Hyderabad Tourism Updates

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Hyderabad is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Located on the banks of the Musi River in the Deccan Plateau, the city is one of the largest in India with an area of 650 square kilometres (250 sq mi) and a population of 6.8 million, while the metropolitan area contains 7.7 million residents, making it the fourth most populous city and the sixth most populous urban agglomeration in the country. In 2008, the nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of Hyderabad was US$ 60 billion—ranking 4th in India and 93rd in the world.
Hyderabad city was established in 1591 CE by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, whose dynasty lasted until 1658 when Mughal emperor Aurangzeb occupied Golconda Sultanate and the city became part of the Mughal empire's Deccan province. In 1724 Asif Jah I, a Mughal viceroy, declared his sovereignty and formed the Asif Jahi Dynasty, also known as the Nizams of Hyderabad. The Nizams ruled the princely state of Hyderabad for more than two centuries, under subsidiary alliance with the British Raj. The city remained the dynasty's capital from 1769 until 1948—when the Nizam signed an Instrument of Accession with the Indian Union following Operation polo. In 1956, the city was merged with Andhra State. Since 1969 Hyderabad is a major center of the Telangana movement, which demands a separate state for the Telengana region of Andhra Pradesh.
Situated on the crossroads of North and South India, the city has been noted for its unique culture. As the capital of the largest and richest Princely state of India, and with the patronage from Nizams, the city established local traditions in drama, art, theater, literature, architecture and cuisine. The city is a regular tourist destination and home to many places of interest, including the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage site of Chowmahalla Palace, and other notable landmarks such as the Charminar and Golconda fort. Hyderabad is home to numerous museums, Bazaars, galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the Salarjung museum, Laad Bazaar, Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) and Shilpakala Vedika.
Hyderabad was once a global center of the diamond and pearls trade, for which it is known by the nickname as City of Pearls. Since 1990s, Hyderabad has emerged as a hub for the information technology, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industries, alongside traditional and service industries. Hyderabad International Airport was adjudged the world's fifth best airport. Hyderabad's 13 universities and business schools form a major location for higher education and research among Indian and foreign students. The city is home to the Telugu film industry known as Tollywood. The city was expanded in 2007 and the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad came under the ambit of a single municipal unit, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. As a growing metropolitan city in a developing country, Hyderabad confronts substantial urban pollution, traffic congestion, poverty, overpopulation, and other logistic and socioeconomic problems.

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Flexi package for tourists soon

Providing a flexible option for tourists to spend more time at their favourite historic and tourist spots in the city, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) is shortly launching hop-on and hop-off service.

A first-of-its-kind service in the city, it covers 12 historical and tourists venues, including Qutub Shahi tombs, Golconda Fort, Chowmahalla Palace, Snow world, Jal Vihar etc.

Under this service, tourists will be provided an opportunity to visit all the 12 identified spots or pick their favourite places to spend time. They will be given the option of picking nine, six or three venues and depending on the choice, the fare would be fixed.

FARE

Tourists would be taken in air-conditioned buses. While, the adult fare for visiting all the 12 places is Rs. 250, it is Rs. 225 for nine places, Rs.175 for six and Rs.100 for three places, APTDC authorities informed.

Guides would accompany tourists in the buses and the fare for this service excludes entry fee at the venues. Four exclusive buses will be operated under the service and they will be shuttling from 9 a.m to 10 p.m.

Two buses will be operated from Paryatak Bhavan, Begumpet to Qutub Shahi Tombs covering all the places, another two buses would be operated from the other direction. Tourists will have the convenience of boarding any bus that arrives at the venue.

Authorities are gearing up to launch the service shortly and have already constructed 10 exclusive bus shelters at different areas in the city. Tourists will have to board or alight buses at these bus shelters and visit the nearest venue. “All the modalities have been completed and hopefully the service would be launched in next week,” says APTDC Vice-chairman and MD Sandeep Kumar Sultania.

