Looking for the rope trick

``WE ARE happy to be in the land of snake charmers''. Not the kind of description many would expect for TIDEL city, but then that was Ms.Mary, a beaming foreign tourist who arrived at the Anna International airport on Saturday afternoon speaking about Chennai. The visitor was part of the 83-member US tourist group who arrived by a chartered flight from Phuket at the Anna International airport on Saturday, the first chartered jet arriving in the city this year.

The 25-day round the world tour originated from Seattle, USA, and covered Osaka, Japan and the Thai pleasure-coast, Phuket. The private tour organised by American Trans Airlines in association with the Travel Corporation of America, California, represents one of the few adventurous tourist arrivals in Chennai, when it fact the Central and State Tourism Departments should be working for more.

``We are really excited about this four-day holiday in Chennai'', described another Indianapolis resident, who found it pleasant to be welcomed with rose petals, sandal paste and kumkum, by two officials of the Government of India Regional Tourist Office at the airport. Most of the US tourists are from Los Angels and Indianapolis.

Hotel Taj Coromandel was the first pit stop and the tourists are all set to explore Chennai's best tourist spots on Sunday besides having a visual treat of the South Indian traditional dances.

On Monday, they drive down to Mahabhalipuram and cover the Covelong Beach resort and visit Dakshin Chitra Cultural Centre. Winding up their short stay, they leave for Crete in Greece on Tuesday morning continuing their round the world tour touching Athens and Madrid before returning to New York.

The Chennai Airport Director, Mr.Sudhir Kumar, said Chennai was the only Indian entry point for this batch of tourists.

Perhaps, the Mayor can take a poll on their view of his ``Singara Chennai'' achievements, at the end of four years.

By T.S. Shankar

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