Devising strategy in Tourism Marketing

Critically analyze the existing trends and devising strategy in Tourism Marketing

Tourism industry in India is on a great boom at the moment India has become a major global tourist destination and Indian tourism industry is exploiting this potential to the hilt. Travel and tourism industry is the second highest foreign exchange earner for India, and the government has given travel & tourism organizations export house status.

Tourism in India has received a major boost in the past decade since the Indian Government realized the great potential of tourism of India during vacations. Tourism of India during vacations has grown by leaps and bounds with a great influx of tourists from throughout the world who have been irresistibly attractive to the travellers.

India has the right tourism potential and attractions to captivate all types of tourists whether it is adventurous tour, cultural exploration, pilgrimages, visit to the beautiful beaches or to the scenic mountain resorts, Tourism of India has it all for you.

Travel through Indian states and cities bring to light, the cultural and the geographical richness of India. We provide you a glimpse to the richness of tourism in India with information on all the major tourist destinations of India and tourism services of India that will take care of all your problems while you are in India.

Tourism is an industry that operates on a massively broad scale: it embraces activities ranging from the smallest sea-side hotel; to airlines, multi-national hotel chains and major international tour operators. Originally, non-traditional industries such as tourism emerged as a solution to strike a balance between ecology and industry. The tourism industry is now one of the largest sectors earning foreign exchange for the exchequer. In the face of such benefits, many countries have started assigning due weight age to the tourism industry in their national development agenda. Originally, non-traditional industries such as tourism emerged as a solution to strike a balance between ecology and industry.

• Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries at present and holds the status of the world’s no. 1 industry.
• Spending on tourism amounts to 5%-10% of total consumer, spending in a year worldwide.
• The industry creates a job every 2.4 seconds with every one of those direct jobs creating another 11 indirect ones.
• The tourism industry as a whole is presently estimated to earn over US$ 3.5 trillion worldwide.
• India’s share of the total market is a pittance at 0.51%. The non-tourist countries like Malaysia and Indonesia get much more tourists than India.
• The Tourism industry’s foreign exchange earnings in India are around $3.2 billion. Tourism is the highest foreign exchange earner if we consider the fact that net value addition in Gems and jewellery is less than 30 % whereas, in tourism it is more than 90 %.

Tourism statistics:

Recent statistics have revealed that during the first quarter of 2008, the performance of the tourism industry has been very encouraging which has registered a 19% increase in foreign tourist arrivals. India Tourism office at Tokyo won two International Awards in Tour Expo held at Daegu in Korea for excellent tourism promotion. Indian Pavilion won the Best Booth Design Award as well as Best Folklore Performance Award competing with major players in tourism such as China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Canada.

• Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries at present and holds the status of the world’s no. 1 industry.
• The tourism industry as a whole is presently estimated to earn over US$ 3.5 trillion worldwide.
• The industry creates a job every 2.4 seconds with every one of those direct jobs creating another 11 indirect ones.
• Spending on tourism amounts to 5%-10% of total consumer, spending in a year worldwide.
• India’s share of the total market is a pittance at 0.51%. The no tourist countries like Malaysia and Indonesia get much more tourists than India.
• However, the average duration of stay of foreign tourist in India is one of the highest in the world. On an average, it exceeds 27 days in the case of non-package tourists and is 14 days in the case of package tourists.
• Tourism has the distinction of being the third largest export industry after gems and jewellery and readymade garments in India.
• The Tourism industry’s foreign exchange earnings in India are around $3.2 billion. Tourism is the highest foreign exchange earner if we consider the fact that net value addition in Gems and jewellery is less than 30 % whereas, in tourism it is more than 90 %.

The Indian tourism industry can be attributed to several factors:

Firstly, the tremendous growth of Indian economy has resulted in more disposable income in the hands of middle class, thereby prompting increasingly large number of people to spend money on vacations abroad or at home.

Secondly, India is a booming IT hub and more and more people are coming to India on business trips.

