INTRODUCTION

Tourism promotes national integration and international understanding. It

encourages preservation of monuments, heritage properties and eco-sanctuaries and helps
survival of traditional art forms, crafts and culture. It has achieved rapid strides due to
its capacity to earn foreign exchange, generate employment opportunities and inculcate a
sense of fraternity in the minds of the people. The economic liberalization, open-sky
aviation policy, luxury cruises, improved surface transport, tourist trains, increased
business travel and e-booking facilities have created a paradigm shift in the tourism
sector. From a mere service industry, tourism has transformed into a major revenue
generating industry. Tourism is defined as travel for recreation, leisure, religious
activity, family visits, business promotion, medical treatment, adventure, sports,
education and research, usually for a limited duration. It is commonly referred to as
travel to another place within or outside the country. The United Nations World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO) defines tourists as people “travelling to and staying in places
outside their usual environment for not more than one year for leisure, business and other
purposes”.

The World Tourism Organization (WTO) plays a vital role in promoting the
development of responsible, sustainable and universally acceptable tourism and is paying
particular attention to the interests of developing countries. People in general now view
tourism as a way of life rather than a luxury reserved for the affluent and the elite.
Tourism has emerged as the largest service industry globally in terms of gross revenue,
as well as foreign exchange earnings. With rapid development in the field of transport
and communications, the size of the global tourism industry is likely to double in the
next decade. The 21st century will see a higher percentage of the total population
travelling, especially in developing countries and people will be going on holidays more
often. Travellers will also be going farther and farther.

Tourism is emerging as the industry of industries and has a great multiplier effect
on other industries. Tourism serves as an effective medium for transfer of wealth
because, here income earned in places of “residence” is spent in places of “visit”.
Tourism employs 260 million people and generates 10.7 per cent of world’s GDP.
According to United Nations World Tourism Organisation, international tourist arrivals

1
have increased from 278 million in 1980 to 527 million in 1995, and it has increased to
1458 million in 2016 and earned the foreign exchange of US$ 1245 billion. UNWTO has
stated that international tourist arrivals in the world are expected to increase by 3.3 per
cent a year between 2010 and 2030 and it would reach 1.8 billion by 2030.1

In India tourism and hospitality industry has emerged as one of the key drivers of
growth among the services sector. Tourism development is an important catalyst for a
rapidly growing economy like India. Tourism in India has significant potential
considering the rich cultural and historical heritage, variety in ecology, terrains and
places of natural beauty spread across the country. Tourism is also a potentially large
employment generator besides being a significant source of foreign exchange for the
country. The industry is expected to generate 13.45 million jobs across sub-segments
such as Restaurants, Hotels and Travel Agents/Tour Operators. The Ministry of
Tourism, Government of India, plans to help the industry meet the increasing demand of
skilled and trained manpower. India has moved up 13 positions to 52nd rank from 65th in
Tourism and Travel Competitive Index. Besides, tourism and hospitality sector is among
the top 10 sectors in India to attract the highest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). During
the period April 2000 to March 2016, the hotel and tourism sector attracted around US
$9.23 billion of FDI, according to the data released by Department of Industrial Policy
and Promotion (DIPP).2

India’s rising middle class and increasing disposable incomes has continued to
support the growth of domestic and outbound tourism. Total outbound trips increased by
8.7 per cent to 19.9 million in 2016. Inbound tourist volume grew at a Compound
Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.8 per cent during 2010-16. Foreign Tourist Arrivals
(FTAs) in India increased to11.8 per cent year-on-year to 670,000 tourists in August
2016, while Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism increased to 13.1 per cent
year-on-year to Rs.12,903 crore, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism.3
India’s travel and tourism industry has huge growth potential and the industry is also
looking forward to the expansion of E-visa scheme which is expected to double the
tourist inflow to India.

