[pgsagar]

Saw this TOI news feature, according to which AP has emrged as most visited state in India with Tirupati, Vizag and Hyd being the top draw. Here is the link.

[COLOR=#810081]http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDEwLzEwLzA1I0FyMDA2MDA=&Mode=H TML&Locale=english-skin-custom[/COLOR]

It is surprising to see AP edge past traditional hot-spots like Goa, Kerala and Rajasthan.

Being a Vizagite, I see lot of rush during vacation time. A local travel agent told me it is nearly impossible to find even a single hotel room from Dec through Jan. From 5-star hotels down to shanty lodges, almost all rooms fill up. Now, if only hoteliers are reading this. Or, are they too, like the airline guys, refuse to look beyond 5 metros of Mumbai/Delhi/Chennai/B'lore/Hyd? Somebody tell 'em there is life beyond metros.

As a result of this, tourist infrastrucure hasn't developed much in Vizag. While some crib about this, others take this on a positive note saying it is less commercialised and more pristine.

[prince_pervez]

I am sure it is Maharashtra. Mumbai(bollywood and well... ask Raj Thackery) Pune(colleges, industrial belt) Shirdi (Darshan) being some of the reasons. If you are talking about purely tourism point of view then, quite frankly, I am surprised and possible impressed, and, the thread title needs to reflect tourism in it.

[Newpunter]

I think Tirupathi is the major draw. Lakhs of pilgrims visit daily from all over India and the world. But yeah, I'm surprised it is ahead of Goa, Kerala and other obvious tourist centres.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Newpunter

I think Tirupathi is the major draw. Lakhs of pilgrims visit daily from all over India and the world. But yeah, I'm surprised it is ahead of Goa, Kerala and other obvious tourist centres.

It's a proud moment being from AP and thats absolutely the single reason for AP toppling all other states in terms of footfalls of tourists

Tirupathi is the second richest god in the world after Vatican.

There are some facts on Tirupathi which are mind boggling in terms of footfalls, revenue collected etc.

P.S: Edited the thread title

[Rajesh Rawal]

strange! considering there are no weekend spots around hyd for us to enjoy..still ap the most visited by tourists.

leave aside tirupathi ,my vote would have gone to rajasthan and goa.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Rajesh Rawal

leave aside tirupathi ,my vote would have gone to rajasthan and goa.

AP came 1st through the number of footfalls ( meaning actual tourists visiting the state during a certain period) and not via. voting!

If you ask my vote, sure i too would have voted for Goa and Himachal Pradesh

[srishiva]

Would be interesting to see where AP is placed if Tirupathi figures are excluded. It cant be called leisure tourism.

[LonelyPlanet]

The article mentioned that majority of tourists are to Tirupati.
I will be skeptical to put AP on the same pedestal as Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala in terms of tourism as an industry.
Some real amazing places in AP - all untapped potential !!

[pjbiju]

I think in today's world it is not entirely accurate to equate pilgrims to tourists. In the olden days (as Ashish Pallod mentioned in one of his posts), vacation & tourism meant visiting pilgrim centers (be it temples or churches or other places of worship).

Today, most of the domestic tourists go on leisure trips (and in the process may visit some places of worship). These are the actual tourists.

So from a purely tourism point of view I think HP, Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala etc. would be leading.

It could be certianly true that AP is the most visited state by travelling Indians (but not all of them are tourists).

Religious places like Tirupati, Shirdi, Sabarimala, Velankanni etc. sees a lot of pilgrims going there. Similarly places like Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad etc. would have a lot of techies visiting for their job related work. They are not tourists. But they do bring in money to these places.

Also there is no detail on how they have collected this data.

Bottomline is that increasing travellers means more money spent and it helps the economy grow.

[MileCruncher]

AP does have quite a few tourist places, but nothing compared to Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh. Also if we exclude the Spiritual tourism and take into account foreign tourists, Goa/Kerala/ Rajasthan would be the top draws.

Anyways as the saying goes that statistics can make or break any fact/statement.

[vnabhi]

As already pointed out, if we remove the Tirupathi tourist count, AP will lag behind.

Of course Vizag draws large crowds in winter months (especially from Bengal and from film industry) but that is far behind those that visit Goa and HP. Most tourists from WB started prefering Vizag to Puri or Gopalpur becuase of the wide array of tourist spots such as temples, beaches, cliffs and forests.

Shortage of hotels in Vizag has been a constant irritant for the past 3 decades. The number of new hotels that sprang up are hardly enough to cater to the growing number of tourists.

[ExtremeTorque]

Like any other states, AP has quite a few destinations that have huge potential but are under-developed, least cared about by the govt. It looks like the govt. is happy with the revenue it is drawing up using the 'lord of the 7 hills'

[mallumowgli]

Hey guys dont belittle AP. I should say congrats APites - spiritual tourism or otherwise. Like rest of India, AP also have lots of unexplored areas and hope this news gives a boost to the tourism in these areas also

People coming to Tirupati and other religious places from far away would be interested in other tourist spots also - and Andhra offers plenty of these: Towns like Bhadrachalam, Rajahmundry and more, offer both spiritual and getaway spots too