Thirdly, aggressive advertising campaign “Incredible India” by Tourism Ministry has played a major role in changing the image of India from that of the land of snake charmers to a hot and happening place and has sparked renewed interest among foreign travellers. Travel & tourism industry’s contribution to Indian industry is immense. Tourism is one of the main foreign exchange earners and contributes to the economy indirectly through its linkages with other sectors like horticulture, agriculture, poultry, handicrafts and construction.

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Tourism industry also provides employment to millions of people in India both directly and indirectly through its linkage with other sectors of the economy. According to an estimate total direct employment in the tourism sector is around 20 million. Travel & tourism industry in India is marked by considerable government presence. Each state has a tourism corporation, which runs a chain of hotels/ guest houses and operates package tours, while the central government runs the India Tourism Development Corporation.

Some of the salient features of the Tourism Policy are:

• The policy proposes the inclusion of tourism in the concurrent list of the Constitution to enable both the central and state governments to participate in the development of the sector.
• No approval required for foreign equity of up to 51 per cent in tourism projects. NRI investment up to 100% allowed.
• Automatic approval for Technology agreements in the hotel industry, subject to the fulfilment of certain specified parameters.
• Concession rates on customs duty of 25% for goods that are required for initial setting up, or for substantial expansion of hotels.
• 50% of profits derived by hotels, travel agents and tour operators in foreign exchange are exempt from income tax. The remaining profits are also exempt if reinvested in a tourism related project.

Strengths:

Tourism will expand greatly in future mainly due to the revolution that is taking place on both the demand and supply side. The changing population structure, improvement in living standard, more disposable income, fewer working hours and long leisure time, better educated people, ageing population and more curious youth in the developed as well as developing countries, all will fuel the tourism industry growth. The arrival of a large number of customers, better educated and more sophisticated, will compel the tourist industry to launch new products and brands and re-invents traditional markets. The established traditional destinations founded on sun-sea-sand products will have to re-engineer their products. They must diversify and improve the criteria for destinations and qualities of their traditional offers. Alongside beach tourism, the tourism sector will register a steady development of new products based on natural rural business, leisure and art and culture. Thus the study of new markets and emerging markets and necessity of diversified products are the basis of our strategy, which can enhance and sustain, existing and capture new markets.

It is India’s vastness that challenges the imagination: the sub-continent, 3200km (2000 Miles) from the mountainous vastness of the Himalayas in the north to the tropical lushness of Kerala in the south, is home to one sixth of the world’s population, a diverse culture and an intoxicatingly rich history. Desert in Rajasthan, tropical forests in the north eastern states, and arid mountains in the delta region of Maharashtra and Karnataka and vast fertile planes in northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana etc are just some of the geographical diversity that can be observed. We have a wealth of archaeological sites and historical monuments. Manpower costs in the Indian hotel industry are one of the lowest in the world. This provides better margins for any industry which relies on man power.

One of the fascinations of India is the juxtaposition of old and new; centuries of history –

From the pre-historic Indus civilization to the British Raj – rub shoulders with the computer age; and Bangalore’s ‘Silicon Valley’ is as much a part of the world’s largest democracy as the remotest village is.

Weaknesses

Lack of adequate infrastructure is the biggest problem that India faces. The aviation industry in India, for example, is inefficient and does not provide even the basic facilities at airports. The visitors are appalled by the poor sanitation in the public restrooms at the international airports. The road condition in India is very worse. The population has grown exponentially since 1947 but we still use the same rail system constructed by the British.

Even now the government spends next to nothing on proper marketing of India’s tourism abroad. As a result foreigners still think of India as a country ridden by poverty, superstition, and diseases with snake charmers and sashes at every nook and cranny. Case in point Thailand; where in spite of the huge problem of bird flu disease the tourists arrival only dropped by less than 15% where as in India when cases of plague started occurring in Seurat in 1994 the arrival of foreign tourists in India decreased by almost 36%.

