WHAT IS TOURISM

WHAT IS TOURISM

1-Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes.

2-The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four (24) hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes
not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited."

3-Tourism is a dynamic and competitive industry that requires the ability to constantly adapt to customers' changing needs and desires, as the customers satisfaction, safety and enjoyment are particularly the focus of
tourism businesses. 

4-The tourism industry is divided into five different sectors:

a-Accommodation

b-Food and Beverage Services

c-Recreation and Entertainment

d-Transportation

e-Travel Services

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN INDIA

5-India is probably the only country that offers various categories of tourism. These include history tourism, adventure tourism, medical tourism (ayurveda and other forms of indian medications), spiritual tourism, beach tourism (India has the longest coastline in the East) etc.

6-Explore India - choose the locales of your choice, and see what each state has to
offer. Lose yourself in the wonder that is India. Meander through lands steeped in
chivalry and pageantry that begin before recorded history.

7-Explore modern cities that have grown organically from the roots of a multi-hued past. Make a pilgrimage to holy shrines that echo with tales of antiquity.Frolic on a vast array of golden beaches that dot
an enviable coastline, washed by two seas and an ocean.

8-Sport with adventure in style.

9-Let the jungle lure you to a fascinating world at a diverse array of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks....... this is the wonder that is India.

10-If one is to think about the impact of India's economic growth on tourism in the country, one needs to study this feature as part of the larger picture of the developing world's contribution to this fiscal boost.

11-While some economists may attribute the success of Indian economy to the
profits generated by the tourism sector, which in turn were boosted by innovative marketing, brand-building and strategic planning of tour packages, other thinkers may credit the rise in number of MNC's and diversifications of the Indian open industries norm as being the chief
cause.

12-However, if the WTO (World Tourism Organization) is to be believed, as many as 698 million people have traveled to a foreign country in 2000 and have spent over US$ 478 billion while on tour.

13-Now, logically presuming india too had a share in that pie, however big or small it
may be, it would be acceptable to conclude that this free spending of disposable incomes, on the rise inIndia too, has been a major reason for the way in which people in India are spurring on economic growth and the tourism sector therefore, cannot be left out either.

14-The above factors have been collectively responsible for boosting our country's economic reserves and the impact of India's economic growth on tourism is increasingly being felt in specialty sectors like spiritual tourism, spa tourism, student/senior citizen or family vacation plan segments in tourism as well
as (surprise, surprise!) adventure tourism!

15-Better amenities and modernization of roads, infrastructure in hotels, local lodging options, accreditation of genuine travel operators and guides etc., training being imparted by government and private sector individuals interested in developing specific regions for tourism promotion and encouraging global gains for India have
all been strategized well.

16-These policies put in place after significant contribution from field
experts like market watchers, tourism ministry and education and foreign affairs ministry support systems are governed by the needs of tourists visiting india for a certain cultural flavor, yet, not be deprived of comforts, hygiene, security and conveniences that are world-class.

17-Indian tourism receipts combined with better passenger transport systems and customized food and lodging preferences taken into consideration by exclusive tour operators has meant a niche segment of
the country's top travel agencies generating considerable income for their industry.

18-No wonder, as things stand, tourism has become the number one export earner, ahead of automotive products, chemicals, petroleum and food forIndia and this would not have been possible without
the combining of governmental, community and private industry powers through diversification in the economy.

19-This diversification of economy is a sign of health forIndia as a developing
nation fast emerging as a major player in the tourism sector, which has got a shot in the arm thanks to better management at local and urban levels.

20-The only issue of concern is that should

India or any of its major tourism generating regions become dependent for its economic survival upon one industry, it can put major stress upon this sector and its people, who may be compelled to perform well consistently.

21-One solution for easing the burden of India's welcome economic growth off the shoulders of the locals is for our developing country to explore other resources, apart from embracing specialized tourism pockets, as a way to boost the economy.

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM

1-Tourism development in India has passed through many phases.

2-At Government level the development of tourist facilities was taken up in a planned manner in 1956 coinciding with the Second Five Year Plan.

3-The approach has evolved from isolated planning of single unit facilities in the Second and Third Five Year Plans.

4-The Sixth Plan marked the beginning of a new era when tourism began to be considered a major instrument for social integration and economic development.

But it was only after the 80s that tourism activity gained momentum.

5-The Government took several significant steps.A National Policy on tourism was announced in 1982.

6-Later in 1988, the National Committee on Tourism formulated a comprehensive plan for achieving a sustainable growth in tourism.

7-In 1992, a NationalAction Plan was prepared and in 1996 the National Strategy for Promotion of Tourism was drafted.In 1997, a draft new tourism policy in tune with the economic policies of the Government and the trends in tourism development was published for public debate.

8-The draft policy is now under revision. The proposed policy recognises the roles of Central and State governments, public sector undertakings and the private sector in the development of tourism.

9-The need for involvement of Panchayati Raj institutions, local bodies, non-governmental organisations and the local youth in the creation of tourism facilities has also been recognised.

