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Tourism in india: history and development.

Author: Bhatia, A.K.

Publisher: Sterling publishers, New Delhi

Source: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi

Type: E-Book

Received From: Archaeological Survey of India

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History of tourism in India: Growth and Development

  • November 22, 2023

Table of Contents

India, one of the world’s oldest civilizations, is a mixture of numerous cultural stories. The country is one of the most sought-after journey destinations within the world, with a wealth of attractions and a rich historical legacy. Stretching from the snow-covered Himalayan heights to the tropical rain forests of the south, it encompasses an area of 32,87,263 sq. km. India, the 7th-largest state internationally, is distinguished from the rest of Asia by means of its precise topography, that is shaped via mountains and the sea.

History of Tourism Development

In 1945, the authorities of India established a committee headed by Sir John Sargent, who served as the government’s educational adviser at the time. This marked the beginning of deliberate attempts to broaden tourism in India (Krishna, A.G., 1993). Following that, a deliberate technique to tourism improvement was followed in 1956 alongside the second  five year Plan. From the isolated making plans of single unit facilities within the 2nd and 3rd five year Plans, the technique has evolved. With the implementation of the 6th Plan, tourism turned into a key tool for each financial boom and social integration, ushering in a new generation.

But, the tourism industry failed to  take off until the 1980s. The authorities made some essential decisions. In 1982, the National Policy on Tourism was declared. A comprehensive plan for reaching sustainable tourism growth was advanced later in 1988 by using the National Committee on Tourism. A National action Plan was created in 1992, and the National Strategy for Tourism Promotion was written in 1996. The central and state governments, public sector initiatives, and the private sector were acknowledged for their contributions to the increase of tourism in 1997 by the brand new Tourism coverage. It has also been acknowledged that the improvement of tourism facilities calls for the participation of Panchayati Raj establishments, neighborhood authorities, non-governmental agencies, and the youth of the area.

Present Condition of Tourism Sector in India

With 6.23% of India’s GDP and 8.78% of all jobs generated with the aid of the sector, tourism is currently India’s biggest service sector. Over five million foreign tourists and 562 million domestic travelers visit India every year. At a 9.4% annual growth rate, the tourism region in India is anticipated to generate about US$275.5 billion through 2018 from about US$ a hundred billion in 2008.  In addition “Incredible India” marketing campaign, the Ministry of Tourism is the primary organization for the growth and promotion of travel to India.

India’s Tourist Attractions:

India is famous for treating all of its visitors, irrespective of their origins, with richness. Its welcoming customs, diverse population, wealthy cultural legacy, and colorful fairs and fairs furnished tourists with long-lasting draws. Some of the other sightseeing locations are: technological parks and technology museums for science tourism; centers of pilgrimage for non spiritual tourism; beautiful beaches, forests, and natural world and landscapes for eco-tourism; snow, rivers, and mountain peaks for journey tourism; historical past, trains, and accommodations for historical past tourism. vacationers are drawn to yoga, ayurvedic, and herbal fitness .

Overseas tourists primarily purchase Indian handicrafts, particularly rings, carpets, leather goods, ivory, and brass work.

The market research report “Booming Medical Tourism in India” claims that despite the economic downturn, medical tourism is the tourism industry segment in India that is expanding the fastest. The report goes on to say that there is a lot of potential in the medical tourism sector in India. Its allure as a medical tourism destination is increased by elements like the low cost, scope, and variety of treatments offered in the nation.

The market research studies report “Booming medical Tourism in India” claims that notwithstanding the financial downturn, medical tourism is the tourism industry segment in India that is increasing the fastest. The file goes on to say that there is a lot of capacity in the medical tourism sector in India. Its attraction as a scientific tourism destination is extended by means of factors just like the low cost, scope, and variety of remedies supplied in the country.

Advantages of Tourism Industry

Growth in  employment and profits: In India, tourism has grown to be a tool for lowering poverty, creating jobs, and creating sustainable human development. It makes up 8.78% of all jobs in India and 6.23% of the India’s GDP. There are presently about 20 million employed in India’s tourism sector.

Increase in forex profits: In India, tourism contributes significantly to foreign exchange income. This is useful to the state’s stability of payments. At a 9.4% annual growth rate, the tourism sector in India is anticipated to generate approximately US$275.five billion through 2018 from approximately US$100 billion in 2008.

Preservation of the Environment and National Heritage: by designating positive locations as heritage sites, tourism contributes to the preservation of some of historically great places.  For Example, if the Tourism branch had not worked on preserving the Taj Mahal, the Qutub Minar, the Ajanta and Ellora temples, and many others., they would have been destroyed . Similarly, tourism contributes to the upkeep of many endangered species’ natural habitats.

India’s tourism area is expanding and has a enormous ability to reinforce the nations overall financial and social improvement in addition to creating jobs and bringing in considerable amounts of forex. However a lot of extra work desires to be achieved. For tourism in India to make a contribution to the protection and sustainability of the diversity of the country’s natural and cultural environments, ecotourism must to be endorsed. The development of tourism in India has to prioritize the sustainable development of indigenous cultures inside the areas it operates in, while also imparting accommodations and entertainment for tourists in a way that minimizes any negative effect on the surroundings.

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Development of Tourism in India

Travel and Tourism are as old as mankind on earth. Man at beginning of his existence roamed about the surface of the earth in search of food, shelter, security and better habitat. However, in course of time, such movements were transformed into wanderlust.

During Hindu and Chinese civilization a movement of religion, education and culture began. Christian missionaries, Buddhist monks and other traveled far and wide carrying religious messages and returned with fantastic images and opinions about alien people.

In ancient time people travel for the religious purpose in India. There are many proofs that tell that people travel for Char Dham Yatra in ancient time. Development of Indian tourism starts into the 19th century when Sir John Sargent committee was set up in 1945 for promotion and development of tourism in India.

After that, the Indian government took many various incentives for the development of Indian tourism through tourism policies, economic reforms. Various committees were created for tourism development and separately dedicated ministries and tourism organizations established.

Various tourism policies, plans, and committees were created by the Indian government for the development of Indian Tourism. These policies or plans were headed by the Ministry of Tourism. Ministry of Tourism (MOT) is a nodal agency for the formulation of national tourism policies and programmes related to tourism.

Some major initiatives taken by the Indian government for development and promotion of Indian tourism are following as:

Economic Reforms

The government of India has taken many economic reforms for the development and promotion of Indian tourism. Since, 1952 when India was adopted policy of development through planning, in 1952, when the first five-year plan was created.

There are a number of economic reforms has been taken from time to time for development of Indian tourism and Indian economy like i.e. rising of disposable income, middle-class family, Dual couple model, LTCC (Leave Travel Concession), Paid holidays etc.

Five Year Plans

Indian government allocates funds for the development and promotion of Indian tourism in these plans. India government introduce a total eleven five years plans. Tourism got a status of an industry in the seventh five-year plan, and 68 crore funds were allocated.

The highest fund was allocated for tourism into the eleventh five-year plan, a total sum of 9290 crores for development of Indian tourism at domestic as well as international level.

First Tourism Policy

In November 1982, a tourism policy was formulated and presented to the parliament of India. The objective of the policy was to develop tourism, helps to preserve Indian heritage and culture and projecting the same to the world.

Another objective of this tourism policy was to bring socio-economic benefits in terms of employment, income generation, revenue generation, and foreign exchange.

National Action Plan

In 1992, a national action plan was announced. It was regarded as an emerging action plan to set things right in some key areas. The objectives of this action plan were to improve the tourism infrastructure, restructuring, and strengthening of the institutions for the development of human resources.

National Tourism Policy 2002

For the first time in the history of tourism development in India, the national tourism policy was announced in 2002. It is highlighted that a tourist should feel satisfied and return with unforgettable experiences.

The concept of hospitality included 7s of tourism in this policy. These are following as:

  • Co-operation
  • Facilitation
  • Infrastructure Development
  • Information
  • Cleanliness

Incredible India Campaign

Incredible India campaign is a marketing campaign for Indian tourism to promote at the international level. Incredible India title was officially branded and promoted by Amitabh Kant in 2002 . The main motto of this campaign is to promote India as a world-class tourism destination in the world tourism market.

Many campaigns were held under Incredible India campaign into developing country such as USA or UK. Indian tourism Ministry showcases Indian tourism beauty and its potential into the world tourism market to create awareness about Indian tourism destination or to attract international tourist.

Department of Tourism (DOT)

On March 1, 1958, a separate department of tourism was created in place of a tourist traffic branch under the Ministry of  Transport and Communications. It was headed by a director general in the rank of a joint secretary to the Govt. of India.

L.K Jha Committee

This committee was prompted by Indian Government in March 1963 under the chairmanship of Mr. L.K. Jha. This committee made several recommendations to improve tourism inflow into India. This committee gives some important suggestion and recommendation to the Indian government for development and improvement of Indian tourism at domestic as well as international level.

Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC)

The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) was established under the MOT (Ministry of Tourism) in October 1966. ITDC has been responsible for building tourism infrastructure, promotion, and expansion in the country.

With the annual turnover of Rupees 500 crore, ITDC works for developing tourism infrastructure and promoting India as a tourist destination. It is a full government owned and managed the corporation.

Tourism Finance Corporation of India Ltd. (TFCI)

Tourism Finance Corporation of India was set up a specialized all India Financial Institution to meet the financing or funding requirement of tourism and hotel industry. TFCI was incorporated as a public limited company under the company act 1956, on 27th January 1989. The operational activities were started on 1st February 1989.

Travel Agent Association of India (TAAI)

The Travel Agent Association of India is an apex body and it is the oldest association in India. It was established in the year 1951. The prime objective of TAAI is threefold. These are following as:

  • To safeguard the interests of players in the tourism industry.
  • To protect the rights of travelers.
  • To promote orderly growth and development of the tourism industry .

As for as India is concerned, the International tourist traffic has been growing at a rate of 8 percent during the last year. The Inbound visitors 2.28, 2.37, 2.36 and 2.51, 2.8 million in the year of 1996, 1997, 1998,  1999 and 2003 respectively. Tourism has created direct employment of about 9.8 million in 1997-98. It accounted for about 2.4% of the total labor force.

The Ninth Plan Working Group Report of the Planning Commission has forecasted 5.95 million arrivals in 2001 and US$ 8% billion foreign exchange earnings by 2001. Further, the world tourism and travel council estimated that tourism will contribute Rs. 5,00,000 crores to the GDP, create 8 million new jobs, Rs. 1,30,000 crores in capital investments and Rs. 1,60,000 crores in export earning to the Indian economy.

Further, WTTC’s third satellite accounting research (SAR) Forecasts 7.4 percent real growth of Indian tourism. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) estimated that 5.08 million tourists visit in India in 2010 and 8.90 million in 2020.

Internation tourism trends in India are following as:

India receives 15.68% of inbound tourism from Bangladesh, 14.73% from the United States, 10.70% from the United Kingdom. These three are the top three countries from which India receive most of the Inbound tourists. The details of the top 10 source country for inbound tourism in India are following as:

Tamil Nadu attracts 19.1 %, Maharashtra 18.9 %, Uttar Pradesh 12.8% of the total inbound tourism of India. These are the top 3 states of India in the number of foreign tourist visits. The share of top 10 states/UTs of India in the number of foreign tourist visits are following as:

Foreign exchange earning from inbound tourism of India is increasing year after year. It was 3460 million US$ in 2000 and 13230 million US$ in 2017. Foreign exchange increase at the rate of 22.3% from 2000 to the present date.  Foreign exchange earnings from tourism in India from 2000 to 2017 are following as:

The Indian government is developing a world-class infrastructure to attract foreign tourist as well as domestic tourists. Ministry of tourism operates many marketing campaigns for promotion of Indian tourism among foreign tourists.

