The water-based adventure sports would be introduced at Mamallapuram near here
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Chennai: The catch phrase ‘Enchanting Tamil Nadu’ will be taken to new heights to ignite the destination appeal to both domestic and foreign tourists in the coming months if the new plans of the tourism department work out.
State tourism which silently worked up its way to emerge as first among the states in the country to attract domestic and foreign tourists in 2014 is planning numerous attractions including introducing seaplanes — an aircraft with floats or skis instead of wheels, designed to land on and take off from water, in select destinations and adventure sports.
Admitting that the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) has received a proposal from a leading operator on offering to run seaplanes in select destinations, commission of tourism Har Sahay Meena said the aim is to attract high-end tourists and also to provide altogether a new experience to those visiting the state.
“The routes can be worked out. A feasibility study will be taken up soon to operate the seaplanes from few dam sites and based on this a proposal will be submitted to the government for approval,” he said.
Normally, seaplane services are operated by aircraft that can take six to eight passengers and these aircraft can fly around 6,500 feet above ground and provide a breathtaking view of the locales.
A major advantage of seaplane is that it can cater to a variety of air transportation requirements and it is used in tourist destinations that are close to large water bodies like sea and lake. They can also be used to access remote areas that may not have runways for normal planes to land but may have suitable water bodies on which the seaplanes can land.
According to sources, Pawan Hans, which operates the Jal Hans had conducted a feasibility study for Kerala tourism for introducing seaplane service, which normally dispenses with infrastructure like airports and runways.
They can be operated from a water body to another or from a regular airstrip to a water body or vice versa and require floats and normal landing wheels. The third type is called flying boats.
The general acceptance of seaplane operation within the population is low due to availability of few operators and such operations require clearance from the Director General of Civil Aviation, defence ministry, union environment ministry and local body before introducing the service.
“Apart from ferrying passengers to their destinations, the plane could be used for aerial surveys. Travelling in an aircraft and landing on the water will definitely thrill any tourist,” a senior tourism official said.
The water-based adventure sports would be introduced at Mamallapuram near here, Mandapam in Ramanad district, Manapad in Tuticorin district and Nagapattinam. This will be clubbed with rural sports to serve as year-long attractions.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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