It is no secret that Hyderabad is Telangana’s crown jewel when it comes to tourism. Be it the Charminar, Golconda Fort, or biryani and pathar ka gosht, the city draws culture vultures from across the world for its history, architecture and other attractions.
However, it has overshadowed other gems of Telangana. That’s why the state government’s Tourism Department has now come up with a new policy to boost rural tourism. And it’s no surprise that Hyderabad (Charminar area) is last on the list of Special Tourism Areas (STA). Of the nine designated areas, eight are outside the capital city.
The new Tourism Policy 2025-2030 is the first one since Telangana’s formation in 2014. While the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, during its second term (2018-2023), announced a series of restoration works in Hyderabad (primarily), it seems like the Revanth Reddy-led government wants to shift the focus entirely on the districts and towns, and is also eyeing temple tourism.
The policy is lengthy, and talks about developing the STAs (Vikarabad, Alampur, Ramappa, Kaleshwaram, Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, Bhadrachalam, Tribal Circuit and Charminar). It is also raking in investments, and the Tourism Department under Secretary Smita Sabharwal has already stepped up its social media game.
Telangana received 607 lakh domestic and 0.684 lakh foreign tourists in 2022, according to the Ministry of Tourism data. The state has 9th position in Domestic Tourist Arrivals (DTA) and 12th in Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA). Under the new government through policy interventions, Telangana is aiming to become one of the top five states in the country in terms of DTA and FTA, an official told me.
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Spotlighting tourist sites
As much as I don’t want to say it, the state’s tourism sector is more or less run by private companies, which have over the years filled up the gap left by successive state governments—-even before the formation of Telangana. Hyderabad, understandably, has always been the focus because this is where civilisation has existed for about five centuries starting from the Golconda dynasty (1518-1687), which founded the city.
The tourism department has also launched its new tagline—Telangana Zarur Anna. More importantly, this is perhaps a good chance for the Telangana government to build up and create infrastructure for the districts, which in fact have some incredible gems.
For example, the Bhongir fort in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district is a beautiful rock fort that is over 500 feet in height. With a history spanning nearly a millennium, it is as important as the Golconda Fort in Hyderabad. Similarly, people often forget that South India was once a major hub for Buddhism. The Kolanupaka Swetambar Jain temple (believed to be nearly two millennia old) near the Bhongir fort is another place that may interest people who look for lesser-known tourist sites. The government is also eyeing such tourists.
In Telangana, Warangal served as the capital under the Kakatiya kingdom (12th-14th centuries) before Hyderabad. Warangal also has the Ramappa temple, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Apart from these two places, the state government, as it rightly should, is also focussing on other sites such as the Medak Church (1924)—one of the largest churches in India, with a capacity to accommodate about 5,000 people.
The new policy has also classified tourism into categories—spiritual, heritage, eco-tourism, crafts, waterfalls, and Buddhist sites. Though Telangana does have some interesting green spaces, like the Amrabad Tiger Reserve with its 30-plus tigers, I am not sure if it’s enough to pull tourists given that neighbouring states like Karnataka and Kerala have more natural greenery, thanks to their coastal landscapes.
religious domestic tourism in India is a no-brainer, but it is going to take some serious marketing for the department to spotlight the destinations it intends to draw people to. Take the 17th-century Bhadrachalam temple in Kothagudem district, for example. Dedicated to an avatar of Lord Vishnu, it has an interesting backstory—built by a government official under the Golconda dynasty.
However, connectivity to Bhadrachalam, especially for tourists, is what the state will have to figure out. As of now, if someone wants to travel to the locations that I have mentioned, they will need a cab or will have to drive themselves. It will either be an expensive trip or an exhausting one. Moreover, finding amenities and comfort is out of the question. Hence, there is a lot of work that needs to be done.
I do believe that the new policy might be going in the right direction given that we have never really considered tourism beyond Hyderabad. However, let’s not forget that the capital city draws tourists from across the globe because of monuments like the Charminar and those in the Qutb Shahi Tombs complex.
The state will really have to ramp up its infrastructure if it hopes to fill the shoes the private sector has been wearing for years.
Yunus Lasania is a Hyderabad-based journalist whose work primarily focuses on politics, history and culture. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)