Opportunities

More proactive role from the government of India in terms of framing policies. Allowing entry of more multinational companies into the country giving us a global perspective. Growth of domestic tourism. The advantage here is that domestic tourism and international tourism can be segregated easily owing to the different in the period of holidays.

Threats

Political turbulence within India in Kashmir and Gujarat has also reduced tourist traffic. Not only that fear of epidemics such as for malaria, cholera, dengue, plague etc are foremost in the mind of European and America patient’s .Aggressive strategies adopted by other countries like Australia, Singapore in promoting tourism are also not helping. Economic conditions and political turmoil in other countries affect tourism.

AYURVEDA:

India has a rich heritage in the areas of traditional and natural medicines. The earliest mention of Indian medical practices can be found in the Vedas and Samhitas of Charaka, Bhela and Shusruta. A systematic and scientific approach was adopted by the sages of the time leading to the development of a system that is relevant even today. India is the land of Ayurveda. It believes in removing the cause of illness and not just curing the disease itself. It is based on herbals and herbal components without having side effects.

Ayurveda considers that the base of life lies in the five primary elements; ether (space), air, fire, water and earth. And the individual is made up of a unique proportion of the five elements in unique combinations to form three doshas (vata, pita and kapha). When any of these doshas become accute, a person falls ill. Ayurveda recommends a special life style and nutritional guidelines supplemented with herbal medicines. If toxins are abundant, then a cleaning process known as Panchkarma is recommended to eliminate those unwanted toxins and revitalize both mind and body. Ayurveda offers treatments for ailments such as arthritis, paralysis, obesity, sinusitis, migraine, premature aging and general health care. Kerala is a world tourist destination and part of the reasons lies with the well- known stress-releasing therapies of famed Ayurvedic research centers. The climate along with the blessing of nature has turned Kerala into the ideal place for ayurvedic, curative and rejuvenating treatments.

YOGA

If Ayurveda is the science of body, yoga is the science of the mind. Practiced together they can go a long way in making an individual fit. The word yoga means to join together. The ultimate aim of yoga is to unite the human soul with the universal spirit. Yoga was developed 5000 years ago and the base of yoga is described in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali.

This describes eight stages of yoga. These are Yam (universal moral commands), Niyam (self purification), Asana (posture), Pranayama (breathing control), Prathyahara (withdrawal of mind from external objects), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (state of superconsciousness). To get the benefits of yoga, one has to practice Asana, Pranayama and Yoganidra. With the regular practice of asanas one can 327 control cholesterol level, reduce weight, normalize blood pressure and improve cardiac performance. Pranayama helps to release tensions, develop relaxed state of mind and Yoganidra is a form of meditation that relaxes both physiological and psychological systems. Today, yoga has become popular in India and abroad and in a number of places including urban and rural areas yoga is taught and practiced.

SPA TREATMENT

Most of the other parts of the world have their own therapies and treatment that are no doubt effective in restoring wellness and beauty. New kinds of health tours that are gaining popularity in India are spa tours. Spas offer the unique advantages of taking the best from the west and the east combining them with the indigenous system and offering best of the two worlds. In hydropathy, Swedish massages work with the Javanese Mandy, lulur, aromatherapy, reflexology and traditional ayurveda procedures to help keep the tourist healthy and enhance beauty. Combining these therapies with meditation, yoga and pranayama make the spa experience in India a new destination for medical tourism. The spas are very useful for controlling blood pressure, insomnia, cure tension, depression, paralysis and number of other deadly diseases.

Ananda Resort in Rishikesh, Angsana Resort, Golden Palm Spa and Ayurgram in Bangalore offer ayurveda, naturopathy, yoga and meditation packages. (Gaur Kanchilal) Allopathy India has made rapid strides in advanced health care systems, which provides worldclass allopathic treatment. This has become possible because of the emergence of the private sector in a big way in this field. More and more foreign tourists are realizing that India is an ideal place for stopover treatment. Indian Multi-specialty hospitals are providing worldclass treatment at an amazingly economical cost as compared to the west. Quality services and low price factor primarily go in favour of India. The cardio care, bone marrow transplantation, dialysis, kidney transplant, neuron-surgery, joint replacement surgery, urology, osteoporosis and numerous diseases are treated at Indian hospitals with full professional expertise. Apollo hospital group, Escorts in Delhi, Jason Hospital, Global Hospital, and Max Health Care are catering to medical care for international patients in the areas of diagnostic, disease management, preventive health care and incisive surgeries.