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AP Tourism to build Buddhist style theme park & Hyderabad Eye

Plans to offer higher commission to travel trade; conduct road shows in Pune, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi & London in two months

Andhra Pradesh (AP) which holds the numero-uno position in terms of attracting domestic travellers, has decided to further increase its tourist footfall, both domestic and international. Chandana Khan, IAS, Special Chief Secretary – Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh informed that the tourism department is planning to construct a Buddhist style theme park at Nagarjuna Sagar and a giant wheel called Hyderabad Eye on the lines of famous London Eye. Khan informed that there are plans to develop floating restaurants and a night bazaar near Charminar in Hyderabad. This information was revealed during a presentation at a road show held in Mumbai on June 27, 2012 for the travel trade.

A delegation of tourism officials and hoteliers which also included Sunita M Bhagwat, IFS, Additonal Chief (PMU), Youth Advancement, Tourism & Culture Department, Govt of AP participated in the event. The road show in Mumbai was part of the series of road shows called ‘Andhra Pradesh Tourism Interactive Meet’ planned by the tourism department across India this year. In the next two months similar road shows will be conducted in Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Nagpur and in London (July 12, 13, 14, 2012). “Our aim is to reach out to maximum number of travel agents and tour operators through the road shows and attract more tourists. In order to tap the international markets, we have conducted a road show in Dubai and will conduct road shows in London on July 12, 13 and 14, 2012. We have a state tourism budget of Rs 50 crore, and also funds to the tune of Rs 100 crore from the centre in form of various grants for tourism promotion,” stated Khan.

She said that while the state had good infrastructure, connectivity and good and relatively cheap accommodation, there was a shortage of good guides, a problem they were addressing by initiating training programmes for guides. “We are also planning to offer higher rate of commission to the travel trade,” revealed Khan. Among other initatives for tourism promotion, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has announced a tie-up with domestic airlines such as SpiceJet and Jet Airways for promoting Religious Tourism with a two-day package costing Rs 9,199. It includes flights, accommodation transportation and visits to Srikalahasti Temple, Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple, Srinivasa Mangapuram Temple, Venkateswara Swamy Temple. APTDC has also launched Andhra Pradesh Vacation Packages which comprises road-cum-river cruise, road-cum-rail, road-cum-sea retreat, road-cum-sea backwater cruise and temple package tour.

And so it is called Hyderabad Eye

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Source Torontostart http://www.tonightnewspaper.com/pdf/3-200.pdf
Hyderabad, India one of the destination being chosen as TOUR PACKAGES
FOR ‘CHANGING LIVES’
FROM MEXICO AND MOROCCO TO ICELAND AND ITALY: 20 ITINERARIES THAT JUST MAY TRANSFORM YOU
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AP plans festivals to boost tourism

The state will host dozens of fairs and cultural festivals throughout the year to promote domestic and international tourism. A high-level committee has finalised the itinerary for fairs and cultural festivals for the year in the three regions of the state from January to December. While Andhra and Telangana would have four festivals, Rayalaseema would have three festivals including the annual World Tourism Day celebrations.

While six festivals will be sponsored by the Centre, the expenses for the others would be met by the state government and organised by the tourism department.

Fairs & festivals planned
Lepakshi festival at Anantapur in August
World Tourism Day Sept. 27-29
Kakinada Beach festival in Oct. (3 days)
Araku festival Oct. 15-21
Rayalaseema food festival in Tirupati Oct. 16-30
Literary festival at Chittoor Nov. 10 and 11
Kakatiya festival in Warangal Nov. (last week)
Panagallu festival at Nalgonda Dec. 7-9
Hyderabad Carnival at Necklace Road, Dec. 21-27
Visakha Utsav at Vizag Dec. (last week)
Flamingo festival at Nellore Jan. 7-9
Taramathi festival at Golconda/Deccan Hyd Jan. 25-27.

[Prodigist]

You can add one more to that list.

News from CII Southern Region Council Meet:

Source: The Hindu Business Line

Mr. G.V.Sanjay Reddy, Chairman of CII Southern Region, said.Speaking after their Council meeting here today, said that CII is planning to host
Festival of South India for the first time and Hyderabad could be chosen to host first such event. "We expect about 2,00,000 people to attend the event where art and culture will converge."

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Public-Private Partnership mode ideal for tourism projects

HYDERABAD, JULY 22:
The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Minister, Mr Vatti Vasantha Kumar, has said that the Public-Private Partnership mode is the best way out to promote projects in the tourism sector.

