The Hindu Business Line : Centre's green signal for `night bazaar' in Hyderabad

NEARLY 18 months after getting a promise from the Union Minister of Tourism, Ms Renuka Chowdhary, the tourism industry in Andhra Pradesh can now expect a `night bazaar' in a few months.

The Union Government has chosen Hyderabad as one of the two sites to test the concept.

The Rs 5-crore night bazaar would come at Shilparamam, surrounded by information technology and ITES companies in the Hi-Tec (Hyderabad Information Technology Engineering Consultancy) City, at Madhapur.

According to the State Tourism Secretary, Mr V. Nagi Reddy, the proposed night bazaar would not be on the lines of the popular perception on the bazaars.

The Government proposed to broaden the idea of bazaars to go beyond the popular notion that they would be dotted with pubs.

He was talking to newspersons on the sidelines of the day-long workshop on `Investment opportunities in tourism sector in Andhra Pradesh.'

The aim of setting up such a bazaar at the Hi-Tech City was to cater to the hundreds of IT pros, who worked late in the evenings. The bazaar would house eateries and shops specifically targeting them.

The Government formed a committee and deputed it to different cities to study how those cities were catering to the needs of IT sector in this regard.

Mr Rajiv Narain, President of FHRAI (Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association - AP), who spoke on the role of hotels in promoting tourism industry, said the hospitality industry had gone through a sea change in the last five years.

"There were very few hotels in 2000. The occupancy rate was less than 60 per cent. Outside the main hotels, limited options were available in the city. Business (for hospitality industry) was limited to corporate travel and dealer conferences," he said.

The scenario, however, had changed. A number of global hospitality majors were now looking at Hyderabad.

Also, good quality eateries have mushroomed. Air connectivity, too, had gone up significantly.

"Hyderabad should be developed as an international shopping destination to attract more tourists from outside," Mr Narain said.

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