Vizag area hotels in demand as year-end rush goes up

Visakhapatnam: The year-end tourist season has suddenly raised the demand for decent accommodation in hotels and homestays Visakhapatnam area mainly in the popular tribal locations like Araku Valley, Ananthagiri, Vanjangi and Lambasingi mainly to chill-out in biting cold.

Sudden drop in temperatures mainly during winter every year draws a large number of visitors even from Bengaluru, Kolkata and Raipur. Incidentally, Lambasingi near Narsipatnam and Vanjangi near Paderu have gained the reputation as Kashmir of South India with the region reporting below 5 degree celsius temperature in December and further reaching freezing cold in the New Year.

The cool misty hills in Araku Valley falling under newly carved Alluri Sitharama Raju district are popular for the Araku Organic Coffee production, hilly terrains, natural splendour and tranquility. While APTDC has provided a resort at Lambasingi and a few private resorts have come up in recent past, there is no place to stay at Vanjangi. One has to trek the distance to Paderu to view the panoramic landscape of nature in the early hours from the hilltop. Paderu or Araku or the nearest places to stay for the tourists. In some places, a few entrepreneurs have provided tent accommodation.

With the tourists flocking the agency areas, many are prefering to shuttle to the places of significance from Visakhapatnam raising the demand for occupancy in the city. Heavy surge in tourist footfall has also led to exorbitant increase in tariffs in some private hotels and homestays in the tribal belt..

“The current hospitality scenario in Visakhapatnam is quite encouraging. Hotels in Visakhapatnam are witnessing a high occupancy level this month onwards,” MV. Pavan Karteek, president, Hotels & Restaurant Association of Andhra Pradesh, told Bizz Buzz on Friday.

The hospitality sector in Visakhapatnam continues to record robust hotel occupancy throughout December 2025, driven by a combination of major conferences, sporting events, government programmes, and the peak seasonal tourism period, he stated.

Several leading hotels across luxury, mid-scale, and budget segments are operating at near-full occupancy, particularly during the current and upcoming weeks. This trend strongly reflects Visakhapatnam’s growing stature as a preferred destination for business events, conferences, sports tourism, and leisure travel.

Recently, the city successfully hosted prominent national-level medical conferences, including NEOCON 2025 (National Neonatology Forum Conference) and 49th Annual Conference of the Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons of India (AOMSI). These events also attracted thousands of delegates, doctors, academicians, and exhibitors from across India and abroad, significantly boosting hotel room demand and allied services. In addition, Visakhapatnam hosted the 10th edition of the Vizag Navy Marathon, which saw participation from over 17,000 runners, including international participants, further strengthening the city’s sports and wellness tourism profile.

The remainder of December is expected to keep hotels extremely busy, supported by the following major events: India Finance Conference (IFC 2025): Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam and PESA Mahotsav. Participation from finance professionals, academicians, policymakers, and industry leaders are expected in the IFC. The India vs Sri Lanka Women’s T20 International Cricket Matches scheduled here on December 21 and 23 will further raise the demand from the cricket enthusiasts. These matches are significantly driving room demand across the city.

The city is hosting PESA Mahotsav and several government-related events--an important contributor to hotel occupancy. Pavan Karheek said PESA Mahotsav and associated tribal, cultural, and administrative programmes, involving multiple government departments and officials. These events are keeping hotels fully engaged, particularly in the mid-to-upper segments, with requirements for accommodation of 750 Rooms for all officials and players

On overall outlook, he said combined with the holiday travel peak, sports and institutional events, December 2025 has been a very good month so far for the hospitality sector in Visakhapatnam. Demand is strong for hotel rooms and also for conference facilities, banqueting, transport, and allied services, contributing positively to the city’s tourism-led economic activity.