After all, monsoon is a season eagerly waited by most in the country despite the misery it brings with it in the form of floods, waterlogged streets, bad roads, submerged railway tracks and pot holes.

The tourism ministry has now decided to promote monsoon tourism packages in the country that will consist of honeymoon packages, Ayurveda rejuvenation holidays, houseboat cruises and rain walks. Several states including Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Goa, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Sikkim have already been identified for promoting monsoon tourism packages.

Speaking at a national seminar on monsoon tourism, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) today, joint secretary, tourism, Ms Leena Nandan, said the ministry is working with states governments to develop promotional packages for monsoon season.

"These packages will be announced soon," she said. "Foreign tourist arrivals have increased by 14.3 per cent in 2007, as compared to 2006 and the time has come to attract tourists in the lean monsoon season also," Ms Nandan added.