AP to set up travel and tourism varsity

Andhra Pradesh is exploring the possibility of setting up a travel and tourism university in the state. At a review meeting with officials at the chief minister camp office here on Tuesday, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has asked officials to model the university on the lines of New Zealand’s Travel and Tourism University.

The chief minister has come up with a proposal that courses like tourism, health, cooking, transport, skill development and training for guides and hospitality services could be introduced at the university. A culture of treating tourists as our guests should be propagated.

He also emphasised the need for world-class convention centres. The chief minister directed officials to prepare a blueprint for setting up massive convention centres at Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati. 

These convention centres, the chief minister said, should be constructed in a way where weddings, expos, seminars, cultural/entertainments events with a capacity of 10,000 people could be held. He suggested that these convention centres could be built in 100 acres. These projects will be taken up in the public-private partnership mode.