Insight

Assessing Tamil Nadu

Despite the tsunami of December 2004 leaving the state of Tamil Nadu crippled and much of the state's fragile coastline devastated, the bygone financial year has been more than good for the state tourism board. Preeti Kannan analyses how the tourism department organised a series of events promoting the 'Enchanting Tamil Nadu' campaign and also kickstarted several schemes to encourage visitors to holiday in the state

The state of Tamil Nadu is not just about temples, men in white Veshtis and pigtails, and of course filter kapi. Its rich heritage varies from the Chettinad palaces to exotic cuisine to temple jewellery to Tanjore paintings, and the list is endless. Over the last few years, there has been a growing interest in the state's multi-faceted personality engaging both the domestic and the international tourist. Keen on tapping this tourism potential, the state government has been quick to act, leaving no stone unturned to capture this growing market. In fact, the state bagged an award for 'Best State Tourism in Marketing Efforts' and the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association award for promoting Chettinad Heritage, among others. It set the ball rolling when it launched its catchy campaign - 'Enchanting India - Experience Yourself' in 2003.

Post tsunami

However, the tsunami played spoilsport, turning the much frequented church of Velankanni into a mass grave, completely destroying the property of Tamil Nadu Toursim Development Corporation (TTDC) in Mahabalipuram, TTDC boat house in Muttukadu and Mudaliyarkuppam and the Poompuhar tourist complex. Interestingly, the tsunami also led to the surfacing of a 2000-year-old brick temple, belonging to the Sangam period. Once excavation is complete next month, there are plans to include this as a tourist attraction for people visiting Mahabalipuram.

Scores of tourists and pilgrims, who had flocked to celebrate Christmas at Velankanni, were washed away by the killer waves. As a result, a number of religious tourists preferred to stay away from the church during the Christmas of 2005 from fear of another tsunami.

The tsunami has left a lull in tourism, concedes Dr C. Chandramouli, the state commissioner of tourism and MD of TTDC. "This has not been a great year for tourism and lot of time has been spent on putting the infrastructure back in place like our resort in Mahabalipuram," he maintains. While places like Velankanni have definitely seen a slump, overall tourism statistics show an upward curve. The state saw close to three crore domestic tourists and about 10 lakh foreigners visiting this year, and this, the department points out, is a ten per cent increase from last year's figures.

TTDC raked in a profit of about Rs 4.25 crores from new travel circuits and fairs organised and from its hotel inventories. The most popular of its travel packages is the Chennai-Thirupathi bus tours, where darshans are also ensured.

This burgeoning tourist market could probably be attributed to the numerous initiatives and schemes launched by the government and the sizeable funds backing this enthusiasm. More than Rs 32 crores were allotted for various projects, while promotional activities were accorded top priority with a budget of Rs 12 crores and infrastructure development given Rs 10 crores. Despite these efforts, 90 per cent of the state's tourists are domestic travellers.

Land of festivals

Since the launch of the 'Enchanting Tamil Nadu' promotion, the focus is hinged on strengthening the brand and enhancing brand recall. The last one year saw the state play host to a series of events and also take part in a few international fairs like the World Travel Mart, ITB Berlin, Pacific Area Travel Association, South Asia, Tourism and Travel Exchange, simultaneously showcasing the brand. Positioning the state as a combination of culture and nature, tradition and transformation, sunny beaches and lush hill stations - all in a single platter for the discerning traveller, the department distributed a printed paper bag containing travel brochures on different places at these events. The chic 'Travel Tamil Nadu' - a colourful, handy travel guide with info on the state's intriguing tourist spots, food and shopping details and a mini cultural calendar, which was designed earlier was brought out in French and German this year, for the international traveller. CDs on the state's attractions and culture have also been brought out especially for the foreign tourists.

The two major highlights this year were the Mamallapuram Dance Festival held in December, the National Pilgrim Festival at Rameshwaram during the Pongal festival in January and the Chettinad Heritage Seminar and Festival in March. The annual affair brings together exponents of classical dances like Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Kathak performing against the magnificent backdrop of pallava sculptures.

The first national Rameshwaram festival was a cultural carnival organised by the Government of India and the state government. The aim of the festival was to showcase the religious places in Rameshwaram and help tourists understand the historical significance of the place. It saw an assortment of events like folk arts, sports, catamaran races and a craft bazaar displaying the talent of artisans of the state.

With the agenda of 'unlocking the hidden treasures' of the state, the chief minister had pointed out that the palaces of Chettinad in Tanjore district would be positioned as heritage sites and two palaces were converted into hotels for tourists. This year, approach roads were laid so that more people could visit these ancient palaces and enjoy the famous Chettinad cuisine. Similarly, the million-year-old Pulicat Lake, which attracts flamingos and other migratory birds, is getting a facelift with basic amenities provided. The place will see boat jetties in about three months. Though there were plans to promote adventure tourism with the introduction of water sports on the lake, plans haven't really materialised as it could harm the fragile eco system, pointed out Dr Chandramouli.

Even Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary in Nagapattinam district now boasts of a forest lodge and will also have a nature trail in a month for the eco-tourist. Wooden watch towers with huts on top have been built for people to live and have a bird's eye view of the entire park. A sound and light show on Vivekananda's life and works will be operational in another six months at Kanyakumari.

In an effort to position Chennai as a MICE destination, the FHRAI convention held in October gave the necessary boost to business travel in the state. With the city becoming a medical destination for various ailments, foreigners from UK, USA and the Middle East have been frequenting the state for its state-of-the-art equipment.

Though the thrust is on making the state a hotspot destination, attractive projects like cable cars in Ooty and Kodaikanal are yet to take off. Dr Varaprasad Rao, secretary to the government, Information and Tourist Department, promises that the project will take shape this year. Similarly, the 'Southern Splendour' - a luxury tourist train that would pass through all the popular tourist sites in South India - a 40-crore joint venture between Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh is still on paper. Rao asserts that the project has not derailed but the costs are being worked out, as Tamil Nadu alone will have to shell out five crores.

While the state's conventional promotional activities of fairs, brochures and events are bringing its share of tourists, what remains to be seen is will the aggressive marketing continues and will Tamil Nadu remain a domestic destination? Or will the state tourism board look at out-of-the-box promotional activities to reverse the skewed statistics to attract more foreigners?