The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Thanjavur News : Bright prospects for improving tourism potential in Thanjavur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 30, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Thanjavur

Bright prospects for improving tourism potential in Thanjavur

Staff Reporter

Training programme was organised for 160 servers and employees of `dhabas,' and 80 employees and management personnel of hotels.

THANJAVUR: The Thanjavur district has a very good tourism potential because of its cultural and historic background, said the Collector, M. Veera Shanmugha Moni, here today.

A training programme was organised by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and the State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology at Thuvakudi near Tiruchi for 160 servers and employees of `dhabas,' 80 employees and management personnel of hotels.

Distributing certificates to those who underwent training in dealing with tourists, particularly foreign tourists, the Collector said that vagaries of monsoon and water scarcity had made agriculture an unprofitable job.

Industrialisation was a far cry in the district. The only field, which can bring about prosperity and provide employment to the people of this district, is tourism industry.

However, the basic need to attract tourists is the treatment being given to tourists by the grassroot level workers like servers of roadside dhabas and hotels.

Their courteous service and hospitality would motivate tourists to visit the district again and again, the Collector said.

During the four-day training, which started on April 27, participants were taught how to move with tourists, how to talk to them, how to keep clean the eating-places and how to guide tourists.

R. Dandapani, District Tourist Officer, said that 15,000 foreign tourists visit Thanjavur every year, on an average. The Tourism Department had taken various steps to attract tourists and improve tourism places in the district.

It had released posters calling upon the people to keep the environs of tourism spots clean.

N. Ganesan, Secretary, Bharath College of Science and Management, said that roadside dhabas should try to provide delicious food in a hygienic atmosphere to tourists.

He cited the example of Oberoi, who started with a humble beginning to become the proprietor of 50 hotels of international standards.

K. Suja, working in the marketing division of Oriental Towers, a three-star hotel at Thanjavur, said that the training would be very useful and demanded conduct of such training programmes periodically.

K. Kumaravelu, Public Relations Officer, spoke.

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Bright prospects for improving tourism potential in Thanjavur