Chennai: Forget familiar destinations, including hill resorts that lure tourists without much fanfare all through the year. There has been an increasing tendency amÂong travellers to go beyond the popular haunts to explore offbeat destinations.
The Alamparai fort and Yelagiri, near here, and Megamalai, Kolli hills, Suruli falls and the wineries in Theni district, to name a few picturesque spots, have quietly been attracting a steady trickle of travellers.
“Though much of the not-so-popular spots lack amenities on a par with popular places like Ooty, Kodaikanal, KanÂyakumari or Madurai, they have the potential to attract visitors during all seasons of the year,” says a senior tourism official.
The TN tourism development corporation (TTDC), which has identified over 44 less-known tourist destinations across the state, is engaged in improving thÂeir infrastructure. “ThÂere is always an element of thrill in visiting offbeat locales provided one enÂjoys a little comfort,” says a tour operator.
These spots would become popular sites once good resorts come up, he adds. Aiming to cash in on the new trend, Rajapalayam-based GBR travels plans to focus on introducing packages to offbeat destinations in south India. The southern states of TN, KarnÂataka, Kerala and Andhra have a lot of unÂtapped potential.
These woÂuld figure among the company’s packages soon. Mathur in Karnataka, where everyone speaks Sanskrit, Talakad on the Cauvery river banks where sand dunes are belieÂved to have covered up many temples, Chilkur BaÂlaji temple near HydeÂrabad, Lepakshi where the magnificent temple of Lord Shiva is believed to be held by a floating pillar, the EthiÂpotala falls and Araku valley in Andhra, AlapÂpuzha, Chembra peak in WayÂanad, Thattekad, a lowland forest and home to various bird species that are rare in Kerala, are among the numerous offbeat spots in south India.
