Hyderabad: Deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka on Saturday called for the extensive use of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to take Telangana’s tourism sector to international standards. He said the govt was taking several measures to establish Telangana, with its rich natural, historical, spiritual and cultural heritage, as a prominent destination on the global tourism map. He was speaking at the World Tourism Day–2026 celebrations held at Shilparamam on the theme, ‘Digital Agenda – Reimagining Tourism with Artificial Intelligence.’Speaking on the occasion, the deputy CM explained the significance of this year’s World Tourism Day theme and stressed the need to transform and modernise the tourism sector in line with emerging technologies. He unveiled a newly designed website aimed at showcasing Telangana tourism on the global platform, along with a coffee-table book featuring photographs of the state’s tourist attractions.Bhatti said Telangana had immense potential in health, temple, rural and nature tourism. He noted that work on wellness centres had already commenced in Vikarabad. Tiger reserves, forests, waterfalls, ancient temples and historic structures in Hyderabad and other parts of the state were attracting tourists. Telangana offered an ideal destination for those seeking peace and tranquillity. He directed officials to market these attractions effectively at the international level.‘Tourism coupons’He said the tourism sector had been given greater priority in the budget compared to the past. He said the govt’s tourism policy placed strong emphasis on visitor safety and quality infrastructure and stressed the need to attract large-scale investments by developing international-standard hotels and other infrastructure through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.Bhatti suggested that special plans be prepared to encourage software professionals in Hyderabad, who work under intense pressure for five days a week, to explore tourism destinations across the state during weekends. He directed the tourism minister and secretary to soon hold discussions with CEOs of leading IT companies and operators of tourism projects in this regard. He suggested introducing “tourism coupons” for software employees to encourage them to visit nature-based destinations in Telangana during weekends.The deputy CM said tourism was not merely about entertainment, but also reflected the coming together of diverse cultures. He appreciated the new initiatives being undertaken by the tourism department and expressed the hope that Telangana’s tourism reputation would gain worldwide recognition. Several new initiatives of the tourism department were launched during the celebrations. Meanwhile, an MoU was signed between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the archaeology department of the Telangana govt in the presence of tourism minister Jupally Krishna Rao. Excellence awards and certificates were subsequently presented to outstanding performers and participants.
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