The state tourism department aims to go about this by partnering with local villagers to give foreign tourists the complete village experience. "People in villages are going to be partners in this programme and the entire project will be owned by them", State Tourism Commissioner M Rajaram told on Monday in Chennai.

He said Kadambadi in Kancheepuram district of the state has been chosen to promote rural tourism for this concept.

According to the proposal, there will be an arch at the entrance of the village to welcome visitors. "The design would be totally ethnic depicting the rural features," he said.

Rajaram said specific features of the rural package tour would include a traditional welcome, bullock cart ride to the village from its entrance, visits to locales like a lake, pond, temple house and oil massage, native food, traditional folk art shows and village sports.

"Tourists can also take part in agricultural operations like transplanting and harvesting. They can themselves pluck groundnut pods and taste them fresh", he said. PTI