Tourism department gears up for New Year, Pongal holidays

"Bookings of hotels have picked up for New Year and Pongal holidays in Chennai and the situation for hill stations like Ooty and Kodaikanal are also looking bright," a tourism department official said. The bookings are showing green shoots after two years, but still lower than the 2017 and 2018 levels, the official said.

The State is also gearing up for the annual music and dance festival to be inaugurated by the third or fourth week of December targeting Tamil diaspora. Tourism department secretary B Chandramohan had also instructed the department officials to rope in carnatic singers, bharathanatyam dancers, ghazal singers and folk artists to make the festival grand and the budgetary allocations works have commenced, the informed official said.

Similarly, works to resume the annual music festival for tourists thronging Mamallapuram is also underway. Facelift works at TTDC owned properties at Mamallapuram, Muttukadu and Mudaliyarkuppam are also being reviewed and new motor boats and water sport equipments will be put to use during the Pongal holidays, the official said.

Meanwhile director of tourism and TTDC managing director Sandeep Naduri had advised adventure tour operators in the state to get regularised through the department so that the adventure tourism like trekking, jungle camps, kayaking, surfing, rock climbing are promoted through state certified operators.

“At present the adventure tourism is something new to TN and activities like para sailing, para gliding, bungee jumping, river rafting, balloon travel have potential to attract tourist but both private and government sector is yet to test water in adventure tourism,” said R Swaminathan, a private tour operator based in Chennai. Beach side camps and camps inside forest areas is another area with potential but not yet tapped, Swaminathan opined.