Date:01/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/01/stories/2008010155010500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

New tourism spots soon

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The Tourism Department proposes to introduce new tourism destinations soon, Minister for Tourism and Registration N. Suresh Rajan said on Monday.

Inaugurating the 34th Tourism and Trade Fair on the Island Grounds, he said that the Government planned to rope in private participants.

Every year, the State attracted 4.5 crore domestic tourists and 14.5 lakh foreign tourists. Likewise, 79.65 lakh domestic tourists visited Chennai, besides 4.92 lakh foreign tourists. The State recorded an annual growth of 22 per cent, he said.

To attract more tourists, he said, the Tourism Department introduced new packages, which included hop-on and hop-off trips to Mahabalipuram. For this, the department bought new buses.