Tourist police initiative strengthens visitor safety: NITHM retreat

Senior officials met at NITHM to review the six-day Tourist Police training programme. They discussed infrastructure gaps, safety concerns, and deployment challenges. The retreat concluded that the initiative has improved tourist safety and called for continued training and better coordination.

Hyderabad: A one-day retreat was organised at the National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (NITHM) to evaluate the effectiveness of the recently completed six-day Tourist Police training programme.

The session brought together senior officials, B Shivadhar Reddy, Director General of Police, Kranthi Valluru, Director of Tourism, Prof V Venkata Ramana, Director NITHM, Ramana Kumar, Assistant IGP, DGP office, and others.

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Participants discussed infrastructure gaps and operational issues at several destinations, including inadequate facilities at Ananthagiri Hills and navigation issues at Eegalapenta Boating Point. Concerns were also raised regarding unregulated guides, transport restrictions, and parking malpractices at some sites.

Suggestions included distinct uniforms for better visibility, improved deployment planning, and redeployment of personnel to high-footfall locations such as Kolanupaka.

The retreat concluded that the Tourist Police initiative has significantly strengthened tourist safety, crisis response, and visitor confidence across destinations. Participants emphasised that continued training, infrastructure improvements, and coordinated planning will further enhance the visitor experience and support sustainable tourism development.