Araku Valley - Ooty of Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Araku is the famous hill stations located in the Eastern Ghats part of Andhra Pradesh. Tourists
can reach this valley by travelling 114 kilometers from Vishakhapatnam. Araku valley is located
at an altitude of 911 meter above mean sea level. Being the hill station the Araku valley has very
pleasant climate and tourists used to visit this place for leisure and relax. Like other Hill stations
it has waterfalls, Caves, Museum, and valley views. The main tourists’ attractions are Borra
caves, Chappari cascade waterfalls, Tribal Museums, Katika waterfalls, Padmapuram Gardens,
Ananthagiri Hills, Masthya Gundam Fish Pool, Duduma Waterfalls, Araku Waterfalls, Tyda
Nature camp, Tatipudi Reservoir. This research paper explains the tourism elements and
components and tourist attractions. Also, it high lights the perception of tourists about the
destinations.

Keywords: Tourism elements. Tourist attractions, Perception of the tourists, Tourism facilities,
Quality of service.

Introduction: Araku is the famous hill stations located in the Eastern Ghats part of Andhra
Pradesh. Tourists can reach this valley by travelling 114 kilometer from Vishakhapatnam. Araku
valley is located at an altitude of 911 meter above mean sea level i. The total area of Araku
valley is 36 square kilometer consists of Ananthagiri and Sunkarimetta reserved forest and it is
rich in biodiversity and it is mined for bauxite. The climate in Araku valley is moderate and
temperature is ranging from 12 Degree Celsius to 35 Degree Celsius ii. The summer season starts
at March and prolong up to Mid of June every year.

During the monsoon season (June to September) the temperature ranges from 27 to 32 Degree
Celsius. During the winter season, the temperature is ranging from 10 to 25 Degree Celsius iii and
it is very pleasant to visit this place. It is a very pleasant place for the tourists to leisure and
relaxes. It is the best place for natural lovers and environmentalist. The beauty valley of Araku
attracts tourists from all over the world with its breathtaking valleys, verdant forest and silvery
waterfalls.
Number of Tourists visited Araku Valley October 216 to February 2017:

Total number tourists visiting a destination is indicator for assessing the tourist place and also
helpful to develop infrastructure in that destination. The following table indicates number of
tourists visited the Araku valley region in 2016 and 2017. The tourists are mostly coming from
Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and others. According to the Andhra
Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, 71882 domestic tourists visited Araku region in
October2016 while 88744 tourists arrived in November 2016. December 2016 saw 1.23 lakh
visitors. As many as 90137 tourists arrived in January 2017 and while around 60000 came in
February 2017.

TABLE: 1

NUMBER OF TOURISTS VISITED ARAKU VALLEY

Month and Year Number of Tourists visited

October 2016 71882
November 2016 88744
December 2016 123000
January 2017 90137
February 2017 60000
Total 433763
Source: APTDC

The above table indicates that 433763 tourists visited this valley between October and February.
Based on the above data, it is estimated that more than 6 lakh people visits this region every year.

Tourism Elements and Components:

The main tourist attractions in Araku valley are Caves, waterfalls, valley views. Museum, Coffee
Plantations. The valley is covered with thick forest tree species and bushes. The main crops are
Coffee, pepper and other agricultural crops like Paddy, Sweet potato, Ragi and Pulses. The main
Fauna of the region are Leopard, Sloth Bear, Monkey and Indian giant Squirrel. The birds alike
Owl, Bulbul, Wood pecker, Babblers, Flycatchers, Eagle, Purple Wood Pigeon are commonly
seen in Araku Valley. Accommodation facilities like Hotels, Resorts, Lodges and Homestays are
available in Araku valley for tourists. Coffee and Pepper and Honey are specialties of this place.
Araku coffee has high demand in foreign countries. So the Coffee board is planning to get
geographical identification to protect the uniqueness of the product. Due to the presence of Niger
flowers in Araku, the beekeeping activity becomes main source of income for tribal peoples.

Accommodation facilities are available for the tourists in the form of Budget Hotels, Resorts,
Lodges and Homestays. The room rent starts from Rs.750 onwards and good resorts are
available to tourists at the cost of Rs.2000 onwards. The accommodation facilities cost becomes
economical once it was booked in advance. Good restaurants with Andhra style foods are
available in Araku valley. Regarding the shopping, tourists can purchase Araku Coffee, Pepper
and Honey. The approach roads to different attractions are moderate to good.

