UNIT 2
GROWTH AND PATTERNS OF TOURISM IN INDIA
Travel and tourism are a part of Indian tradition and culture. Tourism industry occupies a
unique place as it is one of the major emerging segments of our economy. It brings huge foreign
exchange and generates employment. This leads to infrastructure development. In the era of
globalization, the travel and tourism activities have increased significantly. United Nation’s
World Tourism Organization has forecasted that international tourism would continue to grow
at an average annual rate of 4%. India has made a unique place on world tourism map because
of its rich natural and cultural diversity. In India, tourism is the third largest industry in which
about ten million people are employed directly or indirectly. The present chapter is an attempt
to describe the growth and patterns of domestic as well as international tourism in India.
TOURIST
We have studied that there is a clear cut difference between visitors and tourists. A person is
not considered as an international tourist when he/ she goes and gets any job in the destination
country. For example, like diplomats or armed forces do not qualify as international tourists.
So, a tourist visits for various purposes which include recreation, holiday, leisure, health, study,
religious faith, business, meeting with friends and relatives without any remunerative job.
There are two levels of tourists - Domestic and International Tourist:
International Tourist - A person visiting India on a foreign passport, stays at least 24 hours
in India. The purpose of journey may be leisure, recreation, holiday, health, study, religious
belief, sport, business, family, mission and meeting. But that person is not taking any
remunerative assignment is called an international tourist.
Domestic Tourist - A person who travels within the country to a place other than his/her usual
place of residence or work and stays in any accommodation for not less than 24 hours is known
as a domestic tourist. The purpose should be holiday, leisure, sports, pilgrimage, religious
belief, study, health and social functions. But, persons visiting their home town or native place
on leave or a short visit for meeting relatives and friends, attending social and religious
functions are not considered as tourist.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
Tourism has been an integral part of our culture and tradition. India is a country known for its
friendly treatment to all visitors, no matter where they come from. Its visitor-friendly traditions,
varied life styles, cultural heritage, colorful fairs and festivals are attractions for the tourists.
From ancient time, the rulers, in different parts of India, built luxurious palaces, wonderful
,temples, evergreen gardens, high forts and tombs. The other attractions include beautiful
beaches, wildlife, national parks, sanctuaries, snow cover, rivers, mountain peaks,
technological parks, science museums and centers of pilgrimage. Heritage trains, yoga,
Ayurveda, siddha and natural health resorts also attract tourists in great numbers.
The Indian handicrafts, particularly jewelry, carpets, leather goods, ivory and brass work are
the main shopping items for foreign tourists. They spend nearly 40% of their money on
shopping of such items. The beauty of the cultural heritage and natural sites makes India a
tourist paradise. We always give high respect to our guests. That is why, we developed a
cultural tradition where Atithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God) are bywords of our social behavior.
The first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said, “Welcome as a Tourist and
send them back as a Friend”. India is very rich in natural and cultural landscape for tourism.
Tourism in India can be divided into two major categories - Natural and Cultural.
Natural Landscapes Include
Mountain tourism, Island tourism, Desert tourism, Coastal tourism, Lacustrine tourism,
Wildlife tourism, Adventure tourism.
Cultural tourism Includes
Religious tourism, Historical tourism, Traditional tourism, Health tourism, Sports tourism,
Rural tourism. All these types of tourism attract more and more domestic and international
tourists from different corners.
EMERGING DIMENSIONS IN TOURISM
Apart from traditional tourism, new type of tourism activities is being created.
Emerging dimensions in Indian tourism are:
Health tourism
Spiritual tourism
Adventure tourism
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism
Rural tourism
Sustainable tourism
Health tourism in India provides world class treatment at low cost. It includes the Indian system
of medicine like Ayurveda, naturopathy, unani, sidha and allopathy. Indian medical tourism
attracts many tourists from the developed world like US, Europe and Middle East regions
where medical treatment remains very costly. India is the center of spiritualism. It is the
confluence of different religions: Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and
, Jainism. The followers of religious belief have built many attractive temples, mosques,
monasteries and churches in different parts of the country. These religious places are attracting
a huge number of domestic and international tourists in India. Adventure tourism and nature
tourism is gaining popularity. The geographical diversity makes India as a good place for
adventurers. Maximum adventure activities are taking place in the areas of higher altitude.