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Book Number: 63825 Book Title: Tourism in India history and development Book Author: Bhatia, A.K. Book Language: English Number of Pages: 204 Publisher: New Delhi; 1978 Subject: Tribes, India; Indians; Clans, India Source URL: http://asi.nic.in/asi_books/63825.pdf Year: 1978

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CHAPTER -IV HISTORY OF TOURISM IN INDIA Tourism in the early period

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Tourism in the early period

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Geography Notes

International tourism in india: introduction, history, trends, opportunities and future.

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Development of International Tourism in India: Introduction, History, Trends, Opportunities and Future

International tourism in india – introduction and history to international tourism.

International tourism has become a unique approach to conquer the modern era. It has made the world a global village where all the nations have crossed their barriers in lust of socio-economic gains. It has become a dream of millions and a game of strategies, where each country is trying to win the situation by providing it a status of industry. According to one professional opinion, “Tourism has come to acquire the characteristics of an industry.”

The tourism has come to be known as a dream machine which makes the life of people easy and happy. According to an observation, “For the holiday or leisure tourist, the industry may also be described as a ‘Dream Machine.’ It realises a dream moment in the tourists’ otherwise toilsome life.”

International tourism has promoted sophistication and glamour in the life-styles of the people. The values have changed and so life has taken a significant meaning in crystallizing all the aspects. Travel has added to its status as it broadens human horizons.

Recognising the importance of tourism industry on international horizon, many researchers have admitted with an expression, “Tourism seems to have its impact now and it will have its impact over the globe on a wide scale.”

Tourism has affected the most vital element of economy i.e. earning and developing reserves of foreign exchange, obviously for this reason, all the countries are revolving on this axis to earn and develop reserves of foreign exchange by quicker means. Thus, tourism gains a vital status in the present day socio-economic systems world over.

The tourism has also performed a responsible role in developing a new culture. In this regard it has been rightly observed as, “Tourism has generated a third wave civilisation in the first, second and third world countries.”

Civilisations have grown and have always required some fundamental attractions as their basis to survive. Tourism has become the lifeblood of all modern civilisation and subsequently offered a strong basis for their survival.

A conference was held in Rome in 1967 under the sponsorship of WTO. It started, ” Tourism represented a conquest by man which freed him from the slavery and anxiety of wearing and dehumanised world, allowing him to get away from the environment and giving him the possibility of coming to the terms with himself and others in a more relaxed and natural climate.”

International Tourism in India – Evolution of Tourism

Travel and tourism are complimentary and very ancient in their origin. The right to travel was bestowed on man with the formation of the world itself. The records of Hieum Tstang, Ibnbatuta, Macro Polo and others justify this concept and hold that the right to travel is related to a sort of eternal enjoyment.

This has also been explained by another professional as, “Travel and tourism as I understand are the most enabling, inspiring and abiding human passions. It is an expression of mind and adventure of soul.”

The concept related to evolution of tourism involves less methodological sophistication and theoretical awareness. In this only an ethnographic (descriptive) approach could be applied to know from where the travel actually started. Travel and tourism has taken many forms through the ages.

“In the beginning, doubtless, man was his own beast of burden, unless he was married to this day, man is wagon and donkey and all still in certain areas.”

The story of growth of tourism can be studied into three phases:

1. Paleolithic Age.

2. Middle Age.

3. Renaissance and after.

1. Paleolithic Age:

Inertia was the early characteristic of man, mobility was less due to lack of many facilities but as time passed, man’s passion forced him to search for better conditions of life. Movement gained momentum, when money and wheel were discovered. Egypt and India, became popular centres of civilisations from where prosperity flourished to Europe and Asia Minor.

The main civilisations which could be focused are:

Romans were the first pleasure travellers and gained recognition for a well-developed road, land, and sea communication systems. They visited destinations like Egypt, Greek, Ostia etc. They were also interested in spas for many health reasons, they were leaders in travel industry.

According to an observation, “subsequent development of spas after their original use for recreational purpose by Romans played a big role in the development of pleasure travel in many countries in Europe.”

Roman civilisation was highly developed and according to one observation, they were, “globe trotters who spent the best part of their lives in boats.”

When Alexander visited India, he found well maintained roads lined by Dharmshalas and this led to the interpretation that tourism related activities were of high order in India. Emperor Ashoka was a great pioneer in spreading the spiritual message to East Asia, West Asia and Sri Lanka.

2. Middle Age:

This was the period of demotion of travel activity due to fall of Roman Empire. The operational activity packed up in 1000 A. D., when the European Roads became safe again. Religious motivation became the major force in moving people from one place to another. The famous travellers of this period were Benjamin of Thadela, Macro Polo and Ibn Batuta, who travelled to Europe, Persia and India. Macro Polo, while on his way to Afghanistan discovered the unknown Pamir Plateau.

3. The Renaissance and After:

The Renaissance phase bloomed with the romance of travel, widening the dimensions of human horizons. This was the period of exploration to France, Germany, Italy and Egypt. The Industrial Revolution had awakened man and the sixteenth century experienced the development of coaches in hungry, luxuries inns started mushrooming in England and the popularity of travel reached to Scotland and France. Samuel Johnson took a journey to Italy in 1976.

His friend records him saying, “… a man who has not been to Italy is always conscious of inferiority from his not having seen what it is expected, a man should see. The grand object of travelling is to see the shores of Mediterranean … all our religion, almost all our law, all our arts and all that sets us above the savages has come to from the shores of Mediterranean.”

In this period the advent of railways and shipping services gave a new shape to the travel industry. The air-services added to its glamour and the jets brought the supersonic stage.

Evolution of Tourism as a Passion:

Man’s development of behavioural aspect brought the knowledge related activities into light. Man started moving out to maintain the spirituality of mind and conducted acts of pilgrimage. India, Sri-Lanka and Europe, became centres of activity.

Man’s commercial instinct of gaining money, opened doors to many neighbouring countries. Trade centres flourished to satisfy the need of gaining wealth.

Tourism then, from an act of need, transformed to a luxury item, which could be used by few who had money and wealth. But tourism now has become a necessity for many to gain vigour from the boredom and monotony of life. Tourism has transformed to an economic product to crystallize the dreams of the people.

Tourism has become a fantasy and passion to suit the diverse life-styles of the people. In this regard it has been appropriately observed, “Travel and tourism has grown from a minor fiscal nuisance and an activity limited to the privileged rich, including traders, onto its present day industry having major economic and social significance.”

Now tourism has become an organised sector with the participation of many national and international organisations. The World Tourism Conference, held at Manila, Philippines, from 27th September to 10th October 1980, stated as “Any long-term analysis of mankind’s social, cultural and international tourist and recreational activities. These activities now form an integral part of the life of modern national and international societies.

Bearing in mind the acknowledged values of tourism which are inseparable from it, the authorities will have to give increased attention to the development of national and international tourist and recreational activity, based on a lot ever-wider participation of peoples on holidays and travel as well as the movement of persons for numerous other purposes, with a view to ensuring the orderly growth of tourism in a manner consistent with the other basic needs of society.”

On the basis of the analysis of stages of evolution of tourism, a ladder of tourism motivation can be proposed. Tourism transformed through various stages of development and is a passion of modern era.

International Tourism in India – Concept and Definitions of Tourism

Tourism is basically, movement of people from one destination to another. The journey is the dynamic element and rest is static the element of tourism. Movement and stay are temporary in nature not associated with any paid work or employment.

Tourism is a new field of study and its understanding involves many definitions which have to be analysed systematically. In this regard it has been observed, “Tourism as an area of study has towards the end of the twentieth century, a valid claim to be an emerging area of knowledge. There has, however, yet to be much attention devoted to an analysis of the knowledge base of tourism.”

Many authors, professionals and practitioners have tried to explain the critical aspects of tourism in their own way. According to Philip Pearce, “in the language of contemporary higher education research, tourism is a soft unrestricted, applied, pre-paradigmatic, rural and content based specification with a concrete reflective, learning style.”

Hermann. V. Schullard, an Austrian economist in the year 1910 gave one of the earliest definitions of tourism. He defined it as, “The sum total of the operators, mainly of an economic nature, which directly related to the entry, stay and movement of foreigners inside and outside a certain country, only or region.”

In 1981, the Academic International du tourism was founded in Monte Carlo, which awarded the first prize in 1952, to R de Meyer, a Belgium for his definition “A collectivities term for human movement and its attendant activities caused by the exteriorization and fulfillment of the desire to escape that is more or less patent in everybody.”

Pray Edmund explained tourism as, “The entire range of its organs and its functioning not only from the viewpoint of those who travel but mainly from the viewpoint of the money which the wanderer carries with him and those who in the country where he moves about with a well filled purse benefit directly or indirectly from the expenses he incurs to satisfy his needs for instructions or pleasure.”

Dr. Zwadin believed tourism as a social movement and defined it as, “It is a social movement with a view to rest, diversion and satisfaction of cultural needs.”

Dr. Jafar Jafri, leading U.S. Tourism educator, defined it as, “Tourism is the study of man away from his usual habitat of the industry which responds to his needs and of the impacts that both he and the industry have on the host country’s cultural, economic and physical environments.”

The tourism demand is generated by tourists who have time and money and these potential tourists want to buy pleasure for money. They basically demand recreational facilities, culture and a beautiful climatic scenery. They also want good hotel accommodation and related facilities like food, beverages, good living etc. The destination is trying to fulfill the demands by the supply of facilities through the middleman to make the job easy.

The middlemen are basically the tour operators who advertise and promote the tourism to a particular destination and try to organise tours through proper channels by bookings and make their transportation easy. The national planning organisations try to facilitate tourism through legal aspects and proper communication channels.

The tourist industry basically consists of the primary trades and secondary trades. There are basically four trades which are directly surviving on the tourism industry and they are the hotel industry, catering industry, travel agency and the transport industry consisting of the road, rail, sea, air, and the river.

The secondary trades consists of the banks and the financial institutions, hair dressers, laundries and retail shops catering to the needs of tourists such as souvenir, antiques and gifts. The secondary trades also consist of suppliers of goods and services for hoteliers, caterers and transport undertakings.

The supply system consists of the public utilities, building forms, insurance companies and others. The entertainments are basically through the cinema theaters, special festivals and organized sports.

The tourism support services are provided by the private sector, public sector and the other producers involved in the production of tourism services.

The private sector services are guiding services, travel insurance and finance services. The travel trade press, market support services, guide and time table publications, the private education and training establishments and the private ports services.

The public support services consist of the national, regional and state tourism organisations, the resort publicity offices, the public educations and training establishments. The institutes and colleges, universities, research centres related to tourism. The public port services, visa and passport offices are also related to public sector.

The producers of man-made attractions such as man-made houses, ancient monuments, activity centres, theme parks, catering facilities. All these support services are used by tour operators and brokers, travel agents to provide the ultimate final tourist product to the consumer.

Wehab (1995) in his conceptual definition explains tourism. According to him, “tourism anatomy of the tourist phenomenon would be basically composed of three elements namely man, space and time.”

Definitions of Tourists:

The committee of statistical experts of the League of Nations in 1937 first defined “foreign tourist.” According to its viewpoint, the foreign tourist is, “any person visiting a country, other than that in which he actually resides, for a period of at least twenty-four hours, persons staying for less than twenty-four hours were to be treated as excursionists.”

Student and young person’s attending schools or universities and people with or without work permits arriving to take up occupations or any business activities in country were also not counted as tourists. The purpose of travel are varied ranging from holiday, (mass, popular, individual) cultural, educational, sports, recreation, visiting friends or relatives or attending business conferences and inventions.

