plea for global flights to promote Buddhist tourism gets louder
Air travellers have been demanding direct flights to Bangkok, Colombo, Dubai, Cambodia and other destinations
MoU signed with Danang Tourism Association in Da Nang. Vietnam tourism summit held last year in Vijayawada had also harped on introducing flights by VietJet Air to Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi
Visakhapatnam: Stakeholders in the hospitality and travel sectors have stepped up a campaign to introduce flight connectivity to the ASEAN countries to explore the huge potential of Buddhist tourism to Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Though a lot of tourists are making a beeline to panoramic locations and Buddhist monasteries in Vietnam from South India, the introduction of flights between Visakhapatnam and Ho Chi Minh City is long-pending. Visakhapatnam, which attained global focus after Google's announcement to invest $15 billion on a mega data center hub in the city, the largest outside the United States, has direct flights to only Singapore and Abu Dhabi. AirAsia withdrew its service to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok on 'technical grounds' in May. Air India Express later launched a flight to Kathmandu with a long layover in Bengaluru.
Air travellers have been demanding direct flights to Bangkok, Colombo, Dubai, Cambodia and other destinations. Emirates officials held talks with the State Government sometime ago and they are now toying with the idea whether to introduce a flight to Visakhapatnam or Vijayawada.
Even as the demand for more international flights to the region is growing after Srikakulam MP Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu took over as the Civil Aviation Minister, the State Government has announced that it is firm on promoting a Buddhist Circuit connecting Dhaulagiri of Odisha to Buddhist monuments in Andhra Pradesh and some places in Telangana. Sources said a big announcement on promoting Buddhist tourism is likely to be made by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, IT Minister Nara Lokesh and Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh soon.
In another development, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Forum (APTF) and Tours and Travels Association of Andhra (TTAA) president K Vijay Mohan, who recently signed an MoU with the stakeholders at Da Nang in Vietnam, told Bizz Buzz that the authorities there are also willing to contribute funds to promote Buddhist tourism. Special Chief Secretary for Tourism Ajay Jain during a recent visit to Visakhapatnam said the circuit, which was pending for a long time, will finally take shape with the support of the stakeholders. Vijay Mohan said they signed a MoU with Danang Tourism Association in Da Nang. Vietnam tourism summit held last year in Vijayawada had also harped on introducing flights by VietJet Air to Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Vijay Mohan said that this is a big step forward for inbound tourism to our state with a focus on the 280 million Buddhist in the ASEAN countries and thanked the State Government for its support, especially Special Chief Secretary for Tourism Ajay Jain and CEO of APTA Kata Amrapali.
The MoU was first of its kind with any state association. As per the MoU, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Forum will provide its collective experience and knowledge of the tourism industry in Andhra Pradesh region.
