Vizag tourism hits peak season as hotel run at full capacity

The tourism sector in Vizag has seen a drastic surge this year, with luxury hotels, resorts, mid-range hotels, budget hotels, guesthouses, and inns fully booked, with no spare rooms until January 4th. Visakhapatnam and Alluri Seetharama Raju (ASR) district have seen the highest number of tourist footfalls, which was unanticipated given Vizag’s declining tourism in the last four years.

Reportedly, with no rooms left, tourists are camping in tents despite the cold. The ancient, magnificent Borra Caves, a 150-million-year-old antre, saw a record-breaking footfall last weekend, with 8,000 on Friday, 10,000 on Saturday, and 11,000 on Sunday. Following this immense rise in tourists, the Manager of Borra Caves said that extra security measures have been taken to ensure safety in Araku Valley and Borra Caves. Eighteen police personnel and ten security guards have been deployed in anticipation of a possible stampede. Plans for installing extra CCTV cameras are also in progress.

The majority of the tourism surge in Vizag is drawn to Chaparai waterfalls, Araku Valley, Araku Valley Tribal Museum, and more. Lambasingi (Valley of Snow) is another tourist place with a high footfall. It has witnessed the coldest winters ever, with the temperature falling to minus degrees. The cold and snow drew more tourists, as visitors wish to enjoy the beauty and extraordinary weather of the valley.

The festive season of Christmas and New Year attracted tourists, resulting in the shortage of rooms, villas, and cottages across the city. Given the shortage, tents have been set up in Araku Valley and Lambasingi, with each tent being rented at Rs 1000 per day. Lambasingi attracted around 3,000 visitors on weekdays, with the number nearly doubling to 6,000 during weekends.

The tourism rush is in Vizag expected to continue until the Sankranthi festival next year. Large crowds were seen moving through popular attractions. This includes the newly constructed glass bridge at Kailasagiri, the toy train, ropeway, Beach Road, INS Kursura Submarine Museum, TU 142 Aircraft Museum, Helicopter Museum, Titanic Viewpoint, and the Floral Clock.

The majority of tourists hail from regions of Kolkata, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.