Planning a holiday just got easier with over 10 tourism boards gathering under one roof at Discover India 2012.
Be it trekking on the Sahyadri mountain range, or gliding past the mountains of Sonamarg in Jammu and Kashmir, the expo, organised by The Hindu, packs in information on both planned packages as well as customised itineraries.
The participating tourism boards offer information not just on potential destinations but also details about accommodation, tariffs and transport. The options range from beaches, to nature trails to heritage sites and adventure tourism among several others.
S. Nagarajan, his wife and two children were there at the expo to scout for destinations they could visit as a family. Preferring a planned holiday over an extempore one, he said, “We try to squeeze in at least one holiday a year, and we are drifting towards Himachal Pradesh this year,” he said.
“The tourism segment has been witnessing an upward trend this year. We are taking various initiatives such as inducting over 100 guides for the southern region, and organising campaigns such as the Clean India Campaign,” said Shoeb Samad, regional director (south), Indiatourism, who inaugurated the two-day event.
For those who want to get a glimpse of how the destinations looked, many decades ago, there is a special exhibition of photographs from The Hindu’s archives at the pavilion.
The tourism boards of Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, India Tourism, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Rajasthan and Uttaranchal are among those participating.
The expo also has operators such as IRCTC, SOTC, Cox and Kings and Lakshmi Vilas Heritage Hotel, Chidambaram. The tour operators who also offer overseas holidays will be offering special discounts at the expo.
“The event is a great opportunity for visitors to get a virtual tour of what the various tourism departments have to offer,” said Suresh Srinivasan, vice president (Advertisement), The Hindu.
The expo is being held at Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, on October 6 and 7 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Entry is free.
