Travel and Tourism in India: A Developmental Perspective
Dr. Radhika Kapur
Abstract
Travel and tourism have been an integral part of an individual’s life, whether
a person is wealthy, affluent, well educated, disadvantaged, and poverty stricken or
belong to socio-economically backward sections of the society. People get engaged
into travel and tourism for a variety of purposes such as religious, cultural, sports,
education, employment, medical, seeing wildlife, adventure, ecotourism, business
and so forth; therefore there are multiple purposes that enable individuals to get
involved in travel and tourism. India is a country of different cultures, values,
religions, ethnicities; it has splendid temples, religious places, recreation places,
wildlife sanctuaries, beaches, forts, tombs, museums, and many other areas that
attract tourists from different parts of the globe. Travel and tourism in India is
viewed from the developmental perspective within the country; it is regarded to be
an area that has led to progress and advancement of the entire country; India is
becoming famous and is recognized to have a rich and cultural heritage due to its
historical monuments, religious places, leisure and recreation areas, wildlife
sanctuaries, beaches and forests. The main areas that have been highlighted in this
research paper are Indian Tourism Industry, The National Tourism Policy 1982,
tourism in India, programs by the government for the promotion of tourism and
types of tourism in India. These areas underscore the significance of tourism in
India and it has undergone much greater extent of progress and development.
Keywords: Travel, Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Pilgrimage, Medical,
Education, Sports, Progress, Development
Introduction
Development implies change. It reflects a process of economic and social
transformation within countries. World Tourism Organization defines tourists as
people who travel to stay in places outside their usual environment for 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. Tourism is both
incoming and outgoing economic phenomenon directly influencing national,
regional and local economies. Tourism development leads to positive influence in
the process of economic development in the destination. It is often considered as a
development opportunity, as a contributor to economic growth, and as a catalyst of
favorable structural changes within the local economy. To develop the tourism
sector some of the important factors are: infrastructure, products, trekking, winter
sports, wildlife and beach resorts; facilitation procedures at the airports and
railways, e-booking and e-ticketing facilities, development of different category of
hotels, better transportation and bread and breakfast schemes (Chadha, 2009).
In India, travel and tourism has been the major part of Indian tradition and
culture; in ancient times, the purpose of ones travel was mainly for pilgrimage,
religious beliefs and involved visiting of holy places, but in the present world, all
categories of people take pleasure in travelling to different places for the purpose
of business, work, leisure, recreation, participation in fairs, festivals and other
occasions. In India, the major attractions have been luxurious palaces built by the
rulers, enchanting gardens, temples, forts, tombs and memorials forests, wildlife
beaches, landscapes for eco-tourism, heritage trains, museums, science tourism
centers for pilgrimage, spiritual tourism, heritage hotels, colorful fairs and
festivals, yoga, Ayurveda, natural health resorts, medical tourism, religious places,
artworks, handicrafts and so forth. The beauty of India’s cultural heritage and the
richness of the nature’s endowments make India, an extremely delightful country
for visit by the tourists from all parts of the globe.
Indian Tourism Industry
The travel and tourism sector holds tactical significance in the Indian
economy on making provision of several socio economic benefits. Provision of
employment, income and foreign exchange, development or expansion of other
industries such as agriculture, construction, handicrafts etc. are some of the central
economic advantages provided by the tourism sector. In addition, investments in
infrastructural facilities such as transportation, roads, accommodation and other
tourism related services lead to a general development of infrastructure in the
economy. According to the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism
Competitiveness Report 2013, India ranks 11th in the Asia pacific region and 65th
globally out of 140 economies ranked on travel and tourism Competitiveness
Index. India has been observing stable development in its travel and tourism sector
over the past few years. Total tourist visits have increased at a rate of 16.3 per cent
per annum from 577 million tourists in 2008 to 1057 million tourists in 2012
(Travel and Tourism Sector, 2013).