Speaking after inaugurating the travel and tourism fair at Hitex here recently, he said that the sector has immense potential for employment and generating revenue.

The Travel and Tourism Fair is being held in Hyderabad for the 10th time and their 97{+t}{+h} edition in the country. The fair had participation from more than 160 exhibitors, represented by 17 Indian States and seven countries.

Representatives from Bhutan, Kenya, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uzbekistan showcased the potential for tourism in their respective countries.

PARTNER STATE

Gujarat has come in as a partner State this year too. The states represented myriad of destinations and various facets of Indian tourism with each location known for its distinct flavour.

Besides decking up their stalls, some of States including the host State Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh are organising travel trade and media road shows to the three-day fair.

Among other participants are representatives from the hospitality sector including hotels and resorts, travel agents, tour operators, cruise lines, railways and travel portals.

Mr Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman and CEO of Fairfest media, in a statement said platforms such as TTF act as booster shots for the travel and tourism industry at time when business sentiments and the overall outlook are depressed, reflecting the global economic conditions.

TRADE SHOW

About 10,000 visitors are expected to participate in the three-day trade show where people can visit and explore opportunities. The TTF is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, travel bodies such as Pacific Asia Travel Association and travel operators.

Andhra Pradesh showcased various tourism packages that visitors could enjoy in the State.

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Focus on state tourism in Andhra Pradesh

HYDERABAD: The state tourism department is focusing on strengthening its infrastructure and encouraging public-private partnerships in the state, said V Vasant Kumar, tourism minister of Andhra Pradesh while inaugurating the Travel and Tourism Fair in the city on Friday.

The event saw the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) sign an MoU with the travel website MakeMyTrip which will enable its users to view and book packages offered by APTDC online. A "Hop on hop off" city tour package too was launched for tourists not willing to opt for full-day city tour packages. This facility will be available at 13 bus stations across the city, and allow travelers to pick the spots they want to visit. The price of tickets will range between Rs 150 and Rs 250.

Speaking at the event Sandeep Sultania, vice chairman and managing director of APTDC said that the state also had plans to expand its tourism and hotel management institutes- the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Nellore and State Institute of Hotel Management, Tirupati to increase the local manpower in the industry. He further said that a year-long schedule of special festivals had been planned to showcase AP's tourism hotspots.

The three-day event which is the 97th edition of the fair and the 10th in Hyderabad is being used as a platform to aggressively promote tourist attractions in the host state. The fair has 160 stalls from 19 Indian states and seven foreign countries including Bhutan, Kenya, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uzbekistan.

Also present at the event were Chandana Khan, special chief secretary, tourism and Rajat Kumar, commissioner, tourism.

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Now, a smart way to tour Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Navigating through the twin cities to visit the various historical monuments could be quite a task for tourists unfamiliar with the local language and routes. To make life easier for such visitors, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation has tied up with Mojostreet, which provides location-based services. Under an agreement, Mojostreet Infomedia Services Private Limited, a Hyderabad-based company, will come up with a mobile application by August 15 and what more, it is free and can be downloaded into any of the smartphones.
“Mojostreet is a GPS-based mobile city guide, which provides details about tourist destinations, restaurants, ATMs, directions on Google Maps and contact numbers etc. Apart from this, users are entitled to freebies and discounts across 250 plus destinations in the State,” B Manohar, deputy general manager, APTDC, told City Express. The corporation will also use the application to get feedback from tourists and encourage them to share and recommend tourist destinations to friends through Facebook and Twitter apart from Mojostreet. “Tourists who visit and recommend 5 destinations will be rewarded with an all paid package by the corporation. Tourists who visit 10 or more destinations would be rewarded with 2 all paid tour packages,” Manohar explained.



Some of the destinations selected as part of these packages are Araku, Anantagiri, Rishikonda Beach, Jungle Bells, Horsley Hills, Dindi, Kurnool Bellam Caves, Srikalahasti, Taramati Baradari, Anantagiri (Vikarabad) etc. Mojostreet Infomedia has been working on this project for over a year and a half. “We are mainly into developing mobile apps. But considering the tourism opportunities in the State, we have been working since the inception of the company on this project. We are working out on feedback and requirements of tourists based on the information with the APTDC and the application will be ready for download by August 15,” said Kalyan Manyam, CEO, Mojostreet Infomedia Services Pvt Ltd.