TABLE: 2

TOURISM ELEMENTS AND COMPONENTS

Sl.N Elements Detail

o
1 Location Located in the Eastern Ghats about 114 km from Vishakhapatnam
district
2 Coordinates 18 0 32’73’’N and 820 87’ 75’’ Eiv
3 Climate Sub- tropical high climate
4 Elevation 911 meter / 2988 feet
5 Temperature range 12 Degree Celsius to 31 Degree Celsius
6 Annual Rainfall 1290mm
7 Main Season December - February
8 Off Season September - December
9 Tourist attractions Museum, Garden, Valley views, Caves, Waterfalls etc.
10 Main Flora Niger Flowers, Coffee, Black pepper, Silver Oak and other forest
tree speciesv.
11 Fauna Monkey, Leopard, Sloth Bear, Indian Giant Squirrelvi
12 Ani-fauna Owl, Bulbul, Woodpecker, Purple Wood Pigeon, Eagle,
Flycatchers, Babblers etc.vii
13 Specialties Coffee and Pepper, Honey, Caves, Valley view.
14 Accommodation Hotels, Resorts, Lodges.
15 Food Facilities Restaurants
16 Shopping Available
Facilities
17 Approach Road Moderate to Good
18 Parking Available
19 Guide Available
20 Local People Moderate
Hospitality
21 Total extent 36 square kilometer.
22 Area population 60000
23 Nearest city Vishakhapatnam
24 Nearest Airport Vishakhapatnam
25 Train Facilities Araku
26 Transportation Train, Bus, Taxi are available.
 Facilities

Distance from Major cities: Distance from different cities to Araku Valley is given as follows:

TABLE: 3

DISTANCE FROM MAJOR CITIES

S.No City Distance in KM

1 Vishakhapatnam 114
2 Vijayawada 432
3 Hyderabad 704
4 Chennai 884
5 Bangalore 1081
6 Bhubaneswar 476
7 Kolkata 917
8 Raipur 429
9 Bhopal 1002

Tourism Attractions:

Being the hill station the Araku valley has very pleasant climate and tourists used to visit this
place for leisure and relax. Like other Hill stations it has waterfalls, Caves, Museum and valley
views. The main tourists attractions are Borra caves, Chappari cascade water falls, Tribal
Museums, Katika waterfalls, Padmapuram Gardens, Ananthagiri Hills, Masthya Gundam Fish
Pool, Duduma Waterfalls, Araku Waterfalls, Tyda Nature camp, Tatipudi Reservoir,

TABLE: 4

TOURISM ATTRACTIONS

Sl.No. Tourism Attractions Detail Nature of Attraction

1 Borra Caves Largest cave located at elevation of 2313 feetviii.
2 Chappari Cascade Waterfalls Waterfalls
 3 Tribal Museum Exhibit Tribal culture
4 Katika Waterfalls Waterfalls
5 Padmapuram Gardens Garden with trees,plants etc.
6 Ananthagiri waterfalls Waterfalls
7 Duduma Waterfalls Waterfalls
8 Araku Waterfalls Waterfalls
9 Tyda Nature Camp Eco-tourism spot

Borra Caves: These caves were discovered by British Geologist William King in 1807 ix.
Through the research he found that these caves are formed naturally and believed to be 150
million year old. The caves are formed due to the continuous water flow over a period of time
and it is the gift of nature.

It is one of the famous and deepest caves in South India.

