As hordes of tourists head into the city to celebrate New Year, the administration is gearing up to provide a memorable and, at the same time, a safe experience.
Since Sunday, crowds have swelled in the city with the Promenade Beach, White Town and boating destinations in Chunnambar areas being the most popular. Police have erected barricades around downtown to minimise traffic hold-ups and ensure free movement of visitors.
An unexpected spell of heavy rain added to the inconvenience of tourists and traffic managers, and threatens to play spoilsport to the festivities. Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy has instructed officials to ensure that law and order is maintained while chairing a meeting with top officials, including the District Collector, DGP, SSPs and SPs, regarding traffic arrangements ahead of New Year. “During this extraordinary rush, we are focused on welcoming visitors through an intelligent deployment of personnel instead of following a security-heavy approach,” Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar.
This can be achieved by prudent use of available manpower , he said.
According to official data, till October this year, 14,54,994 domestic and 1,39,359 foreign tourists have visited the region. From the 15,31,972 domestic and 1,31,407 foreign tourists in 2017, the city saw higher numbers in 2018 — 16,16,660 domestic tourists and 1,41,133 foreign visitors.
Hotels across budget and star categories, are fully booked, with some not having vacancy until mid-way into the first week of 2020.
