The Tracks and Turns of Bicycle Tourism in Puducherry-A Qualitative Reportage

Puducherry is a highly rated tourism destination in South India with a progressive outlook. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy of Puducherry as this exhilarating destination has emerged as one of the fastest and finest growing places of tourist importance in the country. The exotic French and Tamil heritage, spiritual radiance, and enthralling beaches amaze and woo tourists from far and wide. Promoted as ‘Peaceful Puducherry', the destination boasts of multiple USP's. Puducherry, of late, has been constantly innovating in the realm of tourism. Tourist arrivals, both international and domestic, experience an upward surge. Puducherry offers a perfect setting for bicycle tourism owing to the layout of its rues (streets) and the long flat terrain with a Dutch-styled grid setting. The tourism industry practitioners in the Union Territory (UT) vouch for the fact that Puducherry is best explored on a cycle. Special bicycle tours such as ‘Art in the City Bicycle Tours' and several other cycle expeditions are steadily gaining traction in Puducherry. This research work employs a case study approach exploring the experiential imperatives of the upcoming bicycle tourism in Puducherry as regards acquainting the tourists with the city. Furthermore, the study brings to light the unique differences bicycle tours offers as compared to other city sightseeing tours. The factors which make Puducherry a very cyclable city from the touristic perspective and its impacts on slow and conscious travel will be examined in the research paper. The notions about the cycle tours will also be addressed in this work. Personal interviews with bicycle tour entrepreneurs and tourists shall be conducted. The viewpoints shall be presented elaborately.