Tourism in India

6 Best Essays on “Tourism in India”

Essay No. 01

Tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. It plays a vital role in the economic development of a country. India is one of the popular tourist destinations in Asia. Bounded by the Himalayan ranges in the north and surrounded, on three sides by water, India offers a wide array of places to see and things to do. The enchanting backwaters, hill stations, and landscapes make India a beautiful country. They attract tourists from all over the world.

Tourism is the second largest foreign exchange earner in India. The tourism industry employs a large number of people both skilled and unskilled. Tourism is the largest service industry in India with a contribution of 6.23 percent of the national GDP and 8,78 percent of the total employment in India. Hotels, travel agencies, transport including airlines benefit a lot from this industry. Tourism promotes national integration and international understanding. It generates foreign exchange. It promotes cultural activities.

India has a composite culture. There is a harmonious blend of art, religion, and philosophy. Though India has been subjected to a series of invasions, she has retained her originality even after absorbing the best of the external influences. Religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Zoroastrianism, etc. have co-existed in India. India has fascinated people from all over the world with her secularism and her culture.

The diverse geographical locales of India delight the tourists. The monuments, museums, forts, sanctuaries, places of religious interest, palaces, etc. offer a treat to the eyes. Every region is identified with its handicrafts, fairs, folk dances, music, and its people.

Some of the places that attract a huge number of tourists are Agra, Jaipur Jhansi, Hyderabad, Nalanda, Mysore, Delhi, Mahabaleshwar, A Aurangabad, etc. Haridwar, Ujjain, Shirdi, Varanasi, Allahabad, Puri, Jammu, Badrinath, etc. are famous hill resorts.

The Tourism Advisory Board recommends measures for the promotion of tourist traffic in India. It reviews the tourist trends and suggests appropriate measures. Some of the palaces havelis and castles have been converted into heritage hotels. In these hotels, the tourists get to experience the exotic lifestyle of a bygone era. The exotic train Palace on Wheels which travels through Rajasthan attracts a lot of foreign tourists. The Indian Tourism Development Corporation organizes entertainment programs like folk dances and songs and provides shopping facilities. Today many private companies like Sita Travels, Club Mahindra, etc. arrange domestic as well as foreign tours.

With the growth of the urban professional middle class, tourism n India is flourishing. Many states have taken necessary steps to promote tourism. Goa promotes water sports like sailing scuba diving and rafting. Kashmir offers the pleasure of winter sports like skiing and mountaineering.

In2005 the Indian Tourism Development Corporation started a campaign called Incredible India to encourage tourism in India. The slogan of this campaign is Athithi Devoh Bhaboh. For better growth, the department divided different places into different sections like spiritual tourism spa tourism eco-tourism, and adventure tourism.

India’s performance in the tourism sector has been quite impressive. During the period 2002 to 2009 India witnessed an increase in the Foreign Tourist Arrivals from 2.38 million to 5.11 million resulting in an average annual increase of about 11.5 percent. Domestic tourism has also got a big boost. The number of domestic tourist visits increased from 270 million in 2002 to 650 million in 2009 with an average annual growth rate of 13.4 percent.

India has a growing medical tourism sector. With an increasing number of foreign patients flocking to India for treatment, our country has become an attractive destination for medical tourism. Things have now started looking bright for the tourism industry.

On the negative side, tourism may damage the environment. In order to accommodate a large number of tourists, sprawling resorts are built. The indiscriminate construction destroys local architectural styles and ecological balance. Arrangements, as desired by tourists, are provided in order to satisfy them.

The Indian tourism industry has been hit by pollution. The effluents emitted by the Mathura Refinery have led to the discolorization of the Taj Mahal in Agra. The condition of many of our monuments is deteriorating due to the negligence of the authorities concerned.

Terrorism nowadays has become a global problem. Our country is also not an exception. The terrorist attacks agitations and separatist movements hinder the growth of tourism. Kashmir is a paradise for domestic and international tourists. The Skirmishes in this valley hamper the growth of tourism which is very important for the economy of the state.

