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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This project report has been possible through the


direct and indirect help of various people.

I take up this opportunity to acknowledge their


invaluable assistance in the successful completion
of this project.

I would like to thank __________________ for his


consultation, guidance and assistance.

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DECLARATION FORM

I hereby declare that the Project work entitled,


TOURISM MARKETING IN INDIA submitted by
me for the partial fulfillment of the ___________ to
______________ is my own original work and has
not been submitted earlier either to ___________ or
to any other Institution for the fulfillment of the
requirement for any course of study. I also declare
that no chapter of this manuscript in whole or in part
is lifted and incorporated in this report from any
earlier / other work done by me or others.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THE INDIAN SCENARIO

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS

SUB-SECTORS OF TOURISM

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

HOSPITALITY

WAYS TO MARKET TOURISM

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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INTRODUCTION

From Gandhi to the Ganges, Bollywood to the Taj Mahal, India is a land
of mystique, contrasts and contradictions. While it appeals to the
romantic imagination, it is a country where tourism has huge potential to
be unleashed. The means to achieve this goal is Tourism Marketing.
The mission of tourism marketing in India should be to promote India as
a desired destination to the traveler, not simply as an attractive vacation
but as an experience to cherish.
From the earliest historical periods, travel has been a fascinating activity
for people all over the world, be it for exploration, trade or pleasure.
Nowadays, travel has become a way of life. Owing to industrial
development, evolution in transportation and rise in disposable income,
the urge to travel has become irresistible. More so in the face of
increasing globalization.
Tourism is a human activity of great significance. It involves a temporary
break from normal routine to engage with experiences that contrasts with
everyday life, with the mundane. Over the years, the definition of
tourism has undergone a change along with the historical changes.
According to Himziker and Krapf tourism is the sum of the
phenomena and relationships arising from the travel and stay of
nonresidents, in so far as it does not lead to permanent residence
and is not connected to any earning activity.
With the increasing growth of tourism and its associated opportunities ,
the concept of Marketing tourism in India assumes a lot of
significance.
In making an attempt to explore the potential of marketing tourism
in India, the report focuses on the analysis of the Indian tourism
sector while drawing parallels from other parts of the world. A few
marketing strategies to market tourism in India have been
discussed. The report also discusses innovative approaches to
marketing tourism like rural tourism marketing.

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The scope of the report includes governmental role, international
organizations, types of tourism India can promote and opportunities
as well as the challenges associated with them.

THE INDIAN SCENARIO

Tourism has major potential for India at our stage of transformation


and development. It puts equal value on our untouched natural
resources and culture. As India opened her gates towards a more
open economy, tourism has evolved into a highly structured
industry with the potential to earn immense revenues. Being in the
services industry, it offers high value-added markets with
considerable returns on investments. Tourism has a multiplier effect
on people involved in hospitality, transportation, travel agencies,
proprietors of tourist business and entrepreneurs supporting the
tourism industry.
Indias tourism industry has also recorded phenomenal growth. The
rate of international arrivals in India in recent years has been to the
tune of about 19 lakh arrivals per year. The unprecedented growth
in tourism in India has made it the second largest foreign
exchange earner. This is not surprising since India possesses a
whole range of attractions normally sought by tourists and which
includes natural attractions like landscapes, scenic beauty,
mountains, wildlife, beaches, major rivers and manmade
attractions such as monuments, forts, palaces and havelis.
However, in global terms, in spite of such attractions, tourist
arrivals in India are a mere 0.30% of the world arrivals. Receipts
are similarly low, just a 0.50% of the world receipts. We are still
quite far from the target of 50 lakh tourist arrivals per year.
Most popular destination
Rajasthan has emerged in the last decade as one of the favorite
tourist destinations for domestic and foreign tourists alike.
The state receives 600,000 foreign tourists and 7,000,000
domestic tourists every year. The world famous "golden triangle",
comprising Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, has put Jaipur on the world
tourism map. Almost 60 percent of foreign tourists visiting India visit

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these places. Rajasthan has registered record tourist arrivals in the
first half of 2004 of over 400,000 foreign tourists and 5.5 million
domestic visitors. This has effectively meant a 63 percent rise in
foreign tourists and 33 percent increase in domestic visitors to the
state over the previous year.

Some additional statistics are


presented below in order to
reinforce the fact that Indian
tourism is one major sector to look
out for investors and
entrepreneurs alike.

LIMITATIONS OF STUDY

The data is not available on the net (statistical).


