Incredible India: Virtual walk' tours getting popular

Chennai: If you have missed this particular piece of interesting information about Chennai’s 400-year-old history, then check this out on Incredible India’s  “walking tours” that showcase the quintessential Madras.

Though it highlights few important destinations, the app which can be downloaded on the mobile offers self-guided tours of famous monuments that could be visited at one’s own pace and convenience. The maps help the tourists to easily identify the locations as most of them fall on the same route.

While, the Kollywood Walk covers the memorial of matinee idol and former Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran and the houses of thespian Sivaji Ganesan, RajIni, Kamal Haasan, Surya Sivakumar and Silambarasan, the Heritage trail includes St Andrew’s Church, Ripon Building, Chennai Central Railway Station, and the historic Fort St. George.

Triplicane, described as the “heart of Chennai’s orthodoxy,” and the home of leaders like Subrahmanya Bharathi and C. Rajagopalachari, covers Anna Memorial, Madras University, M A Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk Palace, Sri Parthasarathy Temple and Marina Beach.

“The app, developed for the ministry of tourism by the Indian mapping company WoNoBo, offers 360 degree walkthrough experience, is being downloaded by numerous visitors. This is an useful guide to those undertaking a visit to the city for the first time and intend to travel solo or without a professional guide,” a tourism official said.

Meanwhile, the website of the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation – www.tamilnadutourism.org has undergone a makeover with the colourful web pages providing exhaustive information on various tourist destinations in the state. The TTDC officials have also taken to the social media to promote “enchanting Tamil Nadu” in a big way.