Hyderabad: Telangana minister for irrigation, food and civil Supplies Uttam Kumar Reddy inaugurated the regional office of Southern Travels in Hyderabad on Saturday, August 9. Speaking on the occasion, he emphasised how tourism is one of the priority growth sectors for Telangana and explained the government’s efforts in expanding this sector through the Telangana Tourism Policy 2025-2030.
Telangana transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar was also in attendance for the inauguration along with Southern Travels managing director Krishna Mohan and others.
Uttam Kumar Reddy also said that the tourism policy aims to position Telangana among the top five in domestic and international tourist arrivals and attract Rs 15,000 crore in new investments over the next five years.
He added that through the policy, the Telangana government aims to create three lakh additional jobs, and raise tourism’s contribution to at least 10 pc of the state GDP.
The policy will focus on creating 27 Special Tourism Areas covering waterfalls, Buddhist circuits, spiritual hubs, heritage sites, eco-tourism locations, wellness centres and craft villages.
The minister further added that the government plans to develop iconic projects near Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, establish dry ports along the Regional Ring Road and promote river-based tourism on the Godavari and Krishna.
In addition to this, the Telangana government also plans to create waterfront leisure hubs in urban areas and encourage special attractions such as golf tourism, adventure activities and river festivals.
Uttam Kumar Reddy also mentioned that the government has proposed setting up bodies like State Tourism Promotion Board and Destination Management Organisations to ensure effective execution of the policy.
Speaking about Southern Travels, he stated that the company’s presence in Hyderabad would help boost tourism promotion across the state.
“I saw Southern Travels’ work closely during my time in Delhi when I worked for the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan. They are known for their dependable services and strong presence in Delhi, Jaipur and Amaravati. We want them to grow stronger here, and the Telangana government will back them fully. We would like Southern Travels to be our partner in promoting destinations like Nagarjuna Sagar, Ramappa Temple and other attractions across Telangana,” the minster said.
