Minister spells out tourism potential

Coimbatore, Mar 2 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Toursim Minister Suresh Rajan today said the tourism industry had potential to create 80 lakh new jobs in the next ten years.

Inaugurating a national-level hospitality job fair here, Mr Rajan said the hotel industry provided employment to both skilled and unskilled persons.

Quoting a survey, he said Chennai had been judged as the best place for affordable hotel tariffs while Coimbatore got the honour for being second best centre for medical tourism after the Tamil Nadu capital.

Later, speaking to newspersons, Mr Rajan said the state government had sanctioned Rs 15.80 crore for cable car project in Ooty. The government would also spend Rs 42 lakh for pathway and lighting system in the Ooty Lake.

Tamil Nadu had been placed second in foreign tourist flow and third in domestic tourists.

The state received 13 lakh foreign tourists and 39 lakh domestic tourists and efforts were on to give facelift to TTDC hotels in Ooty, Coimbatore, Kidaikanal, Madurai, Mamallapuram and Rameswaram at a cost of Rs four crore.

UNI