Heli tourism from Hyd’bad to Somasila-Srisailam soon

Hyderabad: The Telangana government, with the support of prominent travel portal ‘Ease My Trip’, will soon launch the Hyderabad-Somasila-Srisailam Heli Tourism facility.

This was announced by Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao on Friday while laying the foundation stone for the Wellness and Spiritual Retreat Project at Somasila, Nallamala, Amaragiri Island, and Eagalapenta.

The development works will be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 68.10 crore. The Minister said Heli Tourism would be developed in Telangana soon, adding that these were the first steps towards introducing the concept.

He said that special focus was placed on the management of Heli Tourism in a way that would attract more visitors. He added that the initiative aimed to provide tourists with both pleasure and a unique experience.

As part of this, proposals are being prepared to operate Heli Tourism services from Hyderabad to Somasila and Srisailam in partnership with Ease My Trip. The details, he said, will be announced shortly. On Friday, the Minister also inaugurated development works under the Somasila Wellness and Spiritual Retreat (Nallamala) project, being taken up at a cost of Rs 68.10 crore. He performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Amaragiri Island Wellness Retreat, to be developed at a cost of Rs 45.84 crore in Amaragiri in the Kollapur constituency, and for trenching works worth Rs 1.60 crore at the Somasila VIP Ghat – Boating Point.

Speaking on the occasion, Krishna Rao said the Telangana government is giving top priority to tourism by undertaking several projects. Despite favourable conditions for tourism development, the sector was neglected in the last ten years, he said. The government has now set a target to increase the number of both domestic and foreign tourists.

“We will soon launch a campaign to promote tourism and attract more foreign visitors. Along with job creation, these initiatives will improve infrastructure in the respective areas. We will also give a major push to water sports and adventure tourism,” he said. The Minister said that the development of new tourism projects would further increase the number of tourist visits. He expressed confidence that the projects would boost the state’s revenue and create more employment opportunities. He further noted that once the construction of the Somasila–Siddeswaram iconic bridge is completed, the number of tourists will rise significantly.