Tamil Nadu, with its many heritage structures and hidden sites waiting to be explored, shows great potential for developing its tourism, said Pronab Sarkar, president of Indian Association of Tour Operators, while speaking at the 32nd annual IATO Convention.
However, he added that such a growth was stifled by small issues like the acute shortage of tour guides and high taxes levied on tourist vehicles. If these quirks can be ironed out, toursim in this State shows great promise, Mr. Sarkar said.
Rajeev Kohli, Vice-President and Convention Chairman of IATO, pointed out that with the tourism industry in India evolving, it was time to start thinking fresh.
“Tamil Nadu is an economic powerhouse with high tourism activity. We need to tweak old policies and strategies to suit the modern tourist,” he said.
The Tamil Nadu Tourism Minister, Vellamandi N. Natarajan, confirmed that a master plan for tourism was under way and highlighted that as per the Vision 2023 the investment target set for the tourism sector was Rs. 10,300 crore for development of various tourist facilities.
Nakul Anand, Chairman of FAITH and Executive Director of ITC Limited, highlighted the impact of tax in this sector. “In competing Asian countries, the total net indirect tax incident on tourism is estimated to be between 6 and 9 per cent, contrast to this India where the taxes are in the range of 18 to 25 per cent. GST accords us the opportunity to correct thus,” Mr. Nakul added.
K. Ramachandran, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu, said that the State was a world in itself, referring to its rich heritage, culture, and tourism activity. The State has targeted to receive 150 lakh foreign tourists by 2023.
“The State government has been providing skills training for youth and, in the future, will also train guides. I will take this matter to our Chief Minister,” said School Education Minister K. Pandiarajan in response to Mr. Sarkar’s statement.
The government would sensitise schoolchildren to environment and tourism-related activities, he added.