The tourism department has devised websites in order to provide information. Many Ayurveda health resorts that are owned and rum by traditional Ayurveda Institutes have come up. Ayurgram is a novel concept that not only offers heritage accommodation but also offers a whole range of Ayurvedic treatments and rejuvenating packages. Similarly hotels have also included these types of packages in their holidays. Some of the tour operators have worked out all-inclusive medical treatment package that include treatment, accommodation, food, airport transfers, post operation recuperative holidays, along with a host of other facilities. 328 This in fact shows our product offers true value for money for service. Many world-class state-of-the-art furnishing and equipment are being added to our Ayurveda Resorts to welcome international guests. Along with these hospitals there are many centers which offer not just physical but emotional and spiritual healing to patients. With all these India is going to be one of the leading medical health care destinations in the near future.

All types of tourism in India have registered phenomenal growth in the last decade ever since the Indian government decided to boost revenues from the tourism sector by projecting India as the ultimate tourist spot. The reason why India has been doing well in all types of tourism in India India has always been known for its hospitality, uniqueness, and charm – attributes that have been attracting foreign travelers to India in hordes

The different types of tourism in India:

Heritage Tourism

India has always been famous for its rich heritage and ancient culture. India’s glorious past and cultural diversity make a potent blend which attracts millions of tourists each year to its heritage tourist attractions. India’s rich heritage is amply reflected in the various temples, palaces, monuments, and forts that can be found everywhere in the country

The most popular heritage tourism destinations in India are:

• Taj Mahal in Agra
• Mandawa castle in Rajasthan
• Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu
• Madurai in Tamil Nadu
• Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh
• Delhi, the Indian capital

Ecotourism

Ecotourism entails traveling to places that are renowned for their natural beauty and social culture, while making sure not to damage the ecological balance.Eco-tourists have been thronging India in large numbers for it has a rich source of flora and fauna. A great number of endangered and rare species are also to be found in the various national parks in India.

The major national parks in India for ecotourism are:

• Corbett National Park in Uttar Pradesh
• Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh
• Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh
• Gir National Park and Sanctuary in Gujarat
• Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan

Adventure Tourism

Adventure tourism is recently growing in India. Tourists prefer to go for trekking to places like Leach, Sikkim and Himalaya. Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are popular for the skiing facilities they offer. Whitewater rafting is also catching on in India and tourists flock to places such as Uttranchal, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh for this adrenalin-packed activity.

Spiritual Tourism

Globally people are increasingly mentally disturbed and looking for solace in spiritual reading, meditation and moments of divine ecstasy. Our country has been known as the seat of spiritualism and India’s cosmopolitan nature is best reflected in its pilgrim centres. Religion is the life-blood for followers of major religion and sects. Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Christianity have lived here for centuries. The visible outpouring of religious fervor is witnessed in the architecturally lavish temples, mosques, monasteries and Churches spreads across the length and breadth of the country. India is not only known as a place rich in its culture with varied attractions but also for many places of worship, present itself as embodiments of compassion where one get peace of mind. Thus India has been respected as a destination for spiritual tourism for domestic and international tourists. Spiritual tourism is also termed as religious heritage tourism. It includes all the religions mentioned above; religious places associated with, emotional attachment to these centers and infrastructure facilities for the tourists. This can also be referred to as pilgrimage tourism, as clients are not looking for luxury but arduous journeys to meet the divine goal or simple life.

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The essence of spiritual tourism is inner feeling through love. Love should not be rationed on the basis of caste, creed and economic status or intellectual attainment of the recipient. Religions come into existence for the purpose of regulating human life; what are common to all of them are the principles of love. Thus through religious tourism there is a sincere effort to bring better understanding among various communities, nations and thus foster global unity.

