In an ambitious programme to boost the tourism sector in the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has asked officials to prepare a seven-point porgramme covering various aspects of tourism, allocating Rs 500 crore for this purpose.

The seven-point programme would cover cruise and helicopter trips, rope car facilities at hill stations, developing rural tourism by way of a village cluster programme and infrastructure development among others, a state government release here said.

The government would spend Rs 50 crore in developing modern tourist parks on the lines of Sentosa Park in Singapore, at Chennai and Tiruchirappally, it said. The village cluster tourism would involve creating a cluster of 5 to 7 villages based on the arts and handicrafts of their native land and this plan will cover various rural parts in the state.

Besides these measures, tourist circuits with integrated infastructure development, religious, environmental and heritage tours have to be identified and developed in districts including Madurai, Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar among others over a period of ten years from 2011-2020, the release said. A sum of Rs 450 crore had been sanctioned for this purpose.

Further, road-side amenities will be provided at 25 places on state and national highways on public-private mode. The abovesaid measures would boost the tourism industry of Tamil Nadu and 4,000 youth would be trained in various vocational courses including food and beverages and driving, the release said.