A Study on Tourism Attractiveness Factors in Pondicherry

Abstract

Tourism has become a global phenomenon in the last 50 years. Better and faster means of transport and communications have resulted in a massive movement of people. Today tourism with its rapid growth rate is not only a big business but is also the world’s fastest growing industry next to petroleum. It represents the largest segment of invisible international trade and earnings. Tourism can be a small enterprise or a multi-million project, both labour intensive and capital intensive activity. Tourism industry besides exchange of ideas also generates foreign exchange. Thus, tourism industry is of paramount concern for India’s economy as it is a major source of foreign exchange earnings and it can help cored adverse trade balances and regional imbalances and create employment opportunities to give a direct stimulus to the socio-economic development of backward areas in our country. Puducherry is a fast growing region with development in industrial sector, agricultural sector and also tourism sector. Tourism is developing in this region since last 10 years and attracting many tourists which emerged as one or the major sources of incomes to the government exchequer. The basic materials for tourism industry are culture, heritages, natural vegetation, beaches, parks, monuments and sculptures, etc. which Puducherry possesses abundantly and can be exploited for the betterment of the economy. On the above backdrop, present study was undertaken to evaluate the growth of tourism industry and its impact on the overall growth of the Union Territory.