Goal is to transform rural areas into tourism hubs: A.P. Tourism Minister

Tourism should not be limited to a few select places, but rural areas, too, should be transformed as tourism hubs, said Minister for Minister for Tourism, Culture and Cinematography Kandula Durgesh on Sunday (February 8), adding that the State government will work towards this goal.

In a press statement, he noted that ‘Volunteer Yatra’, a campaign undertaken by the Tourism Department in collaboration with a New-Delhi based organisation to promote tourist attractions and rural culture and heritage, has yielded positive results.

The campaign, supervised by Special Chief Secretary Ajay Jain and A.P. Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Amrapali Kata, was not limited to commercial advertisements, but social media influencers were roped in to promote the cultural and tourist attraction of a place through on-the-ground experiences.

According to the press note, the campaign was conducted in two phases. In the first, 11 social media influencers with follower base between 3 lakh and 6 lakh were called from Delhi, Rajasthan, Assam, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana to tour Visakhapatnam, Araku Valley and Lambasingi for a week between December 13 and 20, 2025.

The influencers produced 80-100 high-quality videos, drone shots and cinematic travel films, all of which have grabbed the attention of more than 4 million viewers.

In the second phase between January 3 and 17, 2026, influencers from Ayodhya, Kolkata, Mumbai and Odisha were invited to experience the Sankranti celebrations in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district. They got to see Bhogi bonfires, Prabhalu procession and local customs first-hand, which were shot and shared with the viewers

Around 30 reels and videos, which captured the beauty of Antarvedi, Rajamahendravaram and Atrayepuram, and showed the grandeur of the Sankranti festivities, garnered 5 million views, according to the press note.

Thanks to the campaign, over 1,000 booking inquiries have been made in the past one month alone, said the press note. Following the success of the initiative, the Tourism Department is planning to collaborate with ‘Volunteer Yatra’ for the development of ‘Art Villages’ and expansion of homestays in the State.

The videos, totalling 110, filmed by social media influencers have reached over 9 million people in the country, and buoyed by this, the Minister said more places would be promoted in a similar manner in the coming days.