For about a couple of hours around noon on Saturday boating, the main attraction at the Ooty lake took a back seat.
With the Department of Tourism making the Boat House the venue for its Pongal Thiruvizha, all eyes were riveted to the cultural programme organized on its lawns as part of the celebrations.
Beginning with the Ooty MLA M. Buddhichandran and the Revenue Divisional Officer P. Gandhimathi greeting tourists including foreigners with roses, the celebrations included serving of generous portions of steaming pongal and sundal, delicacies of the State.
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While the highlight of the cultural programme was a traditional Badaga dance in which even the tourists joined, students studying Tourism in the Government Arts College and its National Service Scheme volunteers added colour to it.
Speaking to The Hindu , Joris, a bank employee from the Netherlands who is on his maiden visit to the state said that the occasion was, “a pleasant surprise” and added that it would linger long in his memory. The pongal and sundal were yummy.
The Tourist Officer S. Dorairaj said the delicacies had been made by self help groups.
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On this occasion pamphlets which explain the significance of Pongal festival were distributed.
The organisation of fairs and festivals helps promote tourism in the Nilgiris,said the MLA (Ooty) M.Buddhichandran while addressing the gathering at the Pongal Thiruvizha conducted by the Department of Tourism at the Boat House here on Saturday.
In keeping with this the tourism department and the district administration were organizing summer festivals every year.
By way of stressing the importance of tea cultivation,a major economic activity here the Tea and Tourism festival was being conducted annually.
Stating that the inflow of tourists to this vacation destination was on the rise,Mr.Buddhichandran said that during 2011 as many as 24,61,298 tourists including 32,438 foreigners had come here.
During the previous year the number of tourists was 21,58,344 including 23,124 foreigners.
Pointing out that under the Hill Area Development Programme (HADP) a sum of rupees 2.25 crores had been earmarked for tourism development in the Nilgiris during the current fiscal,he said that among the works proposed to be taken up are the construction of an office for the tourist guides,provision of basic amenities at the Boat House and improvement of the Sullivan Memorial at Kotagiri.