The travellers may be classified as tourists and excursionists. The tourists are basically non-residents who are not living in this country and have come temporarily. These include the national residents abroad and the other non-resident crew members. Excursionists are day-visitors who do not stay for a whole night in any country. The cruise-passengers and the crews are also included in the category of excursionists.

The following type of passengers are not included in classification of tourist as members of armed forces, refugees and nomads, transit passengers, diplomats and consular staff, border workers, immigrants (temporary or permanent).

According to Murray in the Dictionnaire Universal, “the term tourist dates back to the year 1976, it describes a tourist as a person who makes journey for the fun of travelling to tell others that he has travelled.”

According to Lickorish “all persons staying for more than 12 month and less than 24 hours should be excluded from the category of tourists.” He has further suggested that for the latter we should use the word “excursionists” and ‘tourist visitors.’

He writes that “the excursionists should in principle be interpreted to mean any person travelling for pleasure for a period of less than 24 hours in a country other than in which he resides and not undertaking any gainful occupation in that country. Transit visitors should in principle be interpreted to any person travelling in a country during a period of less than 24 hours provided that any stops made are of short duration and for other than tourists purposes.”

In words of Jose Ignacio de Arriliga, “Tourism in its first period was considered as a sport or rather as a synthesis of automobiles, touring, cycling, camping, excursions and yachting.”

The World Tourism Organisation has also undertaken an exercise to define the term tourist. According to it, “Tourist is a temporary visitor staying for at least twenty-four hours in a country visited when the purpose of journey can be classified under one of the heading- (1) Leisure- recreation, holiday, health, study, religion and sports. (2) Business- family, mission meeting, travellers staying less than 24 hours according to WTO are excursionists.”

The United Nations accepted the above definition of tourists provided by IUOTO in their conference on International Travel and Tourism in 1963. The current definition adds on array of travellers to those travelling for fun, i.e. persons travelling for business, family mission or meeting purposes.

According to R. N. Kaul, “The word tourist is comparatively of recent origin. Once even invader was referred to as tourist in the hope that one day he would depart. The earliest reference appears in the Anecdotes of English language by Pegge as “a traveller is nowadays called a tourist.”

In France, Littre defined tourist as, “one who undertook the journey out of curiosity or to kill time.”

International Tourism:

International Tourism is defined as the phenomenon comprising the incoming and out coming tourism.

1. In-Coming Tourism:

The World Tourism Organisation has referred to in-coming tourism as the one involving residents of a country visiting other countries than their own country. In this category are included the tourist received by certain country from other countries, the latter being the origin country of the tourist.

2. Outgoing or Outbound Tourism:

The World Tourism Organisation has referred to outgoing tourism as outbound tourism and defined it as the one involving residents of a country visiting other countries. There are many persons of a country who go aboard. Outgoing tourism comprises those tourists normally residing in a country and preferring to travel abroad.

International Tourism in India – Impacts of Tourism in India

1. Economic Impacts:

The concept of economic impact can be understood by analysing the details of multiplier effect. Brain Archer and John Fletcher define multiplier effect as- “The unbroken series of conversion of visitor’s money constitutes the ‘multiplier effect.’ The greater, the number of hands through which money passes, the greater the beneficial effect on the gross national product and national accounts.”

The tourist brings a fixed amount and spends his money on accommodation, food and beverage, sight-seeing, transport and miscellaneous activities. This income to the tourism sector spreads to the other sections of the society in the form of taxes, spending on raw material, import or some items and some part of income is saved.

The multiplier effect is larger when the transaction or circulation of money in the economy is more. The effect is large for developed economies their marginal propensity to import is low as against the high marginal propensity to consume.

i. Tourism and the Economic Development:

The WTO has attempted to project economic contribution by tourism. According to this projection, “Tourism incidentally acts as a driving force for overall global development. Its growth has overtaken that of international trade which, in turn, progresses faster than the creation of wealth. It has proved resilient in the face of major world upsets such as oil crisis and gulf war. In 1991 there were 450 million international tourist arrivals world-wide generating foreign currency of 260,000 million dollar.”

ii. Tourism and the Total National Income:

When any foreign tourist spends money in the destination, the income of concerned destination increases. This is because when a tourist comes to a destination he increases the demand for consumption items including the transportation and accommodation sectors.

This increased demand forces investment in various sectors by the public and private investors. This, in turn, strengthens the infrastructure and leads to urbanisation. So this double growth trend induces the cumulative growth effect. The national income is the total of all the personal and corporate income.

Income from Tourism:

Total income from tourism is the product of the number of tourists per day, average length of stay (in days) per tourist and average expenditure per tourist per day.

Total Income = N x L x C.

N = Number of Tourists per day.

L = Average length of stay (in days) per tourist.

C = Average expenditure per tourist per day.

iii. Tourism and Redistribution of National Income:

The propensity of people to save money in the form of gold, silver and property has diluted and the growth of tourism has increased the propensity to spend money. This money circulates in the economy giving a Philip to all the business sectors so in this way the rate of the economic growth becomes dynamic.

iv. Tourism and International Trade:

“It will not be an exaggeration to claim that the economic impacts of tourism have been such extensive that measure by any yardstick the tourism today has equally emerged as world’s biggest industry and one of the joint with a positive North- South cash flow, the tourism has been termed as a ‘glamour girl’ among all other sectors of the economy.”

Tourism is basically the export industry involving the quality of transport, banking, insurance, entertainment services etc. So tourism is a sort of product that can be exchanged and marketed. Tourism product has emerged as set of benefits that earn a foreign exchange and income in the international market.

v. Tourism and Employment:

Tourism is a labour-oriented industry and has enormous employment potential. According to an expert opinion, “Tourism as a source of employment as a particularly important for areas with limited alternative sources of employment as is often the task in non-industrial areas deficient in natural resources of employment resources other than scenic attraction and climate.”

Employment has been the greatest advantage generated by tourism, direct employment by tourism industry is generated by hotel and motel industry, catering industry, transport industry, travel agency etc. The transport industry is vast covering the road, sea air and river routes.

The indirect employment is generated by the supporting industries in the tourism sector. These are the retail shops like the souvenirs, antiques and gifts. The employment potential generated by the banks and financial institutions, hair dressers, tailors, laundries etc. are also playing an important role in generating the employment opportunities.

“The total employment – direct and indirect, generated due to foreign tourism can be estimated by applying the percentage contribution of foreign tourism to national income or total employment in the economy. It is assumed that tourism income multiplier effects are equivalent to tourism employment multiplier effects. If we know the labour intensity of the economy measured in average terms as the ratio of employment to value added on national income then we may assume the average labour intensity indicating the extra jobs that be created in the period per unit of value added or additional national product, thus the principal of overall employment income ratio is expected to provide the contribution of tourism to employment generated as we do not have adequate required detailed data on income and employment to tourism sector for estimation and use of production functions of tourism activities”

Tourism and employment are intricately related and directly proportional to each other. Increase in tourism activity will cause an increase in the employment potential of that place.

According to an observation, “tourism employment generated in the economy will be related to the income created in the first and subsequent rounds of spending of the tourist rupee on consumer goods industries. There is a general accepted notion that salaries and wages generated by tourist expenditure usually amount to 50 per cent of that expenditure.”

According to another professional observation about employment generation in Kenya,” …..one job will be directly created for every six new hotel beds, and many more indirectly. This is particularly important fact for some of the less favoured parts of the country, notably the South, where employment opportunities are severally limited. Thus tourism can be an essential feature of the regional economic development at least in respect of creating work . . . ,”

The NCAER study has also found, “To estimate the direct contribution of foreign tourism to employment generated by the initial dose of tourist spending, it is not possible to estimate and use a similar norm as there is a paucity of comprehensive data or breakup of tourism expenses of employment and per capita earnings in the tourism activities of India’s economy.”

vi. Tourism and Tax Revenue:

It has been assessed, “The main source of revenue to the state from the tourist industry as a whole is through taxation – customs and excise duties on food and service bought or used by tourists. The various types of taxes are received by the central, state and local government.”

The various taxes that the tourists pays is the airport tax, tax on wine, liquor, building of roads and service industry.

vii. Tourism and Foreign Exchange Earnings:

Tourism has the ability to earn foreign exchange and about it has been appropriately observed, “Tourism is the only export trade that earns large foreign exchange without depleting national resources and without actually exporting any material goods.”

The foreign exchange earned by tourism has direct effect on the gross domestic product of the country through the multiplier effect. Foreign exchange is in demand by all the countries to maintain the balance of payments of their economies. Many countries in order to maintain higher balance of payments have liberalised their rules and regulations to allow the free flow of tourist traffic.

viii. Tourism’s Effect on Various Industries:

When a tourist spends money, it increases the income of industries like hotels, transport, travel agents and tour operators. These industries are direct or primary industries as they directly depend on tourism. They flourish when the tourism activity is more. These industries in order to survive buy services and raw material from other supporting or secondary industries.

“The increased familiarity of foreigners with the resources and skills and economic conditions of the host may encourage foreign investment in the country in order that some hidden unexploited resources of skill be developed for exports market. The full contribution and the total effect of tourism in the economic, the input-output analysis is the best one. This approach was developed and applied to tourism in the U.K. and Ireland by G. Richards of the University of Survey.”

ix. Tourism and Foreign Investment:

Tourism increases the consumption level of any destination. Now it becomes necessary to develop the infrastructure and as this industry generates long-term benefits, it is advised to import capital from outside because this is the cost for the development of employment potential and income.

x. Tourism and the Investment of Surplus Money:

Surplus money of people is diverted into investment when this is productive and generates benefits for longer period. The investment may be of three types, it is immediate investment when a restaurant opens, it is medium term, when a hotel is established, it is long-term when there is a development of forest zone.

xi. Tourism Receipts:

The tourism receipts depend on the following factors:

1. Number of foreign tourist arrival.

2. Purpose of visit.

3. Per tourist expenditure on different tourism activities.

4. Average length of stay.

5. Different purpose of visit.

According to NCAER, ” For each tourism activity and purpose of visit, gross receipts from tourists are computed by equating the product of the number of tourists multiplied by their average duration of stay and per tourist daily expenditure.”

Cost-Benefit Ratio:

This ratio is obtained by dividing the benefits by cost. The evaluation of various alternatives is done on the basis of cost-benefit ratio and the alternative with the highest ratio is chosen.

The high cost benefit ratio is directly correlated with high tourist spending capacity.

Benefits from Tourism:

The economic value of tourism is measured in:

1. Contribution to national income.

2. Earning of foreign exchange.

3. Contribution of state revenue.

4. Creation of employment.

The main costs of tourism:

1. Cost of capital investment in hotels.

2. Cost of land and building.

3. State capital expenditure on infrastructure.

4. Break-up current operating cost.

5. Import cost of goods and services used by visitors.

Cost-Benefit Ratio and Tourism:

Reflection Ratio:

The ratio of additional exports to additional imports is known as the reflection ratio. Reflection ratio is the amount of exports sold to another country devised by the amount; our citizens have spent on tourism in that country.

According to an observation, “Assuming fixed rates of exchange and no induced price changes, the incremental purchase of foreign goods or services will result in a net drain in the foreign currency reserve of the buying country. The proportional drain will result upon the marginal propensities of the selling nations, and upon the marginal propensities of these third nations to spend on domestic products, to import directly from the buying nations to spend and so on. The proportionate drain resulting from an increase in imports will be unity minus the ratio of incremental exports guaranteed per unit of imports. The rates of additional imports are called the reflection ratio. The reflection ratio is expressed in terms of incremental imports from a single nation or of incremental imports of a single good or service in the latter case. The ratio is the average reflection ratio for ail supplying nations weighted by the distribution of the incremental imports among these nations.”

xii. Tourism and the Balance of Payments:

BOP shows the relationships between the counter payments and receipts from abroad-

BOP = Receipts – Expenditure

The earnings from tourism depend on following three factors:

(a) The number of tourists arrivals,

(b) Their average length of stay, and

(c) The price level at a particular time.