1
Statistical Report, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
2
Bureau of Immigration, Government of India, 2016.
3
Ibid.,

2
 With the rise in the number of global tourists and realising India’s potential,
many companies have invested in the tourism and hospitality sector. For instance, the
first Incredible India Tourism Investment Summit 2016, which was organised from
September 21 to 23, 2016, witnessed signing of 86 Memoranda of Understanding
(MoUs) worth around Rs 15,000 crore (US$ 2.24 billion), for the development of
tourism and hospitality projects. In addition, the Ministry of Tourism has approved
projects worth Rs 450 crore (US$ 67.10 million) under the SwadeshDarshan scheme for
the improvement and creation of tourism infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim.4

Tourism in Tamil Nadu – An Overview

Tamil Nadu is an enchanting and ancient land in the extreme south of Peninsular
India and it is a unique State from the tourism point of view. The immense tourist
wealth of Tamil Nadu is one of its greatest assets, which would make the State a
preferred tourism destination worldwide. With an area of 130,058 [Link] and a
population of over 70 million, Tamil Nadu is the eleventh largest populated and the third
most industrialized State in India. It boasts successful tourism infrastructure in its
Western border with Karnataka State on the Westand also enjoys a long unbroken
coastline on the East along with the Bay of Bengal. Tamil Nadu is a wonderful tourist
place for many reasons. First, it has glorious culture and history. Tamil Nadu has one of
the oldest civilizations of the world. It is the home of Dravidian art and culture,
characterized by its distinctive music and dances, its amazingly decorated temples with
their soaring towers and its plentiful and colourful festivals. There is at least one festival
per month, celebrating various events like KarthigaiDeepam, Pongal, Thaipusam,
Natyanjali Dance Festival, Thiruvaiyaru Music Festival, Mahamaham etc.

Tamil Nadu is referred as the “Land of Temples” because there are more than
30,000 temples in this State. Secondly its natural beauty is very attractive to tourists.
The geographic features of Tamil Nadu are very diverse. They range from densely
forested lands with abundant wildlife to large mountain ranges. It has excellent beaches
and hill resorts, and its southern tip, where Kanyakumari is located, is well known for its
beautiful sunrise and sunset. Moreover, the State is also renowned for its traditional,
classical arts such as Carnatic Music and Bharathanatyam Dance. The people of the
4
Ibid.,

3
State by and large lead a very relaxed and peaceful lifestyle with great wisdom and
tolerance. They have deep interest in music, dance, literature, dress and food. The
unique and common characteristic of the people is their tourists-friendly behaviour and
[Link] a result, throughout the year predominantly during the months of December
and January, tourist places of the State always remain overcrowded with foreign and
domestic tourists.

Virtually, the State and its various regions have great potential for the promotion
and development of various types of tourism namely (i) Eco-tourism, (ii) Heritage
tourism, (iii) Cultural tourism, (iv) Recreation tourism, (v) Adventure tourism, (vi)
Industrial tourism (major theme park and attractions), (vii) Gaming, (viii) Medical
tourism, (ix) Rural tourism, (x) Responsible tourism, (xi) Leisure tourism, (xii)
Pilgrimage tourism, (xiii) Business tourism, (xiv) Educational tourism and (xv) Sports
tourism.

The ancient temples, beautiful coastal beaches, fascinating falls, picturesque hills,
natural scenic beauty, historical and heritage places, spectacular monuments, and diverse
type of ethnic groups and existing unity among them, festivals, rituals, art and culture of
the State attract travellers not only from India but from all over the world. Undoubtedly,
the State and its various tourist’centres are most important destinations including its
coastal region which has a great potential for tourism development. Thus, Tamil Nadu
has become the first choice for millions of tourists over the years being well connected to
air, train and road including ports to all the major cities of the country as well as
important cities of the world. The whole of the shoreline of at least 1074 km in length is
dotted with lots of beautiful and peaceful beaches which psychologically attract
maximum number of tourists from all part of the globe.

For the development of tourism in Tamil Nadu, the Department of Tourism and
Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) were formed. The Department
of Tourism concentrates on dissemination of tourism information and implementation of
tourist infrastructure schemes for the benefit of the tourists. The TTDC on the other
hand was assigned with the job of conducting package tours, running of Hotels (Hotel
Tamil Nadu) and maintaining of boat houses. Over the years, tourism industry in Tamil
Nadu has registered a good growth.