It is a speleothems type of caves. It is formed by the deposition of minerals in water. The caves
formed due to water travelled through rocks, dissolves minerals, and then seeps into caves and
redeposits those substances. It is locally called as Borra Guhalu. There are several legends
regarding the Borra Caves, one is narrated by the nearby tribal villagers are that a cow gracing on
the top of the hill dropped into the caves through a hole which is at the depth of 60 meter. The
cowherd searching for the cow came across the caves. He found stone inside the cave that
resembled like Lingam, which he interpreted as Lord Shiva who protected the Cow. By believing
this, the villagers constructed a small temple for Lord Shiva outside the temple. People flock into
the temple for worship and the cave to get a glimpse of the Lingam. Another expressive legend is
that the Shiva Lingam is found inside the cave is covered by the cow and udder of the cow is the
source of Gosthani river flows through Vizianagram and Vishakhapatnam districts. xThe main
entrance of the Borra caves at an altitude of 705 MSL, while the interior goes down to 625
meters MSL. The total length of Borra caves is about 200 meters, but the distance you trek into
the cave is about 350 meters .The size of the cave at the entrance measures up to 100 meter
horizontally and 75 meter vertically.
Waterfalls in Araku Valley: xiA waterfall is a place where water flows over a vertical drop or
series of steep drops in the course of a stream or river. It is normally seen in hill stations. In
Araku valley there are four waterfalls available. The water flow intensively during the monsoon
and it is the attractive tourism places in Araku valley. During and after the monsoon, the water
flow continuously in the waterfalls and best season to visit these waterfalls are post monsoon.

The Chappari waterfall is located 15 kilometer from Araku on the way to Paderu. Road
transportation is available from Araku. It is a cascading waterfall. It is a famous picnic spot for
tourists and the thick forest around the waterfalls are more attractive to the tourists.

Ananthagiri waterfall is located at a distance of three kilometer from Ananthagiri village. It is

also known as “Tadimada waterfalls”. The total height of this waterfall is nearly 100 feet and
tourists visits this falls during monsoon. The roads are not good to reach this place by vehicles. It
advised to reach this place by trekking to a distance of 2 kilometer.
Araku waterfalls: This waterfall located six kilometer from Bus stand. Since this waterfall is
located near the Ranajilleda it is called as “Ranajilleda waterfalls. It is a 60 feet height waterfall
and requires 15 minutes trek to reach this beautiful waterfalls.

Katika waterfalls: This waterfall is located 7 kilometer from Borra Caves.

Since it is located near to village called Katika it is called as “Katika waterfalls”. The height of
this fall is nearly 100 feet and it is formed by Gosthani River. Tourists enjoys by taking bath in
the pond located at the bottom of the waterfall. This place can be reached by 30 minutes trekking
and cooking also permitted near the waterfalls. Jeeps are available to reach this waterfall from
Katika. Chicken in bamboo trunk and honey are available in this place.

Duduma Waterfall: It is located at 70 kilometer from Araku. It forms the part boundary
between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha state and it is also known as Matsya Tirtha The height of
the water fall is 574 feet and it one of the most popular waterfalls in Odisha. Its water supports a
large to Machkund Hydro Electric Power Project. The “Bondas” the tribal people group lives
around this falls area. The falls has two parts, one is flowing towards Andhra Pradesh side and
other one is towards Odisha state. The surrounding forests and scenic beauty looks very
attractive and tourists visits this place regularly.
Padmapuram Gardens: It is a famous botanical garden having attractive horticultural species.
It was built in 1942 by British officials in 26 acre plot. It is initially used to grow vegetables for
the soldiers involved in World War II. Then it became a Horticulture Nursery cum training
center and finally it converted as Garden. After the war this plot becomes Horticulture Nursery
cum Training center where orchards, rare species of flowers and trees were grown. The gardens
with flowers, horticulture crops, different tree species and Araku Toy train are main attractive for
the tourists. Another attraction is Tree huts, which provides accommodation for the tourists and
visitors stayed in Tree huts feels the sways when there is flow of heavy breeze. A beautiful Rose
garden here adds more joys the tourists.
Tribal Museum: The Tribal Museum at Araku started in 1996 and it is aimed at preserving and
displaying the original culture of Tribes in Northern region of Andhra Pradesh. The museum
showcases orthodox lifestyle along with the social, economic and cultural norms and customs of
the tribes. Traditional handicrafts, Fine arts of ancient tribes, ornaments and textiles of the tribes
also exhibited in the Museum. This Museum houses some of the rich artefacts of Tribal in
Eastern Ghats of Araku valley. There is also a Tribal arts and Craft center to promote the tribal
art. It has workshop for arcticians and a sales counter to sell the products. The mud walls within
museum have been filled with tribal arts exhibiting their culture is another attraction in the
museum. It also showcases the local dances of tribal like Mayur and Dhimsa with beautifully
colored dress. The museum has ten double bed rooms to accommodate tourists, public
convenience and cafeteria. It is also home to a fortune teller with a parrot that interestingly
speaks local languages and visitors belief the predictions of parrot. A coffee shop inside the
museum offers good coffee and eatables to the visitors.
 xii
Tyda Nature Camp: Tyda is a small tribal village nestling in the wooded hills of Eastern
Ghats of Araku region. It is located at distance of 40 kilometers from Araku. The APTDC
(Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation) and department of Forest jointly
established a Ecotourism Resort for the tourists. This nature camp offers wide variety of
activities like trekking, bird watching and target shooting with bow and arrows. Accommodation
facilities are available for the visitors.
Perception of the Tourists: Araku valley is situated in Vishakhapatnam district and it is covered
with dense forest having bushes, shrubs and other forest species. The waterfalls, caves,
viewpoints, Museum, Garden etc. are the main attractions for the tourists. Every year nearly six
lakhs peoples are visiting this place. A survey was conducted among the tourists to find out their
perception about the tourism issues related to food and accommodation facilities, facilities at
tourist attractions, cost of facilities, cleanliness and hygiene and to get valuable feedback from
tourists for the better development of facilities and activities at Araku valley.