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions of India. Over 5000 years of religious history created wonderful temples and survived through ages all over India. The most popular spiritual tours are those that are centered on holy Ganges River. Badrinath, Kedarnath, Haridwar, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Allahabad, Varanasi. Jaganath temple at Puri, Bhubaneshwar, Konark in Orissa, Mata Vaishnodevi of Jammu and Kashmir, are some of the important pilgrim centers in north India. There are many spiritual sites in South India as well which dates back beyond the 10th centaury. Rameshwaram, Mahabalipuram, Madurai Meenakshi temple in Tamilnadu and Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh are some pilgrim centers. Every year millions of tourists, both domestic and international, visit these places. India is special to Buddhists all over the world and India is the destination for pilgrimage because Buddhism emerged in India. The country is dotted with places that are associated with the life and times of Gutham Buddha; Lumbini-the birthplace of Buddha, Saranath where Buddha delivered his first sermon, Buddha Gaya where lord Buddha attained enlightenment and Vaishali where he delivered his last sermon and announced his nirvana. Sikhism also emerged in India.

The Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Hemkund Sahib, and Gurunanak Devji Gurudwara at Manikaran, which is also known for its hot water springs with healing properties, the holy city of Patna Sahib and Anandpur Sahib are important for Sikhs. The Jain temples of Dilwara and Mount Abu in Rajasthan, the Gomateswara temple at Karnataka, draw thousands of Jain followers. Even small communities like the Bahais have their own Lotus Temple at Delhi. The Sultanate and Moghul empires built many historical monuments and mosques during their reign, all over the country. Red Fort, Fatehapur Sikri, Jama Masjid, TajMahal, Charminar etc., bear testimony to the blend of the Indian and Islam traditions of architecture. The followers of Islam have many mosques and shrines of Sufi Saints, like Moin-Uddin Chisti and Nizamuddin Aulia. For Christians, spiritual tours to Goa among other place like Mumbai and Kolkata are must. Among the most popular sites in Goa is the church of Our Lady of Rosary, the Rachel Seminary, and Church of Bom Jesus. In addition to pilgrim centers there are personalities like the Satya Sai Baba, Osho, Shirdhi and others. This shows that spirituality and religion in India is a serious pursuit. The State Governments concerned, charitable trusts, temple trusts have made elaborate arrangements for accommodation, transport and ritual ceremonies. These organizations are also running hospitals, educational institutes, ashrams, meditation centers which benefit local community. More than 500 religious places have been identified and efforts are being made to develop these centers by Central and State Governments with private participation.

Adventure Tourism

Youth tourism has been identified as one of the largest segments of global and domestic tourism. The young travellers are primarily experience seekers, collecting, enquiring unique experiences. Adventure and risk have a special role to play in the behaviour and attitudes of young travellers. The growing number of young travellers is being fuelled by a number of factors such as increased participation in higher education, falling level of youth unemployment, increased travel budget through parental contribution, search for an even more exciting and unique experience and cheaper long distance travel. Youth and adventure tourism appears to have considerable growth potential. The rising income in some major potential source markets such as the Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America, combined with the lower travel cost, growing student populations around the world particularly in developing countries, has fuelled the demand. India: a heaven for adventure tourism India has been an attraction for travellers from all over the world. Though in the field of international tourism, the segment of adventure tourism in India is getting only a fraction of such traffic. The trend has been showing an increased movement year after year with the development of facilities and greater awareness about adventure tourism options.

Indian tourism offers both international and domestic adventurers a wide choice of adventures. Water sports, elephant safari, skiing, yachting, hail-skiing, gliding, sailing, tribal tours, orchid tours, scaling the high peaks of Himalayas, trekking to the valley of flowers, riding the waves in rapids, and camel safari in the deserts are breath taking opportunities for nature enthusias. Ladakh, the Garwal hills, the Himachal hills, Darjeeling, Goa, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar, Jaisalmer and wildlife sanctuaries and reserves are some of the places that offer adventure tourism.