The tourism infrastructure in India should be strengthened. Airports and railway stations should provide information to the tourists about the tourist destinations. Government-owned hotels should be properly managed. The government should be taken to restore the ancient splendor of the monuments. Sincere efforts could help to further develop the Indian tourism industry.

Essay No. 02

Tourism

Over the years, tourism has grown as a flourishing industry. Some countries, even small ones, like Singapore, the Caribbean, Japan, Hong-Kong (now under China), Thailand, and even Malaysia have made great progress with the earnings obtained from tourists.

In India, earnings to the government and people from tourism as compared to such countries are only fractional. There may be several reasons for this.

Tourism in India can become a viable industry if effective and concerted steps are taken. First of all, red-tapism should be ended. All bottlenecks and harassment to tourists that scare them should be removed. People at the helms of tourist affairs such as officials of the ministry of tourism, hoteliers emporium-owners, etc. should be taught etiquette and given lessons in ideal behavior that should be meted out to tourists.

India has innumerable attractions for tourists. Throughout the country, there are numerous beauty and scenic spots. There are very good hotels in big cities and tourist complexes on highways. There are several places where the tourists can enjoy adventure games. There are so many ancient temples, mosques, forts, and other historical places in India which the tourists from various countries would like to visit.

Our embassies should supply to the people and governments of other countries all the important information regarding objects and places which can attract the tourists. The coming of the tourists to India and their stay here should be made easier, smoother and more comfortable as far as possible.

(250 Words)

Essay No. 03

Tourism in India

The very fast means of travel and communication have brought distant countries closer than ever before. It has resulted in a keen desire in people to travel different parts of the world, to have first-hand knowledge. With the rapid improvement in the living standard of the people, air, train and bus travel have come within the reach of a larger percentage of people. Consequently, there has been a considerable increase in the volume of traffic of tourists. Today, tourism has become the world’s largest and fastest-growing industry. It is an implied export and a rich source of earning foreign exchange. It also generates many employment opportunities. There are many countries in the world where the main source of income is tourism. It is a boon to India as well because foreign visitors bring urgently needed foreign exchange which to a great extent helps the country to offset the deficits in its balance of payments. Tourism promotes business and commercial activities in the country such as transportation, hotel and restaurant services, shopping, banking, etc, and these in turn help in removing unemployment by generating ample employment opportunities. Travel and tourism have great educational, cultural, entertainment, national and international value. Travel has always been a new, refreshing, exciting, and rewarding experience both for domestic and foreign travelers. It promotes national integration, international understanding, harmony, friendship, and goodwill. The importance of travel can hardly be over-emphasized.

India is a vast and great country with a huge potential for the development of tourism. India is full of a number of historical places and monuments, great shrines, and temples, places of pilgrimages, wildlife sanctuaries, hill stations, sea resorts, places of winter sports, etc. Besides, it offers a great variety of cultures, religions, festivals, languages, fairs, music, etc. Really, India’s potential for tourism is as vast as it is varied. Hundred Thousands of foreign visitors come to India every year. Thus, the foreign exchange earnings from tourism run into crores of rupees. While the infrastructure at home is being strengthened, promotional activities are undertaken in a big way abroad to attract more tourists.

With a view to diversify tourist attractions, the development of beach and hill resorts has been taken up. With a view to attracting more tourists, publicity is undertaken in major tourist generating markets of the world through 25 tourist offices located in North America, Europe, Australia, West, and East Asia. The Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has both promotional and organizational functions. They work in close cooperation with the Indian Tourism Development Corporation. There is a network of regional offices abroad and at home for publicity and marketing in the tourist-generating markets. Overseas India has tourist offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, London, Geneva, Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, Stockholm, Milan, Vienna, Kuwait, Bangkok, Tokyo, Singapore, and Sydney. In addition, tourist promotion offices are based in Dallas, Miami, San Francisco, Washington, Osaka, Melbourne, Dubai, and Kathmandu.