Profile of the Tourists: It is an important demographic variable and it is highly helpful for
tourism planning and for making marketing decisions. The profile includes sex, age, educational
level, occupation and income. It also accounts for accompanied person detail, purpose of visit,
mode of transport, accommodation and the like. It helps to adopt appropriate strategies for
tourism development in Araku valley.

Sex: Out of hundred tourists surveyed, sixty eight percent are male and remaining is female.

TABLE: 5

SEX

Sex Number of Tourists Percentage

Male 68 68
Female 32 32
Total 100 100
Source: Primary Data

The above table indicates that majority of the tourists are male and they are interested to visit
Araku hills.

Age of the Tourists: Age is one of the factors in deciding the segment in the market. By finding
the age of the visitor, their needs and wants can be determined. Out of 100 tourists, 52 percent of
the tourists are having age range between 20 and 40 years, 31 percent are 41 and 60 years, 12 per
cent are having age range between 51 and 60 years.

TABLE: 6

AGE

Age Number of Tourists Percentage

 20 - 40 52 52
41 -50 31 31
51-60 12 12
Above 60 05 05
Total 100 100
Source: Primary data

From the table it is observed that majority of the tourists are having age between 20 and 40
years.

Education: Out of 100 visitors surveyed, 45 percent are having educational qualification as High
school, 29 percent are graduates and remaining are Post Graduates, Technical education etc.

TABLE: 7

EDUCATION

Particulars Number of Tourists Percentage

High School 45 45
Graduates 29 29
Others 26 26
Total 100 100
Source: Primary Data

From the data it is observed that majority is educated and their level of education is either High
School or Graduates. It is inferred that educated persons are showing more interest in visiting
tourism places.

Occupation: The economic status of the tourists depends upon their occupation and using these
different offerings can be determined. Out of 100 tourists surveyed, 41 percent of the tourists are
working in the private firm, 28 are working in the Government departments, 22 are business
peoples and others are Consultants, Farmers, and Landless Laborers etc.

TABLE: 8

OCCUPATION

Particular Number of Tourists Percentage

Private Employees 41 41
Government Employees 28 28
 Business Peoples 22 22
Others 09 09
Total 100 100
Source: Primary data

From the above data it is predicted that majority of the visitors are working in private firms and
government department.

Monthly Income of Tourists: Earning capacity of the tourists will decide the spending level of
the visitors in the tourism destination as well as the length of the stay and expected tourism
services. To assess the income level, 100 tourists are surveyed. Twelve percentage of the visitors
income level are less than Rs.20000, 46 per cent of the people are having income level between
Rs.20001 – 30000, twenty seven per cent of the people are having income level between
Rs.30001 to 40000 and remaining visitors are having income level more than Rs.40000.

