Visakhapatnam is steadily emerging as a vibrant coastal destination, bringing together business, leisure, nature, culture and MICE opportunities.
Voyager’s World speaks to Lakshmi Sridhar, General Manager, Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach, in an exclusive interview about the city’s evolution, growing MICE potential, bleisure trends, tourism opportunities and the destination’s future.
Visakhapatnam is emerging as an important leisure and business destination on India’s east coast. How would you describe the destination’s evolution over the past few years?
Visakhapatnam has evolved significantly from being regarded primarily as an industrial and business hub to becoming one of India’s most promising coastal destinations. Today, the city offers a compelling mix of business opportunity, natural beauty, heritage, culture, cuisine and leisure experiences, making it increasingly relevant for both corporate and leisure travellers.
Its strategic coastal location and role as a gateway to Andhra Pradesh give Visakhapatnam a distinct advantage. Travellers can use the city as a base to explore Araku Valley, heritage and Buddhist circuits, coastal destinations and cultural attractions across the region. At the same time, improved hospitality infrastructure and growing interest in MICE are encouraging visitors to stay longer and experience the city more deeply.
What, in your view, are the biggest opportunities for Visakhapatnam to position itself as a preferred destination for MICE and leisure travellers?
Visakhapatnam’s biggest opportunity lies in its ability to bring business and leisure together within one destination. For MICE travellers, the city offers a strong corporate and industrial base, established hospitality infrastructure, convention-ready hotels and a scenic coastal setting that adds character to meetings, conferences and incentive programmes.
For leisure travellers, the destination offers beaches, heritage, nature, local cuisine and access to memorable regional experiences. The next step is to package these strengths more effectively for different traveller segments. Better air connectivity, seamless last-mile movement and stronger collaboration between hotels, tourism bodies, airlines, tour operators and local attractions can help create richer itineraries and encourage longer stays.
What more can be done by the tourism ecosystem to promote Visakhapatnam as a gateway to Andhra Pradesh?
The tourism ecosystem has an important opportunity to position Visakhapatnam not only as a standalone destination, but as the natural gateway to Andhra Pradesh. This will require coordinated destination marketing between government, hotels, airlines, tour operators, travel trade partners and local experience providers. Visakhapatnam can serve as the starting point for curated journeys across Araku Valley, Buddhist heritage sites, coastal circuits, cultural landmarks and emerging nature-based experiences. Such linkages can help transform short visits into extended regional itineraries.
There is also strong potential to develop theme-led itineraries around cuisine, wellness, culture, nature and adventure. Digital storytelling, destination campaigns and familiarisation visits for travel trade and media can further improve visibility. Most importantly, the private sector can complement government efforts by creating high-quality stays, events and experiences that give travellers more reasons to spend time in the region.
With the IATO Convention being held in Visakhapatnam, what significance does the event hold for the destination and the local hospitality industry?
The IATO Convention is a landmark opportunity for Visakhapatnam. It brings together influential members of the travel and tourism fraternity who play a key role in shaping destination narratives, designing itineraries and influencing demand. For the city, it is a chance to showcase not only its tourism potential, but also its readiness to host high-quality national and international business events.
For Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach, it is an honour to host the convention and be part of this important moment for the destination. The event gives us the opportunity to present the strength of our property, the warmth of our hospitality and the wider possibilities that Visakhapatnam offers for MICE, leisure and business travellers. Its impact can extend well beyond the convention itself by encouraging tour operators to explore the city, include Andhra Pradesh more prominently in their programmes and consider new routes and itineraries.
Novotel Visakhapatnam has an important role to play in the city’s hospitality landscape. How has the property evolved to meet the changing expectations of today’s travellers?
Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach has evolved alongside the destination and the changing expectations of today’s guests. While our beachfront location continues to be one of our strongest differentiators, travellers now seek experiences that are seamless, personalised and memorable. As a multi-segment property, we welcome corporate and MICE guests, families, social groups and leisure travellers. Our convention facilities allow us to host large-format conferences and events, while our sea-facing rooms, dining venues and beachfront setting create an attractive environment for celebrations, weekend breaks and destination-led stays.
We have also continued to strengthen our food and beverage offerings, with a focus on diverse culinary experiences for both residents and in-house guests. Today, hospitality is about much more than accommodation; it is about thoughtful service, personalisation, responsible practices and creating moments that guests remember long after their stay.
With business and leisure travel increasingly converging, how is Novotel adapting its products and services to cater to the “bleisure” traveller?
Bleisure travel is becoming increasingly important as guests look to combine work commitments with time to unwind and explore the destination. Visakhapatnam is well suited to this trend because business travellers can move easily from meetings to the beach, city attractions, dining experiences and regional excursions.
At Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach, our focus is on offering flexibility across the guest journey. Well-equipped meeting spaces, sea-facing accommodation, dining options and leisure facilities allow guests to transition naturally between work and downtime. Rather than viewing business and leisure as separate needs, we look at the entire stay experience and design our services around how guests actually travel today.
How important is MICE tourism for Visakhapatnam, and what potential do you see for the city to emerge as a major meetings and events destination? Do you think having a Convention Bureau for Vizag is a good start?
MICE can become a powerful growth engine for Visakhapatnam because it creates value across accommodation, food and beverage, transport, events, local experiences and destination visibility. The city already has many of the fundamentals in place: a strong business environment, improving hospitality infrastructure, coastal appeal and the ability to combine meetings with leisure experiences.
A Convention Bureau for Vizag would be a positive and timely step, as MICE destination development requires coordinated marketing, bidding support, stakeholder alignment and a unified destination proposition. Such a platform can help present Visakhapatnam more effectively to national and international planners. At the same time, the private sector must continue investing in venues, service standards and differentiated event experiences. Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach contributes to this ecosystem with extensive convention facilities, including 12 meeting rooms and the largest meeting space of 1,027 square metres.
Finally, what is your message to the IATO fraternity and international tour operators attending the Convention in Visakhapatnam?
My message to the IATO fraternity and international tour operators is to look at Visakhapatnam with a fresh perspective. The city brings together coast, culture, cuisine, nature, business opportunity and warm hospitality, while also offering access to the larger tourism possibilities of Andhra Pradesh. The IATO Convention is an ideal platform to experience this potential first-hand and consider how Visakhapatnam can be positioned within both domestic and international travel programmes.
From a hospitality perspective, there is tremendous scope to build longer-stay and experiential itineraries rather than treating Visakhapatnam only as a transit point. With collaboration between government, the tourism fraternity and the private sector, the city can strengthen its position on India’s tourism map and emerge as a distinctive coastal gateway for travellers seeking both business and leisure experiences.
