A ‘Tamil Park’ at Pondy Marina, theme parks and a toy and natural history museum at the Art and Craft Village in Murungapakkam are among the proposals for the tourism sector in the Budget presented in the Assembly on Monday.
The ‘Tamil Park’ will have a Bharathiar statue, recreational area and an entertainment zone on the Pondy Marina.
The development and beautification of beaches at Vambakerapalayam, Kalapet, Nallavadu, Puthukuppam, Murthikuppam, Veerampattinam and Karaikal will be taken up.
The temple at Veerampattinam and the iconic religious places in Karaikal will be developed and facilities for pilgrims will be created in those places with the assistance of the Government of India. Sound and light and multimedia shows will be developed in Puducherry and Karaikal, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said.
It is proposed to develop Bahour lake, Mullodai Lagoon, Kanakan lake, Oussudu lake and check dam at Chunnambar, Alankuppam lake, for eco tourism activities.
The Tourism Department is having 100 acres of beach front land at Manapet village in Puducherry which is ideal to be developed into multi-tourist attractions. The basic amenities such as road and power are already provided by the Department. It is proposed to develop theme parks, resorts, convention centres, film studios and adventure sports with private participation, Mr. Rangasamy said.
Suitable amendments are planned in the Water Sports Policy to attract more private participation. The beaches at Kalapet, Puthukuppam and Nallavadu has been identified for developing beach shacks for local entrepreneurs. A detailed guideline will be notified this year.
A tour, covering Arikamedu and temples under Archaeological Survey of India, and agri tourism spot in Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) and Veterinary College (RIVER), and aggressive promotion of GI tagged terracotta and papier mache products are planned.
To attract the younger crowd, new technology-driven initiatives like augmented reality statues, laser shows, digital museum, audio guided tours, QR code-based signage, aggressive digital marketing and online ticketing for events will be promoted. A sum of ₹22.74 crore has been allocated for Tourism in 2022-23.