The questionnaires made were artificially filled.
The customers showed fake response.

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There was no originality.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Data can be classified under the two main categories, depending upon
the sources used for the collection purposes, i.e., Primary data and
Secondary data. The validity and accuracy of final judgment is most
crucial and depends heavily upon how well the data is gathered in the
first place. The methodology adopted for date gathering also affects the
conclusions drawn there from.
Primary data: Primary data are those data, which are collected by the
investigator himself for the purpose of a specific enquiry or study. Such
data are original in character and are generated by surveys conducted
by individuals or research institutions. Thus we can say that the data
that is being collected for the first time is called primary data.
In this project report, primary data is collected by the help of
questionnaires.
Secondary data: When a person uses data, which has already been
collected by someone else, then such data is known as secondary data.
Secondary data should be used with extra caution since someone else
has collected it for his/her use. Before using such date the investigator
must be satisfied with regard to the reliability, accuracy, adequacy and
suitability of the data to the given problem under investigation.
In this project report, secondary data refers to the brochures and the
data collected from the website of the company and other documents
which are used in completion of this project report.

ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENTS

The role of government, central and state level, in promoting tourism


cannot be overemphasized. The extent of government intervention is
linked to the importance of tourism to the economy, the political and
economic system of the country, the level of development and the
establishment of the country in the international tourism scenario.
The government should not only facilitate growth through its policies
and incentives, but also make the presence of the nation felt at global
level summits and events and showcase it as an attractive destination.
The impact of infrastructure on tourism development is only increasing
with the increasing expectations and this calls for huge investments

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possible only through the government. Political stability is a major
factor for foreign investors to invest in a newly emergent high growth
Indian economy with myriad openings for investments in the hospitality
and aviation sectors. The nation needs to projected as a haven for
investing with a large reservoir of skilled and semi-skilled manpower.
The policies should be backed by a degree of national consensus.
Issues like war and terrorism act as severe deterrents for tourism in
general and inward tourism, returning Diasporas and business travel in
particular. The government ought to prevent such unpopular actions and
come up with properly thought-out damage limitation measures. Political
decisions can change and impact the brand image of a country. For
example, Malaysia has succeeded despite an autocratic president and
being labeled a Muslim nation. It has taken care to ensure minimum
negative impact on its image from extreme factions. Singapore rapidly
controlled SARS and did its image a lot of good. India is not looked at as
a rogue state. But the focus on terrorism is a crucial element of a
countrys image. India and Pakistan have not signed the Non-
Proliferation Treaty whereas Iran has. India and Pakistan possess
nuclear weapons, which, in the case of Iraq, was one of the official
reasons for the US to justify its military invasion. Being on the right
side politically is a crucial factor in the way the US and the West
perceive other states. This calls for sound leadership, smart political
positioning and maneuvering.
The government should create a small, dynamic and powerful
steering group in order to promote the nation as an alluring destination
(similar to Public Diplomacy Strategy Board, UK), which has the
personal backing of the PM or the President. Easing bureaucracy, visa
regulations, single window clearances, improved infrastructure would be
huge steps towards greater tourism. Many companies today are proud
of the fact that they achieve despite the governmental policies. This calls
for a mindset change at the top.
The recommended functions of a National Tourist Organization
(NTO) as listed by the UN are:
1. Research
2. Information and promotion within the country
3. Regularization of standards of lodging and restaurants
4. Control of activities of private travel agencies
5. Publicity overseas
6. Technical and judicial problems

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7. International relations
8. Development of selected areas
9. Overall tourism policy and promotion
Each of these functions would require efforts of the NTO in
administration, production, marketing and financing. The Department of
Tourism, which operates under the Ministry of Tourism was created to
achieve the objectives. Also, Indian Tourism Development Corporation
(ITDC) at the national level and similar bodies at the state level were
created. The Department of Tourism has offices in India and abroad to
liaison with the state governments to promote tourism in India and to
handle tourist enquiries, disseminate tourist information and publicize.
The Indian Tourism office at Tokyo won two international awards for
the best booth design and best folklore competition at Tour Expo held at
Daegu, South Korea for excellent tourism promotion.
The government has been active in promotional activities and it is
doing its bit to give a fillip to the sector. The Incredible India campaign
has recently won two Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) gold awards
at the annual meet of the association in Macau. Lately, the government
has identified 31 villages across the country (Himachal Pradesh,
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra
Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Assam, Sikkim, Rajasthan and
West Bengal) to be developed as tourism hubs.

