--- title: "Tamil Nadu palmyra climbers find new income through a professor’s tourism trails" url: https://projectchintan.com/article/palmyra-tourism-trails-tamil-nadu-g9cbb publisher: Project Chintan author: Project Chintan Newsroom section: Society published: 2026-09-03T15:01:02.266Z modified: 2026-09-03T17:00:02.959Z language: en-IN --- # Tamil Nadu palmyra climbers find new income through a professor’s tourism trails A Tamil Nadu professor uses palmyra tourism trails to help aging climbers diversify income. Her field tours have drawn dozens of visitors, linking livelihoods with ecological and cultural value. ## Key takeaways - An assistant professor from Chennai developed palmyra tourism trails in Tamil Nadu to support aging climbers. - Three tours have drawn about 20 to 30 participants each, exposing visitors to local livelihoods and palm products. - Dr Preethi Hari Babu completed a PhD in Tourism in 2025, with the palmyra tree as the focus of her research. ## What Happened The Better India reports that in southern Tamil Nadu, a group of palmyra tree climbers, many in their seventies, are leveraging tourism trails created by Dr Preethi Hari Babu, a tourism researcher and assistant professor from Chennai. She has hosted three tours, each attracting roughly 20 to 30 participants. The tours aim to illuminate the tree’s role in local livelihoods and to connect visitors with climbers, palm products, and related crafts. Dr Preethi completed a PhD in Tourism from Mizoram University in 2025, with the palmyra tree at the center of her research on its ecological and cultural ecosystem and its potential to revive livelihoods through community engagement. The fieldwork spans Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, and Villupuram, where climbers, women’s collectives, and local artisans form a network around palm products such as jaggery, jams, baskets, and other crafts. One climber highlighted by the piece is Anto Brito, a 32-year-old whose family has long worked with palmyra trees. The narrative presents the palmyra tree as both an ecological asset—supporting soil retention and biodiversity—and a source of income that encompasses sap tapping, fruit harvesting, and the production of edible and non-edible products that reach wider markets through tourism-led demand. ## Why It Matters The story frames community-led tourism as a mechanism to sustain endangered livelihoods tied to a state tree. By converting experiential visits into economic activity, the model seeks to preserve both the palmyra landscape and the people who depend on it. This approach could influence how environmental assets are conserved through participatory tourism, particularly in coastal and dry landscapes where palmyra plays a central ecological and cultural role. ## Background Dr Preethi Hari Babu joined a nature conservation NGO in 2019 and later pursued doctoral work on palmyra tourism during her PhD at Mizoram University, which she completed in 2025. Her research emphasizes the tree as an ecosystem that links livelihoods, ecology, culture, and identity, moving beyond viewing it as a mere natural object. Her field studies covered multiple districts in Tamil Nadu, including Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, and Villupuram, where climber communities maintain long-standing ties to the palmyra. ## Key Facts - Dr Preethi Hari Babu is a tourism researcher and assistant professor from Chennai, age 30. - She has led three palmyra-focused tours, with each tour attracting between 20 and 30 participants. - Her PhD in Tourism from Mizoram University was completed in 2025. - Fieldwork locations include Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, and Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. - Climbers and related communities rely on palmyra for income through sap tapping, fruit harvesting, jaggery making, handicrafts, and other products. - Anto Brito, a 32-year-old climber, is one example of a family with multi-generational involvement in palmyra work. ## What Happens Next The report indicates ongoing tours and a continuing research-led effort to connect visitors with palmyra livelihoods. No specific future dates or announced programs are provided, but the implication is that the tourism trails may expand if visitor interest sustains and if communities continue to partner with researchers to promote palmyra-based products and experiences. --- Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/palmyra-tourism-trails-tamil-nadu-g9cbb Reported from: Multiple Sources