TABLE: 9

MONTHLY INCOME OF THE TOURISTS

Monthly Income in Rs Number of Tourists Percentage

Less than 2000 12 12
20001 to 30000 46 46
30001 to 40000 27 27
More than 40000 15 15
Total 100 100
Source : Primary data

The above data indicates that that majority of the touists income are betwem 20000 and 40000.
Accompany: The research makes an attempt to study the person who accompanies the tourists.
Out of 100 tourists surveyed, 32 percent of the visitors are accompanied by friends, 52 percent of
the visitors accompanied by family members and remaining are accompanied by mixed groups.

TABLE: 10

ACCOMPANY DETAIL

Details No. of visitors Percentage

Friends group 32 32
Family members group 52 52
Mixed group 16 16
Toal 100 100
Source : Primary data

The above table indicates that majority of the tourists are belongs to family groups.

From the above table it is observed that majority of the tourists are accompanied by family.

Purpose of visit: Purpose of the visit is an important factor in tourism development. The
research identifies the purpose of visit with the 100 tourists. Out of 100 tourists surveyed 87 per
cent of the visitors have come for tourism purpose only, 7 per cent have come for business and
tourism purpose and remaining are come for visit to friends and relatives.

TABLE: 11

PURPOSE OF VISIT

Details No. of tourists Percentage

For Tourism only 87 87
For Business and Tourism 07 07
Visit to friends and relatives 06 06
Total 100 100
Source: Primary data

The above table indicates that majority of the visitors purpose are tourism only.
Number of visits: The study attempted to gather information regard to number of visits made by
tourists to this destination. Out of 100 tourists surveyed, 84 per cent of the tourists visited Araku
valley for the first time, 13 per cent are visiting for the second time and remaining are more than
two times.

TABLE: 12

NUMBER OF VISITS

Number of times Number of visitors Percentage

One 84 84
Two 13 13
More than two 03 03
Total 100 100
Source: Primary Data

From the above table, it is noted that majority of the tourists visited the Araku valley for the first
time.

Mode of Transportation:

Transportation is the major elements of tourism and this facility makes the tourists to take a
decision to visit the destination. Out of the 100 tourists surveyed, 48 percent of the tourists used
bus to reach Araku, 29 percent of the visitors used train as mode transport to reach the
destination, 16 per cent of the people are reached Araku on their own vehicle and remaining
tourists reached Araku by rented vehicle.

TABLE: 13

MODE OF TRANSPORTATION

Mode of Transport Number of Tourists Percentage

Bus 48 48
Train 29 29
Own Vehicle 16 16
Others 07 07
Total 100 100
Source: Primary data

The above table shows that majority of the tourists used Bus and Train as their mode of
transportation to reach the destination.
Accommodation: Accommodation is the one of the important element tourism. The study
analysis the accommodation facilities used by tourists at Araku Valley. Out of 100 visitors
surveyed, 54 percent are staying in Lodges and Budget Hotels, 29 per cent are staying in Resorts
and Star Hotels and remaining are staying in guest houses, relative house etc.

TABLE: 14

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation type Number of tourists Percentage

Resorts and Star Hotels 29 29
Lodges and Budget Hotels 54 54
Others 17 17
Total 100 100
Source: Primary Data

From the above table it is understood the majority of the tourists are using Lodges and Budget
Hotels for their accommodation purposes.

Period of Stay: The period of stay is the indicator of the tourism business development and also
it connects with number of attractions and income of the tourists. Out of 100 visitors surveyed 63
percent of the visitors stayed in Araku valley for 1 to 2 days and remaining are more than 2 days.

TABLE : 15

PERIOD OF STAY

No. of days No. of Tourists Percentage

1-2 days 63 63
More than 2 days 37 37
Total 100 100
Source: Primary Data

From the above table it is observed that majority of the visitors stayed in Araku valley for 1 to 2
days. It is inferred that the period of stay depends up on number of destination visited.

Tourism Places visited: Interesting tourism attractions are important for a tourism destination to
attract more number of tourists.. Of the 100 tourists surveyed, 100 per cent of the tourists visited
Borra Caves, 91 per cent visited Tribal Museum, regarding the Waterfalls available at Araku in
different location, only around twenty per cent of the people are visited.