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ITDC office shifted in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD, AUG. 29:
The office of India Tourism Development Corporation, a Government of India Undertaking: Ashok Travels and Tours, Hyderabad, has been shifted from Gagan Vihar Building, M.J. Road, Nampally to Tourism Plaza, Balayogi Paryatak Bhavan, Begumpet.

The State Tourism Minister Vatti Vasantha Kumar, recently inaugurated the office. The office offers services relating to travel requirements of all Government organisations including ministries and public sector undertakings, private organisations and individuals.

The services include international and domestic air ticketing, tour packages, transport provisions and event management, and facilitation, according to a statement.

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Andhra Pradesh beckons Karnataka tourists

The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department held a road show here on Friday to popularise wide range of tourism destinations in that State.

Special Chief Secretary to the Andhra Pradesh government, Tourism and Culture, Chandana Khan told presspersons on Friday the department was now eyeing tourists from south India, particularly Karnataka.

She said the department was especially keen on wooing the IT crowd in the city to tourism spots in that State, which, she claimed, was ranked no. 1 in domestic tourism. She said Hyderabad had been awarded the Best Heritage City tag by the Government of India.

Ms. Khan said apart from the well-known destinations such as Tirumala-Tirupati and Penukonda, the State wants to promote relatively little known and less visited spots.

“We have introduced two new package tours,” she said. The first one will start from here and cover Lepakshi, Veerapuram, Thimmamma Marrimanu, Yogi Vemana Memorial, Kadiri Lakshmi Narasimhaswami temple, Puttaparthi, Nimmalakunta, Dharmavaram, Kumbhakarna Gardens and Penukonda Fort before returning to Bangalore.

The second package tour conducted from Hyderabad will cover destinations such as Pillalamarri, Alampur, Orvakal, Mahanandi, Ahobilam, Belum Caves and Yaganti before returning to Hyderabad.

Executive Director of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) Sumit Singh said the corporation had joined hands with Jet Airways to launch an air package tour from Hyderabad, ‘Lord Balaji Darshan’, which offers a trip from Hyderabad to Tirumala-Tirupati and back at a cost of Rs. 9,199. This package may also be extended to Horsley Hills soon.

Ms. Khan said they were planning an exclusive tour for the IT crowd in the city covering weekend getaways such as Horsley Hills which offers adventure sports activities.

She said they were also planning an integrated circuit tour, covering various destinations in south India.

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Old City rejoices as footfalls rise

HYDERABAD: With the city playing host to several foreign delegates for CoP-11, many tourist attractions here are recording good footfalls and better revenue. Officials from various tourist spots such as Golconda Fort, Chowmahalla palace, Charminar and Shilparamam have noted a significant rise in the number of foreigners.

Shop owners at Charminar too have a reason to rejoice as delegates visiting the monument are also purchasing items like lac bangles and attar. Many bangle stores in Laad Bazaar and owners of stores selling attar and surma reported a considerable rise in sales stating that these typical Hyderabadi items have generated huge interest among the foreigners.

The hallmarks of the city's history, Charminar and Golconda Fort have been the most visited places so far by the foreign delegates and the brightly-lit structures have reportedly appealed to many who are even queuing up for second visits. "Every delegate seems to be awestruck by the beauty of Charminar, Golconda Fort and also Chowmahalla Palace which are illuminated in the evening. These places are included in the daily evening tour for which around 50 members turn up daily and many have come more than once," said an APTDC official, who is manning the travel desk at CoP-11 venue.

He further added that full day tours covering State Fine Arts Gallery, Salar Jung Museum, Birla Mandir, Mecca Masjid, Lumbini Park and Ramoji Film City are among other attractions and overnight weekend trips to Nagarjuna Sagar, Srisailam, Warangal, Ananthagiri Hills and Pochampally too are being received well by the delegates.

