Seasonal rain shores up Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Cor­poration’s revenue

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Chennai: The seasonal rain has cheered the tou­rists encouraging them to flock to the cascading waterfalls in the state and also filled the kitty of the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Cor­poration (TTDC).
 
TTDC has registered record revenue collections from its boat­ho­uses as tourists shunt bet­ween waterfalls and boat­ho­uses thanks to SW monsoon.
 
The main season at Cour­tallam in Tirunelveli district, where the waterfalls is situated, is for three mo­nths from June and water is gushing from all the five shimmering falls, much to the joy of thousands of tourists. Adjoining Kanya­ku­mari district where the Thiruparappu falls is situated and also the Hoge­na­kkal falls have also been luring tourists.
 
Though TN with its vib­rant western ghats accou­nts for a large number of waterfalls, TTDC has identified 47 in 12 districts for promotion of tourism. The­se spots are a major draw during the weekends.
 
“Our 11 boathouses have registered a revenue of Rs4.80 crore this year, and this is `50 lakh more than the previous year’s,” a senior TTDC official said. The corporation hopes to earn `5.5 lakh from the boathouse in Courtallam this season.
 

‘South India can develop eco resorts’
 
Chennai: South India, naturally endowed with numerous attractions and a vibrant ecosystem, has immense potential for developing of nature-based resorts. The region receives a good number of tourists from north India and hoteliers see more scope for attracting such tourists keen on exploring nature.
 
According to sources in the hospitality sector, the immense potential has not been tapped properly. “Foreign tourists to India get discouraged by the traffic jam, touts and harassment they experience. This makes the country not so tourist-friendly. Therefore, Indians should keep in mind the slogan, ‘Atithi Devo Bhava,’ (Guest is God) for making the country tourist-friendly,” a senior hotelier said.
 
While Karnataka and AP tourism departments promote eco-tourism in a big way, TN is yet to keep pace with its neighbours. In the absence of many heritage hotels, the tourism department could promote reso­rts in hilly terrain.