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Tourist Arrivals and Earnings to Tamil Nadu

According to the Department of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu, the

number of tourists who visited Tamil Nadu has increased from 9,550,000 in 1991 to
24,585,000 in 2001 and the Government has vowed to make Tamil Nadu one of the most
favoured tourist destinations in India. The State has registered an 11.68 per cent growth
in terms of foreign tourist arrivals in the year 2006 with the registered arrivals of 1.1
million tourists in the State as against 4.43 million arrivals with a growth of 13 per cent
in India. The Government of Tamil Naduhas stated that tourist arrivals in 2016 was
349.2 million, includes 344.5 million domestic and 4.7 million foreign tourists, as
compared to 338.1 million (includes 333.5 million and 4.6 million) in 2015 and 331.6
million in 2014 (includes 327 million and 4.6 million) domestic and foreign tourists
respectively.5

Tamil Nadu has been ranked first in both domestic and foreign tourist arrivals in
2014 and 2015 consecutively in the country. Its ‘Enchanting Tamil Nadu’ campaign has
been running for 13 years now and the State has targeted for 15 million foreign tourist
arrivals by 2023. Many steps are being taken to sustain the top position in both domestic
and foreign tourist arrivals in the ensuing years. Targeted promotional strategies and
extensive marketing campaigns through print and electronic media at the national and
international levels and creation and upgradation of basic amenities and infrastructure at
tourist destinations have resulted in the increase of tourist arrivals in Tamil Nadu.

The State has been vigorously pursuing a three-pronged strategy of attracting

more tourists to Tamil Nadu, making them stay for a longer period in the State, and
providing them with world class infrastructure facilities in order to boost the tourism
sector. And the tourism sector has been accorded top priority by the Government of
Tamil Nadu and huge investments are being made to tap its potential. The focus is on
everything that concerns tourism – be it beaches, temples, parks and other places. On the
other side, there is spiritual tourism in which everybody is a part since going to temples
with family is also part of tourism.

The first Tourism Policy for the State was released by the late Hon’ble Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalitha during 1992 – 93. The Policy has guided new

5
Statistical Report, Department of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu.

5
investments in Tourism and Hospitality sector.6 Recognizing the importance of Tourism,
the Government of Tamil Nadu is giving a major fillip to the Tourism [Link] the
Vision Tamil Nadu – 2023 released by the Hon’ble Chief Minister outlines a road map
for the growth in the State, covering all the major sectors in the economy. To achieve
the targets set in the Vision document, a new Tourism Policy is being formulated. The
new Tourism Policy aims to attract more high spending tourists and also investments in
tourism and hospitality related infrastructure. The Policy aims to ensure employment for
skilled and unskilled persons, besides inclusive development for the local [Link]
2023 document of the Government of Tamil Nadu has a special place for tourism and
Rs.10,000 crore worth tourism development projects have been planned through Public
Private Partnership in the coming years.7 Though Tamil Nadu has seen a record number
of tourist arrivals, both domestic and foreign, over the last couple of years, there is still a
lot more the State could do to cash in on the vast tourism potential. For this, there are
enough great models within the country that Tamil Nadu can adopt and emulate. In the
words of the Minister for Tourism, Mr. P. Chendur Pandian (2012) “a new Tourism
Policy is being formulated, which aims to attract more high spending tourists and also
investments in tourism and hospitality related infrastructure. The Policy will also ensure
employment for skilled and unskilled persons, besides inclusive development for the
local people”.8

Tamil Nadu is ranked first both in the inbound and outbound tourism hub during
the year 2014 due to the availability of world-class medical facilities and expertise at
affordable costs. The State has also emerged as a preferred investment destination being
ranked high among the investors for fostering growth and empowering an efficient and
competitive market place. Department of Tourism is the major catalyst for tourism
promotion in Tamil Nadu. Tourism in recent times has transformed from a service sector
into a major export industry. The State holds the position of pride with 5 UNESCO
Heritage sites in India, being the highest number. It is one of the fastest growing States
in India, and Tamil Nadu is rapidly emerging as the destination of choice for MNCs
(Multi National Corporations) keen on a slice of India’s booming economy.

6
Policy Notes 1992-1993, Tourism Department, Demand No. 47, Government of Tamil Nadu (1992).
7
G.O. Ms. No. 41, Tourism and Culture Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, dated 23rd October,
2011.
8
Policy Notes 2012-2013, Tourism and Culture Department, Demand No. 29, Government of Tamil
Nadu (2012).

6
 The Government aims to make use of tourism for the promotion of the services
sector and for the generation of employment. While Tamil Nadu has a strong industrial
base, there is scope on the business side also. Chennai and Coimbatore are emerging as
popular conference centres with modern day facilities, where conferences and
exhibitions at the international level can be hosted. The Chennai Trade Centre in the
State capital and the Codissia Complex in Coimbatore have been set up to hold these
events. MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) tourism is taking off.
Tourism has a high potential for generation of employment. It promotes exchanges of
ideas and views and facilitates interaction of people and their culture. Tourism gives a
direct stimulus to socio-economic development. Because of all these reasons, the
Government of Tamil Nadu gave a major fillip to tourism infrastructure development,
which has resulted in Tamil Nadu becoming a leading State in tourism growth and
development of tourism infrastructure. As an emerging field this remains unexplored
much by leading researchers. Hence this topic has been chosen for study.

