The plans of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu to turn INS Viraat in to a tourist spot are proving to be tough day by day. We have already seen Goa government trying to grab the warship from AP, with the support of Defense Minister, Manohar Parrikar who is previously the Chief Minister of Goa.
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Things are becoming tough for Andhra Pradesh as the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) has made it clear that it has no space to accommodate the giant vessel after its decommissioning later this year. VPT clarified that it can only extend all possible technical assistance to the AP government. The ship will go to Goa if the state government could not find a place to accommodate it.
The state government is looking to convert the ship into a star hotel and floating museum to attract tourists from across the world. Tourism activities like sea sports, yachting, sailing, gliding and cruising will also be made available on the warship. A fivestar luxury hotel with about 1,500 rooms is also part of the plan. Heli-tourism will also be encouraged.