Sometimes the estimates are not correct due to the following factors:

(a) A currency devaluation,

(b) Sudden influx of border travellers, and

(c) Measurement escapes of proportion of tourist expenditure.

Net BOP = E – (H/A+R+O+C)

BOP = Balance of Payments

E = Total expenditure by international tourists.

H = Foreign currency cost of hotel construction.

A = No. of years in the hotel is amortized.

R = Annual remittance of interest and profits on foreign capital need for hotel construction

O = Annual costs of overseas operations that are part of tourism development programme.

C = Imported items needed by tourists.

2. Social and Cultural Impacts of Tourism:

International tourism is the most ancient force entering the lives of the people and crossing the frontier of the country. According to the observation by an professional expert “with respect to international relations and search for peace based on justice and respect of the individual and national aspirations, tourism stands a positive and an ever present factor in promoting mutual knowledge and understanding as a basic force for reaching a greater level of respect and confidence among people of the world.”

International tourism has become a word of praise by all governments and is an element of survival and growth of all countries. The 21st United Nations General Assembly designated 1967 as the ‘International Tourist Year.’ It set the seal on importance of tourism when it passed the resolutions unanimously as, “Tourism is a basic and most desirable human activity deserving the praise and encouragement of all people and all governments.”

Tourism is the by-product of industrialisation which has promoted unity in the world as it is need of the moment. Another observation explains that “International Tourism contributes to an open world and free movement of culture and commerce for the benefit of all mankind. It is the most powerful force in promoting unity in the world.”

Tourism is a force to melt the bitterness among nations and develop prosperity and strength based on non-violence. Tourism is an instrument for international relations that can help, develop solidarity among countries and world-wide economic property.

i. Educational Value of Tourism:

International tourism has opened the floodgates and knowledge and is flourishing form one country to another with elements of love, understanding and goodwill entangled to it. An expert says “When the tourists come in contact with the place he visits and its population, a social background affects the social structure and mode of life of his destination he is in turn affected by it.”

Savignac E, (Secretary General of WTO) in his inaugural Address to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janerio, 4th June, 1992, observed, “sometimes tourists carries back home new habits and ways of life.”

ii. Tourism – A Force of Social Relationship:

One of the prominent social reformers states, “The world is becoming a global village in which people from continents are made to jail like next door neighbours. In facilitating more authentic social relationships between individuals, tourism can help overcome many real prejudices and foster new bonds of fraternity. In this sense tourism has become in real force for peace.”

iii. Tourism and the Regional Growth:

Tourism, when progresses develop an infrastructure which is base for regional growth. One observation explains, “The social benefits of tourism centre around the money brought into under-developed areas by the industry. The provision of infrastructure, the construction of roads and the system of electricity supply, water supply and sewage disposal, hospitals, schools and shops becomes necessary as area is developed for strangers.”

Tourism as a force has made the world a global village with new realties and horizons. Tourism will be more for conservation, and preservation of environment. There will be demographic shifts in the life-cycle as medicines and health consciousness have increased. There have been shifts in the market economy with cost under control so tourism is becoming accessible to a large population.

Cultural diversity in homogeneous world has caused attractions and acceptance among people all over the world.

Technology will become an effective component of improvement and development in the coming decade. The north- south gap is reducing and both are coming at par of friendship and goodwill for each other. The value system of travel is changing and more emphasis is on human relationship which leads to more intense relations. These relationships have quest for stability and security.

International Tourism in India – Models of Tourism in India:

“The increasing complexity of tourism and better educated and more invalid travellers has caused an awakening to the need for systematic research, information systems and education in the field of Tourism.”

More models and concepts are needed to put light on the subject as much information is not available in the published texts. An effort has been made to elaborate the concept into details to give a vivid picture of the subject.

1. Gunn’s Model of Tourism:

The fine travel components that Gunn identities include- The tourist transportation, the attractions that draw the tourist, the services / facilities needed by traveller and the information / direction needed to facilitate travel.

“These are fundamental components as Gunn notes “In addition to the function within each component, there are strong interdependencies between components … the cross interdependence are very strong forming an extremely sensitive and dynamic ehole . . . .”

2. Mill’s and Morrison Models:

The Mill and Morrison’s system of tourism explains the concept of travel purchase, demand and marketing of the destination. When tourist leaves his place of origin, he goes out to purchase a product like travel which is intangible but has intrinsic values such as satisfaction and value that it offers for the money paid. The shape to the travel demand is given by the services which the tourist asks for when he is out of his residence.

The seller of the travel product in the travel agencies and tour operators and destination itself has taken great care in order to offer the best attractions of the product. The marketing of the product consists of giving right information to the customers about the facilities they can provide and the attractions they can offer. They identified the tourism system as a satisfier of needs and wants.

The four component system they present (market, travel, destination, marketing) is, market driven and rooted in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1954).”

3. Matheison and Wall’s Model:

The another model that explains the tourism concept clearly is the Mathieson and Wall model. The tourism demand originates from the tourist who has the potential economic or financial power to travel. The tourism product has three elements in the Dynamic elements, static elements and the consequential elements.

The dynamic elements consist of the changing forms of tourism and the attitudes related to the product. The state element consists of the characteristics of stay, the type of activity undertaken by the tourist.

The consequential elements consist of the level of usage, level of satisfaction and the socio­economic characteristics or impacts generated. The tourist destination which is a part of tourist product consists of the destination. The pressure generated by level of usage leads to more tourism development of the place. The carrying capacity depends on the social structure and the organisation of the destination including the size, weather conditions and the facilities available at a place.

The impacts of tourism on the tourist and the host can be economic, physical and the social. The impacts can be both negative and positive. The negative impacts can be controlled by finance, management strategies, policy, information carrying capacity guidelines, engineering etc.

The present conceptual framework of tourism is comprised of three basic elements:

(i) A dynamic element which involves travel to be a selected destination.

(ii) A static elements which involves the stay in the destination.

(iii) A consequential elements which focuses on economic, physical and social subsystems with which the tourist directly or indirectly in contact.

4. Krippendoff’s Model:

The Krippendoff’s Model of life in the industrial society explains effect of various factors on man’s life. Man in order to earn his living and for his survival has to work. Living without work is impossible, this continuous work leads to boredom, leisure is necessary for change.

The motives that influence through travel the values of the society like the people and having the potential to travel and want to go out the state policies like the centralist and federal and the economic structure of centralised and decentralised economic structures affect the travel motives. The limit and infinite availability of resources in the environment affect the travel motives of man in the process of choice of destination.

The tourism phenomenon is an extraordinary occurrence which has historically developed from an elitist human activity to a mass culture lifestyle opportunity characterised by constant change of movement – related activity holding great promise for human growth and development in contemporary society.

5. Peter’s Model:

“Lieper (1981), presents a dynamic system that is both practical and comprehensive. The model identifies various environments- physical, technological, social, cultural, economic and political. He examines their interactions on tourist generating regions and tourists destinations regions.”

According to Leiper (1979) “Tourism is an open system of five elements interacting with the broader environments, the element of tourists the geographical elements generating region. Transits route and destination region, and an economic element – the tourist industry.”

According to a professional observation-“Tourism is a study of man away from his usual habitat of the industry which responds to his needs, and of the impacts that both he and the industry have on the host socio-cultural, economic and physical environments.”

6. Peter Murphy’s Model:

Peter Murphy (1955) provides another multi-component theoretical framework.

Murphy identifies three major components that provide an over-arching frame of reference:

(i) Demand Factors:

Including tourist motivations, perceptions and expectation. These demand factors are based on the past experiences and preferences of the user of these tourism services.

(ii) Supply Factors:

Which include the resources of tourism services, such as experience, capital resources. These supply factors based on a combination of such infrastructure considerations as hospitality and facilities mixes attractions to form tourism product.

(iii) The Market Place:

Which balances the tourist image on the supply side with various market place intermediaries that comprise the tourism delivery and distribution system.

“Murphy Model is particularly useful for examination at the community, college level because community college based tourism programmes lend to be this theoretical and more skewed toward broad based technology.”

7. Hudman’s & Hawkins Model (1988):

Hudman & Hawkins Model (1988) further develop the conceptual framework by identifying the following relationships in their framework for contemporary tourism:

a. Dynamic Element – The Tourism Phenomenon

b. Service Element – The Tourism System

c. Functional Element – Tourism Management

d. Consequential Element – Tourism Impacts

International Tourism in India – Trends of Tourism in India

All over the globe, the business environment has undergone vital change during last few decades. In the present context, it can be marked as an era of “Competition and Strategies.” Today, the fittest survive and others go out of market. This means that those who are enterprising in the economic ventures will have to acquire excellence in profession. This feature is not only valid at the micro level but also at the macro level.

This also signifies that even at the national level the states will have to design their strategies on the basis of thorough exercises. There is a need for organised attempts to study the previous global as well as national trends. These trends along with appropriate knowledge of local environment will assure for the drafting of a useful course of actions for promoting better social system. It will also properly push particular sectors of economy toward desired advancement.

It will not be an exaggeration to claim that today international tourism has acquired very prominent status in the global socio-economic system. Along with other developing countries, India too is making all efforts to promote international tourism in a big way and therefore referred phenomenon is equally valid for drafting a future strategy for promoting international tourism in India. The task of designing an appropriate strategy requires an organised attempt to study the previous trends.

In other words the previous trends may be considered as the backbone for drafting a strategy for the future. The quantitative analysis of data of various years will help in opening a window to peep in the future. The evaluation of the past experience will help the strategists to pick up the best possible alternative for the future.

The present study is concerned with suggesting an appropriate strategy for promoting international tourism in India. Therefore, the assessment of the trends related to international tourism assumes a very important status. In this regard, it is an established fact that during last few decades the tourism industry has entered into the era of cut­throat competition.

Several developing and under-developed countries have taken up the task of promoting their respective tourism industry in a big way in an organised manner. The past experience significantly explains that many less developed countries have emerged as the keen competition for the developed countries in the fields related to tourism.

The recent global trends reveal that the task of developing and managing business related to tourism has become very difficult in the present context. The tourist receiving countries have developed a strong desire to make maximum earning from arriving tourists. But the tourists have become more demanding and require satisfactory mark of services offered by the hosts.

To effectively meet this challenging situation, the enterprises organising and offering tourism related services require effective support at micro-level from the managers of socio­economic affairs at the macro-level. In other words, the national policy should be supportive for the proper growth of enterprises offering services to be visiting tourists. This will facilitate the concerned countries to share bigger size of cake of the tourist market on the international horizon.

Thus, it will not be an exaggeration to claim that appropriate national policy on tourism development is the key to success. The appropriate drafting of national policy requires useful analysis of previous trends. The study of trends will help in building strategy for proper and desired growth of tourism industry. It will also ensure better share to the concerned nation in the international tourist arrivals and receipts.

The vital important of previous trends have encouraged researchers to involve in this exercise. It is firmly believed that the quantitative and qualitative trends will help the researcher to propose a useful Indian strategy for promoting international tourism. The revolution of multi­media and information system has further increased the utility of previous trends for drafting future strategy. The complicated procedures have become “commercialised” as they are the raw material to manufacture progress and productivity.

The trend analysis basically requires relevant and dependable source of information. The World Tourism Organisation has undertaken the responsibility for generating required tourism related information on the global level. Keeping this fact in view, the researcher has also preferred to analyse trends on the basis of information supplied by the World Tourism Organisation.

