Published on : Thursday, September 27, 2018
Tamil Nadu Travel Mart Society and Travel Club Madurai were the joint organisers.
Collector S. Natarajan, who inaugurated the event, said tourism was one of the State’s highest employment generators. Festivals such as Pongal and Navarathri often had the ability to draw large crowds to some of Tamil Nadu’s most populous cities. Several infrastructural facilities were being created to enhance the general tourist experience of a city like Madurai by receiving financial support from organisations such as Asian Development Bank and the State and Central governments.
The Collector also pointed out that it was pertinent to have a reception area in places frequently accessed by tourists so that they could get easy information on travel, stay and food options. He said informative sign boards would make a difference too.
Joint Director of Department of Tourism P. Pushparaj said: “The department is a catalyst that attempts to bring all players into the picture including the administration, hoteliers, guides and even water sport experts. We do not discriminate with respect to distributing funds and subsidies as long as proposals are interesting and feasible”.
He added that the State was particularly diverse and could cater to the taste of a variety of tourists and boast of being well connected to four international airports — a feat not achieved by many other States.
In a discussion about ‘Medical Tourism’, panelist R.D Thulasiraj, Director, Operations, Aravind Eye Care System, said medical tourism, though flourishing, saw challenges caused by tough visa regulations. Overseas patients often had a major connectivity issue with respect to cities such as Madurai. Patients from different strata of society also had problems with capacity and cost.