Prakasam district is endowed with a vast coastline.
Yet it is not in a position to boast of a beach resort that can attract national and international tourists like that elsewhere in the country.
Realising that only by roping in private players in a big way the full potential of the unpolluted silver sands can be tapped, the State government has drawn up an ambitious plan to develop a string of beach resorts on the over 100 km coastline in the district to woo fun-loving people.
The beaches identified for development under public private partnership (PPP) mode include Ramayapatnam, Pakala, Kothapatnam, Motupalli and Voderavu dotting the east coast and the same had been declared notified areas for development of tourist infrastructure.
District Collector Sujatha Sharma said that private players would be roped in to create tourism infrastructure in a big way on the beaches and they would be entrusted with the job of maintenance as well.
“We have called for expression of interest (EOI) from interested private players by June 22 for development of beach resorts with water sports and other recreational facilities on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis,’ District Tourism Development Officer M. Nagabhushanam told The Hindu .
A Beach Festival would be organised at Kothapantam on July 11 and 12 to promote beach tourism in a big way and this would be followed by similar festivals in other beaches in the district, he said, adding boating and Moon Kayaking in the sea were among the activities the district administration wanted to encourage in a big way to woo adventure-loving youth
The Tourism Department would improve on PPP mode the facilities for tourists on top priority at Ramayapatnam, where a major seaport project is going to come up either in the public or private sector. Ramayapatnam has as a special tourist attraction American Baptist Mission Church constructed in 1874.
A ropeway had been proposed at the Obul Reddy Gundalakamma Reservoir where tourists could now enjoy a boat ride on the placid waters after a visit to the Venkateswara temple. A Deer Park near the famous pilgrimage centre of Malakonda and a tiger safari in the thick Nallamala forest would also be developed to promote eco-tourism, he added.
The beaches identified for development under PPP mode include Ramayapatnam, Pakala, Kothapatnam, Motupalli and Voderavu dotting the east coast