Kandula Durgesh: AP Tourism & Cinema Dept. 1-Year Review

An Inaugural Year of Progress

A performance review of Kandula Durgesh as Minister and MLA (June 2024 - June 2025)

Kandula Durgesh

Minister for Tourism, Culture & Cinematography

₹25K Cr

Tourism Investment Goal

₹10,644 Cr

Agreements within 15 Months

88 Live

Projects launched with ₹698 Crore

8,080

Employment

Key Project Investments

Interactive Summary: A Dual Mandate

Statewide Vision (As Minister)

Revitalizing AP's key sectors through a multi-pronged strategy. Click a theme to explore.

Constituency Focus (As MLA)

Driving grassroots development in Nidadavole. Click a theme to explore.

Interactive Timeline of Key Activities

This interactive timeline details significant actions from June 2024 to June 2025. Use the filters to explore activities related to specific areas of focus.

Driving Tourism Initiatives

Transforming Tourism for Andhra Pradesh.

🌊 Akhanda Godavari Project

A flagship initiative to transform the Godavari region into a global spiritual and tourism destination, ready for the 2027 Pushkaralu. The project, sanctioned with ₹94 crore, integrates multiple sites into one cohesive vision.

Havelock Bridge: Heritage Reimagined

Transforming the 127-year-old decommissioned bridge into a 4km long tourism hub. The bridge will be widened to 6 metres and feature zones for food, handicrafts, recreation, and adventure sports on the river islands below.

🏞️ Gandikota Development

A ₹77.91 Cr project to enrich the fort and gorge experience at the "Grand Canyon of India," enhancing infrastructure and visitor amenities.

✈️ Seaplane Services

Launched under the UDAN scheme to dramatically reduce travel time and boost connectivity to key sites like Srisailam and Gandikota.

🚐 Caravan Tourism

Introduced luxury "hotels on wheels" to bridge accommodation gaps in tourist circuits, with a dedicated policy forthcoming to support operators.

🚢 Cruise Tourism

Welcomed the MV Empress cruise ship to Visakhapatnam, marking a significant step in establishing the city as a key port for cruise tourism in Southern India.

🎉 Festival Tourism

Revived the Araku Utsav and launched the Masula Beach Festival to promote AP as a year-round cultural destination and boost local economies.

Fostering the Film Industry

Key initiatives to support and grow Telugu Cinema in Andhra Pradesh.

5+

Key Industry Meetings

4

Major Policies Under Review

1

State Awards Revival

Core Policy Reforms

A primary focus has been the review and reform of existing policies to create a more favorable and supportive environment for the film industry. Explore the key policy areas being addressed below.

Industry-Led Online Ticketing

The minister has moved to scrap the previous administration's proposal for a government-controlled online ticketing portal. The new direction favors a system developed and managed by the film industry stakeholders themselves, aiming to provide them with more control and transparency over ticket sales and revenue data.

Developing Visakhapatnam as a Film Hub

A cornerstone of the new cinematography policy is the ambitious plan to develop Visakhapatnam into a major hub for the film industry, complete with modern studios and post-production facilities.

Vision for Vizag

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to allocate land and provide incentives for building state-of-the-art film studios and post-production labs in Vizag.

✓Expedite land allocation for new studios.
✓Attract investment for post-production facilities.
✓Integrate film development with tourism promotion.

Kandula Durgesh: AP Tourism & Cinema Dept.

An Inaugural Year of Progress

Kandula Durgesh

Key Project Investments

Interactive Summary: A Dual Mandate

Statewide Vision (As Minister)

Constituency Focus (As MLA)

Interactive Timeline of Key Activities

Driving Tourism Initiatives

🌊 Akhanda Godavari Project

Havelock Bridge: Heritage Reimagined

Pushkar Ghat: Spiritual Epicenter

Kadiyapulanka: Global Nursery Hub

Kotasattemma Temple: Divine Heritage

🏞️ Gandikota Development

✈️ Seaplane Services

🚐 Caravan Tourism

🚢 Cruise Tourism

🎉 Festival Tourism

Fostering the Film Industry

5+

4

1

Core Policy Reforms

Industry-Led Online Ticketing

Flexible Ticket Pricing Model

Single-Window Clearance System

Revival of Nandi Awards

Developing Visakhapatnam as a Film Hub

Vision for Vizag

Industry Presence: Current vs. 5-Year Goal

An Inaugural Year of Progress

Kandula Durgesh

Key Project Investments

Interactive Summary: A Dual Mandate

Statewide Vision (As Minister)

Constituency Focus (As MLA)

Interactive Timeline of Key Activities

Driving Tourism Initiatives

🌊 Akhanda Godavari Project

Havelock Bridge: Heritage Reimagined

Pushkar Ghat: Spiritual Epicenter

Kadiyapulanka: Global Nursery Hub

Kotasattemma Temple: Divine Heritage

🏞️ Gandikota Development

✈️ Seaplane Services

🚐 Caravan Tourism

🚢 Cruise Tourism

🎉 Festival Tourism

Fostering the Film Industry

5+

4

1

Core Policy Reforms

Industry-Led Online Ticketing

Flexible Ticket Pricing Model

Single-Window Clearance System

Revival of Nandi Awards

Developing Visakhapatnam as a Film Hub

Vision for Vizag

Industry Presence: Current vs. 5-Year Goal

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