An attempt was made to highlight important and major trends. For this purpose, the information generated by the World Tourism Organisation about current trends and its forecast for 2000 have been taken into consideration.

Other Important Trends Related to South Asia :

1. The estimates of the World Tourism Organisation indicate that there will be a total arrival of 6 million international tourists in 2000 and 10 million in 2010.

2 The share of South Asia in international tourist arrivals world-wide will show a moderate rise from 0.7 per cent in 1990 to 0.9 per cent in 2000 and 1.1 per cent in 2010.

3. International tourism in this region will continue to be dominated by the tourist flows from outside the region. Intraregional arrivals are forecasted to grow at the same rate as the inter-regional arrivals during the 1990s and at a rate above that for long haul arrivals during the first decade of the twenty-first century. The share of intraregional arrivals will increase from 29.6 per cent in 1990 to 32 per cent in 2010.

Key Factors for Promoting Tourism in South Asia :

The key factors which will lead the South Asian region in achieving the above average growth rate both in the outbound and inbound traffic of international tourists are considered to be the following:

1. Worldwide economic recovery will generate more movement of international tourists.

2. Scale and variety tourism development in the South Asian region.

3. Growing interest of international tourists in the peoples, culture and destinations of South Asian countries.

4. Better financial ability of large number of people will motivate them to travel overseas, significantly to the destinations in South Asian region.

5. Stung ethnic ties between the people of the countries of this region.

6. Identification of trade between the Asian countries.

7. Easement of foreign currency and regulation in the outbound travel for the Indians.

8. Availability of better and improved computer technology for advance reservation in the countries of South Asian region.

International Tourism in India – Opportunities and Constraints for Tourism in Different Regions

I. East Asia Pacific Region:

According to World Tourism Organisation forecasts “International tourist arrivals are expected to grow at the rate of 6.8 per cent per annum in East Asia / Pacific region between 1990 and 2000, and at the rate of 6.0 per cent per annum between 2000 and 2010. The level of arrivals will reach 101 million in 2000 and 190 million in 2010 in this region.”

The prominent opportunities for growth in this region include the following:

1. Large scale and variety of tourism development.

2. People have started taking more interest in the Asia countries.

3. The financial ability of the people has increased.

4. There is intensification of trade between the Asian countries.

5. The East Asian countries have become aware of the promotional programmes and the impact of computer technology on trade and tourism.

The major constraints for the growth of tourism in this include the following:

1. Inadequate infrastructure development for proper growth of international tourism.

2. High rate of inflation.

3. Transport infrastructure limitations.

II. Europe:

International tourist arrivals are expected to grow at the average annual growth rate of 2.7 per cent per annum between 1990 and 2000, and at average annual growth rate 2.5 percent per annum between 2000 and 2010, significantly lower than the global average annual growth rate. The level of arrivals will reach 372 million in 2000 and 476 million in 2010.

The prominent opportunities for the growth of international tourism in Europe include the following:

1. Economic expansion on the global level.

2. Continued interest in the people and culture of different regions of the world.

3. Emergence of European led global distribution systems.

4. Increased emphasis on the promotional activities.

5. Liberalisation of airline service.

The major constraints for the growth of international tourism in Europe include the following:

1. Overdevelopment has led to increased air traffic giving problems of bottlenecks.

2. There are problems associated with war in former Yugoslavia.

3. There is risk of conflict between the developers and the local communities.

III. Middle East:

According to World Tourism Organisation international tourist arrivals are forecasted to grow at an annual growth rate of 4 per cent per annum between 1990 and 2000, and by 5 per cent per annum between 2000 and 2010. Total arrivals will touch 11 million mark in 2000 and 18 million in 2010.

The prominent opportunities for the growth of international tourism in this region include the following:

1. People’s growing interest in the culture and history of Middle East.

2. Ethnic ties have become strong.

3. Middle East countries have done the expansion of airline service connections to the key tourist generating markets.

4. The economic policies have become conducive for the growth of trade and progress.

The major constraints for the growth of International Tourism in this region include the following:

1. Consumers fear about the safety of tourist travel in the countries in this region.

2. There are inadequate education and training programmes.

3. There is risk of conflict between the tourism developers and the local community.

IV. America:

According to World Tourism Organisation “International tourist arrivals are forecasted to grow at an average annual rate of 4.6 per cent per annum between 1990 and 2000, and by 3.5 per cent per annum between 2000 and 2010. The level of arrivals will touch the mark of 147 million in 2000 and 207 million in 2010.”

The prominent opportunities for the growth of international tourism include the following:

1. The sudden economic revival of the world.

2. Liberalisation and privatisation policies which have increased the trade relations between the American countries.

3. There is growing sophistication in the American technology.

4. The ethnicities between Asia and North America have increased the inflow of tourists.

The major constraints for the growth of international tourism in this region include the following :

1. There in overdevelopment in many parts of this continent.

2. Increased airline traffic.

3. Prevailing high rate of inflation.

According to World Tourism Organisation forecasts “International Tourist arrivals are forecasted to grow at an average annual rate of 5 per cent per annum between 1990 and 2000, and by 4 per cent per annum between 2000 and 2010. The level of arrivals will touch the mark of 24 million in 2000 and 36 million in 2010.”

The prominent opportunities for the growth of International tourism in this region include the following:

1. There is worldwide economic recovery with massive potential for tourism.

2. People have started taking interest in this region because of the ethnic ties between the European and the African destinations.

3. There is expansion in the international airline services connections.

4. There is impact of computer technology on the distribution system.

The major constraints for the growth of international tourism in this region include the following:

1. There is inadequate infrastructure.

2. High rates of inflation are prevailing in this region.

3. There is less safety and security available in this region.

International Tourism in India –   Tourism and the Future

There are even authors who have forecasted a bright future of tourism. It has been anticipated that this activity is growth-oriented and has a promising horizon ahead.

One thing can be safely said of tourism in the future:

It will increase nothing but a global war can present that current forecasts suggest a 5 per cent yearly growth in international tourist throughout the 1990s and that means a lot of tourists expenditure is likely real terms.

“The Deregulated environment in which this growth in tourism is taking place impacts on the interaction of all industry components. The technology and information systems of this huge, newly enervated, existing global industry encompasses even more data that periodically grows more difficult to assess and evaluate. Although technological change, economic propensity and other conditions play an important role, social change in the guise of changing values and mass education has judged the tourist’s exposure growth”.

According to a professional observation, “Tourism is a historically growth sector. If we look at the way in which tourism has and is developing in most of the major generating countries of the world, we see that people are moving away from the old idea of tourism as simply as output of economic wealth. It still is, but evidence suggests that more and more people are seeing the ability to take holidays and travel international as a part of a life-style. Research indicates that people will protect holiday expenditure even in deteriorating economic elements.”

Tourism is growing and the earnings from it are increasing, leaving the petrol industry which was the governing industry for earning wealth. Now the era belongs to tourism.

“As a global community we are living through widespread changes whose scope and significance are lately perceptible at this point of time. Yet we know that what has come to be known as the ‘New world order’ of the post-world war era is evolving in some very fundamental ways as we rush towards the magical year 2000 and the third millennium of western history.”

The new world order is giving birth to a trendy life-style associated with funding something special and new. The status values have changed. Tourism is new attitude associated with the economic viability of any industrial and the country.

“Although tourism will double, growth rates will be lower. It is not going to be like the seventies when everyone was a wander. Now days there’s much more competition and if you win it because you get market share from your competitors. It you want to be a winner tomorrow you have to be more professional more aggressive and closer to the market. Mr. Bali tells his guidance on the general assembly in Bali.”

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Development of Tourism in India, Current Landscape, Government Initiatives

Tourism in India holds immense potential as a significant contributor to country's economy, despite facing various challenges. Read this article for Opportunities for Development of Tourism in India.

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Development of Tourism in India

Tourism in India holds immense potential as a significant contributor to the country’s economy, despite facing various challenges. With its rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes, and historical monuments, India has always been a magnet for travellers from around the globe. However, the development of this sector has been met with both successes and hurdles.

Current Landscape and Economic Impact of Tourism in India

Tourism in India contributes approximately 4.6% to the nation’s GDP, as per the Ministry of Tourism. Despite not being prioritized by the government, the sector plays a vital role in job creation, supporting over 32 million jobs in 2021. The World Travel and Tourism Council reported that in 2021, tourism generated ₹13.2 lakh crore (US$170 billion), accounting for 5.8% of India’s GDP.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted tourism, leading to a decline in foreign tourist arrivals by 44% in 2022 compared to 2019 figures. Nonetheless, India’s domestic tourism market remains robust, with over 1 billion domestic tourist visits recorded in 2012.

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Strengths and Challenges in India’s Tourism Sector

India possesses numerous strengths that bolster its tourism sector. The country’s cultural and natural resources, including historical monuments, scenic landscapes, and diverse wildlife, attract travellers worldwide. Additionally, India’s air transport infrastructure and natural resources are highly regarded globally.

However, the sector also faces several challenges. Infrastructure deficiencies, such as inadequate road networks and outdated facilities, hinder the tourist experience. Moreover, safety concerns, including issues related to women’s safety and petty crime, can deter potential visitors. Additionally, bureaucratic red tape and complex visa procedures have been cited as barriers to tourism growth.

Opportunities for Growth and Development of Tourism in India

Despite the challenges, India’s tourism sector offers ample opportunities for growth and development:

  • Diverse Attractions: From historical monuments and cultural festivals to scenic landscapes and adventure sports, India offers a wide range of tourist attractions. Leveraging these diverse offerings can attract travellers with varied interests and preferences.
  • Cultural Experiences: India’s rich cultural heritage and traditions provide unique experiences for tourists. Promoting cultural tourism, including heritage walks, culinary tours, and traditional art forms, can attract visitors seeking authentic cultural experiences.
  • Medical Tourism: India has emerged as a leading destination for medical tourism, offering high-quality healthcare services at competitive prices. With state-of-the-art hospitals and skilled medical professionals, India attracts patients from around the world for treatments ranging from surgeries to wellness retreats.
  • Rural and Eco-Tourism: There is growing interest in experiential and sustainable tourism experiences, such as rural homestays, wildlife safaris, and initiatives. Encouraging community-based tourism initiatives can benefit rural economies while conserving natural resources.
  • Digital Transformation: Technology plays a crucial role in enhancing the tourism experience, from online booking platforms and virtual tours to digital marketing strategies. Embracing digital innovations can improve accessibility, convenience, and connectivity for travellers.

Government Initiatives to Promote India’s Tourism Sector

The Government of India has taken several initiatives to promote tourism development:

  • Policy Support: The Ministry of Tourism formulates national policies and collaborates with stakeholders to develop and promote tourism. Efforts are underway to simplify regulations, improve infrastructure, and enhance the overall tourism experience.
  • Incredible India Campaign: The Incredible India campaign showcases India’s tourism potential through multimedia campaigns, roadshows, and promotional events. It highlights the country’s cultural diversity, natural beauty, and hospitality to attract international travellers.
  • Niche Tourism Promotion: The government is focusing on promoting niche tourism products such as rural, cruise, medical, and eco-tourism. Specialized marketing campaigns and infrastructure development initiatives are aimed at tapping into niche markets and diversifying the tourism portfolio.
  • Public-Private Partnerships: Collaborations between the government, private sector, and local communities are essential for tourism development. Public-private partnerships facilitate investment, infrastructure development, and skill enhancement in the tourism sector.

Future Outlook For Tourism Development in India

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and other systemic issues, the outlook for tourism in India remains optimistic. With concerted efforts from the government, private sector, and other stakeholders, the sector is poised for growth. Forecasts suggest that tourism could contribute 7.2% of India’s GDP by 2031, underscoring its potential as a key driver of economic development.

In conclusion, tourism development in India presents challenges and opportunities. By addressing infrastructure deficiencies, promoting niche tourism products, and prioritizing safety and security, India can unlock the full potential of its tourism sector and emerge as a premier global destination for travellers.

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Development of Tourism in India FAQs

What is the current development of tourism in india.

Today tourism is the largest service industry in India, with a contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP and providing 8.78% of the total employment.

What is the role of tourism in development?

In developing countries, tourism development has been used as an important strategy for increasing economic growth, alleviating poverty, creating jobs, and improving food security.

What is the importance of tourism in India?

Tourism in India has grown substantially. It promotes National Integration and provides support to local handicrafts and cultural pursuits.

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India tourism, tourism in india.

India is a country that attracts millions of tourists every year and is considered one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. These visitors are attracted to its natural beauty and cultural heritage. It has many historic sites as well like the Taj Mahal, Golden Temple, Red Fort, etc. With so much to offer, it’s no surprise that tourism is one of the main sources of revenue for the country! 

Tourism in India has been seen as a major tool to bring about socio-economic development to the people of the country. India’s tourism industry has grown steadily in recent years. Not only this, India Tourism industry also provides employment opportunities to several people from all parts of the world. There are ample numbers of hotels, resorts, food joints and various other amenities available for tourists arriving in India. 

No wonder Tourism is an important foreign exchange earner for India. The Department of Tourism, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India is the apex body for the largest development and promotion of Indian tourism. To promote tourism in India, the government has been implementing a number of campaigns and schemes. These include Incredible India campaign along with a number of planned events such as the International Travel Mart, Destination India Exhibitions worldwide and Indian Cultural Festivals Abroad to attract foreign tourists.

India is a vast country with a lot to offer. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that millions of people pay India a visit every year. The country offers a variety of sights and sounds to enjoy, from the vibrant cities to the peaceful countryside. With its diversity of tourist attractions, India is also known for yoga and meditation. From the snow-capped Himalayas to the tropical beaches of Goa, from the wildlife of Assam to the largest tea field of Kerala, there is something new in every corner of this country. Moreover, with major cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Chandigarh, and Delhi being so well connected by air, road, and rail networks from across the globe, it’s easy to get around and explore some of the most iconic landmarks in India.

Highlights of India Tourism

Goa tourism.

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Temples in India

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Beaches in India

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Hill Stations in India

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Places to Visit in India

wildlife in India

Wildlife in India

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Best Restaurants in India

Restaurants In India

Uttarakhand tourism, rivers in uttarakhand, rameswaram map, jagannath map, about india.

A country with a rich and colourful history, India is home to some of the world’s most fascinating cultures. India is a country located in South Asia and the capital of India is New Delhi. The Government of India, the Constitutional Republic represents a highly diverse population of thousands of ethnic groups and the many languages spoken in the country.

According to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), it has a population of over 1.2 billion, making it the second-most populous country in the world. Built-in approximately 9,000 years ago, India was largely self-contained and became a cultural arena associated with Hinduism. The roots of this tradition can be traced to the Indus civilization.

Other religions such as Buddhism and Jainism originated in India, where Buddhism spread throughout Asia, while both religions are quite popular in the subcontinent. India has also developed a rich intellectual life in such fields as astronomy, fine art, architecture, mathematics, and music.

The country has been recognized for its economic development since gaining independence in 1947. It has become the seventh-largest country in the world, and it is geographically distinct from other Asian nations because of its location between mountains and the sea. India is a country of many contrasts, from the Indian Ocean to snow-capped peaks and the deserts in Rajasthan to the green forests of Kerala.

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India Quick Overview

Official Name:

Bharat (Sanskrit), Republic of India (English)

Capital Of India:

Population:

1,210,569,573 (2011 Census)

3,287,263 square kilometres

Geographical Location:

Latitudes 8° 4′ and 37° 6′ North

Longitudes 68° 7′ and 97° 25′ East

Coastline Length:

Major Religions:

Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism

National Anthem:

Jana Gana Mana by Rabindranath Tagore

National Song:

Vande Mataram by Bankimchandra Chatterji

National Emblem:

An adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath

National Animal:

Royal Bengal Tiger

National Bird:

National Flower:

National Tree:

National Fruit:

National Currency:

National Sport:

Hockey (Unofficial)

There are two official languages of the Union Government of India – Hindi and English.

National Flag:

The national flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolour of India, saffron, white and India green; A 24-spoke wheel, in dark blue colour at its centre, with the Ashoka Chakra.

History of India

India’s history can be broken down into three major phases. The first phase is the ancient period known as Ancient India, which covers thousands of years that began when humans first settled in India. This period includes the Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300-1300 BCE), which is considered one of the world’s oldest civilizations and a precursor to modern Indian culture.

In medieval India, a period in Indian history is seen as lasting from the ancient period to the Mughal Empire. This long span of time begins in the 6th century AD and ends in 1526 when the empire was established. Some historians believe that it started later than these dates and ended earlier.

In the early 20th century, India was also experiencing a period of change. In 1857, the Indian independence movement began in Bengal with the first nationalistic revolutionary movement. The British Empire controlled India at this time and it lasted until 1947 when India gained its independence.

Culture of India

India has a rich cultural heritage, reflected in its diverse population. The country’s culture has been shaped by various external and internal influences. Over the centuries, India has seen a significant fusion of Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists. These religions are collectively known as Indian religions as they originated in India.

“Unity in diversity” – these are words that do not just hold meaning but can be applied to a country like India. From the time of Mauryas, Cholas and Mughals to the period of the British Empire, India has always been famous for its traditions and hospitality.

Due to warm relations and a sense of celebration, India has a special place in the global community. Its vibrant culture is an amalgamation of religions, festivals, food, arts, crafts and dance. The country is vibrant, eclectic, and attracts many tourists for its culture. Popularly known as the land of God, the country of India has everything from culture to values, customs and traditions that defines its beauty. Also, explore the beauty of  Indian Tribes  that adds colour and beauty to the culture of India. 

Best Time To Visit In India

Month: Jul to Sep

Climate: Hot

Monsoon in India: Monsoon holidays are definitely memorable as they offer a wide range of experiences. Monsoons can be relaxing, especially with the cooler temperatures of the rainy season. Contrary to popular belief, the monsoon in India can be a wonderful time to explore this beautiful country. Whether you want to take advantage of Ayurveda in South India or explore some of the natural destinations of India, the monsoon is the best time to enjoy it everywhere in India.

Month: Apr to Jun

Climate:Hot & Humid

Summer in India: In the summer, you can enjoy pleasant weather while exploring wonderful sights and interesting things to do. India has many tourist destinations for you to visit in summer across the country. You can go to the pristine beaches of Andaman, Goa or Kerala, visit holy places in the high peaks of Uttarakhand, romantic hill stations in India, and so on. For adventure seekers, summer brings excellent opportunities for enjoying various adventurous activities in India!

Month: Dec to Feb

Climate:Very Cool

Winter in India: As the temperature drops, most of the country experiences chilly air that also is a great time to visit in India. The months from November to March are ideal for exploring this wonderful country and enjoying its festivities. Pleasant climate, charming surroundings and variety of activities like snow skiing, paragliding, camping, etc provide a unique holiday experience at the most visited holiday destinations in India.

Estimated Budget Required To Travel To India

When planning a trip to India, it is important to consider the costs associated with travelling within the country. Although many people enjoy visiting India for its cultural significance, for some travellers the cost of the trip will vary depending on the activities they do. For an individual, a week in India usually costs INR 17,000 to 18,000. So for two people, a week would cost around INR 36,000. If a couple is planning to travel to India for two weeks, they will spend around Rs 70,000- 72,000 during their India tour. While the price of food in India may vary, the average cost is INR 500-600 per day. Depending on spending habits, an average meal would cost around Rs 200-300 per person and breakfast would be cheaper than lunch or dinner.

Regions In India

The country can be divided into four distinct regions: North, West, South and East. India is both a beautiful and varied country and features many different landscapes. It is a beautiful destination surrounded by cold mountains, dry deserts, vast plains, hot and humid plateaus vast beaches and tropical islands. It is a country that offers something for everyone and every type of tourist. The diversity of the destinations, the ease of access and affordability have made India one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in Asia. Whether you’re looking for magnificent palaces, exotic wildlife or beaches, India has it all. With each region offering unique attractions, there is something for everyone – be it adventure seekers or heritage lovers.

Amazing Domestic Packages

Shimla Packages

7,499/- 3D/2N

Includes : Pickup and drop from Chandigarh, Complete Sight-seeing in Cab, Inclusive of All taxes

Goa Packages

8,900/- 4D/3N

Includes : Twin sharing, Free Transfers, Breakfast, Free drop at Vagator Beach, 1-day Sightseeing Tour

Kerala Packages

11,500/- 4D/3N

Includes: 2 nights in Munnar, 1 night in Kumarkom, Daily breakfast, All transfers and sightseeing

Andaman Packages

15,999/- 5D/4N

Includes : 1 night Havelock, 3 nights Port Blair, Daily breakfast, All transfers and sightseeing

Facts about India

  • India is the only country that has not invaded any other nation in the past 10,000 years.
  • India was once one of the richest countries in the world before being invaded by the British in the early 17th century. It is also one of the first places in the world where diamonds were found.
  • Sanskrit is a very old language that belongs to the Indo-European family of languages, from which most modern European languages originate.
  • Saint Gyandev is credited with creating Snakes and Ladders in the 13th century. The ladders in the game represent virtues, while snakes symbolise vices. The game has undergone several modifications over the years, but its original meaning remains unchanged.
  • Chess is a two-player strategy board game that was invented in India. It was originally called “Chaturanga”, which means “four members of an army” in Sanskrit. Today, chess is one of the most popular games in the world and has inspired many variations, including Blitz chess.
  • Brahmagupta was the first to develop the concept of zero, while Aryabhata developed the place value system. In the sixth century, Brahmagupta wrote a book called Brahmasphutasiddhanta, which described zero and how it could be used as a number in mathematical equations. Aryabhata developed the place value system, which is still used in modern-day mathematics.
  • In the sixth century, Budhayana was the first person to calculate the value of pi. He did this well before any mathematician in Europe. Bhaskaracharya calculated the time (365.258756484 days) taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun long before Western astronomers.
  • Ayurveda, which is the earliest school of medicine in the world, was born in India thousands of years ago. In fact, it is said that Ayurveda was created by Lord Brahma himself.
  • The Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru has won the SKYTRAX Award 2020 for being in the ‘Best Airport category’ in the world and is awarded the ‘Best Airport Staff in India & Central Asia’ at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2021.
  • India is the only country with over 300,000 mosques and 2 million Hindu temples.

Major Celebrations in India

1.    Republic Day: Republic Day is an important holiday in India. It is celebrated on January 26 every year to honour the constitution of India, which was adopted on this day in 1950.

2.    Independence Day: On August 15, Indians celebrate Independence Day to commemorate freedom from British rule in 1947.

3.    Gandhi Jayanti: Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated on October 2 every year to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, who was popularly known as the Father of the Nation.

4.    Holi: Holi is a popular Indian festival that celebrates the eternal and divine love of Radha and Krishna. It is a popular festival, known as the festival of Colours, Love, and Spring. 

5.    Baisakhi: Celebrated in the month of April, Baisakhi or Vaisakhi is one of India’s most popular harvest festivals. It marks the formation of Khalsa Panth under the guidance of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, in 1699.

6.    Eid: Eid al-Fitr, is marked as the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of celebration and fasting. It is celebrated during the first three days of Shawwal (in the 10th month of the Islamic calendar).

7.    Onam: Onam, or Thiruvonam, is an ancient harvest festival of Kerala. It is celebrated throughout the state with great joy and happiness. Onam is a colourful festival that marks the homecoming of King Mahabali and his legendary return to Kerala every year.

8.    Diwali: Diwali is the festival of lights that celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is one of the major Hindu festivals, as well as celebrated by Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists, symbolizing the eradication of darkness and negativity.

Things to Buy in India

  • Traditional Indian paintings, Art and Crafts
  • Authentic Indian curry powder/Pickles
  • Popular Indian Tea
  • Assam silk, Sarees and kurtas from West Bengal 
  • Kondapalli toys
  • Kashmiri carpets and Pashmina shawls
  • Natural Ayurvedic Products
  • Spices and Herbs from Spice Capital of India
  • Leather products from the Leather City of India
  • Rajasthani Jewellery/tribal jewellery
  • Karnataka Sandalwood carvings 
  • Punjabi Jutti (footwear)

Top 10 Tourist Places to Visit in India

There are so many  places to visit in India . Some of them are mentioned below:

1.    Jammu & Kashmir – Heaven On Earth: Jammu and Kashmir is a beautiful state situated in the northwest of India in the Himalayan Region. From lush green valleys to snow-capped mountains, there is something for everyone in this scenic state. Its natural beauty, rich culture, and exciting activities make it a great place to visit. There are many  tourist destinations in Jammu & Kashmir  and the state is popular for its traditional handicrafts, apples, and dried fruits. The place offers a breathtaking view to its visitors and introduces a green valley surrounded by deep forest.

2.    Ladakh – The Land Of High Passes: Ladakh offers breathtaking mountain scenery and a large number of monasteries and temples that are well worth a visit. History buffs will also enjoy visiting the ancient kingdom of Lo Manthang, located in the Mustang district of Ladakh. The landscapes are rugged and varied, with high mountain peaks, fertile valleys, and stark deserts. And, there are plenty of things to do in Ladakh including trekking, biking, and white water rafting.

3.    Shimla – Queen Of Hills: Shimla is one of the most popular hill stations in India, known for its stunning Himalayan scenery. It is one of the most popular travel destinations in India. Its stunning scenery and cool climate make it a perfect place to escape the heat of the Indian summer. With its stunning natural beauty and rich culture,  Shimla hill station  attracts visitors from all over the world.

4.    Delhi – The Heart Of India: Delhi is an ancient city with a rich history, dating back to the Mahabharata era. Over the centuries, it has been ruled by a number of different dynasties, each of which has left its mark on the city. Today, Delhi is a bustling metropolis and one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. There are many places to visit in Delhi, from historical sites and temples to modern shopping malls and restaurants.

5.    Rajasthan – The Land Of Kings: Rajasthan is a land of forts, palaces, deserts and tigers. The vast region in northwest India is one of the most colourful in the country. It is one of the most colourful and culturally rich states in the country. It was once the home of maharajas, their grand palaces and opulent lifestyles. There are plenty of  places to visit in Rajasthan , visitors can explore hill forts and hunting lodges from the era of the Rajput kings, marvel at intricately carved temples, wander through pink sandstone cities and visit Ranthambore National Park.

6.    Sikkim – Indrakil (The Garden Of The War God Indra): Sikkim is known for its natural beauty, with its landscape consisting of tall mountains, glaciers, valleys, and rivers. Located near the borders of Nepal and Bhutan, it is home to a diverse mix of cultures and ethnic communities. Moreover, from snow-capped mountains and mighty rivers to serene lakes and dense evergreen forests, there are a number of  tourist places in Sikkim . Some popular destinations include Darjeeling, Gangtok, and Gurudongmar Lake. The state is blessed with natural beauty that is unrivalled by any other state in the country.

7.    Mumbai – The City Of Dreams: Mumbai, the Hollywood city of India and home to more than 21 million people, is a city rich in culture and history. It’s a place where you can witness the ancient and the modern coexist side by side. From historical monuments like Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Town Hall to Gateway of India and Elephanta Caves and Marine Drive, there are many  places to visit in Mumbai . If you’re looking for an adventure, or simply want to experience another side of India.

8.    Goa – Pearl Of The Orient: Goa is one of the most beautiful and sought-after tourist destinations in India. From its stunning beaches to its lush forests, there are many things to see and do in Goa. If you’re looking for a place to relax and soak up some sun,  Goa’s beaches  are definitely worth a visit. If you’re looking for something more adventurous, you can head to one of the state’s many national parks or wildlife sanctuaries. No matter what you’re into, Goa has something for you.

9.    Bangalore – Silicon Valley Of India: Bangalore, officially known as Bengaluru, has a population of over 10 million and is one of the most cosmopolitan and culturally diverse cities in India. It is also one of the most important industrial and commercial hubs in the country. There are many tourist  places to visit in Bangalore , which are famous for their natural beauty, historical monuments, and temples. Bangalore is a city located in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

10. Ooty – A Scenic Hill Town: Ooty is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. It is a hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu. The place is well known for its natural beauty and pleasant climate. Ooty also has a lot of tourist attractions such as the Ooty Lake, Dodabetta Peak, Thread Garden, Rose Garden, and others. It contains many colonial-era bungalows and churches, as well as hiking trails and a botanical garden. All these places are very beautiful and worth visiting.

Get The Best India Travel Tourism Guide With Travanya

The country of India is not only famous for its breathtakingly wonderful monuments but also for its natural beauty in this country. Explore is a land of diversity with numerous tribal groups, languages, religions and exotic cuisines. Travelling abroad is a great experience but nothing like the diversity of landscapes and cultures in India. Working as a leading tour & travel company, we encourage travellers to travel more in India, as our India tour packages introduce travellers to the incredible beauty of the country.  

Whether you are planning your honeymoon in beautiful Kashmir or the picturesque islands of Goa, the Travanya India tourism guide will help you choose the best tourist places in India. We are a team of travel professionals who are committed to providing the best travel experience to our clients. We at Travanya spend a lot of time brainstorming, designing and planning holidays in India that are guaranteed to make travelling with us an unforgettable experience.

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Indian history dates back to 3000 BC. Excavations in Punjab and Gujarat reveal that the Indus Valley civilisation was a highly developed urban civilisation. In fact the two cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, situated on two sides of the river Ravi , are known to have been built on a similar plan. But that only meant a new wave of urbanisation was taking place along the Ganges around 1500 BC. This has been recorded in the Rig Veda - the earliest known literary source composed in this period that sheds light on India 's past.

The Great Dynasties

By 6th century BC, the Magadh rulers dominated the Northern plains. It was also the time when new thinking emerged in the form of Buddhism and Jainism to challenge Hindu orthodoxy. The Magadh rule was followed by the rule of Chandragupta Maurya (322-298 B.C.), one of India 's greatest emperors. The Mauryan reign peaked under the reign of Ashoka the Great who extended his empire from the Kashmir and Peshawar in the North to Mysore in the South and Orissa in the East. Not only was Ashoka a great ruler, he was one of the most successful propagators of Buddhism in the country. After Ashoka's death in 232 B.C. the empire began to disintegrate and the country was repeatedly raided and plundered by foreign invaders, leaving India disunited and weak for the next 400 years. Stability returned with the reign of Chandra Gupta I (380-412 A.D.). His rule is considered the golden period in Indian history when art and culture flourished and the country prospered.

Unlike the North of India, foreign invasions had little impact on life in South India which also saw the rise and decline of many empires. These included the Cholas whose rule extended to Sri Lanka and South East Asia , the Pandyas, the Cheras, the Pallavas and the Chalukyas. Under the various rulers, arts and craft in the South also saw the emergence of various styles of architecture and some of the grandest architectural accomplishments in the South - the most famous being the exquisitely crafted Chola bronzes. These were followed by the Hoysala and the Vijaynagar empires - among the greatest Hindu empires.

The Muslim Invasions

The first Muslim invasions of the country started with the Mahmud of Gazni, who plundered the sub-continent for its riches between 1001 and 1025. Later Mohamed Ghori defeated Prithviraj Chauhan, the Tomar ruler of Delhi and left it in charge of his deputy, Qutub-ud-din, the man who built the Qutub Minar in Delhi . His rule was followed by that of the Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties. Known as the Sultanate of Delhi, it was during this period that the Muslim rulers introduced Islamic concepts of society and governance to most of the sub-continent, though the South remained largely untouched.

In 1525, Babur, a descendant of Timur, as well as Genghis Khan invaded Punjab and eventually founded the Mughal empire in India . His rule was followed by that of his son Humayun. Humayun was ousted by Afghan chieftain Sher Shah but resumed power after Sher Shah's death. Sher Shah is, however, remembered as the one to build the Grand Trunk road spanning from Peshawar to Patna . Humayun's reign was followed up by his son Akbar who actually consolidated power and extended the empire across North India and parts of South India . One of India 's wisest rulers and most able administrators, Akbar's reign is considered to be one of the best the country has known. Akbar was succeeded by Jahangir, followed by his son Shah Jahan - best known as the builder of the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid. Shah Jahan's reign was followed by Aurangzeb's. The death of Aurangzeb saw the decline of the Mughal rule in India .

British Rule

Over the centuries India had always been attractive to traders, and one of the first Europeans to come to India was the Portuguese trader Vasco da Gama who landed at Calicut , sailing via the Cape of Good Hope in 1498. The Portuguese established their colony in Goa in the 16th Century but they did not expand it though their rule continued till 1961. Vasco da Gama was followed by the French, the Dutch and the English, all of whom were lured by the commercial interests that India offered. By the last quarter of the 18th century the English established themselves as the dominant power in India and they set about making revolutionary changes in the social, political and the economic life of the country.

Towards Independence

The disintegration of the Mughal empire, fighting among the Maratha rulers and inability of the various rulers across the country to unite against a common enemy saw the British consolidate their position in the country. However, the 19th century saw a revival of national pride and social reform and the Indians began to tire of the suppressive British rule. Things reached a flash point in the second half of the 19th century when the first war of independence in 1857 broke out in Meerut . It was sparked off by the introduction of a new rifle and cartridge by the British in the Army. The cartridges which soldiers had to bite off, allegedly contained pork and beef tallow, which offended the religious sentiments of both Hindus and Muslims. The soldiers rebelled, reached Delhi and proclaimed Bahadurshah Zafar the sovereign ruler of India . They were eventually overpowered by the British.

But there was no looking back for the Indians who wanted social reform and freedom. The Indian National Congress was set up and educated Indians started formulating strategies to assert their birthright to independence. The anti-British sentiment became a mass movement with the arrival of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who devised a unique strategy for India 's freedom struggle based on non-violence and civil disobedience. He conceived and led the non-cooperation movement in 1922, the Salt Satyagraha in 1930 and the Quit India Movement in 1942. All of which pushed the British into agreeing to transfer power on August 15, 1947, the day that is now celebrated as India 's Independence Day. Today, India is the world's largest democracy with a federal form of government.

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India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC)

ITDC came into existence in October 1966 and has been the prime mover in the progressive development, promotion and expansion of tourism in the country. Broadly, the main objectives of the Corporation are:

  • To construct, take over and manage existing hotels and market hotels, Beach Resorts, Travellers’ Lodges/Restaurants;
  • To provide transport, entertainment, shopping and conventional services;
  • To produce, distribute, tourist publicity material;
  • To render consultancy-cum-managerial services in India and abroad;
  • To carry on the business as Full-Fledged Money Changers (FFMC), restricted money changers etc;
  • To provide innovating, dependable and value for money solutions to the needs of tourism development and engineering industry including providing consultancy and project implementation.

The authorized capital of the Corporation is Rs 75 Crore and the paid up capital as on 31.3.2005 was Rs 67.52 Crore. 89.9748% of the paid up equity capital of the Corporation is held in the name of President of India.

