CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu tourism department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Centre-Val De Loire region of France for cultural exchange and tourism development, in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin at the secretariat on Tuesday.
The MoU was signed by S Manivasan, tourism department secretary, and Delphine Benassi, vice president, culture and international cooperation, Centre Val De loire. The agreement will be in force for a period of five years, a release said.
The MoU will facilitate exchange of artistes; cooperation and cultural integration projects between artists and cultural institutions.
It will also facilitate exchange of general policies, experiences and best practices in tourism sector and promotion of cultural, historical and natural heritage. Due to development work carried out by the tourism department in various districts, the number of tourist arrivals increased from 28.71 crore in 2023 to 30.80 crore in 2024.
Tamil Nadu ranks 2nd in India in terms of domestic tourist arrivals in 2024, the release said.