The Nilgiri Hotel and Restaurant Association (NHRA) plans to approach the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department to help promote the Nilgiri region as a tourist destination. Speaking exclusively to Financial Express Online, N Chandra Shekar, secretary, NHRA, informed, “Ooty or Udhagamandalam as it is known today and Coonoor which fall in the region continues to attract tourists but the infrastructure is inadequate to service these numbers. The roads are bad and the garbage management is poor. We also want the government to improve bus services especially from Coimbatore and Mysore which are the gateways for tourists coming to this region. We are discussing to start an annual Carnival which will help Hoteliers to tide over the off season. The Carnival will be planned around end of August – early September.”
He added that the Association also urges the tourism department to revamp the Nilgiri famed mountain railway which is a UNESCO World Heritage attraction. “The tracks need to be redone and we also urge the government to increase frequency of the train services from the present two to at least five or six as, many tourists have to go back disappointed either due to overcrowding or less trips.”
Shekar also spoke on the mushrooming of unlicensed cottages and small hotels in the region. “They are not only eating into the business but also harming tourism as these accommodations are neither safe nor do they offer good quality services.”