The travel and tourism sector maintained 25 million jobs in 2012
straightforwardly related to the tourism sector. Comprising 4.9 per cent of the total
employment in the country in 2012, this is anticipated to amount to 31 million jobs
by 2023. While these numbers specify direct employment supported by the tourism
sector revealing employment by hotels, travel agents, passenger transportation
services or other restaurant, recreation and leisure employment, the total
contribution including indirect and encouraging outcomes is anticipated to cause a
multiplier impact on the economy resulting in greater employment generation.
Applying this multiplier impact, the travel and tourism sector supported a total
employment of 40 million jobs in 2012 constituting 7.7 per cent of the employment
of the entire economy (Travel and Tourism Sector, 2013).
This implies that for every job directly supported by the tourism sector, an
additional 0.6 job is supported in the economy when the indirect and encouraged
effects of tourism are reflected upon. There has been an increase in the arrivals of
international tourists in India, which is supposed to observe an annual growth rate
of 6.2 percent over the next decade; this growth can mainly be attributed to the
rising income levels and the changing lifestyles, diverse tourism types and policy
and infrastructural development by the Government such as simplification of visa
procedures and tax holidays for hotels. There have been improvements and
progress in the travel and tourism sector; capital investments in the tourism sector
include spending by all the sectors directly involved in the travel and tourism
industry (Travel and Tourism Sector, 2013).
The National Tourism Policy 1982
In November, 1982 there was formulation of the tourism policy; the main
objective of the policy was to develop tourism within the country (Chapter 3, n.d.).
1. It was made to implement tourism as the unifying force nationally as well
as internationally cultivating an enhanced understanding.
2. The purpose of tourism was to help in the preservation of Indian heritage
and culture and projecting the same to the world.
3. Generating socio-economic benefits in terms of employment
opportunities, income creation, revenue creation, foreign exchange and
so on.
4. Provides direction and prospect to the youth of the country to understand
the objectives and perspectives of others and helps in the development of
national integration.
5. The development of tourism makes provision of opportunities for the
youth of the country, not only for employment but also for taking up
activities for nation building and character building like sports,
adventure, other activities etc.
Tourism in India
India is the land of numerous understandings and interesting locales. It is a
world of magnificent colors and rich cultural locales, be it splendid monuments,
heritage temples or tombs. The Country's ancient cultural heritage is inextricably
connected to its technology determined current survival. The coexistence of a
number of religions and cultures, together with an admiration inspiring topography
makes it the perfect place for organization of an inclusive vacation. There have
been four types of tourism in India, ecotourism, rural tourism, regional tourism and
India city tour. There have been products of tourism that have been classified as
follows: first is monsoon magic, which is from the month of April till October,
second, rural and village tourism, the tourism industry is laying emphasis upon
infrastructural development in case of rural areas and it involves observing various
attributes in the rural areas, therefore, it is termed as rural tourism, third, medical
tourism, the Indian healthcare delivery is estimated at US $18.7 billion; the
industry is developing at a 13% rate on annual basis, forth, luxury tourism involves
staying in luxury hotels, visiting magnificent and splendid places, shopping,
purchasing extravagance items and so forth and fifth, by ecotourism, it is meant
adventure tourism, when individuals are engaged in some kind of voyage, exciting
activity, exploration or journey (Goswami, Joshi & Agarwal, n.d.).
In India, there are many places that are splendid and magnificent and attract
tourists from around the world; these places have been of different kinds such as
the heritage sites, cultural attractions, beaches and benchmarks, health and
wellness programs and wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. The heritage sites in
India are Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Sun Temple, Konark,
Golden Temple in Amritsar and group of monuments at Khajuraho. There have
been various cultural attractions and these are festivals such as Holi, Deepavali,
Pongal, Kumbh Mela, famous temples and religious places all throughout the
country and Indian music and dances. Beaches and benchmarks have been Anjuna
beach in Goa, Kovalam beach in Kerala, Marina beach in Goa, Juhu beach in
Mumbai, Baga beach in Goa and Dona Paula beach in Goa. Health and wellness
comprise of Ayurveda, yoga, meditation, shirodhara-oil therapies, panchkarma
therapies and steam therapies. The most famous wildlife sanctuaries and national
parks in India are Corbett National Park, Sariska National Park, Ranthambore
National Park, Kajiranga National Park, Kanha National Park, Gir National Park
and Sanctuary and Mudumalai Sanctuary (Goswami, Joshi & Agarwal, n.d.).