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism is a fast emerging sector
particularly after the liberalization of the Indian economy since 1991. Now, Indian tourism
industry is well - equipped with all facilities and infrastructure to welcome business tourists.
Such facilities and infrastructure are still being improved and investments are made for the
same. Rural tourism involves interaction of tourists with local people and their cultural
life. Sustainable tourism meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generation to meet their needs. It also includes the minimum impact of tourist activities
on environment.
GROWTH OF TOURISM
Tourism plays an important role in the social and economic development of the country.
Tourism is very dynamic in nature. It changes in spatial and temporal contexts. The growth of
tourism in any area or region depends upon a number of reasons. Growth of tourism may be
positive or negative. A positive growth takes place when there is addition in number of tourists.
A negative growth occurs when there is decrease in the number of tourist as compared to the
past years. There are a number of factors like socio - economic, political, natural,
epidemics etc. which influence tourism influx. Travel and tourism activities have been taking
place since the early periods of human civilization. It has grown over the time with ups and
down. During the first half of the 20th century, there was a slow growth of international tourism
in India. Rapid growth of tourism activities and the movement of international tourists in India
has increased significantly since the second half of the twentieth century. It has happened so
because of India’s exposure to the developed countries. It has its genesis in the development
of infrastructures in tourism sector. Tourism in India has grown substantially since the
beginning of 1990’s. The sound financial health and spare time of tourists from rich countries
for holidaying, sightseeing, business, meetings etc. have led to the growth of the tourism
industry. Good transport, accessibility, communication, accommodation etc. are main reasons
for increasing travel and tourism in recent decades. After 1980’s tourism activity gained
momentum in India. In 1990, South Asia had recorded high growth in tourist arrival and India
is a major tourist destination among the South Asian nations. It captures more than half of the
tourist arrivals and about 75% of the tourist receipts of South Asia.
GROWTH AND PATTERNS OF TOURISM IN INDIA
Travel and tourism are a part of Indian tradition and culture. Tourism industry occupies a
unique place as it is one of the major emerging segments of our economy. It brings huge foreign
exchange and generates employment. This leads to infrastructure development. In the era of
globalization, the travel and tourism activities have increased significantly. United Nation’s
World Tourism Organization has forecasted that international tourism would continue to grow
at an average annual rate of 4%. India has made a unique place on world tourism map because
of its rich natural and cultural diversity. In India, tourism is the third largest industry in which
about ten million people are employed directly or indirectly. The present chapter is an attempt
to describe the growth and patterns of domestic as well as international tourism in India.
TOURIST
We have studied that there is a clear cut difference between visitors and tourists. A person is
not considered as an international tourist when he/ she goes and gets any job in the destination
country. For example, like diplomats or armed forces do not qualify as international tourists.
So, a tourist visits for various purposes which include recreation, holiday, leisure, health, study,
religious faith, business, meeting with friends and relatives without any remunerative job.
There are two levels of tourists - Domestic and International Tourist:
International Tourist - A person visiting India on a foreign passport, stays at least 24 hours
in India. The purpose of journey may be leisure, recreation, holiday, health, study, religious
belief, sport, business, family, mission and meeting. But that person is not taking any
remunerative assignment is called an international tourist.
Domestic Tourist - A person who travels within the country to a place other than his/her usual
place of residence or work and stays in any accommodation for not less than 24 hours is known
as a domestic tourist. The purpose should be holiday, leisure, sports, pilgrimage, religious
belief, study, health and social functions. But, persons visiting their home town or native place
on leave or a short visit for meeting relatives and friends, attending social and religious
functions are not considered as tourist.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
Tourism has been an integral part of our culture and tradition. India is a country known for its
friendly treatment to all visitors, no matter where they come from. Its visitor-friendly traditions,
varied life styles, cultural heritage, colorful fairs and festivals are attractions for the tourists.
