Puducherry rolls out caravan tourism

Puducherry introduces camper van rentals with tax permits, boosting tourism, film shoots, and road-based travel experiences.

Travellers visiting Puducherry, a former French outpost, for its scenic beaches and heritage architecture can soon hire fully-equipped camper vans with queen-size convertible beds, washroom, smart television, speaker systems, air-condition, and a kitchenette among others.

Puducherry is the latest to join the bandwagon of caravan tourism, which is considered a luxury segment. The caravan culture has grown in popularity in recent years in India, especially in the southern States of Karnataka and Kerala.

In a move aimed at strengthening its tourism appeal, the Puducherry Transport Department has opened its doors and brought camper vans and caravans under a formal tax structure. This key initiative facilitates the issuance of permits not only for Puducherry-registered vehicles, but also for vehicles from other States, through a convenient tax system for three, seven and 30-day durations.

According to Transport Commissioner A.S. Sivakumar, “The new tax policy notified by the Government covers vehicles registered as camper vans or caravans, classified under Public Service Vehicle, Contract Carriage, or Transport categories, regardless of their seating capacity.”

The annual tax structure for light and medium vehicles and heavy vehicles is ₹32,000 and ₹48,000 respectively. The vehicles can be hired for three days, seven days and 30 days duration with tax slabs ranging from ₹860 to ₹4,200 for light and medium vehicles and ₹1,340 to ₹8,800 for heavy vehicles.

He added, “This structured framework is expected to significantly boost tourism, especially in the growing segment of road-based travel and adventure tourism. It allows travellers from across India to explore Puducherry in their own caravans, bringing both convenience and compliance under one roof.”

With Puducherry being a preferred destination for movie shooting, the move is expected to provide a fillip for film tourism. With Puducherry’s unique blend of French colonial charm, scenic beaches, and heritage architecture, the region has long been a favoured location for film and advertisement shoots.