The Corporation is running hotels, restaurants at various places for tourists, besides providing transport facilities. In addition, the Corporation is engaged in production, distribution and sale of tourist publicity literature and providing entertainment and duty free shopping facilities to the tourists. The Corporation has diversified into new avenues/innovative services like Full-Fledged Money Changer (FFMC) services, engineering related consultancy services etc. The Ashok Institute of Hospitality & Tourism Management of the Corporation imparts training and education in the field of tourism and hospitality.

Presently, ITDC has a network of eight Ashok Group of Hotels, six Joint Venture Hotels, 2 Restaurants (including one Airport Restaurant), 12 Transport Units, one Tourist Service Station, 37 Duty Free Shops at International as well as Domestic Customs Airports, one Tax Free outlet and two Sound & Light Shows.

Besides, ITDC is also managing a hotel at Bharatpur and a restaurant at Kosi on behalf of the Department of Tourism. In addition, it is also managing catering services at Western Court, Vigyan Bhawan, Hyderabad House and National Media Press Centre at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi.

Global Tourism Investor's Summit 2023

Tourism Projects Worth $169 Million to Be Inaugurated — India Report

Bulbul Dhawan , Skift

March 6th, 2024 at 11:00 PM EST

India is taking steps to make its tourist and pilgrimage destinations more convenient for visitors. These projects are being developed at a rapid pace to boost the country's tourism potential.

Bulbul Dhawan

The Skift India Newsletter is your go-to platform for all news related to travel, tourism, airlines, and hospitality in India.

India is set to get multiple tourism projects worth INR 14 billion ($169 million). Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating these projects on Thursday during his visit to Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The projects aim to boost the domestic tourism industry in the country with the help of Swadesh Darshan and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) schemes. 

Improving tourism infrastructure: The Government of India has launched schemes such as Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD with the aim to improve the tourism infrastructure in the country. The vision is to offer tourists and pilgrims world-class amenities and facilities at pilgrimage and tourist destinations across the country. Under these schemes, the Centre provides financial assistance to states, union territories, as well as central agencies to develop such locations. 

Projects to be inaugurated: Among the projects that are set to be inaugurated on Thursday is the ‘Integrated Development of Hazratbal Shrine’ in Srinagar. This would lead to improvement of ghats around the shrine as well as construction of a Sufi interpretation center. Apart from this, the project to develop Jogulamba Devi Temple in Telangana will also be inaugurated. 

Air India-Vistara Merger Gets Singapore Green Light

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has approved the Air India and Vistara merger. The intention for merger between the two full-service airlines was announced by Singapore Airlines and Tata Sons in November 2022, soon after Tata acquired Air India. 

To bring the merger into effect, Singapore Airlines acquired a 25.1% stake in the former national carrier as well. Post the merger, Vistara would merge into Air India, under which brand the carrier would then operate. 

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) had given its approval to the merger last year in September. The competition watchdog in Singapore, however, expressed concerns regarding the significant market share held by the merging parties in four sectors between Singapore and India. The involved parties proposed measures to address these concerns. The Singapore competition authority has given its approval to the merger on the condition that these proposed measures continue to be upheld by Vistara and Air India. 

Domestic Air Passenger Traffic Set to Surpass Pre-Covid Levels

The domestic air passenger traffic in the 2023-24 financial year is likely to surpass the pre-Covid levels. Rating agency ICRA has estimated that the domestic air traffic in 2024 fiscal year will grow by 8-13% at 150-155 million. The agency also maintained a stable outlook on the aviation industry in India. 

ICRA is also expecting this momentum of the aviation industry to continue in the next fiscal year, with a similar year-on-year growth. It said that factors such as improved airport infrastructure and increasing demand for both leisure and business travel are contributing to this growth. 

IHCL Signs Vivanta Hotel in Ujjain

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) has signed a new Vivanta hotel in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. The hotel will consist of 130 keys. At the signing, Suma Venkatesh, executive vice president – real estate and development, IHCL, said that the hotel would be the company’s first property in Ujjain. 

The signing is in line with the company’s strategy of establishing its presence in significant pilgrimage destinations across India. Prior to this, IHCL had 11 hotels in Madhya Pradesh, of which three were under development. 

Park Hotels Reports Best-Ever Quarterly Perfor mance

Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels has reported its best-ever quarterly performance. During the quarter, the company witnessed a 15% year-on-year growth in its total income, while its occupancy rate stood at 90%. 

During the first nine months of the 2023-24 financial year, the company opened five new hotels. With this, its footprint reached 30 hotels. Over the next five years, Park Hotels is looking to add more than 800 hotels in its portfolio. 

Indian Railway Partners With Food Aggregator Swiggy

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with online food aggregator Swiggy as its delivery partner. The partnership aims to leverage Swiggy’s network of restaurants and delivery agents in order to offer passengers pre-booked meals. The service is expected to begin in a week. It will be made available at four stations in the initial phase. 

Passengers with a valid ticket would be able to pre-order food from restaurants listed on Swiggy in a particular city and have it delivered to them at their preferred station. IRCTC had also partnered with Swiggy’s competitor Zomato last year as its delivery partner in order to provide passengers with options while pre-booking their food. 

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Tags: air india , air traffic , air travel , airlines , business travel , hotels , india travel , Indian Hotels Company , indian railways , jammu , singapore , singapore airlines , srinagar , tata , tourism , vistara

Photo credit: The project to develop Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 7. Incredible India

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  1. Journey Of The Tourism Industry In India

    The development of the Indian tourism industry began in the 19 th century when the Sir John Sargent Committee was established in 1945 to promote and develop Indian tourism. In 1966, ITDC (Indian Tourism Development Corporation) came into existence and played a vital role in the country's tourism industry's development, promotion, and growth.

  2. Tourism in India: History and Development

    Tourism in India: History and Development. Author: Bhatia, A.K. Publisher: Sterling publishers, New Delhi. Source: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi. ... The Indian Culture Portal is a part of the National Virtual Library of India project, funded by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. ...

  3. History of tourism in India: Growth and Development

    History of Tourism Development. In 1945, the authorities of India established a committee headed by Sir John Sargent, who served as the government's educational adviser at the time. This marked the beginning of deliberate attempts to broaden tourism in India (Krishna, A.G., 1993).

  4. Tourism in India

    Tourism in India is 4.6% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Unlike other sectors, tourism is not a priority sector for the Government of India. Forbes magazine ranked India as the 7th most beautiful country in 'The 50 Most Beautiful Countries In The World' rankings. The World Travel and Tourism Council calculated that tourism generated ₹ 13.2 lakh crore (US$170 billion) or 5.8% ...

  5. Development of Tourism in India

    For the first time in the history of tourism development in India, the national tourism policy was announced in 2002. It is highlighted that a tourist should feel satisfied and return with unforgettable experiences. The concept of hospitality included 7s of tourism in this policy. These are following as: Welcome; Safety; Co-operation; Facilitation

  6. PDF Evolution of Tourism Policy in India: An overview

    promote tourism in India were made in 1945, when a committee was set up by the Government under the leadership of Sir John Sargent, then Educational Adviser to the Government of India (Krishna.A.G. 1993). Thereafter systematic tourism development took place in India. The tourism planning approach has been

  7. Tourism in India history and development : Bhatia, A.K. : Free Download

    Book from the Archaeological Survey of India Central Archaeological Library, New Delhi. Book Number: 63825 Book Title: Tourism in India history and development Book Author: Bhatia, A.K.

  8. PDF Some reflections on tourism and tourism policy in India

    This paper starts with a brief description of the history of tourism and tourism policy development in India, which concludes with a summary of the most important objectives of the latest (2002) policy. Section two addresses the impact of the development community on the tourism policy. It focuses on the idea of tourism as a threat.

  9. Evolution of Tourism Policy in India: An overview

    The first public milestone in the history of tourism was the creation of the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), in 1966. National Tourism Development Policy, 2002 introduced with the principles of positioning tourism as a major engine of economic growth and that removes the large exercise of unplanned tourism development.

  10. CHAPTER -IV HISTORY OF TOURISM IN INDIA Tourism in the early period

    "Man's curiosity for things and enquiry for food and shelter from one place to another gave birth to travel and travel led to tourism." 1 From time immemorial man's thirst for journeying is unquenchable, which has resulted in the spread of Human civilisation to all parts of the globe.

  11. PDF Introduction and Historical Development of Tourism

    To introduce the concept of tourism, its, growth and development, motivations for travel, role of tourism as an economic intervention, global nature of tourism, tourism products and emerging trends in tourism industry. _____ 2. Definition And Historical Development of Tourism, Its Structure, Components And Elements.

  12. International Tourism in India: Introduction, History, Trends

    Development of International Tourism in India: Introduction, History, Trends, Opportunities and Future International Tourism in India - Introduction and History to International Tourism. International tourism has become a unique approach to conquer the modern era. It has made the world a global village where all the nations have crossed their ...

  13. A study on envisioning Indian tourism

    2.2. Evolution of tourism sector in India. The very first step towards sustainable tourism was through National Tourism Policy in 1982, when the then government formulated a comprehensive plan in 1988 to promote tourism. By the year 2000 major states in India declared tourism as an industry and its contribution as a part of the development ...

  14. Development of Tourism in India, Current Opportunities for Growth

    The World Travel and Tourism Council reported that in 2021, tourism generated ₹13.2 lakh crore (US$170 billion), accounting for 5.8% of India's GDP. However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted tourism, leading to a decline in foreign tourist arrivals by 44% in 2022 compared to 2019 figures. Nonetheless, India's domestic tourism ...

  15. Public History & Tourism: Practices in India

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  17. Full article: Special issue: tourism in India

    Therefore, close tab on the tourism development efforts needed to be there by the policymakers, planners, residents and other stakeholders. If India is to appreciate the enormous tourism potential, it must position its exclusive world-class tourism products and destinations to compete for a larger share of the global tourism market.

  18. DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN INDIA

    The tourism industry in India generated about US$100 billion in 2008 and that is expected to increase to US$275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate. The Ministry of Tourism is the nodal ...

  19. Tourism in India

    There are many places to visit in Delhi, from historical sites and temples to modern shopping malls and restaurants. 5. Rajasthan - The Land Of Kings: Rajasthan is a land of forts, palaces, deserts and tigers. The vast region in northwest India is one of the most colourful in the country.

  20. PDF Indian Tourism Market: An Overview of Emerging Trends and Development

    The first public milestone in the history of tourism was the creation of the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), in 1966. National Tourism Development Policy, 2002 introduced with the principles of positioning tourism as a major engine of economic growth and that removes the large ... The India's Vision for the development of the ...

  21. Tourism in India: history and development.

    Tourism is an important economic sector in Meghalaya, contributing 7% (approx) to the state GDP. An inquiry into the tourism development of a destination presents a valuable insight into the nature…

  22. Tourism of India

    History. History FAQs. Indian history dates back to 3000 BC. Excavations in Punjab and Gujarat reveal that the Indus Valley civilisation was a highly developed urban civilisation. In fact the two cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, situated on two sides of the river Ravi , are known to have been built on a similar plan.

  23. India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC)

    ITDC came into existence in October 1966 and has been the prime mover in the progressive development, promotion and expansion of tourism in the country. Broadly, the main objectives of the Corporation are: To construct, take over and manage existing hotels and market hotels, Beach Resorts, Travellers' Lodges/Restaurants; To provide transport ...

  24. Tourism Projects Worth $169 Million to Be Inaugurated

    The Skift India Newsletter is your go-to platform for all news related to travel, tourism, airlines, and hospitality in India. Learn More India is set to get multiple tourism projects worth INR 14 ...