CII, hoteliers to unveil TN’s first Travel Mart in July

The collaboration between the industry body and the state’s hospitality business is aimed at giving a much-needed fillip to the sector. “CII is coming up with the TN Travel Mart in July next year. The objective is to rope in stakeholders from across the world to get a unique experience of the hospitality sector,” says T Nataraajan, Treasurer, The South India Hotels and Restaurants Association (SIHRA). 

Giving an outline of the unique partnership, he said the industry body had incubated the idea and around five months ago, it started to take shape. The formal announcement is expected soon. 

Confirming this development is hospitality veteran R Rangachari, who says this mart is modeled on the lines of the Kerala Travel Mart. “The idea is to encourage travellers to look at Tamil Nadu as a major tourism destination. The rich cultural heritage that the state offers has not been leveraged to its fullest potential. People from South East Asia and Japan are particularly interested to explore the state in its entirety,” the SIHRA advisor told DTNext, highlighting Aarupadaiveedu (The six abodes of Lord Murugan) and Buddhism-related heritage flavour that TN had to offer. 

Citing the example of Rajasthan and Gujarat, which are front-runners in promoting tourism, Nataraajan said the brand ambassadors used by those states to promote those regions were successful, whereas TN is clearly lagging in such promotional initiatives. Tourism in Tamil Nadu is at its peak during the October to March period. Chennai has one of the longest beaches in Asia but no separate areas are earmarked for swimming, Rangachari lamented. 

Being the next biggest employment generator after agriculture, he called upon the authorities to take more steps, including developing the tier II and III locations, that would spur domestic tourism and the spin-off effects would boost hospitality. “Our effort is position TN as an unforgettable destination and leverage the medical tourism and peaceful nature of the state. We are behind only Kerala in the medical tourism segment. If the government steps in by giving tax breaks and improves the infrastructure connectivity (air especially), then the festivals that are so unique to the state and many other tourist related interests can be promoted far more effectively. This will increase the economic activities of TN,” he said. 

He adds that the promotion of MICE or meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, which had a huge scope would happen through the CII TN Travel Mart initiative.