TABLE: 16

TOURISM PLACES VISITED

Tourism Attractions detail Yes No

Borra Caves 100 00
Tribal Museum 91 09
Padmapuram Gardens 65 35
Chappari Waterfalls 23 77
Katika Waterfalls 22 78
Ananthagiri Waterfalls 18 82
Duduma Waterfalls 04 96
Araku Waterfalls 24 76
Tyda Nature Camp 03 97
Source: Primary Data

From the above table, most of the people visited Borra Caves and Tribal Museum. Since the
Waterfalls are located inside the forest and one has to trek few kilometer to reach the place. So
percentage of people visited Waterfalls are comparatively less.

Opinion about the Tourism Facilities: Tourism facilities include Transportation,

Accommodation, Food, Parking, Security, Local People Hospitality and Toilets facilities in
public places. Transportation facilities scored 151 points and stood first rank, followed by
Accommodation 144 points, Food 140 points, Security 138 points, Parking 134 points, Local
people Hospitality 124 points and Toilet facilities at public places scored 76 points.

TABLE: 17

OPINION ABOUT THE TOURISM FACILITIES

FACILITIES Rating of Opinions

V. Good Good (2) Moderate(1) Poor (-1) V.Poor(-2)
(3)
Total

Rank
Score

Score

Score

Score

Score
No.

No

No

No

No

Transportation 12 36 45 90 34 34 9 -9 0 0 151 1
Accommodation 9 27 48 96 32 32 11 -11 0 0 144 2
Food 7 21 46 92 37 37 10 -10 0 0 140 3
Parking 7 21 42 84 40 40 11 -11 0 0 134 5
Security 8 24 40 80 43 43 9 -9 0 0 138 4
Local people 5 15 42 84 39 39 14 -14 0 0 124 6
Hospitality
Toilet 2 06 38 76 33 33 15 -15 12 -24 76 7
Source: Primary Data

From the above table it is observed that the tourism facilities are not up to the mark.

Opinion about cost of facilities: The cost of facilities includes Food, Accommodation, Local
Transport and Shopping. The local transport cost scored highest 172 points and stood first rank,
followed by shopping cost scored 168 points, Food cost 160 points and accommodation cost 150
points.

TABLE: 18

OPINION ABOUT COST OF FACILITIES

Facilities Opinion
Very High (2) Moderate (1) Less (-1) Very
High (3) Less(-2)

Total

Rank
Score

Score

Score

Score

Score
No.

No

No

No

No

Food 12 36 36 72 52 52 0 0 0 0 160 3
Accommodatio 9 27 32 64 59 59 00 0 0 0 150 4
n
Local Transport 18 54 36 72 46 46 0 0 0 0 172 1
Shopping 20 60 28 56 52 52 0 0 0 0 168 2
Source: Primary Data

From the above table it is observed that the cost of Shopping and Local transport is
comparatively high.

Opinion about Cleanliness and Hygiene: Opinion about cleanliness and hygiene at Bus atan,
Railway Station, Hotel, Local Restaurant, Borra Caves, Tribal Museum, Padmapuram Garden,
Waterfalls Area and Roadside were surveyed among tourists. Among the various places
Padmapuram Garden scored highest 132 points and stood first rank , followed by Borra Caves
(128 points), Tribal Museum (123 points), Hotels (112 points), Railway station (110 points),
Local restaurants (106 points), Waterfalls area (99 points), Bus stand (91 points) and Roadside
(76 points).

TABLE: 19

OPINION ABOUT THE CLENLINESS AND HYGIENE

Facilities Opinion rating

Very good Good (2) Moderate (1) Poor (-1) Very poor
(3) (-2)

Total

Rank
Score

Score

Score

Score

Score
No.

No

No

No

No
Bus stand 6 18 27 54 43 43 24 -24 0 0 91 8
Railway 9 27 28 56 45 45 18 -18 0 0 110 5
station
Hotel 10 30 30 60 41 41 19 -19 0 0 112 4
Local 7 21 28 54 48 48 17 -17 0 0 106 6
Restaurant
Borra Caves 12 36 32 64 42 42 14 -14 0 0 128 2
Tribal 11 33 31 62 43 43 15 -15 0 0 123 3
Museum
Waterfalls 7 21 27 54 45 45 21 -21 0 0 99 7
Area
Roadside 2 6 20 40 54 54 24 -24 0 0 76 9
Padmapuram 11 33 32 64 46 46 11 -11 0 0 132 1
Gardens
Source: Primary data

From the above table it is observed that the cleanliness and hygiene are not up to the standards.