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Another domestic campaign of the Ministry of Tourism is the Atithi Devo
Bhava campaign which seeks to make Indians more tourist-friendly. The
campaign will involve sensitization, screening, induction, training and
orientation, certification and feedback of key stakeholders of the industry
taxi drivers, tourist guides, operators, immigration officers, tourist
police and others who have direct interaction with inbound tourists.
The government should also encourage the private sector in the
tourism industry so as to create more and better facilities. The organized
sector in India has players like SOTC and Thomas Cook, which plan and
execute inland as well as abroad package tours regularly. There are
local tour operators catering to the needs of cities, who provide
conducted tours on the lines of government operated tours with added
advantage of flexibility of choice about tourist places and duration.

SUB-SECTORS OF TOURISM

India is so diverse geographically as well as culturally that the tourism


marketers can offer innumerable segmentation to the prospective
tourists all over the world. The following is a list of the types of tourism in
India, which offer a plethora of entrepreneurial opportunities. The
packaging and marketing of each of these types have to be done
considering the target audience, the attractions being marketed and
available resources. Most of these forms of tourism are existent for quite
a few decades, however, their categorization and segmented packaging
for different sets of audience has been a recent trend. The list is not
exhaustive, as more forms can evolve along with the changing
expectations of the people.

ADVENTURE TOURISM:
Trekking, angling, rafting, jeep safari, elephant safari are the in-
things. The desert camel safaris of India, being a great way to see the
desert and to enjoy a novel and adventurous holiday are now one of
Asia's fastest selling adventure holidays.
Mountaineering has always been a popular tourist activity, owing to the
presence of mountain ranges like Himalayas, Nilgiris and Aravallis. The
packages that would attract adventure seekers in big numbers are
paragliding, scuba diving (Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep), skiing
(Himachal Pradesh) and rock climbing (Himalayas, Kumaon, Garhwal
regions). Suitable attractions do exist for almost all adventure activities.

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The issue is to develop facilities and showcase to the world in an
appealing manner.

Since adventure sport is already an established tourism product


worldwide, maintaining global standards in product quality and
service standards is essential to develop sustainable advantages. In
India, this high-risk segment leaves much to be desired in terms of
technical and safety standards. There is a dichotomy between the
state and central government approval standards for adventure
service providers. In fact, state government approval standards are
perceived to be quite diluted, leading to mushrooming of adventure tour
operators not properly equipped to service the niche segment.
Absence of certification courses for instructors and guides for
mountaineering, trekking, skiing, river rafting or paragliding leads to a
scarcity of properly trained manpower. Introduction of standard
communication gadgets is necessary in order to meet the international
safety standards. As India is on the growth platform, lapses of this sort
would be deterring.

HERITAGE AND CULTURAL TOURISM

India is hailed to have a diverse culture and a rich heritage dating back
to several centuries. The domestic and international campaigns are
aimed at showcasing the diversity while promising the authentic
experience of the cultures that tourists around the world look for. It is
important to understand through experience and analysis what exactly is
perceived as authentic by the outsiders. An observation of the ways
through which cultures represent their food, music, dance, holidays and
other expressions to tourists and a thoroughly comparing and
contrasting each from a global perspective would prove helpful in
enhancing the tourist interest in Indian culture.

The Indian culture is so diverse that there is lot of untapped potential in


this segment in the domestic sector too. While the national campaigns
address the diversity aspect, the state level campaigns should bring out
the unique aspects of the states culture and aim them at both foreign
and domestic tourists.
Textile circuits are offered as a USP by those tour operators who want
to offer something beyond the regular heritage sites. Indian designs and