From ancient time, the rulers, in different parts of India, built luxurious palaces, wonderful
,temples, evergreen gardens, high forts and tombs. The other attractions include beautiful
beaches, wildlife, national parks, sanctuaries, snow cover, rivers, mountain peaks,
technological parks, science museums and centers of pilgrimage. Heritage trains, yoga,
Ayurveda, siddha and natural health resorts also attract tourists in great numbers.
The Indian handicrafts, particularly jewelry, carpets, leather goods, ivory and brass work are
the main shopping items for foreign tourists. They spend nearly 40% of their money on
shopping of such items. The beauty of the cultural heritage and natural sites makes India a
tourist paradise. We always give high respect to our guests. That is why, we developed a
cultural tradition where Atithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God) are bywords of our social behavior.
The first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said, “Welcome as a Tourist and
send them back as a Friend”. India is very rich in natural and cultural landscape for tourism.
Tourism in India can be divided into two major categories - Natural and Cultural.
Natural Landscapes Include
Mountain tourism, Island tourism, Desert tourism, Coastal tourism, Lacustrine tourism,
Wildlife tourism, Adventure tourism.
Cultural tourism Includes
Religious tourism, Historical tourism, Traditional tourism, Health tourism, Sports tourism,
Rural tourism. All these types of tourism attract more and more domestic and international
tourists from different corners.
EMERGING DIMENSIONS IN TOURISM
Apart from traditional tourism, new type of tourism activities is being created.
Emerging dimensions in Indian tourism are:
Health tourism
Spiritual tourism
Adventure tourism
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism
Rural tourism
Sustainable tourism
Health tourism in India provides world class treatment at low cost. It includes the Indian system
of medicine like Ayurveda, naturopathy, unani, sidha and allopathy. Indian medical tourism
attracts many tourists from the developed world like US, Europe and Middle East regions
where medical treatment remains very costly. India is the center of spiritualism. It is the
confluence of different religions: Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and
, Jainism. The followers of religious belief have built many attractive temples, mosques,
monasteries and churches in different parts of the country. These religious places are attracting
a huge number of domestic and international tourists in India. Adventure tourism and nature
tourism is gaining popularity. The geographical diversity makes India as a good place for
adventurers. Maximum adventure activities are taking place in the areas of higher altitude.
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism is a fast emerging sector
particularly after the liberalization of the Indian economy since 1991. Now, Indian tourism
industry is well - equipped with all facilities and infrastructure to welcome business tourists.
Such facilities and infrastructure are still being improved and investments are made for the
same. Rural tourism involves interaction of tourists with local people and their cultural
life. Sustainable tourism meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generation to meet their needs. It also includes the minimum impact of tourist activities
on environment.
GROWTH OF TOURISM
Tourism plays an important role in the social and economic development of the country.
Tourism is very dynamic in nature. It changes in spatial and temporal contexts. The growth of
tourism in any area or region depends upon a number of reasons. Growth of tourism may be
positive or negative. A positive growth takes place when there is addition in number of tourists.
A negative growth occurs when there is decrease in the number of tourist as compared to the
past years. There are a number of factors like socio - economic, political, natural,
epidemics etc. which influence tourism influx. Travel and tourism activities have been taking
place since the early periods of human civilization. It has grown over the time with ups and
down. During the first half of the 20th century, there was a slow growth of international tourism
in India. Rapid growth of tourism activities and the movement of international tourists in India
has increased significantly since the second half of the twentieth century. It has happened so
because of India’s exposure to the developed countries. It has its genesis in the development
of infrastructures in tourism sector. Tourism in India has grown substantially since the
beginning of 1990’s. The sound financial health and spare time of tourists from rich countries
for holidaying, sightseeing, business, meetings etc. have led to the growth of the tourism
industry. Good transport, accessibility, communication, accommodation etc. are main reasons
for increasing travel and tourism in recent decades. After 1980’s tourism activity gained
momentum in India. In 1990, South Asia had recorded high growth in tourist arrival and India
is a major tourist destination among the South Asian nations. It captures more than half of the
tourist arrivals and about 75% of the tourist receipts of South Asia.
