CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced its tourism policy for the first time by which it has given industry status to tourism and aims at attracting Rs 20,000crore investment in the sector.
This means tourism projects and stakeholders and others will become eligible for funds that come under development of industries and will lead to better employment opportunities and training. Priority sectors and destinations can be developed.
The policy provides industry status to the sector by which it will receive the benefits provided to an industry. This was a long standing demand from the stakeholders.
The policy also aims at giving a fillip to adventure tourism, recreation tourism, caravan tourism, rural and plantation tourism, coastal tourism, cultural tourism, medical and wellness tourism, religious tourism, eco-tourism, MICE (meetings, incentives, conference, exhibition) tourism, heritage tourism and film tourism.
It will also promote theme park tourism, golf tourism and sports tourism by encouraging establishment of expansive recreational facilities in popular tourist areas like Chennai, Ooty, Rameswaram, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Trichy and Coimbatore. This may include theme parks, golf courses, sports -facilities, and other recreational centres that will attract huge footfalls, said the policy.
The policy also envisages single window permission for tourism schemes and will also promote private investments in different sectors like parks, heritage hotels, travellers lodges, huts, caravans, health tourism resorts, hostels, oceanariums, golf courses and others to promote tourism in a better way, said a statement.
The policy also aims at ensuring that tourism will contribute 12% of the state GDP, employment to 25 lakh people and skill development for three lakh people.
The government is also planning to develop Chennai, Trichy, Madurai, Coimbatore and Kanyakumari as gateway hubs by allocation of smart city funds, hop on hop trips, emphasising cleanliness and hygiene, safety and security measures, digital maps and guide books.
As part of efforts to promote responsible tourism to reduce the impact of tourism, the government will try to decongest mass tourism hubs by satellite nodes. Comprehensive guidelines will be established for tourists, local communities, and civic authorities. These guidelines will focus on minimising the negative impact of tourism activities on the environment, particularly in eco-sensitive regions.
Financial assistance will be provided for tourism initiatives that set the utmost importance on environmental protection. Rainwater harvesting programmes, the use of renewable energy sources, and effective waste management will be incentivised to promote eco-friendly practices. Tourism initiatives that implement the requirements of the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) or the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) will be acknowledged for their commitment to sustainability.
Tamil Nadu shall leverage technology to facilitate data-driven planning and monitoring. In this context, the state shall establish a system to accurately collect and analyse data for informed decision-making. The overall analytics mechanism shall also monitor the ground-level implementation of policy reforms and other tourism initiatives.
As part of measures to determine incentives, the state government will classify three categories: investment in eligible capital assets up to (and including) Rs 50 crore and annual turnover not exceeding Rs 250 crore for micro, small and medium enterprises; investment in eligible capital assets of more than Rs 50 crore and up to (and including) Rs 200 crore; investment in eligible capital assets of more than Rs 200 crore.
M K Ajit Kumar, president, Asia Pacific Tours, said that the policy was well thought out. “Tourism policy with added focus on private sector-led tourism projects with sustainability being a key element of tourism infrastructure in the destination development of tourism gateway hubs covering all priority tourism segments will help the industry and tourists.”
“If well implemented, it will take the state tourism both for stakeholders and tourists to a different level as compared to any other state relying on its most attractive and diverse experiential destinations with industry and academic partnerships and focus on responsible tourism. The focus on digital initiatives is a trend setter.”
He also said that the appointment of the state level tourism apex committee is a game changer as it oversees the implementation of the policy for resolving inter-departmental issues and decisions that have a bearing on all state departments and tourism stakeholders.
Electricity at concessional tariff for hotel projects in focus tourism destinations would encourage new investments in tourism projects, he said.
This means tourism projects and stakeholders and others will become eligible for funds that come under development of industries and will lead to better employment opportunities and training. Priority sectors and destinations can be developed.
The policy provides industry status to the sector by which it will receive the benefits provided to an industry. This was a long standing demand from the stakeholders.
The policy also aims at giving a fillip to adventure tourism, recreation tourism, caravan tourism, rural and plantation tourism, coastal tourism, cultural tourism, medical and wellness tourism, religious tourism, eco-tourism, MICE (meetings, incentives, conference, exhibition) tourism, heritage tourism and film tourism.
It will also promote theme park tourism, golf tourism and sports tourism by encouraging establishment of expansive recreational facilities in popular tourist areas like Chennai, Ooty, Rameswaram, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Trichy and Coimbatore. This may include theme parks, golf courses, sports -facilities, and other recreational centres that will attract huge footfalls, said the policy.
The policy also envisages single window permission for tourism schemes and will also promote private investments in different sectors like parks, heritage hotels, travellers lodges, huts, caravans, health tourism resorts, hostels, oceanariums, golf courses and others to promote tourism in a better way, said a statement.
The policy also aims at ensuring that tourism will contribute 12% of the state GDP, employment to 25 lakh people and skill development for three lakh people.
The government is also planning to develop Chennai, Trichy, Madurai, Coimbatore and Kanyakumari as gateway hubs by allocation of smart city funds, hop on hop trips, emphasising cleanliness and hygiene, safety and security measures, digital maps and guide books.
As part of efforts to promote responsible tourism to reduce the impact of tourism, the government will try to decongest mass tourism hubs by satellite nodes. Comprehensive guidelines will be established for tourists, local communities, and civic authorities. These guidelines will focus on minimising the negative impact of tourism activities on the environment, particularly in eco-sensitive regions.
Financial assistance will be provided for tourism initiatives that set the utmost importance on environmental protection. Rainwater harvesting programmes, the use of renewable energy sources, and effective waste management will be incentivised to promote eco-friendly practices. Tourism initiatives that implement the requirements of the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) or the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) will be acknowledged for their commitment to sustainability.
Tamil Nadu shall leverage technology to facilitate data-driven planning and monitoring. In this context, the state shall establish a system to accurately collect and analyse data for informed decision-making. The overall analytics mechanism shall also monitor the ground-level implementation of policy reforms and other tourism initiatives.
As part of measures to determine incentives, the state government will classify three categories: investment in eligible capital assets up to (and including) Rs 50 crore and annual turnover not exceeding Rs 250 crore for micro, small and medium enterprises; investment in eligible capital assets of more than Rs 50 crore and up to (and including) Rs 200 crore; investment in eligible capital assets of more than Rs 200 crore.
M K Ajit Kumar, president, Asia Pacific Tours, said that the policy was well thought out. “Tourism policy with added focus on private sector-led tourism projects with sustainability being a key element of tourism infrastructure in the destination development of tourism gateway hubs covering all priority tourism segments will help the industry and tourists.”
“If well implemented, it will take the state tourism both for stakeholders and tourists to a different level as compared to any other state relying on its most attractive and diverse experiential destinations with industry and academic partnerships and focus on responsible tourism. The focus on digital initiatives is a trend setter.”
He also said that the appointment of the state level tourism apex committee is a game changer as it oversees the implementation of the policy for resolving inter-departmental issues and decisions that have a bearing on all state departments and tourism stakeholders.
Electricity at concessional tariff for hotel projects in focus tourism destinations would encourage new investments in tourism projects, he said.
