Not Delhi or Bangalore, but Anantapur Could Get Disney World City

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, just days after announcing big projects on the state’s coast, has now envisioned developing AP into a global tourism hub. He aims to focus on world-class entertainment, spiritual tourism, and community-based hospitality, rather than relying on a single sector.

In a recent review meeting, CM directed the Tourism Department to initiate talks with Walt Disney to explore the possibility of establishing a “Disney World City” in Anantapur. If realized, this project would not only place Andhra Pradesh on the global tourism map but also generate large-scale employment opportunities and enhance allied sectors such as hospitality, infrastructure and local commerce in the district that was earlier boosted by the KIA plant.

With Anantapur’s strategic location on the Bengaluru-Hyderabad corridor, the proposal is expected to attract both domestic and international tourists as Anantapur already has a spiritual town Putaparthi on one side and the cosmopolitan hubs on the other catering the large urban population of Bengaluru.

Beyond large-scale attractions, the CM emphasized the importance of strengthening grassroots-level tourism experiences. He instructed officials to promote Home Stays across spiritual and tourist destinations in Andhra Pradesh. From Tirupati and Srisailam to coastal heritage towns like Machilipatnam and Visakhapatnam, home stays are expected to offer visitors a real local experience while generating sustainable income for households which was a quite successful model in Kerala.

Naidu’s strategy reflects a double sided approach on one hand, attracting global players like Disney to establish landmark projects in the entertainment sector and on the other, empowering communities of local population to participate directly in the tourism economy. This blend of mega-infrastructure and local enterprise is in line with his broader vision of making Andhra Pradesh a hub for innovation, culture and global connectivity.

If successful, the Disney World City project could become another major upgrade for Anantapur after the Kia Plant positioning it alongside world-renowned entertainment destinations, while the home stay model could make Andhra Pradesh a more inclusive and people-driven tourism state.