Udhagamandalam: Tourism has since yore played a key role in ensuring the economic well-being of the Nilgiris. Consequently, successive governments have, over the years, been focusing on the sector and promoting not only the conventional type of tourism, but also heritage, rural and tea tourism.

Regrettably, one aspect of the sector which is yet to get its due is educational tourism, though it has been steadily growing. With schools in the district getting ready to reopen after the winter vacation, educational tourism is now in focus.

For many years, there has been a demand particularly from educationists and members of the mercantile community that the potential of this kind of tourism be tapped.

Enquiries by Covai Post reveal that in many commercial establishments here, like departmental stores and hotels, the contribution of students accounted for nearly 25 per cent of the total business. Whenever their parents were allowed to take them out for a weekend, the figure went up by over 50 per cent.

In the Association of English Speaking Schools of the Nilgiris district alone there were about 30 members. Approximately each of the big schools had a strength of about 900 students.

During important occasions like Founder’s Day or Sports Day in many schools, parents and relatives from various parts of India and abroad visit the hill station. Such occasions were very much looked forward to by the hospitality and travel sectors.

A long standing demand of many of the parents is that this town should be linked by air as the nearest airport was about 100 km away in Coimbatore. They found it easy to reach Coimbatore even from faraway places like Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad, but reaching Ooty from there by road took three hours and more. They feel that helicopter services connecting Ooty with places like Coimbatore, Mysore and Bangalore would be very beneficial.