The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Efforts on to portray State as visitor-friendly: Anbazhagan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 28, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Efforts on to portray State as visitor-friendly: Anbazhagan

Special Correspondent

‘Discover India – Enchanting Tourism,’ inaugurated

— Photo: R. Ragu

TAKING A CLOSE LOOK: Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan along with Tourism Minister N. Suresh Rajan and Information Minister Parithi Illamvazhuthi at the inauguration of a tourism fair in Chennai on Saturday.

CHENNAI: A two-day tourism exposition, ‘Discover India – Enchanting Tourism,’ organised by The Hindu was inaugurated by Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan at Raja Muthiah Hall, Egmore, on Saturday.

Mr. Anbazhagan said efforts were on to portray the State as tourism oriented and visitor-friendly. Organising tourism day and tourism week celebrations would help in exchange of ideas among people and those in the industry. Tourism had helped people to improve their knowledge, and learn about the culture of people in other countries, he added.

In 1971 a separate department for tourism was created by the State government, which was headed by a Minister, he pointed out.

In his welcome address, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu, said a lot of off-the-page activities needed to be organised. This was an age of interaction and tourism could be a tool for organising more interactive programmes among people from different parts of the country.

The Hindu decided to organise the two-day Travel and Tourism Fair in Chennai to mark World Tourism Day. “We see it as an attempt to bring some of the State Tourism Development Corporations and the travel trade in the region together. There is an urgent need to promote regional tourism, which means the southern States must work together and project the tourist destinations in these States as a package - both for domestic as well as for foreign tourists.” At present the country had a new opportunity to promote tourism, which needed to be tapped, he said.

On the occasion, Parithi Illamvazhuthi, Minister for Information, released a calendar of events brought out by Tamil Nadu Tourism. Suresh Rajan, Minister for Tourism and Registration, Sanwant Ram, Chairman, TTDC, Irai Anbu, Secretary, Tourism and Culture, and Dr. M. Rajaram, Commissioner of Tourism, were among those who participated.

Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation is the main sponsor and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation is the associate sponsor for the event. Tourism Development Corporations of Goa, Andaman and Nicobar, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry and West Bengal have put up their stalls at the venue.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu