The southern State of Andhra Pradesh (AP) in India is relying on the members of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) to promote the many attractions of the state and give a boost to tourism through foreign arrivals.

Senior tourism officials Mukesh Kumar Meena and Himanshu Shukla told a meeting of the association in Delhi today, August 10, that much is happening on the infrastructure and packages front, which is a good opportunity to include AP in tour packages.

They invited IATO members to come to Vishapatnam next month when the 34th convention will be held. They had come to Delhi specifically to seek more participation at the convention and said that they could see the progress for themselves.

IATO office bearers, including president Pronab Sarkar and others, said that the State leadership, including Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu, had gone all out to make the event a success.

Several post-convention tours have been set in place so that the agents can see the attractions and market them for their clients.

The convention will be held from September 6 to 9, 2018, under the theme “Mission 20 million tourists – opportunities and challenges.”

Meena said that at present, there are 6 top class hotels in the area, and it is expected that this number will go up to 32 in a few years. He said that land had been acquired for many new projects.