Harassment of tourists can lead to a lot of frustration and can lead to marring image of a destination. The harassment can range from passing snide remarks, photographing the tourists without their consent and pestering them for money and cheating them.
Hence, establishing a Tourism Police Station in Visakhapatnam is on the cards now with the city witnessing a steady growth in tourist footfalls of late, both domestic and international.
However, harassment and cheating of tourists is relatively low in Visakhapatnam, but even isolated incidents can mar the city’s image.
In Vizag, the Buddhist heritage sites dotting the city and the North Andhra region, the pristine beaches, the Kambalakonda wildlife sanctuary, the cool climes of Lammasingi and Araku, the ancient Simhachalam temple and Kondakarla Ava Lake near Anakapalle are some of the attractions drawing tourists from far and near.
According to a travel agent, “The policemen at these special police stations are bound to record the complaints of tourists and investigate the case within 24 hours. These policemen maintain a database of the tourists by taking their mobile numbers and other details to keep them posted of upcoming tourist festivals. There are only two tourism police stations in India, one each in Kerala and Goa.”