Programs by the Government for the Promotion of Tourism
A particular scheme was initiated in 2009-10 for the formation of
employable skills among youth belonging to the economically weaker and the
disadvantaged sections of the society in the age group of 18-25 years with upper
age limit increased to 28 years in November, 2010 with the essential purpose to
decrease the skill gap influencing the hospitality and tourism sector and to make
sure the extension of economic assistance of tourism to the poor. The program
offers short duration courses of six to eight weeks which are completely financed
by the Ministry of Tourism. Initially covering two courses that are food and
beverage service; and food production, courses in housekeeping, utility, bakery and
patisserie were included consequently. With the increasing satisfactoriness of the
program more trades and training areas were added to bring up drivers, golf
caddies, stone mason, security guards and tourist facilitators. For the year 2012-13,
21,175 individuals have been trained under the initiative up to 31 January 2013
(Tourism Sector in India, 2013).
As part of its household and worldwide promotion and marketing approach
to endorse tourism and generate social consciousness through the print and
electronic media, the Ministry of Tourism initiated operations on Clean India,
Atithi Devo Bhava and Hunar Se Rozgaar through radio channels. Operations
emphasizing the tourism prospective of North-East and J&K were also
implemented through television channels and programs. The Ministry had
contributed in main international Travel Fairs and Exhibitions in significant tourist
generating markets on the worldwide scale, as well as in emerging and potential
markets, to display and endorse the tourism products of the country. These
included Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, International Trade Business
(ITB-Asia) in Singapore, World Travel Market (WTM) in London, International
Meetings Exhibitions (IMEX) in Frankfurt, International Tourism Trade Fair
(FITUR) in Madrid, etc (Tourism Sector in India, 2013).
To display and develop the Buddhist Heritage of India, an International
Buddhist Conclave was organized by the Ministry of Tourism in Varanasi in
September 2012 and was attended by 132 international delegates from around 30
countries. The delegates were taken for a visit to Sarnath and Bodh Gaya. For the
first time, an International Tourism Mart was organized at Guwahati in January,
2013 to display the principally and the most largely tourism potential of the north-
Eastern region in the national and international markets (Tourism Sector in India,
2013).
Types of Tourism in India
The types of tourism have been classified as follows: (Arunmozhi &
Panneerselvam, 2013).
1. Adventure Tourism - Adventure tourism involves journeying of remote areas
and exotic locales and getting engaged in various activities. For adventure
tourism in India, tourists prefer to go for trekking to places like Ladakh,
Sikkim, and Himalaya. Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are
popular for the skiing facilities that are available there. Whitewater rafting is
also popular in India and tourists make a visit to places such as Uttranchal,
Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh for this activity. Various kinds of adventure
on water, land, and air can be enjoyed in India. The various kinds of
adventure tourism in India are: rock climbing, skiing, camel safari, para
gliding, mountaineering, rafting in white water, trekking and so forth.
2. Wildlife Tourism - India has a rich forest cover which has some beautiful
and interesting species of wildlife, some of which that are even limited and
very rare; this has enhanced wildlife tourism in India. The most popular
places where a foreign tourist can go for wildlife tourism in India are the
Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary, Keoladeo Ghana National Park, and Corbett
National Park.
3. Medical Tourism - Tourists from all over the world have been hosting India
to benefit themselves of cost effective but advanced and better quality
healthcare in terms of surgical procedures and general medical attention.
