Welcoming guests

Published : Oct 10, 2008 00:00 IST

V. Irai Anbu: Tourism-friendly culture is being inculcated among stakeholders.-K. GANESAN

V. Irai Anbu: Tourism-friendly culture is being inculcated among stakeholders.-K. GANESAN

Interview with V. Irai Anbu, Secretary, Department of Tourism and Culture, Tamil Nadu.

V. IRAI ANBU took over as Secretary, Department of Tourism and Culture, Tamil Nadu, on January 2, 2007. A proactive officer, he has given a thrust to schemes such as popularisation of lesser-known tourist centres, destination development, and beach tourism, medical tourism and adventure tourism. He has also been working towards providing better road connectivity to tourist destinations, training autorickshaw drivers and temple staff to be courteous to tourists, and so on. Frontline met him in connection with the World Tourism Day on September 27. Excerpts from an interview:

Tamil Nadu has a variety of tourist spots beaches, temples, forts, palaces, wildlife sanctuaries. How do you plan to tap this potential?

Tamil Nadu has all types of tourist attractions, and some are underutilised. To improve the arrival of tourists in these places and make them appreciate the magnificent architecture, serene hill stations, beautiful beaches, verdant vegetation and wildlife sanctuaries, the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department has initiated a number of schemes in the past two years. Immense publicity is being given in travel magazines and international [television] channels to attract the attention of different types of travellers. Infrastructure facilities are being strengthened by providing funds under the destination development programmes and circuit-development schemes, besides the utilisation of gap-filling funds from the Rural Development Department and prioritisation of tourism roads by the Highways Department.

The State Tourism Department is participating in national and international tourism fairs to market Tamil Nadu. Young people have been trained to act as approved guides. Tourism-friendly culture is being inculcated among the stakeholders through the Virunthinar portruthum, Virunthinar portruthum [Let us welcome our guests] programme.

What is the present orientation of the destination development programme?

In the past two years, we have been focussing more on selecting a particular tourism centre and bringing about overall development around that spot. The Brihadisvara temple at Thanjavur, the Meenakshi temple at Madurai, the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam in Tiruchi, Kodaikanal, the Yelagiri Hills, Kumbakonam, the Marina beach in Chennai, the Chettinad region, Rameswaram, Tiruvannamalai and Vellore Fort are among the destinations where roads, lighting, landscaping and wayside facilities have been provided. Mamallapuram is covered under a Rs.25-crore mega project funded by the Government of India.

The State government is also funding the development of infrastructure facilities around other important destinations. The Kolli Hills; the Poondi Dam; Kutralam waterfalls [about 35 km from Coimbatore]; Courtalam waterfalls [Tirunelveli]; Suruli waterfalls and Chinna Suruli waterfalls [Theni]; Kattabomman fort; Pillayarpatti [famed for its rock-cut Ganesa temple] and Kundrakudi Navagraha temples; Vanabadrakaliamman temple; and Thiruvakkarai [a fossil site near Villupuram] are some of the destinations that have been developed with State funds. The approach now is to focus on selected destinations and provide comprehensive growth rather than spread the resources thin over a vast area.

What is the objective behind wanting to develop lesser-known tourist centres such as Pulicat, Valparai, Yelagiri and Tranquebar?

The Tamil Nadu government has taken a conscious decision to promote lesser-known tourist spots so that we can decongest the crowded destinations and reduce the impact on their ecosystems. Hill stations such as Yelagiri are easily accessible and have a pleasant climate. Pulicat is another interesting place for tourists to relax. Kazhugumalai near Kovilpatti has intricately hewn sculptures [of Jaina Tirthankaras and <"i">yakshis and is an important Jaina centre.

Developing lesser-known tourist centres will be done in a holistic manner. Publicity, infrastructure facilities, inculcating responsible tourism and providing other amenities will be done, keeping the larger picture in view. This initiative will attract a number of tourists and generate employment opportunities for the local youth.

What is done about the Chettinad region, which has heritage buildings, rock paintings, Tamil Brahmi sites, temples, and so on?

The government has allocated Rs.4.75 crore in the first phase for the development of the Chettinad region. We have provided Rs.2.37 lakh for the improvement of roads, the installation of solar lights, the provision of parking lots and the improvement of a tank in Kanaadukathan. About Rs.1.7 crore has been provided for the Sakkotai panchayat union. The government has provided Rs.1.18 crore for the development of a park at Devakottai in Sivaganga district. The government has also provided funds for the development of infrastructure facilities in adjoining places such as Pillayarpatti and Kundrakudi.

Chettinad requires proper projection in the international arena and an official is required to coordinate tourism-related activities in that region. Hence the government has sanctioned the post of a Tourism Officer [for the region] and an office is to be opened shortly in Chettinad. UNESCO is liaising with us in providing training in soft skills to local people as well as in the conservation of heritage buildings. Our efforts have been appreciated and Chettinad bagged the National Award in 2007 for the Best Rural Tourism Project.

How are you going to capitalise on the vast stretch of coastline in the State?

The Marina beach is under beautification, and after it is completed, it will attract a large number of tourists. The boat-houses at Muttukadu and Mudaliarkuppam have earned an enormous response. Recently, we introduced water scooters and banana boats at Mudaliarkuppam.

Cleaning the beaches and maintaining them free of litter is crucial to making them tourist-friendly. We have already launched mega campaigns at the Marina and at Mamallapuram to create awareness among residents about the need to keep the beaches clean. We are going to extend the campaign to other beaches.

Kanyakumari has modern ferries to transport tourists to the Vivekananda rock memorial and the Thiruvalluvar statue. Pichavaram is another lesser-known spot we are planning to develop as a major tourist attraction.

Kanyakumari has been provided funds under various schemes to the tune of Rs.5 crore to provide attractions for tourists. We have held talks with cruise operators about introducing cruise tourism from Chennai to Cuddalore and they are exploring the possibility. A hop-on and hop-off facility is to be introduced on East Coast Road at an affordable rate.

Although Tamil Nadu has magnificent temples, there is a feeling that they are not maintained properly.

The Virunthinar portruthum, Virunthinar portruthum programme is a special initiative to sensitise all the people associated with tourism. Autorickshaw drivers, cab drivers, traders, employees of hotels and restaurants, staff of temples and the general public are trained to maintain certain elementary courtesies and practise high civic sense.

We are also utilising the services of the National Service Scheme to disseminate awareness. We want this campaign to spread the message of cleanliness. We have conducted such programmes in the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai and the Srirangam temple.

We are thinking of identifying a non-governmental organisation for each important temple to create awareness about cleanliness and carry on the task of providing a clean environment in temple premises.

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