A.P. Tourism to go big on branding, festivals and global showcasing

Minister for Tourism Kandula Durgesh on Wednesday (February 18) directed officials to intensify promotional efforts in various forms to attract large numbers of tourists to the State.

The Tourism Department’s Marketing Committee met under his chairmanship and held detailed discussions on a 30-point agenda covering publicity, marketing strategies, events, festivals, advertisements and related initiatives.

The Minister reviewed various tourism festivals organised recently under the aegis of the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority (APTA), including the Amaravati Aavakaai Festival, Visakha Utsav, Araku Festival, Anakapalli Festival, Gandikota Festival, Flamingo Festival, Pithapuram Sankranti celebrations, Kondaveedu Festival, Yanam Beach Festival, Kangundi Bouldering Festival and Pakala Beach Festival.

He assessed the recognition and visibility gained by the Tourism Department through these events and sought details on the performance of event management agencies involved in their execution.

The Minister wanted the officials to accelerate social media campaigns to reach wider audiences with minimal expenditure and emphasised the need to create digital content and videos showcasing the uniqueness of tourist destinations in the State. Officials briefed the Minister on promotional plans, tourism brochures, coffee table books and the expenditure involved.

He also instructed the officials to prepare a plan meticulously to showcase Andhra Pradesh’s tourism potential at the upcoming ITB Berlin conference, scheduled for March 2026 in Germany, and recalled the excellent response received at last year’s Berlin event.

The committee also approved plans for major upcoming events. The Minister said steps must be taken to ensure tourists have an enjoyable experience while also generating revenue for the government. He said every festival should be promoted in advance through “curtain raiser” events to build public interest. 

The meeting was attended by Special Chief Secretary, Tourism, Ajay Jain, APTA CEO and Managing Director of AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) Amrapali Kata, Director of Information and Public Relations Vishwanathan, Finance Department official S.O. Lakshmi, APTA Marketing and Communication Officer Padmarani and other department officials.