To feed promotional material to these offices Indian Embassies, Air India, and the Department of Tourism produce tourist publicity literature in many main world languages. In order to cater to domestic tourism literature in Hindi is also produced. Tourist offices maintain film and photo libraries on subjects of tourist interest. Forest lodges have been constructed in the bird sanctuary at Bharatpur and a number of wildlife sanctuaries. Facilities for viewing wildlife are also provided at these places. To promote youth tourists, a number of youth hostels have been constructed in different parts of the country. For pilgrims, a number of Dharamshalas and Musafir Khanas have been constructed at many centers of pilgrimage. Snow skiing and water skiing are looked after by the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering, Gulmarg.

Indian Tourism Development Corporation(ITDC) has a nationwide transport system. Its fleet-mix consists of air-conditioned and deluxe coaches, limousine and tourist cars, It has its own travel agency—Ashok Travels and Tours. It also runs sound and light shows at Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad; Red Fort, Delhi, and Shalimar Gardens, Srinagar besides organizing entertainment programs for its hotels.

To encourage foreign tourists, regulations relating to currency, customs, etc., have been liberalized. Rail pass facilities are also available to them. Under the scheme over India, for travel on Indian Airlines domestic services unlisted stopovers facility enroute is available. Some special trains like Palace on Wheels and the Great Indian Rover have been introduced. The former is meant for places of tourist interest in Rajasthan, and the latter for places of Buddhist interest in India.

Thus, there has been a marked improvement in tourist facilities. More hotels are being established, tourist bungalows and beach resorts are being opened. Tourism in India provides a wonderful window to our so varied life, culture, historical places, wildlife sanctuaries, flora, and fauna. Diversity, unity, and assimilation have always been the hallmark of eternal India and these make India the ultimate tourist destination. India unfolds to the visitors new and breathtaking vistas of the grandest scenic beauty and cultural, spiritual, and ideological concepts.

(838 Words)

Essay No. 04

Tourism in India

Tourism in India is now recognized as an industry generating huge business and employment. With the opening up of the economy and the globalization of business, tourism is likely to provide further impetus to economic modernization in the country. It promotes national integration and unity, creates employment opportunities, and increases foreign exchange earnings. It also encourages handicrafts and cultural activities. Travel and tourism have great educational, cultural, entertainment, national, international, and business value. Travel has always been a new, refreshing, exciting, and rewarding experience, both for domestic and foreign travelers.

India with its vast cultural, historical, scenic, artistic, and natural wealth has great potential. There are numerous historical places, monuments, pilgrimage centers, shrines, temples, wildlife sanctuaries, hill stations, sea-resorts, places of winter sports, and ancient and modern cities steeped in glory and fascination. Besides, its diversity of cultures, religions, languages, dresses, and weather conditions, etc., add more color to tourism and travel. Consequently, international tourism in India has grown substantially during the last four decades. The foreign tourist arrivals in the country have registered a growth of about 15%. It has today become one of the highest net foreign exchange earning sectors. It is expected to account for an increased percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the coming years. During 2000-2001, the country earned nearly Rs. 15,000 crores in foreign exchange through this sector.

