The tourism industry of India is economically important and growing
rapidly. The World Travel &
Tourism Council calculated that
tourism generated ₹ 6.4 trillion or 6.6% of the nation's GDP in 2012. It
supported 39.5 million jobs, 7.7% of its total employment. The sector is
predicted to grow at an average annual rate of 7.9% from 2013 to 2023. This
gives India the third rank among countries with the fastest growing tourism
industries over the next decade. India
has a large medical tourism sector which is expected to grow at an
estimated rate of 30% annually to reach about ₹ 95 billion by 2015.
According to provisional statistics 6.29 million
foreign tourists arrived in India in 2011, an increase of 8.9% from
5.78 million in 2010. This ranks India as the 38th country in the world in
terms of foreign tourist arrivals. Domestic tourist visits to all states and
Union Territories numbered
1,036.35 million in 2012, an increase of 16.5% from 2011. The most
represented countries are the United States (16%) and the United Kingdom
(12.6%). In 2011 Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi were the most popular states for
foreign tourists. Domestic tourists visited the states Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu most frequently. Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Agra have been the four most visited cities
of India by foreign tourists during the year 2011. Worldwide, Chennai ranked 41 by the number of
foreign tourists, while Delhi is ranked at 50, Mumbai at 57 and Agra at
65 and Kolkata at 99.
The Travel
& Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 ranks
India 65th out of 144 countries overall. The report ranks the price
competitiveness of India's tourism sector 20th out of 144 countries. It
mentions that India has quite good air transport (ranked 39th), particularly
given the country’s stage of development, and reasonable ground transport
infrastructure (ranked 42nd). Some other aspects of its tourism infrastructure
remain somewhat underdeveloped however. The nation has very few hotel rooms per
capita by international comparison and low ATM
penetration. As per the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, December
2013, India’s rank in the World Tourism Receipts during 2012 was 16th and rank
in international tourist arrivals was 41. The rank of India was 7th among Asia and the Pacific Region in terms of tourism receipts during
2012.
The Ministry
of Tourism designs national
policies for the development and promotion of tourism. In the process, the
Ministry consults and collaborates with other stakeholders in the sector
including various Central Ministries/ agencies, State Governments, Union
Territories and the representatives of the private sector. Concerted efforts
are being made to promote new forms of tourism such as rural, cruise, medical
and eco-tourism. The Ministry also maintains the Incredible India campaign.
India's rich history and its cultural and geographical
diversity make its international tourism appeal large and diverse. It presents
heritage and cultural tourism along with medical, business, educational and
sports tourism.
Therefore
the practitioners, academicians and researchers need to meticulously review
these aspects and acquaint them with knowledge to sustain in such scenarios.
Thus, these evident scenarios emphasize the need of a broad-based research in
the field of Tourism in India. This book is an attempt in that direction.
I
sincerely hope that this book will provide insights into the subject to faculty
members, researchers and students from the Tourism institutes, consultants,
practicing managers from industry and government officers.
Prof. K.VijayaBabu
Jayaprakashnarayana.
G