Development of Infrastructure

(i) Destination Development
Destination is a place of tourist
interest which is one of the most
visited sites in the State or a
recognized Heritage monument. A
group of tourist attractions located
in the same village, town or city
would also qualify to be a
destination.
About 25 destinations
including Mamallapuram (Third
phase), Elagiri, Vellore, Kolli Hills,
Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli,
Tourist destination - Mamallapuram
Kumbakonam, Kalrayan Hills,
Courtallam, Madurai, Thanjavur,
Chettinad, Kanniyakumari, Marina Beach & Pudukkottai would be taken up
for development during the Plan period.
(ii) Circuit Development
A tourist who enters at the entry point should get motivated to visit all
the places identified on the circuit. The objective of having a tourist circuit is
to increase the total number of visits to all the destinations on the circuit on
the one hand and to provide to the tourists the attractions of all the destinations
located on the circuit.
During the Eleventh Plan period, the following tourist circuits would be
taken up for development. a) Chennai - Kancheepuram - Mamallapuram
Tourist Circuit, b) Eco-Tourism Circuit (15 circuits) c) Heritage Tourist Circuit,
d) Madurai-Courtallam-Papanasam-Tirunelveli Circuit, e) Chennai Navagraha
Circuit, f) Navakailasam Circuit (Tirunelveli-Thoothukudi) and
g) Tiruchirappalli - Shitthanavasal - Thirumayam Circuit.
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(iii) District Excursion Centres
In order to encourage the tourists to visit the nearby places of tourist
interest, the Tourism Department in consultation with the District Collectors
proposes to develop the tourist places in that District with 50% of the total
cost met by the Tourism Department and the balance 50% by the District
Administration. Every year 20 such centers are proposed to be developed.
(iv) Development of minor Waterfalls
In order to attract the domestic tourists, the Tourism Department is taking
efforts to develop waterfalls. In addition to major waterfalls at Courtallam and
Hogenakkal, there are other minor waterfalls which need adequate
infrastructure facilities. It is therefore proposed to develop the Tirparappu
Waterfalls (Kanniyakumari District), Megham Waterfalls (Villupuram District),
Jalagamparai Waterfalls (Vellore District) Agasthiyar Waterfalls (Tiruneveli
District) by providing approach roads, lighting facilities, dress changing rooms
and toilets.
(v) Development of Dam Sites
It is proposed to develop important dam sites such as Grand Anaicut ,
Krishnagiri Dam, Kelavarapalli Dam, Gomuki Dam, Mettur Reservoir,
Bhavanisagar, Amaravathi Dam, Vaigai Dam, Pillavakkal Dam, Manimuthar
Dam, Pechiparai Dam, Aziyar Dam, Thirumurthy Dam etc., to attract the
domestic tourists during the Plan period.
(vi) Pilgrim Tourism
Tamil Nadu is famous for
Temples, where there is a place of
worship in almost every habitation.
The Hindu Religious Charitable &
Endowment (HR&CE) department
alone has over 15000 temples under
its control. Apart from this, there
are hundreds of mosques, churches
and places of worship of Jains,
Brahadeeswarar temple, Thanjavur
Buddhists etc. Some of the pilgrim
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centres are more than 1000 years old. The architectural splendour of the
structures are still intact after having faced the fury of Nature and test of time.
Some of the pilgrim centres are world renowned. Four of the UNESCO declared
heritage sites in Tamil Nadu (Mamallapuram, Big Temple Thanjavur,
Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram) are pilgrim centres. Infrastructure
facilities in and around places of worship have been provided in the Tenth
Plan and this exercise would be continued during the Eleventh Plan period
also.
(vii) Heritage Tourism
Tamil Nadu can boast of its immense heritage wealth. This is clearly
evident from the presence of five UNESCO declared world heritage centres in
the state. Apart from this, there are a large number of relatively less known
heritage sites in Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu Government had declared 47
towns in the State as heritage towns for conservation and preservation of the
priceless heritage value. One of the very common complaints received from
the tourists is regarding proper upkeep of heritage tourist destinations. It is
proposed to curb the menace of spoiling the beauty of the heritage centres by
identifying 15 such centres to undertake minor works, arrest leakages, colour
washing etc., without endangering the original architecture and design. In
addition, provision of dust bins, public conveniences and landscaped parks
will be taken up along with a publicity campaign for creating proper awareness
among the tourists to keep the monuments clean.
(viii) Rural Tourism
Rural tourism is essentially an
activity which takes place in the
country side. It is multi-faceted and
may entail farm/agricultural tourism,
cultural tourism, nature tourism,
adventure tourism, and eco-tourism. As
against conventional tourism, rural
tourism has certain typical
characteristics such as being
experience oriented, and normally
associated with sparsely populated
Thiruvalluvar Statue - Kanniyakumari
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locations predominantly in the natural environment, meshing with seasonality
and local events accompanied by preservation of the local culture, heritage
and traditions.
During the Eleventh Plan period, 20 places would be identified and
developed for Rural Tourism by undertaking improvement works in the
surroundings of the village and roads within the Panchayat limits, including
improved solid waste and sewerage management.
(ix) Farm Tourism
The future of this segment is very bright. In rough estimate, 20% of all
foreign exchange earnings through tourism may be raised through Farm
Tourism. It could be an extension to medical tourism as rejuvenation packages
can be packaged as "Health Packages".
Farm holidays are not a very new concept in the global market. This
concept is very popular to tourists as it offers them an opportunity to live in
comfortable farmhouses in green environment and to enjoy the thrill of the
outdoors.
An advantage is that all these operations offer local job opportunities.
Farm tourism compliments the income for the farm owners whose income
from agriculture is dwindling and will be encouraged during the Plan period.