Domestic tourism plays a vital role in achieving various objectives of national unity, integration, cultural harmony, social tolerance, and cohesion. The fast means of travel and communication have brought the distant places of tourist interest in the country closer than ever before. This has resulted in a keen desire in people to travel to different parts of the land and to have first-hand knowledge of them. With the rapid improvement in living standards, aril the increase in the income of the middle classes, the potential for domestic tourism has grown substantially during these years. With a view to diversify tourist attractions, development of beach and hill-resorts has been taken up and infrastructural facilities have been strengthened. In order to increase these facilities, the central Department of Tourism is trying its best to help the various states and union territories with liberal financial aid, etc. More and more Yatri Niwas hotels, tourist lodges, wayside inns, restaurants, cafeterias, tourist bungalows, hotels, and motels, etc., are being opened both in public and private sectors. In addition, financial assistance is being extended by the Centre to state governments for adventure sports activities, tourist transport, and tented accommodation, etc. To consolidate the development of tourism infrastructure, it has been decided to intensively develop a few selected areas/ circuits. Seventeen such areas/circuits have already been identified with the help of the private sector and corporate houses. It has also been decided to take up four-five focus centers as ‘Special Tourism Areas’ in consultation with concerned state governments for integrated development.

Hotel accommodation is an important segment of the tourism industry, with huge potential for employment generation and foreign exchange earnings. To give impetus to this sector, the government provides tax benefits and other incentives to encourage the hotel industry. The industrial policy of the Centre has now placed hotels and tourism-related activities as a priority industry. Foreign investment and collaboration are now facilitated under the new economic policy. Up to 51% foreign equity is now granted automatically. 100% investment from non-resident Indians is allowed. Now the Department of Tourism has streamlined and simplified the rules regarding the grant of approval to travel agents, tour operators, and tourist transport operators so that their services to tourists are standardized and are more broad-based, for both international and domestic tourists. Approval, once granted, is valid forever, provided no complaints are received and the necessary documents are submitted annually. With a view to attracting more chartered flights to India, a system of granting clearance has been formulated. An air-conditioned rake of the Palace on Wheels train, which has been operational in Rajasthan for quite some time now has been very successful and popular. Similar trains are proposed to be operated in few other popular sectors.

A new range of hotels known as Heritage hotels has been introduced to add to the attraction of tourism in India. This class includes hotels opened in palaces, havelies, castles, forts, and residences built prior to 1950. As these traditional places represent and reflect the Indian culture of the past, they have been very popular among tourists. The heritage scheme rightly aims to ensure that such properties and landmarks of our culture and heritage are not lost due to decay and disuse. It also aims at providing additional room capacity for the tourists. So far, fifty properties have been classified in the heritage hotel category, providing a room capacity of over 1500 rooms. Guidelines have also been formulated for the conversion of heritage properties into heritage hotels and their approval is at the project-planning stage.

With a view to attracting more foreign tourists, publicity is undertaken in major tourist generating markets of the world through various tourist offices located in North America, Europe, Australia, West, and East Asia. The Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has both promotional and organizational functions. They work in close co-operation. There is a network of regional offices abroad and at home for publicity and marketing in the tourist-generating markets. Overseas India has tourist offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, London, Geneva, Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, Stockholm, Milan, Vienna, Kuwait, Bangkok, Tokyo, Singapore, and Sydney. In addition, tourist promotion offices are based in Dallas, Miami, San Francisco, Washington, Osaka, Melbourne, Dubai, and Kathmandu. To feed promotional material to these offices, Indian Embassies, Air India and the Department of Tourism produce tourist publicity literature in different languages. In order to cater to domestic tourism, literature in Hindi is also produced. Tourist offices maintain film and photo libraries on subjects of tourist interest.

According to recent expert studies and research, the tourism industry is expected to give employment to 338 million people by the year 2005 throughout the world. It currently provides about 300 million jobs, which is more than one-tenth of all jobs worldwide. India seems to be well-poised to take good advantage of the coming boom in the tourism and hotel industry but proper environment-protection measures should also be taken to prevent degradation of natural resources and wealth of the country. The experts have also underlined the need for greater awareness of the impact and implications of tourism with the globalization and integration of this industry and economy.

Essay No. 05

Tourism

Tourism is very close to hospitality and hostelling. Institutes such as the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, Bundhelkand, University of Jhansi are named as such. It is perhaps medical tourism that is attracting maximum attention at present in India. It is said to be growing at the rate of 30 percent per year. It is said that it can also help India earn 1 to 2 billion dollars by 2010. Specialties attracting maximum medical tourists are dental services. India has also got the best-known expertise in psychiatry, cardiovascular diseases/surgeries, bone marrow transplants, liver surgeries. cataract surgeries, etc.

