TN haven for tourists as southern states perform better

Chennai: Though terror attacks have cast an ominous shadow on the tourism activities, especially in the north, the southern states have performed comparatively better, and Tamil Nadu in particular, which has been a haven for tourists continues to enjoy an unenviably advantageous position both in terms of receiving the domestic and international visitors.

“The focus of the state government to improve the tourism infrastructure besides involve various departments like the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department, local bodies to join the tourism department in improving the infrastructure has also helped the State grab national and international attention,” says a senior tourism official.

The tourism department has hectically laboured to improve the target and has initiated schemes to develop more amenities at important destinations and circuits.

While the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh welcomed 12.15 crore domestic and 3.37 lakh foreigners, Karnataka received 11.98 crore domestic and 6.36 lakh foreign visitors and God’s Own country — Kerala, despite publicity blitzkrieg attracted 1.24 crore domestic and 9.77 lakh foreigners in 2015.

The newly formed Telangana surprisingly received 9.45 crore domestic and 1.26 lakh foreign footfalls and the Puducherry: 12.97 lakh domestic and 1.06 lakh foreigners.

And the national capital Delhi, despite being in the news for wrong reasons, had rolled out the red carpet to 2.52 crore domestic and 2.37 lakh foreign nationals, Uttar Pradesh: 20.48 crore domestic and 31.04 lakh foreigners and Maharashtra: 10.34 crore domestic and 44.08 lakh foreign nationals.

Nagaland and  Mizoram and had received considerably less numbers of visitors. The strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir received 9.14 lakh domestic and 58,568 foreigners.