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Believed to be the fourth largest metropolitan city in India , Chennai, located along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, carries a heavy tag of being considered as a gateway to South India. But like all battles, this one too is not without its struggles.

The city, to its credit, is trying hard to look towards the future and usher in development to prove itself worthy of the unsolicited label. From being called Chennapatnam to Madras and finally Chennai - instrumented purely by political whim - the city has woken up to the needs of the soon to be economic powerhouse that is India. Apart from being an industrial centre, it has over the last few years seen tremendous commercial developments whether it is its automobile, textile or software industries. A domino effect of this has been its recent real estate boom.

A paradoxical refuge

Chennai is an intriguing mix - a paradoxical refuge for the young and the old. Although it does not have much to offer a discerning tourist, it does serve as a transit point to many.

Being a metro, Chennai has great connectivity as far as railway and road routes are concerned. The Southern Railways has ensured that the city is well connected to all metros as well as smaller cities. Similarly, it is possible to drive down to Bangalore, Kancheepuram, Tirupati, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry and even Kolkata from here, thanks to the excellent road network.

However, despite having the advantage of having domestic and the international airports clubbed together, its air connectivity leaves travellers much to ask for. While the low-cost airline boom has also touched Chennai skies, passengers travelling to certain destinations may not get a direct flight. For instance, while Go Air flies only to Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune, Kingfisher connects Chennai only to Delhi and Mumbai, apart from a few second-tier cities. SpiceJet flies out to only five cities and Paramount Airways connects Chennai only to the southern cities, leaving passengers with little choice despite the much touted aviation revolution in Indian skies.

With more than 15 international flights and six domestic airlines operating in the city, the Airports Authority of India has constructed a master plan to project Chennai as not just a gateway to South India but also as a hub to fly to Southeast Asia due to its proximity
But amends are being made. With more than 15 international flights and six domestic airlines operating in the city, the Airports Authority of India has constructed a master plan to project Chennai as not just a gateway to South India but also as a hub to fly to Southeast Asia due to its proximity. This will allow international tourists to directly fly into Chennai.

The city’s airport is also all set for a facelift except that the authorities are still debating whether the city needs a new one or merely expanding the old one would do.

Structure and form

The IT industry is a goldmine of sorts; it is bound to usher in development in any region it touches. And so it is with Chennai. Several companies like Wipro, Ascendas, TCS, Infosys and Polaris have mushroomed here along with automobile giants like BMW, telecom bigwigs like Motorola and Nokia. To provide further impetus the Centre and the state governments, are initiating projects like the four-lane Chennai bypass Phase II, a cloverleaf structure close to the airport that will directly connect the city to different National Highways and simultaneously ease traffic in the city. The Rs 200-crore project, that is expected to be completed by 2008, includes widening of roads near the multi-layered flyover.

However, the much hyped IT corridor on the old Mahabalipuram road, which was taken up for widening from the present two lane into a six-lane road, is way behind schedule.

Nevertheless, the chain of development has already been jumpstarted and with the emergence of business centres, business travellers can’t be too far behind. The city, in these few previous years, has witnessed a surge in corporate travel, with the result that a number of leisure and business hotels have come up in the city. International brands like the Courtyard Marriott, Radisson, the Hilton and Le Royal Meridien have a strong presence in the city and many more five-star hotels including the Leela group and JW Marriott are slated to enter the market in the next few years.

The city also has a 25-acre convention centre, Chennai Trade Centre, considering that MICE is fast emerging a huge market here. However, the city could do better with bigger convention centres, either as part of hotels or standalone with a hotel in its premises.

But despite all the talk of buoyancy in the hospitality industry, the hoteliers are sore about the curfew imposed on the bar timings (11 pm). Moreover, the Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India (FHRAI) recently put forth its set of demands to the new government to charge the luxury tax on the actuals. It has also demanded the industry to be provided an infrastructure status.

On the other hand, the concept of mixed use development is a hit in this filter coffee drinking city with big real estate developers and hoteliers opting to have malls along with entertainment centres, multiplexes, food courts and hotels in the same complex.

Bewitching beauty

Chennai’s infrastructure has been attracting investments from various sectors, thereby increasing travel into the city. It set the ball rolling when it launched its catchy campaign ‘Enchanting India - Experience Yourself’ in 2003. In fact, the state bagged an award for ‘Best State Tourism in Marketing Efforts’ and an award from the Pacific Area Travel Writers’ Association for its promotion of Chettinad Heritage, among others.

The new DMK regime is also chalking out plans to use aggressive and innovative ideas to promote the state from different aspects, including medical tourism, considering that Chennai boasts of some of the best hospitals in the country. More than Rs 32 crore was allotted for various projects; promotional activities were accorded top priority with a budget of Rs 12 crore and tourism infrastructure development was given Rs 10 crore last year.