SUSTAINABILITY IN A.P.TOURISM

Tourism is an economic activity that increases trades and growth in both urban are rural areas. Sustainable tourism is conveniently defined as all types of tourism that are compatible with or contribute to sustainable development. Tourism represents 5% of the direct global GDP, one in every 12 jobs worldwide; it is the main export for a third of developing countries. Andhra Pradesh with more than 600 tourist locations attracts the largest number of tourists in India. More than 7 million visitors visit the state every year. Andhra Pradesh tourism is known as ‘Koh-I-Noor’ of India. Government of Andhra Pradesh aspires to transform the State into Eco Friendly and make available the benefits of tourism to all citizens, especially those in rural areas. Tourism continues to play an important role as a foreign exchange earner for the country. In 2022, foreign exchange earnings (FEEs) from tourism were US $ 17.611 billion. The number of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during 2022 increased to 6.44 million. India received 1731.01 million domestic tourist visits in 2022, an increase of 155.45 % from 677.63 million in 2021. India received 8.59 million foreign tourist visits, an increase of 714.26 % from 1.05 million in 2021. Andhra Pradesh retained third position for the second time in a row in terms of domestic tourist visits (DTV) among the top 10 states in the country in 2022 and 192.72 million in 2023. Based on an extensive secondary data, this paper proposes a framework of approaches to sustainable tourism adopted by the Andhra Pradesh state as a tool for sustainable development of the state. The framework is composed of state tourism role, policy and planning of sustainable tourism as an instrument for sustainable development of the state. Main objective of this paper is to examine a series of strategic initiatives that have been undertaken by Tourism department a State Tourism Organization and APTDC in Andhra Pradesh, to develop tourism and in particular to develop sustainable in tourism destinations. Key Words: Sustainability, Sustainable Tourism, Destination, Tourism Policy.