Madura Welcome, a tourist guide book company, in association with the Ministry of Tourism, government of India, gave away 85 tourism awards to companies, agencies and institutions on Friday. The awards honoured the best and friendliest services in Tamil Nadu in the tourism sector and were distributed by renowned singer P. Susheela. V.K.T. Balan, chairman of Madura Welcome, said that even though Tamil Nadu led the country in the number of domestic and international arrivals, the people who made this happen had not been acknowledged or recognised.
“These awards were constituted to honour them,” he said. Among the recipients was The Hindu , which received an award for being the best English-language newspaper to promote tourism.
Other awardees included Parveen Travels for best tourist bus operator, Loyola College for best college in tourism education, Pothy’s, Sree Krishna Sweets, IRCTC Ltd, Chennai Central Railway Station, Chennai Port Trust, the deputy airport director, Sri Lankan Airlines, Woodlands Hotel and VGP Universal Kingdom.
Several awards were given in the category of best tour operator.
A lifetime achievement award was given to R. Rangachari of South India Hotels and Restaurants Association. Consul General of Malaysia in Chennai, Ahmad Fajarazam bin Abdul Jalil also participated.
The distribution of the awards was interspersed with dance and cultural programmes.
