KSTDC to manage Karnataka Tourist Complex at Tirumala for 10 years

The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation will operate and manage the Karnataka Tourist Complex at Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh under a new 10-year agreement. The agreement was signed in Bengaluru on Thursday by the Muzrai Department and KSTDC at a programme chaired by Energy and Tourism Minister K.J. George.

Muzrai, Fisheries and Ports Minister K.S. Basavanthappa and KSTDC chairman M. Srinivas were also present.

The arrangement is intended to provide pilgrims from Karnataka travelling to Tirupati with clean, safe and affordable accommodation. According to a government release, it is also meant to create a professional model for managing State tourism assets and strengthen Karnataka’s pilgrimage tourism network. KSTDC will take over 364 rooms, 12 dormitories, a Kalyana Mantapa and other major hospitality facilities spread across five blocks at the complex.

The agreement covers operation and management for 10 years. The facilities will be upgraded in phases and maintained to standards equivalent to at least a three-star hotel. The Tourism Department said the focus would include room quality, cleanliness, food services, maintenance and overall hospitality.

George said many pilgrims from Karnataka travel to Tirupati and Tirumala, making affordable accommodation a priority. He also said that better integration of information, connectivity and tourism facilities could encourage visitors to explore other pilgrimage and tourism destinations. The Minister directed KSTDC officials to improve services at the complex.

The release did not state the cost of the planned upgrades or provide a timetable for their completion. The agreement places a State tourism corporation in charge of a significant accommodation facility used by pilgrims visiting the Tirumala shrine.