Bullock cart rides for French in Karaikudi

Embarking on an innovative approach for creating employment opportunities, especially for women and disadvantaged groups, a tourism project has been launched to revive art, culture and craft of this region of Tamil Nadu. Read on...

Embarking on an innovative approach for creating employment opportunities, especially for women and disadvantaged groups, a tourism project has been launched to revive art, culture and craft of this region of Tamil Nadu.

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Termed as "tourism of a different kind", villagers offer bullock cart rides to visitors, including foreigners, while playing hosts.

Besides the bullock cart ride, visitors are also treated to the rich culture of Chettinad, including its unique architecture, cuisine and folk dances.

A total number of 24,640 foreigners had visited Chettinad till October this year while last year their number was 22,200, Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, M Rajaram said, adding that majority of them were French.

The number of foreign tourists is increasing since the launch of the project two years back, claimed Rajaram.

Chettinad is a cluster of villages including Karaikudi, Pallathur and Kanadukuthan on the map of economically backward tourist destinations but is culturally rich district of Sivaganga in the state.

Launched by the Tourism Ministry in partnership with UNDP, Chettinad is one of 36 sites selected by the government for launching the income-generating project at grassroot level.

The decade-old palatial Chettinad buildings famous for its architecture are now being converted into heritage hotels for tourists.

These hotels are now attracting a lot of visitors from France, Germany, England and other western countries.