Review of Literature

There exists some literature on tourism and its development. Some books give a
detailed description of the concept of tourism and its development, policy and planning
in a global context. Such books which are relevant to the research topic are included
wherever necessary and possible. There are some research studies on the growth and
development of tourism and its infrastructure in various places of India. Some of them
are as follows:

There are certain studies on tourism potential, planning and development in

various parts of the world. For instance, Robinson (1976) in his book ‘Geography of
Tourism’ has discussed the importance of geographical components. Besides the general
descriptive aspects of tourism, he gives an account of regional tourism for several
countries. It also gives a good coverage of theoretical aspects of tourism and no
analytical work has been done. Khan (2009) wrote an important book series on
“Encyclopedia of Tourism” which emphasizes on theoretical framework of tourism
development such as fundamental aspects, salient features and various organizations. He
gives the role of tourism organization at the international and national levels for the
development and promotion of tourism industry, and all phenomena have been explained
in the series.

7
 K. C. Sharma in his book “Tourism Policy, Planning Strategy” (1996), provides
an ancient background of tourism at the global level and also tourism administration in
Indian context. It also speaks about how the tourism industry requires good policies and
programmes by the Government. The main aim of the study is to produce meaningful
strategy and planning for tourism [Link] study by S.V. Sudheer titled
“Tourism in Kerala – Problems and Potentials” (1991) aims to assess the potential of
natural resources in Kerala to promote tourist visits and to ascertain the facilities
available to tourists. He evaluates the working of the Government machinery for
ascertaining professionalism in this field and the economic benefits obtained by the
business community in tourist centres. Robinet Jacob, Mahadevan, P. and Sindhu Joseph
in their book titled “Tourism Products of India – A National Perspective” (2012) have
analyzed various issues pertaining to the characteristics, types and elements of tourism
products, features of India, different races, languages, architecture, monuments,
religions, etc. The book provides valuable information and guidance for issues pertaining
to customs and traditions of India. Shaloo Sharma in his book titled “Indian Tourism
Today: Policies and Programmes” (2002), has studied the work of the Ministry of
Tourism which gives an emphasis on the policies and programmes of the Government of
India. David, L. Edgell, Sr. and Jason, R. Swanson in their book titled “Tourism Policy
and Planning Yesteryear, Today and Tomorrow” (2013), have effectively analyzed
international tourism development. The book critically examines the past, present and
future of tourism policy development and strategic planning to equip professionals,
academicians and students to better understand the global tourism market place.
Ravichandran, K. (2008) studied the penetration of internet in travel and tourism industry
and identified that the present outlook for travel industry is one of innovation, high
occupancy rate and healthy competition at a higher rate. The study highlighted that a
need for transportation into the techno-centric business arena was felt where the
consumers have different choices for customization of their own product without any
direct contact with an intermediary. Reddy, A.K.V.S. (2008) opines that properly
planned tourism will be a positive factor in national development, creating challenging
employment and distributing wealth to all sectors of theeconomy. If tourism is well
planned and co-ordinated on a regional basis, the positive effects of tourism could be
enhanced. Rajasulochana, N. (2008) reviews the rural tourism policy in Tamil Nadu
context. It points out that most of the ongoing schemes as well as proposed schemes are
concentrating only on religious sites thus reinforcing ‘temple’ tourism rather than rural

8
tourism. Other variants of rural tourism such as sports and adventure tourism, eco-
tourism, farm tourism and nature tourism remain ignored according to this study. Prasad
Purna (2008) suggests that Tamil Nadu should learn destination marketing from Kerala
and Goa. Innovation is required for destination marketing and Tamil Nadu should
recognize the significance of branding, packaging, promoting and positioning of its
products.