Opinion about Hotel services in Araku Valley: The Hotel services include Food,
Accommodation, Room services, personalized care and Housekeeping. Among various services
provided by the Hotel, the Accommodation services scored 145 points and stood first rank,
followed by Food services (138 points), Room services (88 points), Personalized care (77 points)
and Housekeeping (74 points)

TABLE: 20
 OPINION ABOUT HOTEL SERVICES IN ARAKU VALLEY

Facilities Opinion Ratings

Very Good(2) Moderate (1) Poor (-1) Very poor
good (3) (-2)

Total

Rank
Score

Score

Score

Score

Score
No.

No

No

No

No
Food 13 39 24 48 57 57 6 -6 138 2
Accommodatio 15 45 25 50 55 55 5 -5 145 1
n
Room Services 7 21 22 44 47 47 24 -24 88 3
Personalized 6 18 21 42 45 45 28 -28 77 4
care
House keeping 6 18 18 36 48 48 28 -28 74 5
Source: Primary data

From the table it is observed that the quality of service in Araku Valley has to be improved.

Findings:

 Araku valley is located at Eastern Ghats of Vishakhapatnam, at altitude of 910 meter and
at distance of 114 kilometer from district headquarters.
 It consists of Ananthgiri hills and Sunkarimetta reserved forest, with a total area of 36
square kilometer and it is rich in Biodiversity.
 The temperature goes up to a minimum of 12 Degree Celsius, during winter and it is
pleasant to visit this place for leisure and relaxes.
 It is approximately estimated that more than 6 lakhs tourists visits this place every year.
Between the month of October and November the tourist’s inflow will be more.
 The main tourist attractions in the Araku valley are Caves, Waterfalls, Valley views,
Tribal Museum and Coffee plantations. Honey, Coffee and Pepper are the specialties of
this region and it is the most preferred items by the tourists during shopping.
 Leopard, Sloth Bear, Monkey and Indian Giant Squirrel are the main Fauna of this
region. Birds like Bulbul, Owl, Woodpecker, Flycatchers, Eagle and Purple Wood Pigeon
are available.
 Accommodation facilities are available in Araku in the form of Hotels, Lodges,
Homestays and Resorts. The minimum rent stars from Rs.750 per day. Good Andhra
style restaurants are available for tourists.
 Majority of the domestic tourists’ visiting Araku valley are from states like West Bengal,
Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
 Majority of the tourists are Male and majority of the tourists coming from
Vishakhapatnam district.
 The majority (52 %) of the age group of tourist visiting Araku is in the range of 20 to 40
years.
 Regarding the education of the tourists majority of them are completed High School.
 Majority (69%) of the tourists visiting Araku are working in Private firm and
Government department.
 The study shows that the income levels of the majority of (73 %) tourists are between
Rs.20000 and Rs.40000.
 Majority (52%) of the tourists are accompanied by their family members.
 The majority (87%) of the tourist’s purpose of visit is tourism only.
 Eighty four percent of the tourists are visiting Araku for the first time.
 Seventy seven per cent of the visitors used Bus and Train to reach the destination.
 Majority (54%) of the tourists chose Lodges and Budget Hotels as their accommodation.
 Majority (63%) of the visitor’s period of stay is 1 to 2 nights.
 The preferred tourism attractions by the visitors are Borra Caves and Tribal Museum.
 Tourism facilities include Accommodation, Transportation, Food, Security, Parking,
Local People Hospitality and Toilet facilities in public places. Majority of the tourists felt
that the tourism facilities at the destination need lot of improvement for the convenience
of the visitors. The public toilets maintenance needs to improved and new toilets should
be constructed in the necessary spots.
 Regarding the cost of facilities Local Transportation and Shopping are comparatively
high.
 Cleanliness and Hygiene is not up to the mark in Bus stand area, Railway station,
Waterfalls, Roadside and Local Restaurants.
  The Hotel services includes Food, Accommodation, Room service, Housekeeping and
Personalized care. Among this Housekeeping, Room service and personalized care needs
to be improved.