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works like the tie and dye, tussar silk weaving are looked at as exotic
and being increasingly adopted by leading western designers in the
fashion circuits. This could provide etc thrust to the local community and
the much needed encouragement for a variety of dying crafts. These
activities being labor intensive would result in a greater income
multiplier, influencing larger number of people. This is one area where
encouragement of direct sales from the local craftsmen is possible so as
to minimize leakages and maximize the benefits of tourism to the local
communities.
Arts and crafts too play a major role with them being a significant
reflection of the culture. The government and the tour operators need to
promote these aspects. They can add more content to their packages as
well as help increase the income levels of the artisans. Music and
dance are already being incorporated into the tourist packages to
display greater variety. The local artists are benefiting from the support.
But the preservation of authenticity that translates into the experience to
the tourists is a concern as very often the motives to perform tend to get
commercialized.
Religion is a dominant aspect of the Indian culture. In fact, the west
views India as a land of mystics and hermits. This image can be
exploited to promote pilgrimage tours and spiritual tourism. The
demand is increasingly owing to the attraction to all cultures oriental and
the increasing stress in the lifestyles. The variety of temples in India is
probably unmatched. Architecture and rituals across the country enable
a wider offering. The sheer number of fairs and festivals throughout the
year give enormous number of themes and opportunities for promotion.
As most of the festivals are local in nature, the campaigns might be
designed by the local organizations and operators, while the promotion
can be done on a national level when attracting people from different
parts of the country and the world. The occasions being distributed
throughout the year would be able to reduce the seasonal nature of
the tourism industry.
The Indian Railways is acting as a unifying factor and doing its bit to
promote the different regions. Some of the well-received initiatives
include Palace on Wheels and the Royal Orient. These offer luxury
experiences through facilities, dcor, comfort and style. The trains are
playing an increasingly important role in connecting the destinations,
while offering tourist facilities on board too.

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HEALTH TOURISM
India is gradually gathering popularity as a health tourist destination. It
attracted approximately 180,000 medical tourists in 2004. The growth in
this segment was 25% during the year. According to a recent McKinsey
study, India would be in a position to generate health-care tourism
revenues to the tune of $2.2 billion by 2010.
The country needs to exploit the cost advantage it can offer to a health
tourist, a CII study has said. Some facts in this regard:

A heart surgery in the US costs $30,000 as compared to $6,000 in India.


A bone marrow transplant in the US costs $250,000 and $26,000 in
India.
Clinical outcomes in India are at par with the world's best centers,
besides having internationally qualified and experienced specialists.
Further growth in the sector will be fuelled by the development of the
Golden Quadrilateral highways project, the upgrades suggested for the
metro airports and improved air connectivity.
The proposal to introduce special medical visas is expected to boost the
health care tourism. Under the new systems, patients may have to
provide only medical records and proof of appointment at healthcare
institutions for getting visas which might be upto a duration of 12
months.
With yoga, meditation, ayurveda, and other indigenous systems of
medicine like unani and siddha, India offers a unique basket of
services to an individual that is difficult to match by other countries. Yoga
has unprecedented levels of acceptance in the West, owing to stressful
lives and increasing health-conscious.
Yoga can also be offered to patients undergoing treatment for asthma or
arthritis as a part of health packages. The increase in the number of
massage centers and spas has led to an increase in the local incomes
as well as the attraction of a destination. The competition in these
services is tense, with Indonesia and Thailand being the leaders. Rather
than catering to specific ailments, in order to target a wider set of
audience the health tourism can be offered as way to rejuvenate and re-
strengthen physically, psychically and spiritually. Networking with
hospitals, hotels and travel service providers is essential.

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There is still a need for legislation in these areas, drawing the lines of
responsibility of different parties involved the foreign patient and the
local medical organizations. It is important to explain the intricate issues
in the procedure and package as it deals with peoples lives so that they
do not feel deceived. The ethical aspects need to be taken care of to
sustain the growth in this sector.

ECO TOURISM

In the 1990s, tourism received increasing attention especially in


developing countries as it is has potential for generating income while
creating incentives for conservation. It is argued that tourism allows
for the use of areas, which are otherwise of low value, such as remote
beaches, but perfectly meet the demands of the growing travel industry.
With increasing awareness about nature, India is serving as an eco-
tourism destination. The attractions are a wide variety of wildlife, flora
and fauna in idyllic surroundings. It is considered an ideal development
keeping in tandem with ecological development globally. Private
entrepreneurs have also taken up tourism schemes in this belt.
Promotion of this sector requires a number of clearances for the
concerned authorities as most of the destinations are protected
reserves.
Nature-based tourism a sub-sector of tourism can be an important
channel for redistributing resources from countries who demand higher
nature based vacation to developing countries, which comprise mega-
biodiversity regions and protected parks. This is because an
overwhelming majority of species is located in developing countries. But
these developing countries face more serious problems like rapid
population growth, debts, over-exploitation of wild resources, agricultural
expansion, deforestation etc., which result in the loss of valuable
biodiversity and degradation of national parks. Industrialized countries
on the other hand are characterized by high and increasing demands for
nature-based vacations, with protected areas representing first-rate
attractions. Tourism could therefore be a means of redistributing
economic resources, mitigating the socio-economic situation both at
local and national scale and contributing to biodiversity conservation.
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and ecotourism society define
ecotourism as responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the
environment and sustains the well-being of the local people. However
for tourism to be called ecotourism, it should be fully compatible with the

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conservation goals of the country, while at the same time pose minimum
threat to the continuation of local culture and society. Moreover, it should
contribute by means of income and education to the contribution of
ecosystems. The criteria for ecotourism are:
Minimum physical and social impacts on the visited area
Ecological education of the tourist at the natural site
Notable economic participation by local tourists.
The optimistic view is that tourists are an economic force that can
promote the conservation of the natural attractions that entice the
tourists in the first place. Under this concept, revenues from tourists, in
the form of entrance fees, domestic airfares, accommodation and food,
hiring charges of the guide, sale of local goods such as handicrafts and
souvenirs and tax revenues levied on the above, are distributed among
the population that is most likely to exploit the natural areas. Such a
transfer of revenue establishes a direct link between conservation
and personal income.
The pessimistic view has been that ecotourism cannot lead to
sustainable development. By creating economic disparities between
tourist destinations and the economies that surround them, the
expansionary influences of tourism also create pressures for population
growth through migration to fill jobs linked directly or indirectly to
tourism. In addition to these due to flying, tourism causes significant
environmental damage costs.
Another issue of concern is as more and more tourists arrive in the
country, governments in developing countries often turn to ecotourism
as the major option to generate economic benefits without adequate
planning. This can lead to unsustainable growth in the country, which
can be avoided only through appropriate measures. The economic
potential of ecotourism has remained unrealized so far because a major
proportion of the nature-based tourism is characterized by non-use
values. These non-use values often accrue to tourists from the global
community, while the developing countries face the costs for
preservation. Many nature based tourist destinations in India charge a
nominal fee or no fees at all. At present, most ecotourism spots do not
even generate enough financial resources to cover their maintenance
costs. Unless the costs of maintenance of the parks and the opportunity
cost of protection of these nature-based tourist destinations are realized
in the form of entrance fees, this would result in a huge burden on host
countries. Thus, effective planning, management and control are a
precondition for the sustainable growth of ecotourism.

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ANALYSIS
&
INTERPRETATION

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The tourism sector in India is witnessing an impressive
growth curve. This is evident from the table given below.

INDIA ESTIMATES AND FORECASTS

2004 2014

% %
India INR bn of Growth1 INR bn of Growth2
Tot Tot

Personal
Travel & 927.3 5 10.3 3,612.90 6.1 9.1
Tourism

Business
114.5 --- 13.9 387.4 --- 7.6
Travel

Government
36 1 4.3 96.2 1 5.1
Expenditures

Capital
485.3 7.2 7.7 1,663.90 7.8 7.7
Investment

Visitor Exports 202.3 4.8 11.9 779.4 3.3 9

Other Exports 81 1.9 14.1 487.9 2.1 14

Travel &
Tourism 1,846.30 --- 10 7,027.70 --- 8.8
Demand

T&T Industry
618.4 2 9.1 2,002.30 2.1 7.1
GDP

T&T Economy
1,477.40 4.9 8.7 4,972.50 5.2 7.5
GDP

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T&T Industry
11,404.00 2.6 2 12,441.20 2.6 0.9
Employment

T&T Economy
24,456.60 5.6 2.1 27,790.00 5.7 1.3
Employment

Source: World Travel and Tourism Council

Over the years, tourism has emerged as a major segment of Indian


economy contributing significantly to the foreign exchange earnings
which have increased from Rs. 32 crores in 1974-75 to more than
Rs.10000 crores by 2001. In the year 2000, 5 million tourists visited
India. The highest number of foreign tourists i.e. 43% visited India for
pleasure, 25% for business and 11% for meeting friends and relatives.
The tourists below the age of 30 years are predominantly pleasure
seekers. The pride of place continues to be the Golden Triangle i.e.
Delhi, Agra, Jaipur circuit.

India's visibility on the world tourist map has just got better. The World
Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) selected New Delhi to host its fifth
Global Travel and Tourism Summit in April 2005.
India has the potential to become the number one tourist destination in
the world with the demand growing at 10.1 per cent per annum, the
WTTC has predicted. In India, the Government spending on tourism is
153rd in the world at 0.9 per cent. China spends 3.8 of its budget on
tourism and rates fifth in receiving the largest tourist arrivals (31.2
million) after France, U.S., Spain and Italy.

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Indian Travel & Tourism Total Demand Indian T& T Total
Demand
(1990 constant US$ billion) (cum. real growth,
%)

Indian Market Share of S.Asia Total Demand S.Asia T& T


Total Demand
(cum. real growth, %)

Indian Market Share of World Total Demand World T&T Total


Demand
(cum. real growth, %)

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HOSPITALITY SECTOR

With the spurt in tourism, it is only natural that Indian hospitality is


witnessing a boom. Earlier, top Indian companies were restricted to the
major towns and cities. But today the scenario has changed. The top
companies are setting up hotels in smaller towns and cities. Several
foreign chains have entered the Indian market. The result is that the
quality of service has improved. The overseas players have brought in
efficient systems and service standards from Europe and the US.
Competition has forced Indian hotel groups to improve their standards.
Some of the recent expansions announced by the major players are
listed below:
The ITC Welcomgroup has invested Rs 1,500 crore and will further
invest Rs 1,000-1,500 crore with thrust on super deluxe luxury
properties in the key metros.
The Leela Palaces and Resorts plans to invest over Rs 900 crore in
three more hotels in Udaipur, Chennai and Hyderabad.
The Grand Group of Hotels has announced a Rs 1,000 crore
expansion taking its presence to 15 from the current seven.

WAYS TO MARKET TOURISM

India receives three million foreign tourists a year while a small country
like Thailand, with much more limited geographic and historical
attraction, receives more than three times that number and they plan to
double it to 20 million tourists in the next decade.
The importance of tourism is not only the foreign exchange it brings in
but, more importantly, in the employment it generates at several
locations and in several layers of society -- ranging from airline staff to
hotel employees and scooter-taxi wallahs.
India is yet to be marketed to its full potential as a tourist destination.

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The first step in any marketing exercise is to identify the customer and
his or her needs and inclinations. The major sources of such tourists
are the three richest regions of the world, viz. the US, Western Europe,
and Japan. And in those regions, the target groups we have to attract
are people who have the time and the money.
These are usually people who have retired and can afford to explore the
world outside their own immediate reach. The younger backpackers or
student-type tourists are not sufficiently well funded.
Taking our primary target group of retired people, there is one common
characteristic among such people throughout the world. They like to play
golf and explore history, religions, and arts, for which they had little time
when they were busy with their careers.
So far, the Indian tourism industry has focused on selling ancient,
medieval, and Mughal India, the temples and forts of ancient days. This
is good but it isn't enough.
Secondly we need to explore opportunities for leisure tourism, and
for playing games like golf. There are people who will come to enjoy
India's winter sun, and so Goa has been marketed, but India has many
more beaches.
More recently, Kerala has successfully marketed itself for everything --
from the ayurvedic massage to its backwaters. India's hill states can
easily attract more tourists than Nepal does, especially now that Nepal
is in trouble, but Nepal is much better organized for trekkers and
mountain-lovers than Uttaranchal or Himachal Pradesh.
The Japanese and Chinese will willingly do the Buddhist circuit in much
greater numbers, if we can organize a pleasant experience for them in
Bihar. Then, our colonial history presents its own opportunities.
Fortunately, we as a nation have become confident enough in our own
standing and achievements that we can rise above anti-colonial feelings
and talk about the colonial period without inhibitions or resentment.
Although the Mughals colonised India and even converted our people to
their religion four centuries ago, today we take pride in showing tourists
monuments like the Taj Mahal as the pride of India.
With the passage of time, the same is happening to the monuments and
cities built by our European colonisers -- the Portuguese, the Dutch, the
French, and the British.
For a European tourist it is often more interesting to see remnants of the
adventurers from their own countries. Even for the Americans, it is

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easier to relate to such sites as most of them are descendants of
Europeans.
Fortunately, we have several such monuments and sites bearing witness
to the history of our European colonisers. We should use them to market
our country.
Lets take the case of Pondicherry. It has several French remnants,
including the use of the French language. In France schoolchildren are
still taught about the French empire in India, which consisted of
Pondicherry, Mahe, Karaikkal, and Chandannagar.
But perhaps the people who have most historical connections with India
are the British and through them their cousins from the US. The British
East India Company began its operations in Madras.
The other legacy of the British is the plantations of the Nilgiris on the
Eastern side and Munnar on the Western side. The pioneering British
planters braved malaria and wild animals to create the rubber, coffee,
and tea estates which are totally Indian-owned today.
There are very few locations in the world where this can be seen. A
travel film on this section of India in itself can be a great advertisement
for India.
In short, if we were to look at different parts of India against the canvas
of the history of the European merchants in India, we can create a whole
saga of great interest to Western tourists.
No other country in Asia has this asset and it is time for us to
exploit it by marketing this part of our history.

PACKAGING: A Tourism Marketing Tool

Time is a valuable commodity for today's travelers. Dual- income


families find it difficult to schedule vacation time; family members often
have jobs or activities that conflict; or an individual's job makes long
vacations impractical. Packaging is a popular technique used for
attracting these customers, because packages make travel easier and
more convenient.
In the hospitality and tourism industry, "packaging" is the process of
combining two or more related and complementary offerings into a

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single-price offering. A package may include a wide variety of services
such as lodging, meals, entrance fees to attractions, entertainment,
transportation costs (air, auto, train, cab or bus), guide services, or other
similar activities.
Packaging can also create a variety of benefits for participating
businesses.

Why Packages Are Popular?

Travel packages have become increasingly popular over the years.


They are attractive because they benefit both the customer and
participating businesses; packaging provides convenience and value to
the customer, and added revenue for participating businesses.

Benefits to the Customer:


Packaging can be an effective marketing tool to provide several
customer benefits. These may include:
Ability to budget for trips. Packages include most of the components
a customer must pay for during a trip. The customer pays at one time
and has a good idea of the trip's total cost.
Increased convenience. Trips can be time consuming and difficult to
arrange. Several telephone calls and letters may be required to
arrange for tickets, accommodations, reservations, and other
components of a trip.
Greater economy. Businesses that package can frequently purchase
tickets, meals, and other package components at wholesale prices.
Popular programs and activities. Visitors and travelers are often
unfamiliar with many of the activities and attractions in an area: a
package can help customers find them easily.
Specialized interests. Packaging provides a unique opportunity to
design components of a package for specialized interests.
Packaging can be used by businesses to help improve profitability
and build customer volume.

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Smooth business patterns. Use packaging during low demand
periods to add attractive features to the business's service or
product, thus generating additional business.
Joint marketing opportunities. Packaging can allow the business to
reduce marketing costs or start a new program one could not
normally afford by joining with one or more businesses to conduct a
marketing or advertising program.
Improved target marketing. Packaging can be an effective tool to
tailor tourism and travel products for specific target markets.
Greater holiday weekend business. Packaging can be used to
highlight special holiday weekends by developing services
appropriate to the theme of the weekend.
Unique recurring events. Businesses can create their own events
that can occur throughout the year. Events could be tournaments
such as chess or bridge or crime re-enactments that let guests do the
detective work.
Redirected traffic to lesser-known attractions. Directing visitors to
often overlooked attractions can help in two ways: heavily visited
attractions may be offered some relief, while newly discovered
attractions may thrive and prosper.

Items to Consider in Developing a Package:


Before developing a tourism packaging program, the business should
devise a marketing plan through practical marketing research. The
business owner should ask him/herself the following questions:
Are you willing to do market research to determine who your
customers are and what they want?
What are the potential attractions, businesses, or marketing service
firms that could provide a part of the package?
What are potential marketing and promotional networks that will help
spread the word about your product?
Will the physical appearance and service skills of your business
match the target audience?
Does your business have the ability to manage and service the
customers you generate through your packaging program?

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Are you prepared for a risk? Because you will be including customer
service activities that are not under your direct control, you will be
required to develop formal, written agreements between the
cooperating businesses.
Elements of a Successful Package:

Include attractions or demand generators.


Provide value to the customer.
Be well planned and coordinated.
Offer consistent quality and compatibility among elements.
Provide a distinctive customer benefit.
Cover all the details.
Generate a profit.

Rural Tourism: Strategies for Marketing Rural Tourism in India

India, traditionally, has been a long haul tourist destination and provision
of rural tourist destinations in its basket of destinations will go a long
way in showcasing and marketing India in a better perspective. Further,
tourism can also be sold as post-convention destination not only for the
conventions held in India but also for neighbouring countries.
As tourism becomes established as an economic activity, marketing
strategies concentrate on increasing the volume of tourists. This, at
times, creates a host of unforeseen consequences. Thus, it is necessary
that the objectives of tourism development in relation to a region, city or
(a rural area) leisure spot be clearly stated. In fact, the developmental
role of marketing has to be kept in mind while marketing regions, cities