The book entitled “Global Tourism” (2013) by Ahana Chakraborty and Dr. B. K.
Chakravarti focuses on historical development of tourism at the global level. This book
provides a better understanding of national development of tourism and depends on the
effective policy of one country. This book also argues that some European and South
Asian countries’ economy is mainly dependent on tourism. R. K. Malhotra in his book
“Nature and Tourism” mainly focuses on the natural spots in India like rivers, ocean,
mountains, forests and lakes and its tremendous impact on the development of tourism in
India. This book gives a detailed picture of the relation between tourism and the policies
of the Government of India towards attracting tourists from all over the world.

The study by Soundara Rajan (1992) relates to the functioning of TTDC and its
role in promoting tourism in the State. The study has given emphasis on the wide range
of services provided by the TTDC like hotels, restaurants, youth hostel, resorts, trade
fair, etc. The study examines the commercial viability of such services provided by
TTDC and he analyses whether the infrastructure service provided by TTDC in the State
has acted as a catalyst in the development of tourism industry in Tamil Nadu. The study
concludes that tourism is actively generating a number of socio-economic benefits. It
creates employment opportunities and is emerging as a source of earning foreign
exchange.

Some Indian scholars turned seriously towards the study of tourism and research.
Kayastha (1956) in his paper on “Tourism Industry of Kangra, Kuluand Manali in
Himalayan Beas Basin” has made an attempt to study the major tourist places in
Himalayan Beas Basin. Mahadev and Ramesh (1967) are prominent researchers who
throw light on hotel industry. Selvam (1989) in his study on “Tourism in India” has
explained the basic components for tourism development. The research article “Tourism
Development in Tamil Nadu” (1995) by R. Balasubramanian and T. J. Sampath Kumar
discusses about the meaning and concepts of tourism in general. It also evaluates the

9
importance of tourism potential in the State and its culture. The article brings out the
significant contributions of Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC)
towards the tourist infrastructure development and tourism promotion in the State.
Sharma (2000) wrote his famous book “Tourism Planning and Development: A New
Perspective”. He tries to give the basic foundations of tourism planning and
development. It caters to tourism designers, planners and developers of varied
experiences and knowledge for planning of tourism industry in near future. Rana Pratap
(2005) in his paper on “Tourism as a factor of Regional Development: A Case study of
Bihar” discusses tourism as a factor of regional development for Bihar. Hehas made an
attempt to study tourism centres of international, national and regional level and how it
gives local importance. This also focuses on the natural spots and centres of eco-
[Link] (2010) has studied eco-tourism in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in
Tamil Nadu. Jayakumar (2010) has analyzed tourism prospects in Virudhunagar District.
K. Selvam and P. Gangai in their research article try to explain about the geographical,
cultural and heritage tourism in Tamil Nadu with historical importance. They give a clear
picture of the scenic beauty and local attractions in various parts of the State.

G. S. Chauhan in his article “Analyzing Tourism Potential of Tamil Nadu, State

of India: A People – Tourists’s Perception Approach” (2010), focuses on tourists flows
in India and the State of Tamil Nadu. The author in this article reveals the foreign and
domestic tourists inflows in Tamil Nadu centre-wise. The statistics of the tourist’s transit
in the State has also been highlighted. “Tourism Infrastructure in Tamil Nadu – A Non-
Spatial Outlook” (2014) by [Link] and Janardhanam mainly discusses on
transportation, hotel and accommodation. It also explains the importance of
infrastructure facilities and its promotion in the State’s tourism development. The article
focuses on communication system and how it plays a significant role in the promotion of
tourism in Tamil Nadu.

It is to be pointed out in this context, that there area number of titles available for
review for the present [Link], there is no specific study with reference to the
dimensions of tourism infrastructure and development in Tamil Nadu. Hence the present
study is carried on to fill this gap in this field.

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Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are as follows:

i. To provide an overview of Tamil Nadu’s geographic, historical, administrative,

demographic, socio-economic and cultural profile.
ii. To present a brief outlook of tourism potential in Tamil Nadu and how the State
acts as an attractive tourist destination within and outside the country.
iii. To provide information regarding the tourism infrastructure in Tamil Nadu with
an emphasis on the world class services for the tourists visiting the State.
iv. To describe the activities of the Government of Tamil Nadu and other
organisations towards the strengthening of existing tourism infrastructure in the
State.
v. To estimate the future potential and prospects for tourism infrastructure
development in the State.

