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Tourism Overivew..…………………………………………………………………………..10
This could be bigger than what Information
Technology (IT) has done for the Indian economy. The country
is sitting on a virtual goldmine with a wealth of sights,
cultural exuberance, diversity of terrain and that special
something that only India promises and delivers. The development
of the tourism industry has all the potential of being one
of the greatest growth drivers of the 21st century. But
it requires a massive effort.
2. Tourism infrastructure in India ……………………………………………………….…..30
The rough and tumble of travelling to and within India makes
for a sorry tale. A creaking infrastructure bursting at
its seams, fuzzy government policies, the lack of right
investments at the right places, chaotic support services—all
look set to bring to naught the government’s tall
claim of attracting five million foreign tourists to India
by 2005. And the domestic tourist continues to get a raw
deal
3. India’s tourism heritage ………………………………………………………...…………...43
India has everything going for it – be it a breathtaking
variety of landscape, flora and fauna, historical monuments,
places of abiding religious interest you name it and it’s
there. The scale and scope of what the country has to offer
to both domestic and foreign tourists is amazing. Just the
right mix for a thriving tourism sector. And yet the story
has the same woeful ending. Of opportunities lost, chances
missed
4. Tourism Players…………………………………………………………….………………...56
It’s the tale of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
India has a myriad variety of players in the tourism industry.
But the absence of any tangible tie-ups and a strong representative
body leaves a lot to be desired. Working at cross-purposes,
most of the tourist agencies appear to the outsider as warring
tribes. India desperately needs committed large-scale, visionary
players, who look at themselves as part of a value chain,
mutually dependent for their own good
5. Indian Hospitality…………………………………………………………………………….87
When you travel, you got to stay somewhere. Hotels rank
first in terms of the actual spend for tourist in the value
chain of a tour. Be it the premium category including 5-stars
or 3-stars or the humble lodge, the hotel industry is one
of the major job generators for the economy. But like tourism,
the hotel industry has never been organized. The entire
focus has so far been on how to net in foreigners or the
high-spending domestic tourist. However, the growing middle
class earning population is forcing the industry to get
into a rethink mode and plans are on to set up budget hotels
6. States – Case Studies…………………………………………………………….…………..105
Think India and visions of exotic locales in Rajasthan,
Goa and Kerala and arise enticingly to enchant a visitor
to the magic of all that is quintessentially Orient. And
yet there is much more that is waiting to be explored in
this vast sub-continent. To make that possible the country
would need to move away from the typical ‘the government
does it all’ attitude to a greater public participation
and awareness of the rich dividends tourism brings in for
everyone involved .Of course, a cohesive strategy, doing
away with archaic laws and brilliant innovations could open
the doors to the bewildering variety the country can offer
to its visitors
7. International Case Studies…………………………………………………………………123
India does not have to look very far for examples that
point at its efforts to promote tourism as the proverbial
case of ‘too little too late’. India has quite
obviously failed to convert opportunities into action and
money. The figures speak for themselves. Consider this:
Dubai gets three million visitors in the 30 days that the
Dubai Shopping Festival lasts. The whole of India, vastly
bigger and diverse than Dubai, gets 2.6 million in 365 days.
Malaysia is an example of concentrated marketing communication
to its core markets of Asia, and India in particular. Singapore
is able to attract hordes of visitors by enhancing its attractiveness.
The success stories of the three countries speak of vision,
integration and attitude
8.National Accounting for Tourism………………………………………………………...…146
This is the tough one. What is the best and the most accurate
way to account for the money spent on the business of tourism
and to compute the returns from the investment made? While
tourism accounting in advanced economies does throw up trends
and directions, the lack of similar clarity hampers a clear
picture of the industry in India. Though tourism generates
an average $ 4 billion per year for India, only a reasonably
accurate estimate of its impact on the Indian economy will
encourage players to view it as serious business
9.Government Policy……………………………………………………………...……………157
Everything is in place---the good intentions, a perfect
understanding of what needs to be done for the best possible
results, the erudite policy projections, impeccable strategies---and
yet nothing seems to be moving with the kind of urgency
that is required to forge ahead. Not surprising, since that
remains the hallmark of what is better known as Indian Governance.
The tourism industry in India will continue to suffer as
the powers that be view it as an elitist activity and remain
blind to its vast potential as an engine of growth and employment
generator
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