There are several medical institutes in the country that provide to foreign
patients and provide top quality healthcare at a fraction of what it would
have cost in other countries of the world such as United Kingdom and
United States of America. It is anticipated that medical tourism in India will
hold a value around US$ 2 billion by 2012; the city of Chennai draws
around 45% of medical tourists from foreign countries.
4. Pilgrimage Tourism – India is famous for its temples and other religious
places; this type of tourism is the most widespread and is increasing rapidly,
the various places that tourists visit in India for pilgrimage are Vaishno
Devi, Golden Temple, Char Dham, and Mathura Vrindavan.
5. Eco Tourism - Ecotourism India has increased in recent times, for the
concept itself is a moderately new one. Ecotourism involves traveling to
places that are recognized for their natural beauty and social culture, while
making sure not to harm the ecological balance. Ecotourism be appropriate
to a cognizant and accountable endeavor to safeguard the diversity of a
naturally endowed region and maintaining its beauty and local culture.
Indians have been known since ages to worship and conserve nature;
therefore, the growth of ecotourism in India is natural. Also, the government
of India has set up the Ministry of Tourism and Culture to promote
ecotourism in India alongside other types of tourism.
6. Cultural Tourism - India is known for its rich cultural heritage and a
constituent of religious studies, which is why tourists come to India to
acknowledge it for their betterment and well being. The various fairs and
festivals that tourists can visit in India are the Pushkar fair, Taj Mahotsav,
and Suraj Kund mela. Cultural tourism in India is the principal aspect behind
India’s impressive augmentation in the tourism segment in recent years,
because from time immemorial, India has been regarded as the land of
ancient history, heritage, and culture. The government of India has set up the
Ministry of Tourism and Culture to enhance cultural tourism in India. The
ministry in recent years has launched the Incredible India! Campaign and
this has led to the expansion of culture tourism within the country.
7. Business Tourism – Business tourism is the tourism which involves
travelling for the purpose of business; there are three sections of business
tourism, which involves trading for goods to be resold on a wholesale basis,
conducting business transactions, this involves visiting customers,
bargaining and negotiating and attending a conference, event or a
presentation that are related to their business.
8. Heritage Tourism – India has always been famous for its rich heritage and
ancient culture. India's rich heritage is adequately reflected in the various
temples, palaces, monuments, and forts that can be found everywhere in the
country. This has led to the development of India's heritage tourism. The
most popular heritage tourism destinations in India are Taj Mahal in Agra,
Mandawa castle in Rajasthan, Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, Madurai in
Tamil Nadu, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, the Indian capital.
9. Sports Tourism – Individuals from all kinds of family backgrounds, rich and
poor, whether they belong to socio-economically backward sections of the
society or affluent categories, take interest in sports activities and take tours
to different cities as well as international countries for sports activities; this
is termed as sports tourism.
10.Educational Tourism – Students travel to other cities as well as abroad for
higher studies and for skill development purposes as well, this is termed as
educational tourism. Their visit normally is temporary; they complete their
educational goals and return back to their homes.
Conclusion
Tourism in India has largely developed and advanced; the main reasons that
have led to progress and development of
travel and tourism in India has been that the country is recognized for its rich
cultural heritage, there are religious places, temples throughout the country, tombs,
forts and palaces of ancient rulers attract tourists from all parts of the world. The
country has different cultural traditions and on the basis of these colorful fairs and
festivals are organized that attract people. Wildlife sanctuaries, beaches, luxury
hotels, different cuisines from different parts of the country lead to the
development of tourism. India has progressed in the areas of education and medical
and international people are visiting India for the purpose of acquiring education
and medical treatment.
Wellness tourism involves yoga, meditation, exercise facilities, weight loss
programs, nutrition programs and body/mind programs. People travel to different
cities as well as states for the purposes of all kinds of tourism such as wellness,
leisure, sports, education, medical, business, heritage, cultural, eco, pilgrimage,
adventure and wildlife. India has progressed, developed and advanced in the
promotion and enhancement of all kinds of tourisms and have formulated policies
and programs in order to facilitate the visit of people to different places for the
purpose of tourism.
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