Amaravati, Sep 9 (IANS): The Andhra Pradesh government is taking steps to boost tourism and sports in the state.

On the anvil are a mobile app for facilitating tourism activities and a new sports policy, said Tourism, Culture and Youth Advancement Minister, Muttamsetti Srinivas Rao, on Wednesday.

The dedicated mobile application will provide information on tourism destinations, hotels and tourism packages related to the state. Rao said the app will be launched ahead of the Dussehra festive season.

Addressing a press conference here, the minister said that the Covid crisis has caused immense loss of revenue to the tourism department.

Compared to the Rs 120 crore revenues generated before the pandemic, the state managed to generate only Rs 60 crore, he said.

While the government proposed to establish five and seven-star hotels across 13 districts to boost the tourism and hospitality sector through public private partnership, the Oberoi Group has come forward to set up five-star and seven-star hotels in Visakhapatnam and Tirupati, he said.

The minister also said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is according priority to sports, and a new sports policy would be issued by the state government soon for the improvement of sports infrastructure, encouraging players in rural areas and training of sportspersons.

He said the government has proposals to build sports centres in PPP mode at 15 locations in all the 13 districts of the state as part of the plan to develop sporting infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh.