PUDUCHERRY: The Union territory of Puduchery registered an average growth of 16.11 per cent growth in terms of foreign tourist arrivals in the last decade, said an official release from Minister of Tourism P Rajavelu on Tuesday. From 22,115 tourists visiting in 2001, it has now risen 73,412 in 2010. The foreign tourist arrivals are now projected to reach 80,753 in the current year, 92,866 in 2012 and 1,11439 in 2013. To attract the foreign tourists , infrastructure projects like rural tourism, a crafts bazaar and an arts and crafts village that had been in the pipeline for a long time will get started by 2012, the release said.The minister who is in London for the World Travel Mart had given a presentation on Puducherry to travel and tour operators. Puducherry will become a dream destination as within the next 10 years the distance gap betweenw Chennai and Puducherry will soon be filled up with a lot of infrastructure developments, he said.The construction of multipurpose cultural complex to showcase dance, music and various art forms of India on all weekends will be taken up next year, he said. Special lighting will be placed around heritage buildings and monuments in the boulevard town to enrich the heritage value of the town. A sound and light show has also been proposed next year, he said and added that with assurance of funds from the ministry of tourism, rope car facilities and marine park would be created and roads improved.Tourism packages covering Chennai-Mahabalipuram-Kanchipuram-Puducherry-Chidambaram-Karaikal-Tanjavur-Madurai have been planned to attract foreign tourists.Exclusive tour packages covering historic temples and churches in Puducherry are currently under planning. Besides, the department of tourism plans to sign an agreement with its counterpart in Delhi Tourism to provide information about Puducherry to the foreigners visiting Delhi. Preliminary discussions had taken place in London.Various promotional activities like digital information banners at important railway stations and airports, advertisements on the internet and development of websites in English and French and 24-hour global tourist helpline centre have been proposed for increasing foreign tourist arrivals.
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