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A 14-member travel trade delegation, comprising managing directors and chief executive officers of top tour operators and travel agencies in Malaysia was on a visit to the city.
Acting upon the invitation of the national carrier Air India, the delegation would be visiting other parts of the Tamil Nadu including Puducherry.
Presentations
The Travel Club, Madurai, hosted the delegation, where its members gave presentations touching upon various aspects of Madurai.
Addressing the meeting, Mr Thangavelu Kuppusamy, President, Malaysian, Indian Travel Agents Association (MITA), said that Malaysia had strong ethnic connections with the region as a majority of the Indians residing or working in Malaysia were from Tamil Nadu, especially from the Madurai and southern districts.
He called upon Air India to recognise the potential for tourism between this part of the State to Malaysia and introduce a flight connecting Madurai and Kuala Lampur. Mr Aruldas Arulandu, Vice-President, Malaysian Association of Tours and Travels (MATA), said that the Malaysia, which had a population of 26 million, was aiming for 36 million foreign tourists by the year 2020.
Dr G. Vasudevan, Director, Madurai Fortune Pandiyan Hotel, here, gave an elaborate presentation highlighting the region's potential for pilgrimage, leisure, medical, educational, and heritage tourism.
Connectivity
He pointed out that many important places were located within a few hours of drive from the city, which had excellent connectivity through air, rail, and roads.
The availability of world-class medical facilities was elaborated by presentations given by Mr Aravind Srinivasan, Administrator of Aravind Eye Hospital, Mr Ramesh R. Varier, Managing Director of AVN Swasthya, an ‘ayurveda village,' and a representative from Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre.
Mr Patrick Xavier, Country Manager, Air India Malaysia, said that tourism potential of the region had not been fully utilised as yet and the visit provided an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the local needs and conditions.
Global tourists
Mr R. Radhakrishnan, Deputy General Manager, Air India, said that India saw only 0.6 per cent of the global tourists visit the country.
However, they accounted for 1.2 per cent of the total foreign exchange.
Hence, the national carrier was working towards promoting the sector through these initiatives, he added. Mr N. Sriram, past president, Travel Club, Musthafa, Secretary, Mr Shyam Prakash Gupta, Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry, Madurai Zone, participated in the event.
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