THE IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM PLACES IN AND AROUND SALEM AND NAMAKKAL DISTRICTS WITH REFERENCE TO POLICY MAKING IN GOVERNMENT SECTORS

Abstract

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who ―travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. Tourism is a major growth engine for economic development in terms of providing employment and eradication of poverty. The economic significance of tourism in terms of employment, income, foreign exchange earnings and regional development is a major driving force to place tourism appropriately in development. The economic liberalization, open-sky aviation policy, luxury cruises, improved surface transport, tourist trains, increased business travel and e-booking facilities have created a paradigm change in the tourism sector. From a mere service industry, tourism has transformed into a major revenue generating industry. Salem region includes two districts namely; Salem and Namakkal. For the administrative convenience districts Salem and Namakkal were bifurcated. The study area includes all the said four districts. Every district in Salem region has tourism specialties of their own. Now an attempt has been made to explain the tourism specialties in all the individual districts.