Few Indian visitors will move away from the beach and Fort, as the streets of Old Tranquebar, apart from King Street, have neither shops nor spectacular buildings.

By rumour the air of Tranquebar is considered rich in ozone, which, for some weird and unexplainable reason, is being described as healthy in pamphlets and visitor guides.

9.          ACCOMMODATION

Apart from church accommodation, mainly reserved for church linked visitors, there are presently only two hotels in Tranquebar. The Bungalow-on-the-Beach Hotel, a Heritage Hotel, being part of the Neemrana Hotel Group having 11 upmarket hotels spread over India, and Hotel Tamil Nadu which is leased from the Tamil Nadu Tourism Corporation by the Neemrana Group. Hotel Bungalow-on-the-Beach caters to the up-market while Hotel Tamil Nadu aims at the mid-market, while also having two dormitories mainly meant for mid-down-market conference visitors.

Furnishings and rooms at the Bungalow on the Beach Hotel are excellent; services and food are of moderate quality. A swimming pool is under construction and the hotel has applied for a permit to serve alcohol. Room rates range from 4,000 to 5,000 Rupees/night with no off-season reductions. Occupancy rates are probably below break-even.