Hypotheses

The hypotheses of the study are formulated as follows:

i. Tourism has transformed into a major revenue generating industry from a mere
service industry in the 21st century.
ii. Tamil Nadu is one of the top tourism destinations for attracting domestic and
foreign tourists.
iii. There is a relation between the tourism potential in Tamil Nadu and the size of
the Tamil Nadu tourism industry.
iv. The activities of the Government of Tamil Nadu and other organisations
strengthened the existing tourism infrastructure in the State.

Scope of the Study

This study has been undertaken in order to highlight the importance of tourism
industry with special reference to Tamil Nadu. This study assumes importanceowing to
the fact that tourism promotion in the 21st century is one of the major thrust areas for
both the Central and State Governments. Tamil Nadu, which has been popularly
described as “Enchanting Tamil Nadu” in the tourism context, has an extraordinary

11
tourism potential in most of its Districts and the State acts as an attractive tourist
destination for both the domestic and foreign tourists.

The major contribution of this study is to analyse the Government of Tamil

Nadu’s policies and programmes towards the promotion of tourism in the State. It
focuses on the activities of the Department of Tourism and other organisations towards
the strengthening of existing tourist infrastructure in Tamil Nadu with an emphasis on
the world class services for the tourists visiting the State. In recent days tourist flows
have increased phenomenally in the State and much attention has been given to the
development of tourism during the last 30 years. For facilitating an elaborate study the
entire tourism potential, tourist arrival growth and other relevant statistics have been
brought into its purview. Taking these facts into consideration, the topic of this study
has been selected.

Methodology

The methodology adopted in this study is a combination of historical, descriptive

and analytical approaches. The study is preceded by setting some hypotheses. A lot of
information collected from both primary and secondary sources has been used to
highlight the potential of Tourism Infrastructure and development in Tamil Nadu with
effective programmes. The collected information from the sources has been well
analyzed and interpreted in the study.

Sources

The data required for the study have been mostly collected from both primary
sources and secondary sources. The primary data have been collected from Government
Orders, Tourism Reports, Government Policy Notes, Tamil Nadu Administration
Reports, Department of Tourism Statistics and from the officers of TTDC and some
tourists. Secondary data have been obtained from the Books, Journals, Articles, News
Papers, Pamphlets and Booklets from the Department of Tourism. The other sources for
the study available at the State Department of Tourism, Tamil Nadu Tourism
Development Corporation (TTDC), Tamil Nadu Archives, Tamil Nadu Secretariat
Library, Madras University Library, Connemara Public Library, Madras Institute of
Development Studies (MIDS), Roja Muthaiah Library and Anna Centenary Library,
Web-sites have also been consulted and used for the preparation of this Thesis.

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Chapterization

This thesis consists of five chapters besides Introduction and Conclusion.

The Introduction part gives the statement of the problem, objectives of the
study, hypotheses of the study, the review of literature of contextual relevance, scope of
the study, research methodology, sources of data collection, limitations of the study and
chapterization.

The first chapter entitled, “Profile of Tamil Nadu – An Overview” describes

briefly on Tamil Nadu’s geographic, historical, administrative, demographic, socio-
economic and cultural profile with the help of census reports, statistical tables and
diagrams. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the various social and cultural
factors that have led to this phenomenon of tourism promotion and tourist infrastructure
development.

The second chapter “Tourism in Tamil Nadu – A Conceptual and Historical

Perspective” traces the conceptual and historical perspective of tourism industry in
general with special reference to Tamil Nadu. It also highlights the importance of
tourism and how it has transformed into a major revenue generating industry in the 21st
century.

The third chapter entitled as “Tourism Potential and Infrastructure in Tamil

Nadu” gives an outlook of tourism potential in various districts of Tamil Nadu and how
the State of Tamil Nadu acts as an attractive tourist destination within and outside the
country. It also provides information regarding the tourism infrastructure in Tamil Nadu
with an emphasis on the world class services for the tourists visiting the State.

The fourth chapter, “Strategies of the Government for Tourism

Infrastructure Development” examines the formulation of tourism policies and
development programmes by the Government of Tamil Nadu towards the promotion of
tourism industry. It also describes the activities of the Department of Tourism and other
organizations towards the strengthening of existing tourism infrastructure in the State.

The fifth chapter entitled as “Achievements and Prospects of Tourism in

Tamil Nadu” analyzes the achievements of the Government of Tamil Nadu in making

13
the State a leading one in tourism growth and in the development of tourism
infrastructure. It also estimates the future potential and prospects for tourism
development in the State.

The Conclusion part gives the Summary and Suggestions of the study.

14