10-The other major development that took place were the setting up of the India Tourism Development Corporation in 1966 to promote India as a tourist destination and theTourism Finance Corporation in 1989 to finance tourism projects.

11-Altogether, 21 Government-run Hotel Management and Catering Technology Institutes and 14 Food Craft Institutes were also established for imparting specialised training in hoteliering and catering.

Tourist Attractions

1-India is a country known for its lavish treatment to all visitors, no matter where they come from.

2-Its visitor-friendly traditions, varied life styles and cultural heritage and colourful fairs and festivals held abiding attractions for the tourists.

3-The other attractions include beautiful beaches, forests and wild life and landscapes for eco-tourism, snow, river and mountain peaks for adventure tourism, technological parks and science museums for science tourism; centres of pilgrimage for spiritual tourism; heritage trains and hotels for heritage tourism.

4-Yoga, ayurveda and natural health resorts also attract tourists.

5-The Indian handicrafts particularly, jewellery, carpets, leather goods, ivory and brass work are the main shopping items of foreign tourists.

6-The estimates available through
surveys indicate that nearly forty per cent of the tourist expenditure on shopping is spent on such items.

Thrust Areas

1-In order to speed up the development of tourism in the country several thrust areas have been identified for accomplishment during the Ninth Five Year Plan (1997-2002).

2-The important ones are development of infrastructure, products, trekking, winter sports, wildlife and beach resorts and streamlining of facilitation procedures at airports, human resource development and facilitating private sector participation in the growth of infrastructure.

Organisation

1-The organisations involved in the development of tourism inIndia are the Ministry of Tourism with its 21 field offices within the country and 18 abroad,IndianInstitute of Tourism and Travel Management, National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology,India Tourism Development Corporation,IndianInstitute of Skiing and
Mountaineering and the NationalInstitute of Water Sports.

Boosting Tourism

1-Some of the recent initiatives taken by the Government to boost tourism include grant ofexport house status to the tourism sector and incentives for promoting private investmentin the form of Income Tax exemptions, interest subsidy and reduced import duty.

2-The hotel and tourism-related industry has been declared a high priority industry for foreign investment which entails automatic approval of direct investment up to 51 per cent offoreign equity and allowing 100 per cent non-residentIndian investment and simplifyingrules regarding the grant of approval to travel agents, tour operators and tourist transportoperators.

Celebrations

1- During the Golden Jubilee celebrations of India as a Republic, the Ministry of Tourism made special efforts to publicise the tourism potential ofIndia.

2-The first-everIndian Tourism Day was celebrated on January 25, 1998.

3-Bauddha Mahotsav was organised
from 24th October to 8th November 1998.

4-The Year 1999 was celebrated as Explore India Millennium Year by presenting a spectacular tableau on the cultural heritage of India at the Republic Day Parade and organising India Tourism Expo in New Delhi and Khajuraho.

5-The Wong La Millennium was held fromApril 1999 to January 2001.

6-A special calendar of events has been formulated for highlighting contributions to Millennium events by various places in all the States.

7-An official website of the Ministry
of Tourism has also been created for facilitating dissemination of information on tourism.

Constraints

1-The major constraint in the expansion of international tourist traffic toIndia is non-
availability of adequate infrastructure including adequate air seat capacity, accessibility to tourist destinations, accommodation and trained manpower in sufficient number.

2-Poor visitor experience, particularly, due to inadequate infrastructural facilities, poor
hygienic conditions and incidents of touting and harassment of tourists in some places are factors that contribute to poor visitor experience.

3-To sum up,Indian tourism has vast potential for generating employment and earning large sums of foreign exchange besides giving a fillip to the country¶s overall economic and social development. Much has been achieved by way of increasing air seat capacity, increasing trains and railway connectivity to important tourist destinations, four-laning of roads connecting important tourist centres and increasing availability of accommodation by adding heritage hotels to the hotel industry and encouraging paying guest accommodation.

4- But much more remains to be done. Since tourism is a multi- dimensional activity, and basically a service industry, it would be necessary that all wings of the Central and State governments, private sector and voluntary organisations become
active partners in the endeavour to attain sustainable growth in tourism ifIndia is to
become a world player in the tourist industry.

PHYSICAL

1-A national strategy for the development of tourism has recently been developed for synergizing the activities of different infrastructure sectors, the state governments and the private sector for tourism development. The specific components of
the strategy include;

A-CULTURAL:

India has been mainly conceived as a cultural tourist destination, but it has diverse tourist attractions which
need to be developed. A conscious policy has, therefore, been adopted to diversify and improve tourism products of India, including cultural tourist attractions.

The schemes implemented through state governments for product development are:

(A) Promotion of fairs and festivals, rural craft, melas, etc.

(B)refurbishment of monuments and environmental planning;
(C )flood lighting/son et lumiere (SEL) shows;
(D)development of pilgrim centres;

(E)development of adventure sports facilities;

(F)designation of special tourism areas; and

(G)development of specific circuits through external aid...