Rural, medical tourism high on States priority

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s tourism is poised to offer visiting foreigners a chance to really experience the state’s culture though the new Rural Tourism scheme, said State Minister for Tourism, S Gokula Indira. Speaking at the 20th anniversary of Surya Travels, Indira said, “Foreigners would like to enjoy ‘rural’ culture in the state. We will be creating rural clusters across the state where they can have this enjoyment and live our Tamil culture.” Equally important was the Government’s focus on improving medi-tourism, she stressed, “There are people coming in from South Asian countries because healthcare in India is cheaper and of high quality. Family members of the people undergoing treatment should have the opportunity of quickly accessing temples and heritage sites during their stay in Tamil Nadu.She also said, “Spiritual tourism is another area where we are going to lay plenty of focus.” Funds amounting to `450 crore had been procured from the Asian Development Bank for this purpose, she added.Earlier, JP Shaw, Regional Director (South), Ministry of Tourism — Government of India said that Tamil Nadu was doing well in both domestic and international tourism, “We would be willing to help promote tourism and operators in the state,” he said. While agreeing with him, Indira also added that it was imperative for private players and operators to partner with the state, to promote tourism and allied ventures.