steps into the picture here with villagers acting as guides.