Suggestions:

 There should be an exclusive website on Araku Hills and Valleys which provides the
valuable information on different tourist attractions, their exact locations, specialties of
the attractions, local transportation facilities, food availabilities and different
accommodation facilities. The details of Government run Hotels and Guest houses and
package tour details of the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.
 From the data it is observed that tourists from other states like Odisha, Madhya Pradesh,
West Bengal, Bihar and Telangana are visiting Araku valley. So an advertisement has to
be planned in TV Channels of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal
and Madhya Pradesh. Also road side hoardings with details Araku tourism may attract
more number of tourists. Collaboration with nearby states tourism department also yield
good number tourists to Araku valley.
 To increase the length of the stay, tourism department has to design an attractive package
and provide facilities for the tourists. An exclusive Tourism Information Centre has to be
formulated at important points in the Araku valley to ease the tourists for effective
planning.
 The infrastructures like road, drainage, water supply and electricity supply has to be
improved to draw more tourists to this place.
 Cleanliness and Hygiene are universally regarded as indispensable existential norms and
a consciousness has to be created among general public as well as tourism related
persons. Lack of Cleanliness and Hygiene will pull down the business of tourism. So a
strategy has to be formulated to keep the tourism destination with cleanliness and hygiene
condition. Local governance like Corporation, Municipality and Panchayats are
motivated to drive the Cleanliness and Hygiene campaign and make them to involve in
the activity which provides a good environment for the tourists. Hotels, Lodges and
restaurants are geared up to provide a cleanliness and Hygiene to tourists. Training on
Importance of Cleanliness and Hygiene in tourism destination and Training on Recent
 techniques in Housekeeping can also get arranged for Hoteliers and their employee on
continuous basis.
 Araku valley is the best location to conduct Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and
Events. Efforts has to be made by the tourism department to make Araku Valley as a
MICE tourism destination.
 Toilet facilities at public places like Bus stand, Railway stations, Roadsides, near the
tourists attractions has to be developed and it has to be maintained properly on a
continuous basis.
 Local transportation facilities have to be improved to facilitate the tourists to visit all the
attractions. Tourists friendly autos, Taxis has to be introduced to help the tourists
 Plastics are non-biodegradable in nature and it is observed that usage of plastic bags and
polythene bags are common in tourism destinations. To make pollution free environment,
ban on plastic materials and polythene bags has to be implemented in Araku Valley.
 To attract more number of tourists, Government has to plan to open new resorts and
budget hotels near to the each tourist attractions.
 Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation has to arrange weekend package tour
form different locations like Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Berhampur etc.
 Entertainment and cultural shows has to arrange for tourists to make them to understand
local culture of the people.

Conclusion: Due to cool climate, dense forest, beautiful waterways and waterfalls, valley view
and caves in Araku Valley region attracts more than six lakhs of tourists every year from
different parts our country especially from nearby states like Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and
Madhya Pradesh. Among the different tourist attractions, Tribal Museum and Borra Caves
attracts majority of the tourists, because it is easily accessible. Other attractions like waterfalls
and valley views is not accessible because lack of transportation facilities. A research study was
conducted to assess the tourists profile and their opinion about food, accommodation and
transportation facilities available and cost of facilities in Araku Hotels. There was mixed
response among the tourists about the destination facilities. Based on the research findings, few
suggestions are provided to improve the destination management as well as to improve the
tourist’s satisfaction level. By effectively implementing the above suggestions, the tourism
income will get improved.
End Notes:
i
https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/Araku_valley.html
ii
https://www.worldweatheronline.com/lang/en-in/araku-weather/andhra-pradesh/in.aspx
iii
https://www.go2india.in/ap/araku-winter.php
iv
https://latitude.to/articles-by-country/in/india/8879/araku-valley
v
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232153660_Flora_of_Araku_valley_Visakhapatnam_Andhra_Pradesh_India
vi
ibid
vii
ibid
viii
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borra_Caves
ix
ibid
x
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borra_Caves
xi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfall
xii
http://www.aptourism.gov.in/k2-separator/k2/item/313-tydaarakuvalley#.XGaLbFUzbDc