Officials at these tourist spots reported a notable rise in the number of visitors. "Our daily average footfall has increased by at least 30 per cent with the number of foreigners visiting the place going from around 25 to nearly 50 in a day and this has resulted in increased revenue too," said Kishan Rao, director of Chowmahalla Palace, adding that he is expecting the figures to rise further in the coming week and that a special event has been planned on Saturday for 250 delegates. Shilparamam too witnessed around 1000 visitors last weekend and officials said that the numbers are steadily increasing leading up to the next weekend.

However, Salar Jung Museum seems to be missing out on the action due to its early closing time on weekdays. Although the closing time on weekends has been extended to 8 pm, it remains 5 pm on weekdays resulting in the museum's exclusion from the daily evening tour. But officials remained hopeful for the coming days. According to officials, several Japanese and Korean delegates even left a comment in the feedback form saying 'Dhanyavaadam'.

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Tourists come away impressed

The City of Nizams has several attractions to boast of — monuments that are testimony of Hyderabad’s rich culture, the Nizami tehzeeb, mouth-watering delicacies, the IT hub and not to forget the pearl stores that abound here. If anything, the City is a dream for tourists.

“Charminar is definitely the star attraction for me in the City. The perfect mix of old world charm and modern technological parks in Hyderabad is impressive. Besides, the people here are very helpful,” smiles Yousuf, a tourist from Oman.

Katherine from UK couldn’t agree more. “People here are very friendly, which is not the case in London. But the City is extremely noisy. The last time I visited Bangalore, I couldn’t come here, so this time I had to visit the City. Walking around visiting the tombs and other architectural marvels are a pleasure and not to forget the scrumptious biryani,” she says.

The only problem, tourists complain about are beggars who constantly hound them. On the whole though, the City seems to have worked its charm on the foreign delegates and tourists.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/l...w/16912825.cms
Hyderabad is world’s 3rd best city to visit in 2013
Hyderabad has been named as one of the best cities in the world to visit next year by travel guide book Lonely Planet.

The Indian city has been described by Lonely Planet as "elegant and blossoming", News.com.au reported.

Lonely Planet's Top 10 Cities for 2013 are:

San Francisco

Amsterdam

Hyderabad

Derry/Londonderry

Beijing

Christchurch

Hobart

Montreal

Addis Ababa

Puerto Iguazu

[Prodigist]

Last Heritage hurdle for city monuments

Source: DC

The main advisory committee (Heritage structure experts) of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (Icomos) is scheduled to visit Hyderabad again on October 31 for the final scrutiny of the Charminar, Golconda and Qutub Shahi Tombs before they are given the UNESCO World Heritage monument tag. This was revealed by the department of Archaeology and Museums.

The advisory body, along with Indian Heritage experts from Delhi, will arrive in Hyderabad on October 31 and remain in the city till November 3 for inspection purposes, said the officials.

“The suggestions given by the advisory committee of UNESCO have been taken seriously and implementation has already begun. The department has also removed small rocks and structures from around the tomb, said Mr G.V Ramakrishna Rao, archaeology department director.

[Prodigist]

Here's the what Lonely Planet had to say about selecting Hyderabad:

Hyderabad was once the capital of a filthy-rich princely state. After India’s independence, the palaces and pleasure gardens were sold off, built over and looted, and you had to be really sharp to see the city’s beauty. But several palaces in Hyderabad’s Old City have recently been refurbished, including Falaknuma Palace, a seven-star hotel that was skilfully restored by the Taj Group and is now an exceedingly plush time capsule. Other monuments and buildings are being fixed up, but the city, and many of its architectural gems, are still off the radar – which keeps the masses at bay. Elegant and blossoming, but also weathered and undiscovered, Hyderabad’s Old City is ripe for exploration.

Lonely Planet's Hyderabad and Secunderabad Page

Hyderabad and Secunderabad, City of Pearls, was once the seat of the powerful Qutb Shahi and Asaf Jahi dynasties. Today Hyderabad’s west side is, with Bengaluru (Bangalore), the seat of India’s mighty software dynasty; ‘Cyberabad’ generates jobs, wealth and posh lounges like she was born to do it. Opulence, it would seem, is in this city’s genes

Across town from all this sheen is Cyberabad’s gorgeous and aged grandmother, the old Muslim quarter, with centuries-old Islamic monuments and even older charms. In fact, the whole city is laced with architectural gems (just like the garments of Asaf Jahi princesses threaded with gold): ornate tombs, mosques, palaces and homes from the past are tucked away, faded and enchanting, in corners all over town. Keep your eyes open.