(x) Medical Tourism
India is today reinventing itself as medical tourist destination. The super
multi-speciality hospitals which offer quality services at an affordable cost in
India and especially in Tamil Nadu have given a new dimension to the concept
of medical tourism. One of the major reasons for choosing India for medical
treatment is the medical expertise available and the relatively low cost of medical
care. The visa procedures have been simplified for medical tourists and now
video conferencing facilities have been introduced. These measures are sure
to result in a big spurt in arrival of medical tourists to Tamil Nadu. The Tourism
Department is gearing itself to meet the steady inflow of medical tourists. To
monitor the arrival of medical tourists, effective liaison would be maintained
with leading hospitals. Tourism brochures will be specially designed in
consultation with the medical institutions for medical tourists with some useful
tips on health care. The Tourism Department / TTDC staff members would be
specially trained to attend to the specific needs of medical tourists. Medical
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tourists will be provided with tourist guidance right inside their room in the
hospital. The medical tourists can avail of the Tourism Department assistance
to Plan their itinerary absolutely free of cost.
(xi) Eco-Tourism
Tamil Nadu boasts of immense potential for eco-tourism viz. Hill stations,
Mangroves, 5 National parks, 8 Sanctuaries, 12 Bird sanctuaries and 2
Biosphere resources (The Nilgiris & Gulf of Mannar) .
The objectives for promotion of Eco-Tourism are to provide a rejuvenating
experience for the tourists, to achieve economic uplift of the people in and
around eco-tourist spots, to create proper awareness among the people to
protect the extremely fragile ecology and to educate the tourists about the
wild life, forests and biodiversity.
During the Eleventh Five Year Plan period, it is proposed to develop eco-
Tourism at the various National Parks, Sanctuaries and hill stations including
the Mudumalai Wild Life Sanctuary, Anamalai Wild Life sanctuary, Kalakad
Mundanthurai wild life sanctuary, Gulf of Mannar, Point Calimer, Kodaikanal,
Hogenakkal, Pichavaram etc. The works proposed to be taken up at the above
centres will be infrastructure development and provision of accommodation,
water supply, sanitation, rest shed, watch tower, parking lot, transportation,
communication network, trekking, landscaping etc.
(xii) Adventure Tourism
Eco-friendly Adventure tours are gaining momentum. Tamil Nadu boasts
of several ideal locations to attract the visitors by encouraging, Trekking, Aqua
Sports, Hang-Gliding and Angling.
(xiii) Urban Haat
The “Urban Haat” (Market) is being established along the lines of the
famed “Delhi Haat” in New Delhi and will come up in a four acre plot with
about 140 – 150 stalls. Mamallapuram will soon have a one stop outlet that
will accommodate the state’s artisans and their handicrafts. The Artisans can
sell wares directly to foreign and domestic tourists in a market that is so
designed to accommodate all the artisans. This will directly benefit nearly 6.5
lakh artisans in the State. The showroom will have space for shelf display,
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dormitories for artisans, an exhibition hall, food courts and public convenience
facilities.
(xiv) Promotion of Museums
The Tourism Department on its part desires to improve the facilities
available for tourists at the museums. It is proposed to create / upgrade
facilities at museums such as public conveniences, drinking water, approach
roads, restaurants, parking lots, lighting facilities, cloak rooms, rest sheds,
signages and parks so as to attract more visitors to visit these culturally and
educationally significant institutions.
(xv) Guide Training
The training of guides is aimed at fulfilling two main objectives i.e., to
provide employment opportunities to educated youths and to drive out touts
from the tourist spots. It is proposed to impart guide training to about 3000
youths i.e., 100 youths from each of the 30 districts during the Plan period.
The training would be conducted at Chennai, Trichy, Madurai, Kanniyakumari,
Rameswaram, Coimbatore, Udhagamandalam etc., for duration of 4 – 6 days.
(xvi) Tourism Police
Keeping in view the security and safety of tourists coming to the state,
tourism police will be introduced at Mamallapuram, Udhagamandalam,
Kodaikanal, Madurai and Kanniyakumari and other places in a phased
manner.
(xvii) Opening of Tourism Call Centres
For the benefit of the tourists, it is proposed to establish a "Tourism Call
Centre". Under this scheme, tourists can obtain any information relating to
Tamil Nadu tourism round the clock all the 365 days in a year from anywhere
across the globe.
(xviii) Introduction of "Night Safari at Vandalur Zoo"
It is proposed to introduce a “Night Safari" as an added attraction in the
Arignar Anna Zoological Park. It is expected that this new feature will increase
the number of tourists, both foreign and domestic, visiting the Zoological
Park during the night.
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(xix) Introduction of " Hop on Hop off" Tours in Chennai
It is proposed to introduce "Hop on Hop off Tour" in Chennai in cooperation
with the State Transport Corporation to facilitate the tourists to visit tourist
centres in Chennai. Under this tour, the tourist can board the bus at any
location and get off the bus at any stop convenient for seeing tourist attractions
in the city in a comfortable and leisurely manner.
(xx) Heli – Tourism
Helicopters possess many advantages when compared to wide-bodied jets.
Helicopters are suitable for short haul destinations and to ferry small group of
tourists, who desire flexible air timings. They can operate from small air
strips. In view of the above, it is proposed to introduce helicopter services to
the Tourist destinations through the private players. Tourism Department on
its part would only prepare the groundwork in association with the Civil Aviation
Ministry and the District Collectors concerned for establishment of Helipad in
the important centres.
Sourcing of Funds
The outlay for State sector during the Eleventh Plan is Rs.174.95 crore
including schemes for provision of basic facilities, amenities and infrastructure
in tourist centres and to provide the matching grant for Centrally sponsored
schemes. The private sector outlay for this sector is Planned at Rs.4025 crore
during the Plan period.