By Alkesh Sharma

Chandigarh, Feb 28 (IANS) Foreign tourists seem to be falling in love with Chandigarh's greenery, clean air and clear spaces. The number of tourists visiting one of India's most well-planned and well-maintained cities has increased by 18 percent in the past year.

The number of foreign tourists visiting the union territory surged to 37,967 last year compared to 32,074 in 2008, according to official figures of the Chandigarh administration.

The tourism department plans to surpass the 2009 figure this year.

"This year we had an overwhelming response. So far in January, 75,435 domestic and 3,516 foreign tourists have already visited Chandigarh. If similar trend continues, we aim to cross the mark of 10 lakh (a million) tourists in 2010," Chandigarh tourism deputy director Vinod Kalia told IANS.

He said the response of foreign tourists to Chandigarh was encouraging. "The Chandigarh administration is serious about the tourism sector. Keeping in mind the needs of foreign tourists, we have provided world-class facilities to promote tourism on a big scale."

Kalia said destinations like Sukhna Lake, Rock Garden and Rose Garden attract tourists from all across the globe.

As per official records of the tourism department, a majority of foreign tourists come from Britain, the US and Canada.

"Over 60 percent of foreign tourists are from these three countries. In spite of the swine flu scare and financial meltdown, there was no dip in the number of enquiries from these countries in 2009. Sukhna Lake and the government museum are the most sought after destinations among them," Atul Malhotra, a city-based travel agent, told IANS.

The city, with its wide, clean roads and large gardens, was designed by legendary Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier in the 1950s. It is the only planned city in independent India.

Chandigarh, spread over 114 sq km, is internationally known for its architecture and urban planning. It is also the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

"I had heard a lot about this city from my friends, but this is my first visit to Chandigarh. There are so many beautiful places here, especially Sukhna Lake. I found this city very clean, but I think growing traffic could be a major problem here in the next few years," Australian tourist Adam Stevens told IANS.

Tourist inflow to the city, considered a gateway to Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Punjab, has been continuously increasing for the past five years.

According to official figures, nearly 638,000 tourists visited Chandigarh in 2005 while the number was 730,000 in 2006 and 954,726 in 2007.