Rural tourism:

Rural tourism has been identified as one of the priority areas for development of Indian tourism. Rural tourism experience should be attractive to the tourists and sustainable for the host community. The Ninth Plan identified basic objectives of rural tourism as: –

• Improve the quality of life of rural people

• Provide good experience to the tourist

• Maintain the quality of environment.

Indian villages have the potential for tourism development. With attractive and unique traditional way of life, rich culture, nature, crafts, folk-lore and livelihood of Indian villages are a promising destination for the tourist. It also provides tourism facilities in terms of accessibility, accommodation, sanitation and security. Rural tourism can be used as a means to:-

• Improve the well being of the rural poor

• Empower the rural people

• Empower the women

• Enhance the rural infrastructure

• Participate in decision-making and implementing tourism policies

• Interaction with the outside world

• Improve the social condition of lower sections of the society.

• Protection of culture, heritage, and nature.

To tap the immense opportunities, coordinated actives of all agencies involved in the development are required. A carefully planned and properly implemented development will definitely benefit the community economically and improve the quality of life in the villages. The success of such development depends upon the people’s participation at grass root level for the development of tourist facilities and for creating a tourist friendly atmosphere. Development of rural tourism is fast and trade in hotels and restaurants is growing rapidly. Increase in the share of earnings through rural tourism will no doubt; provide an attractive means of livelihood to the poor rural community. It increases the purchasing power at all levels of community and strengthens the rural economy. Development of infrastructure facilities such as rail, electricity, water, health and sanitation will definitely improve the quality of life.

Wildlife Tourism

India has a rich forest cover which has some beautiful and exotic species of wildlife; the places where a foreign tourist can go for wildlife tourism in India are the Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary, Keoladeo Ghana National Park, and Corbett National Park.

Pilgrimage Tourism

India is probably the ultimate destination of all kinds of pilgrims following any faith around the world. The great religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Christianity and Sikhism are the integral part of Indian culture and heritage whose values and faiths are mingled with the air, soil and the sky of India

Famous Pilgrimage & places in India

• Ajmer
• Pushkar
• Haridwar
• Amarnath
• Badrinath
• Gangotri
• Kedarnath
• Yamunotri
• Chardham Yatra
• Rishikesh
• Manikaran
• Paonta Sahib
• Rewalsar
• Omkareshwar
• Ajmer Sharief
• Rameswaram
• Mathura Vrindavan
• Puri
• Guruvayur
• Shirdi Saibaba
• Amarnath Cave
• Vaishno Devi
• Jagannath Temple
• Konark Sun Temple
• Tirupati Temple

Pilgrimage Places

• Himachal Pradesh
• Rajasthan
• Uttranchal
• Kerala
• Maharashtra
• Tamil Nadu
• Jammu And Kashmir
• Madhya Pradesh
• Karnataka
• Andhra Pradesh
• Temples
• Mosques

Types of Tourists

One such way of classifying the users is by dividing them into categories such as General, Sex, Region, Education, etc.

• General: Domestic, Foreign Kids, Teens, Youths, Seniors Students, Executives, Artists Politicians, Movie stars
• Sex: Men, Women
• Region: Rural, Urban
• Education: Literate, Illiterate
• Status: Rich, Poor
• Profession: Executives, Academics, Sportsmen, Artists
• Occupation: White collar, Blue collar.

Another method of classifying users of tourism services is on the basis of the frequency of usage of services:

• Non-users: They lack the willingness, desire and ability (income & leisure time).
• Potential Users: They have the willingness but the marketing resources have not been used optimally to influence their impulse.
• Actual Users: They are already using the services generated by the tourist organizations
• Occasional Users: They have not formed the habit of traveling
• Habitual Travelers: They have formed a habit and avail of the services regularly.

Demand in Tourism Sector

• Qualitative Aspects
• Motivation
• Composition
• Typologies
• Life styles