APTDC planning AI tie-up for Tirupati tour

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation is in talks with Air India to include its temple tourism tour in the airline's holiday package services.  According to APTDC officials, Air India has expressed willingness to operate the tourism corporations' Tirupati Darshan package from cities across the country and abroad. "All accommodation, food and temple visit services will be provided by us while Air India would take care of flight formalities for tourists," said B Manohar, deputy general manager, APTDC. Manohar added that the proposed package would include airfare charges, accommodation, food and temple visits. "The tie-up will be finalized in 15 days and the services will start very soon," he said. When asked about advantages of such a package, he said the airfare would remain constant throughout unlike regular flight charges which keep fluctuating. "It is a real advantage for tourists who need not book a ticket to Tirupati months ahead to save on airfare," Manohar said.Currently, the APTDC operates its Tirupati Darshan package through Jet Airways. The temple tourism package which lets a devotee visit Tirumala temple and nearby temples in 24 hours costs Rs 9,199. Other airline operators like SpiceJet have come forward to get into a tie-up with the corporation.