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or leisure spots(a rural area). This developmental role is to be further
strengthened by socially responsible marketing.
When it comes to cities and leisure spots/heritage sites - particularly in
the rural areas, marketing becomes a major problem. This is because
the local bodies are either not aware about the developmental role of
tourism or are constrained by their own politics or lack of funds. Before
we go further in dealing with these aspects it must be noted that in the
marketing of a destination (region, city or leisure spots) we should
consider the following aspects:
Attractions - like promotion of rural tourism around a heritage site
Infrastructure (accommodation, cuisine, hygiene, clean water (basic
amenities etc.)
Accessibility (roads, means of transportation)-I gather should not be
too far from railhead or airport: 2-21/2 hr.
Carrying capacity of the destination,
Environmental issues (Pollution, Eco-fragility, etc.)
Safety, law and order situation (for both the local population as well
as tourists), etc.
In India we find different destinations in different stages of what is
termed as the product life cycle. For example, a region like Goa, a city
like Shimla or a leisure spot like the Badkal Lake have reached a
maturity level. They no more require promotion and have similarly
exhausted their carrying capacity (infrastructural, environmental or
social impacts). Their problem on the contrary is of retaining their image,
checking the decline and doing away with the negative impacts of
tourism. In marketing jargon what they require is internal marketing,
product improvement, checking the decline, proper maintenance, etc.
On the contrary look at a region like Kumaun which is struggling hard to
promote its attractions in different cities (other than Nainital) and rural
areas and develop its tourism products. If proper questions are not
posed and answered, the planners and developers blindly imitate
outside concepts and models of development without taking into
consideration the local needs, customs, attitudes and constraints. In
such a situation the destination may not take off at all or the entire
developmental investment may go waste. The questions to be answered
and the issues to be resolved would be many but we take a few here for
consideration:

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1. What type of attractions (nature, adventure or cultural etc.) within the
region have to be developed into tourism packages?

2. Whether these attractions have to be packaged and promoted as a


mix as separate attractions?

3. Do we have a market for them?

4. What type of infrastructure is to be created?

5. Is the local population receptive to tourism?

6. If the destination is highly seasonal, should huge investments be


made or (we) one should develop alternate and subsidiary
accommodation?

7. How to ensure that the ecology and environment at the destination


are not damaged by tourism?

8. What type of tourists are to be attracted? Etc.

Having resolved issues submitted for your consideration regarding


enhancement of rural tourism, we could have a destination with unique
selling preposition e.g.
Aathiti Devo Bhava is more practiced in rural India than anywhere
else.
An experience one cannot have anywhere in the world - equate with
west
Actually living with people
Diversity of culture, language, food, craft
Exposure to heritage sites
Coming back to nature
Health - physical and mental both: yoga, exposure to local medicine
or Indian system of medicine e.g. Ayurveda, Unnani. Then there is
yoga, various types of massages
Tranquillity - away from humdrum, stressless and strain free stay

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Not necessarily though promoting vegetarianism can also be a USP
Environment friendly
Freshness in food ingredients when procured locally - may be
organically cultivated
Local crafts and cottage industry can provide unique shopping
experience (inexpensive)

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CONCLUSION

The Tenth 5-year plan (2002-2007) of the government


treats tourism as a major engine of economic growth and
employment generation. Under the Plan, total resources of
Rs29 billion were allocated towards tourism. Given the
strong emphasis of the government on the promotion of
tourism and improvement of the tourist infrastructure and
the vast untapped potential of India as a tourist
destination, there is little doubt that future prospects for
Indian tourism are bright.
Tourism is perhaps the most under rated sector in India
which can be great driver of economic growth in and
generate millions of jobs as well. India is a country with the
highest potential as far as the tourism sector is concerned.
However, the challenge is to effectively market tourism in
India and leverage on the potentials of the sector. The
marketers have to get their marketing fundamentals in
place to capitalize on this promising sector. There are
lessons to be learnt form effective tourism marketing
efforts by Indian states like Kerela as well as foreign
countries like Malaysia, France and Hong Kong. These
learning have to implement with the support of the
government and the determination of entrepreneurs to turn
India into a great tourist destination as make tourism one
of the most effective drivers of the Indian economy.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.indiadata.com
www.tourismstats.com
www.world-tourism.org
www.sabre-holdings.com
www.hotels.com
www.expediainc.com
www.indiatourism.com
www.wikipedia.org
www.incredibleindia.org
International Tourism Management-Sagar
Publications
Economic Times

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