5,500 flower pots with colorful flowers of around 50 varieties commenced at the famed Govt. Botanical Garden
5,500 flower pots with colorful flowers of around 50 varieties commenced at the famed Govt. Botanical Garden
Ooty: The autumn tourist season, popularly known as the second season of Ooty which runs between mid-September and mid-November has arrived and the arrangement of 5,500 flower pots with colorful flowers of around 50 varieties that commenced at the famed Govt. Botanical Garden (GBG) here on Friday morning indicated that autumn is beginning to peak here for tourists to enjoy the greenery, colours and fragrance of the autumn season in the hills.
After the reasonably good spell of monsoon rains over the past three months especially in the central and western part of the Nilgiris, it is now blooming time here. The verdant outlook, moderately warm day temperatures and the showers characteristic of autumn are back here. The lovely autumn weather has brought hope and cheer to the travel and tourism industry.
Mr N. Mani, Joint Director of Horticulture here said that after the popular summer season, it is the autumn season which brings more tourist to Ooty. At the GBG which charms visitors during autumn with its colourful flowers, blooming has just begun. We expect the garden to be in full bloom in the next few days. Nearly 3 to 4 lakh tourists visit the GBG during autumn,” he added.
Dr P. Sankar, Collector of the Nilgiris who inaugurated the arrangement of 5,500 flower pots in the flower-show gallery at the GBG for the autumn season on Friday morning said that for this autumn, nearly 2 lakh flower plants of 50 varieties are being grown in various parts of the GBG. This year, World Tourism Day programmes will be held at the arboretum (tree park) on Fern Hill road on September 27, he added.
Meanwhile, Ms Pramila Prathap, a tourist from Tirupathi said that the autumn weather and the bloom in the hills here are enchanting and it was really lovely to be here in the autumn. “The greenery is something exceptional with the varieties of flowers that cheer and charm visitors,” she said.
Road infra dissatisfying for autumn season:
While the district administration has taken steps to arrange events like light music programmes, cultural programmes of students, art competition for children and magic show on 4 different days to make these autumn attractions this season, the hospitality industry wants something more.
The hospitality industry here in the hills wants big road shows and cultural and other entertaining programme to organize an exclusive autumn festival to make the autumn season in the hills more attractive and pull in more crowds.
Saying that the autumn season has lost its sheen over the past 3 years as the tourism department fails to organize anything big to make a mark, Mr N. Chandrasekar, secretary of the Nilgiris Hotels and Restaurants Association said that the time has come for the tourism department to organize an autumn festival just as they organize the summer festival to make the autumn season entertaining and memorable.
“Autumn always bring lakhs of tourists, including foreign tourists, to the hills. Now, the road infrastructure in the hills is not satisfactory. The jamboree procession and food festival which were characteristic of the autumn festivals in the past is missing now.
The autumn season here has good potential to develop tourism. The tourism department should take the initiative to make the autumn season popular among tourists,” he suggested.
( Source : dc )
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