Once an important centre of Islamic culture, Hyderabad is southern India’s counterpart to the Mughal splendour of Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, and a sizeable percentage of Hyderabad’s population is Muslim. The city gracefully combines Hindu and Islamic traditions – while a strategically placed 17.5m-high Buddha looks on.

You’re likely to be taken aback by the chilled-out kindness of Hyderabadis, and many find the city delightful: lots to see and do with almost no hassle.

[Prodigist]

India’s Sleeping beauty awakes

Source: Silk Road Books and Photos

India’s ancient principality of Hyderabad was once a carnival of palaces, decadence and concubines by the thousand. Now the city is thriving again

Click on the link for more....

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Tourism projects need to be fast-tracked: Chiranjeevi

HYDERABAD, NOV. 26:
Union Tourism Minister K. Chiranjeevi on Monday expressed the need to fast-track the implementation of tourism projects and assured that he would clear the Vizag mega circuit for Central financial assistance.

Following a review of various tourism projects, including development of infrastructure to support tourist spots, here on Monday, he said that during the XI Five Year Plan, the Union Government released Rs 201 crore for 40 projects in Andhra Pradesh and in the first year of XII Plan, the Centre released Rs 58 crore for 11 projects.

He said that the Rs 55-crore Vizag circuit project between Visakhapatnam and Bhimli will be developed as a tourism spot hub.

The Minister agreed to consider the State Government’s request to set up a new institute for hotel management.

During the interaction, he stressed the need to focus on rural tourism. Most foreigners visiting India like to see the real India which is in rural parts of the country, its traditions and customs. Andhra Pradesh is rich in rural traditions, art, cuisine and culture and has potential to attract them.

The Buddhist spots in the State could be developed and promoted to attract foreign tourists.

He stressed the need to brand Andhra Pradesh just like Kerala and Madhya Pradesh to attract visitors. “Effective marketing of our tourism is needed while highlighting the unique sales proposition of the State,” he felt.

UN’S TOURISM MEET

India will play a host to the United Nations world tourism Organisation (UNTWO) regional commission for South Asia, East Asia and Pacific countries in April 2013 in Hyderabad.

More than 30 countries are expected to take part in the event which was finalised at London during the meeting with Taleb Rafai, Secretary General, UNWTO.

He felt this event presents an ideal opportunity to showcase the rich heritage and potential for meetings and conventions.

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Holiday crowds spread cheer in Old City

HYDERABAD: Christmas day brought cheer to the Old City with historic monuments and museums registering heavy footfall after more than a month of tension and clashes between police and local residents saw places like the Charminar out of bounds for days.

Traffic came to a halt for half-an-hour when tourists from across the country made a beeline for buying tickets at Charminar. Beaming officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said the 400-year old monument witnessed a spurt in the number of tourists in the last three days with 7,000 per day as against a meagre 3,000 per day after November 16, which saw biggest clashes in the area.

Tension over expansion of the Bhagyalakshmi temple abutting the Charminar resulted in huge protests with police firing tear gas shells, stopping people from marching towards the structure and also shutting down shops and putting up barricades, specially during Friday prayers.

On Tuesday, officials opened the gates of all four minarets instead of the usual northeast entrance to allow visitors who were swarming from early morning. "The increase in the number of tourists means that the days of violence are over. Hopefully we will see more foreigners in the coming weeks," said a relieved ASI official.

"My family was aware of the tension in Hyderabad which is why we had to postpone our trip twice. It is good that everything is normal now. There is a lot of rush as we have been standing in the queue to climb to the top for about 20 minutes," Ravi Kiran, a visitor from Bangalore said.

The Salar Jung Museum too recorded an increase in the number of visitors. According to officials, more than 13,000 tourists have visited the museum everyday since Sunday as against around 4,000 on regular weekdays.

Eateries remained packed till late in the evening even as people bought jewellery from the gold and silver markets of Gulzar Houz and Pathergatti.