Spike in demand for one-day tour packages

Visakhapatnam: With the start of Karthika maasam following Diwali last Sunday, the tourism department has started making preparations for tourists and picnickers in north-coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) Visakhapatnam divisional manager TG Prasad Reddy said that the present season draws a greater number of local tourists than tourists from neighbouring Odisha, West Bengal and Telangana.
“These tourists prefer only one-day packages as part of a picnic. We have designed a set of one-day packages exclusively for picnickers in the present season,” Prasad Reddy told TOI.
Reddy said the department has recently launched a package for Seethampeta in Srikakulam district. The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Seethampeta has developed an adventure park, where tourists can take boat rides and visit the hills, Reddy added.
“The bus starts from Vizag and tours Seethampeta in Srikakulam under this package. This is one of the best tourism packages for picnickers,” Reddy said.
Tourist spots in the city and Araku Valley were packed with picnickers on Sunday as almost all the spots drew twice the number of footfalls compared to other days, said tourism officials. The police department also deployed additional security at picnic spots to prevent untoward incidents and eve-teasing.
A senior tourism officer said, “We registered a tourist footfall of 15 lakh in Visakhapatnam division in October. We expect a footfall of nearly 25 lakh in November, for Karthika maasam and Vanabhojanalu.”
APTDC officials said that all 295 rooms under the tourism department in Visakhapatnam division, covering Vizag city, Araku, Anantagiri and Srikakulam district were booked till the end of the picnic season next month.