Two theme parks to come up in Vizag, Tirupati, official for allotting suitable land

Principal Secretary of Tourism Ajay Jain has announced that the State has successfully attracted two of India's premier entertainment destinations - Wonderla Amusement Park in Visakhapatnam and Imagicaa World in Tirupati. Wonderla, one of India's largest and most popular theme park chains.

The theme park in Visakhapatnam will require 50 acres. Imagicaa World, known for its world-class entertainment offerings, has committed to establishing its presence in Tirupati with a requirement of 20 acres. These landmark projects are expected to significantly boost tourism infrastructure and create substantial employment opportunities in both regions.

However, the Principal Secretary raised a critical concern regarding land allocation for tourism projects. He informed that after identifying suitable land and notifying industrialists, the department has discovered instances where the identified land has already been allotted to other departments. "Based on the potential of tourism projects, land has to be allotted to the Tourism Department on priority. We are facing situations where after identifying land and notifying it to industrialists, we learn that the same land has been allocated to another department," Sri Ajay Jain emphasized.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, addressing this issue, declared tourism as the State's top priority sector. "Tourism should be given first priority, then IT. First to stay, then to work. Giving priority to hotels is a big game changer," the Chief Minister stated, underscoring the fundamental importance of hospitality infrastructure in the State's development strategy. The Chief Minister's directive establishes a clear hierarchy in land allocation, recognizing that tourism infrastructure forms the foundation for other economic activities.

Earlier, at the Collectors' Conference, Jain presented impressive statistics from the recently concluded Investors Summit, where the Tourism Department signed 209 MoUs worth ₹28,977 crore across all 26 districts.

The distribution demonstrates widespread interest in developing tourism infrastructure across the State, with Visakhapatnam leading the tally with 66 proposals worth ₹11,092 crore, followed by Tirupati with 27 proposals worth ₹5,321 crore, and Guntur (including Amaravati) with 17 proposals worth ₹3,960 crore.

The Principal Secretary highlighted that 27 projects have already been grounded, representing a total investment of ₹5,820 crore. These projects are set to add 4,597 hotel rooms across the State and generate employment for 10,645 people directly and 18,030 people indirectly. Visakhapatnam leads in grounded projects with 9 hotels adding 1,880 rooms with an investment of ₹2,916.47 crore, followed by Tirupati with 6 projects adding 1,003 rooms worth ₹1,123 crore.

Notably, coastal destinations have attracted significant investment, with Bapatla (including Suryalanka, Chirala, and Ramapuram) securing 20 proposals worth ₹1,761 crore. The hill station cluster of Alluri Sitarama Raju district (including Anantagiri) has attracted 8 proposals worth ₹868 crore, while the historic site of Gandikota in YSR Kadapa has drawn 14 proposals worth ₹643 crore.

The grounded projects in Amaravati (including Guntur) comprise 6 hotels with 891 rooms, representing an investment of ₹884.59 crore and promising 1,675 direct jobs. The strategic Gandikota project in YSR Kadapa district includes 120 rooms with an investment of ₹250 crore, expected to create 150 direct and 1,350 indirect employment opportunities.

The Chief Minister's clear directive on prioritizing tourism, coupled with the successful attraction of marquee brands like Wonderla and Imagicaa World, signals Andhra Pradesh's commitment to becoming a leading tourism destination in India, the Principal Secretary stated and assured that the department will work closely with District Collectors to expedite land allocation and project implementation.