Tamilnadu Tourism Holding Meeting
In an effort to make auto, taxi and cab drivers in Coimbatore tourist-friendly, the Tourism Department and the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation is holding a meeting on August 2.Secretary to Government for Tourism and Culture Department V. Irai Anbu and Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation M. Rajaraman will conduct the meeting. District Collector V. Palanikumar told reporters that to tap the tourism potential of Coimbatore and attract up country as well as overseas tourists here, the drivers, who had direct interface with the tourists, need to be trained. Coimbatore accounted for 4,633 autorickshaws, 1,465 maxi cab vehicles and 4,482 tourist taxi/cabs.
Initially, the department would focus on training 100 drivers. The components and modalities of the training would be finalised at the meeting. The year 2007 witnessed an inflow of 38 lakh tourists into Coimbatore of whom more than 9,000 were foreigners. This year till June, Coimbatore registered an inflow of 14 lakh tourists of whom more than 13 lakh were domestic tourists. With regard to Valparai, Mr. Palanikumar said that a study was underway to work out measures to make it a tourist attraction. The department was planning to popularise the welfare board for artistes and the focus would be on folk artistes.
Plans were on to enrol 200 artistes performing Karagattam, Kavadi and the like arts from Mettupalayam, Chinnavedampatti and Udumalpet in the board. The board would take care of the expenses of their children such as education, vocational education and marriage. Under the Public Private Partnership initiative, the Tourism Department in association with Spell Bound would organise Snow Ball, an Entertainment and Mega Consumer Exhibition Mela on Jail Grounds in Gandhipuram from August 1 to September 7, he said.
