It is a five-day tour and starts from the TTDC office at Wallajah Road at 6 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. The tour covers temples in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Pudukottai , Madurai, and Pondicherry. The fare per person is Rs.3250 (adult) and Rs. 2500 (child).

TTDC has been conducting the 108-Amman tour for the past five years. The tour is generally operated during the month of Aadi. Bookings are full till August 11. In addition to this spiritual tour, a one-day tour is also available. This tour called the Sakthi Tour covers some of the famous Amman temples in and around Chennai like Thiruverkaadu and Maangadu. Sakhti Tour is being operated by the TTDC for the tenth year is succession.

World-class aquarium for Chennai

A world-class aquarium will soon come at Chennai in about three years on ECR. It will then offer something which tourists now experience at Singapore and Malaysia. The aquarium will be underwater and this concept is something unique in India and will be the first in the country. The aquarium will be promoted by the VGP Group in collaboration with Australia’s VDM Group, promoter of similar projects in countries like China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Spain.

The project will consists of an underground tunnel aquarium, touch pools, exotic marine-life containing tanks, food courts, and a amphitheatre.

The aquarium is expected to attract 2 million people in a year and the entry fee will be a nominal Rs 200 (about $5).

The major part of the technology will be supplied by the VDM Group with the main funding from the Government of Australia. The group will also source the marine life and manage the project for a year. The total cost of the project will be US$ 25 million (RS 100 crore).The project is backed by the Australian Export Promotion Council.

Hop-on-Hop-Off Tour

Hop-on-Hop-Off Tour will soon be introduced by the Tamil nadu Tourism Developemnt Corporation .Four air-conditioned buses will run on ECR to Mahabalipuram from February 2009.The coaches will stop enroute at 13 tourist spots .Tourists can board the bus at any of the 13 locations.

From Chennai, the first bus will start from the Tamil Nadu Tourism Complex on Wallajah Road at 9.00 am, and the last one will leave at 4.00 pm. In the reverse direction, the first coach will leave at 10.40 am and the last one at 5.40 pm. Tickets will be priced at Rs 250 each and will be valid for the day. Tickets will be available and sold at any of the 13 locations.

The 13 stops are as follows: Marundeeswarar Temple at Tiruvanmiyur, VGP, Mayajaal, MGM Dizee World, Dakshinachitra, Muttukadu Boat House, Tiruvidanthai Temple, Crocodile Bank, Dolphin City, Tiger Cave, Arjuna’s Penance, Five Rathas and Mamallapuram Temple.

The initial tourists will be offered an attractive discount, according to the TTDC.

World’s largest cricket stadium Chennai

The world’s largest cricket stadium will soon come up at Chennai if all go according to plans. This stadium will then become the biggest pushing the Melbourne and the Eden gardens. The stadium will come up before 2011 when the Cricket World Cup will be jointly hosted by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Srilanka.

The stadium which will come up at about 25 km from the city will have a retractable roof to ensure that matches do not get washed out due to rain. The stadium will be a world-class one with massive seating capacity and will occupy about 30 acres. The stadium will meet futurtistic safety standards.

Mountain-biking introduced at Ooty

The Queen of Hills, Ooty has an additional tourist atttraction: mountain-biking. The governement recently inaugurated a mountain bike park at Ooty. Spread over two acres on one of the regions hilly terrains, it ia a challenging lap because of its natural bumps and curves. Not even a single tree has been chopped, and so the place is eco friendly.Twenty-nine bikes have been purchased for the moment.There are three levels of difficulty: beginner,intermediate, and expert.There are trainers available at the park. It is situated near the lake and is very scenic. The charges are a nominal Rs 10 per lap.