Chennai: The favourite place of Chennaiites to hang around during their winter vacations, Trade Fair at Island Grounds, was inaugurated recently. It has been witnessing a steep rise in the number of visitors.
The 70-day fair by Indian Tourism and Trade Exhibition is being organised to tap in the festive spirit and ensure better profit for traders. The expo which aims towards the promotion of Indian tourism has interesting stalls of Rajasthan handicrafts, Jaipur handlooms and Kashmiri fruit shops.
A stall by Tamilnadu Science and Technology Centre has fascinating illusions and display boards about various planets which attract the kids. Gaming centres aided with VR technology are unique features of this year’s fair.
Perumal, owner of ‘Snowball’, a stall which is maintained at sub-zero temperature to let the visitors dance and relish at the artificial snow park says, “People’s reception is overwhelming. We have sold over 1250 tickets on New Year’s Day. The snow arena is spread over 1200 square feet.” The entry ticket for Snowball is placed at a meagre Rs 50 to facilitate people from all classes to enjoy the artificial snow.
The attraction of this edition’s exhibition is a giant world clock tower which displays the time of more than 20 countries. Besides that, the HR & CE department’s stall has a statue of Kanchipuram Athi Varadar, which has been witnessing a huge number of visitors. Prasadams are distributed to people visiting the place.
Says Kannan, a resident of Madipakkam, “We came with our family to relax and unwind. We have plenty to enjoy and learn. Various cultural events of Tamilnadu are being showcased. And there is plenty to eat too.” The Indian Tourism and Trade Exhibition will come to an end on 29 February.
Article written by Sureka Rajasekar