India is a cheap destination for medical tourism and medical outsourcing. A. bone marrow which costs 2 lakh dollars in the US costs only 69000 dollars in India. The case is the same in other fields. Several hospitals like Apollo and CARE are the hubs of medical —outsourcing: -1-f–Chennai- leads in-the-field of ophthalmology. Kerala is the best destination for naturopathy. In north India besides Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar are known for cardiovascular surgeries

In certain states of India such as Haryana, elaborate details are drawn out for such kinds of tourism as farm tourism, rural tourism, religious, cultural, and archaeological tourism. I can be very useful if a number of states work jointly to promote tourism in a region rather than singly in individual states. For this, conclaves of different contiguous states in a region should be held frequently to form innovative strategies to promote tourism in a particular circuit. Areas of interest and tourist spots can be identified and developed jointly. Items like artificial lakes, waterfalls, forests, snow, rain, scenic beauty, etc. can be easily developed. Rural tourism can also help to clean the atmosphere, achieve socio-economic growth and generate employment.

Tourists are mostly fond of seeing sights, visiting ancient archaeological monuments, purchasing unique objects, including dresses, idols, and paintings. They are also fond of watching or participating in adventure games, traveling in toy trains, etc., and observing strange festivals, events, and functions. Many also like such things as monkey tricks at the Jakhoo hills in Shimla or horse riding in Kufri (Shimla).

360 Words

Essay No. 06

Tourism

A tourist is essentially a person who tries to escape from the everyday pressures, tensions, and routine work, by deciding to go on a holiday. Some like to go to remote places, deep inside the mountains or jungles, others prefer to visit a religious place or a well-known pilgrimage. Still, others choose seaside resorts or a city of full historical monuments.

India is a blessed country. It is a virtual tourist’s paradise. It has lofty mountains, vast deserts and seashores, dense forests, and river valleys. It also has a 2000-year-old historical heritage reflected in its forts. temples and ancient ruins, India is a virtual treasure house of different classical and folk art forms, viz. dances, theatre, paintings, sculptures, pottery, poetry, ornaments, dress material, food, customs and traditions, languages, scripts and scriptures, and literature, both written and spoken. This gives a tourist unlimited options to choose from.

Although the concept of tourism, as an industry never developed systematically in India, sporadic individual efforts and the ad-hoc approach taken by the government have led to the stilted development of this industry and its infrastructure.

The realization that India has a vast tourist potential and the right ingredients for the development of a flourishing industry is of a recent origin.

The impetus currently being given to tourism has already borne fruits. The gradually enlarging tourist traffic has helped in creating a climate favorable to tourism in India.

More and more efficient facilities for tourist in terms of accommodation, recreation, transport, shopping and development of new tourist spots is the need of the hour. Maintenance and preservation of our archaeological monuments and samples of our ancient art on paper, fabric, wood, ceramic, and metal for generating tourists and scholar’s interest should go hand in hand

Care should also be taken to develop other characteristics of Indian cultures, like hospitality, etc. so that tourists who are not interested in five-star India, and who wish to see India at close quarters get an opportunity to do so.

There is also another category of tourists-the domestic tourists. Tourists of this kind generally take their family on holiday to other parts of the country. It is not unusual for them to travel in large groups or prefer package tours. Not only are they budget-conscious, but they also look for bargains and cost-effectiveness in transportation, accommodation, food, and other amenities. Since domestic tourism is extremely important for any country, it is of paramount importance to develop low-cost facilities for the promotion of tourism.

Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and few other agencies are playing a significant role in tourism development.

Tourism today is a rapidly growing industry the world over. To ignore such a goose that lays golden eggs would be committing the folly of the gravest kind.