The pristine beaches, green hills and heritage Buddhist sites, in and around Visakhapatnam, are sure to attract tourist in droves from different parts of the globe, provided the government takes proactive measures to tap the same.
The lack of publicity of the available tourist attractions, absence of world-class amenities and tardy progress of various development works at Visakhapatnam International Airport are coming in the way of attracting more tourists to Visakhapatnam region and the State.
About 50 years ago when Singapore gained Independence from Malaysia, the airport was functioning from a thatched shed. Today, Changi (Singapore) Airport is among the top airports in the world with the airport itself becoming a tourist attraction with natural gardens, butterfly gardens, a monorail between different terminals at the airport, duty free shops. It is a hub for airlines operating to different destinations in the world.
“Visakhapatnam International Airport can become a similar hub, if the Central and the State governments launch initiatives to promote the immense tourist potential of North Andhra region apart from adopting aviation-friendly policies. The ‘open sky policy’ should be made applicable to Visakhapatnam Airport to rope in international operators in a big way,” said president of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) Subhash Goyal at the International Airlines Summit, organised by the AP Air Travellers Association, in the city recently.“Bilateral agreements based on reciprocity are outdated. Once you open up the skies, airline operators will queue up to operate from Visakhapatnam and other Indian airports. They will also invest in cargo operations,” Mr. Goyal, who represents 15 international airline operators, said. Tariq Hussain Butt, Head of Airport Marketing, AAI, said that airline operators do not need any additional traffic rights for operating to ASEAN countries (except Philippines and Laos) and SAARC countries (except Afghanistan and Pakistan) from Vizag.
02/04/16 B.Madhu Gopal/The Hindu
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
The lack of publicity of the available tourist attractions, absence of world-class amenities and tardy progress of various development works at Visakhapatnam International Airport are coming in the way of attracting more tourists to Visakhapatnam region and the State.
About 50 years ago when Singapore gained Independence from Malaysia, the airport was functioning from a thatched shed. Today, Changi (Singapore) Airport is among the top airports in the world with the airport itself becoming a tourist attraction with natural gardens, butterfly gardens, a monorail between different terminals at the airport, duty free shops. It is a hub for airlines operating to different destinations in the world.
“Visakhapatnam International Airport can become a similar hub, if the Central and the State governments launch initiatives to promote the immense tourist potential of North Andhra region apart from adopting aviation-friendly policies. The ‘open sky policy’ should be made applicable to Visakhapatnam Airport to rope in international operators in a big way,” said president of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) Subhash Goyal at the International Airlines Summit, organised by the AP Air Travellers Association, in the city recently.“Bilateral agreements based on reciprocity are outdated. Once you open up the skies, airline operators will queue up to operate from Visakhapatnam and other Indian airports. They will also invest in cargo operations,” Mr. Goyal, who represents 15 international airline operators, said. Tariq Hussain Butt, Head of Airport Marketing, AAI, said that airline operators do not need any additional traffic rights for operating to ASEAN countries (except Philippines and Laos) and SAARC countries (except Afghanistan and Pakistan) from Vizag.
02/04/16 B.Madhu Gopal/The Hindu
