Tourism In India Research Articles

Foreign Direct Investment: A Growth Engine for Tourism

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is defined as foreign investors stirring their assets into another country where they have control over the management of assets and profits. FDI has the potential to generate employment, raise productivity, enhancing competitiveness of the domestic economy through transfer skills and technology, strengthening infrastructure, enhance exports and contribute to the long-term economic development of the world’s developing countries. With a view to stimulate domestic and international investments in tourism, the government has permitted 100 percent FDI in the automatic route – allowing full FDI into all construction development projects including construction of hotels and resorts, recreational facilities, and city and regional level infrastructure. According to the World Tourism Organization, India will be the leader in the tourism industry in South Asia with 8.9 million arrivals by 2020. India is gradually emerging as the second most rapidly increasing (8.8 percent) tourism economy in the world over 2005-14 according to the World Travel & Tourism. Thus an attempt is made in this paper to examine the foreign direct investment in Indian Tourism Industry, its flow in Indian Tourism Industry and its impact on economy of India.

Exploring Medical Tourism Opportunities in India (With Special Reference to Delhi/ NCRZ)

Medical Tourism is the fastest growing sector of healthcare throughout the world. We can say during the last decade medical tourism is continuously gaining popularity, patients are more educated than ever and are going online to research information and are travelling to where they can get the best quality care at an affordable price. India, has great number of advantages with regard to medical tourism such as many private and government hospitals, availability of internationally trained medical staff, availability of international airports at all major medical tourism destination and plethora of historical and touristic attractions but despite of all these facilities our medical tourism segment is not fully utilized and it has an insignificant market share and limited available services. The Government of India has taken various initiatives like National Health Policy in 2002, Creating a department of Ayush for the complementary and alternative medicines and treatments, initiating the marketing development schemes for travel agents to promote medical tourism through proper marketing and also encouraging public – private partnership and medical visa (M-Visa) up to one year, which can be extended further up to one year. In spite of all these steps taken by Indian government the Indian tourism market is concentrated to only some major cities such as MUMBAI, CHENNAI, KERALA AND BANGLORE. Since the growth potential of medical tourism seems to be promising more destinations are needed to be developed to meet the need of medical tourism markets. Delhi is being capital of India and having number of reputed government and private hospital of world class standard has great potential of becoming medical hub of world. The current study aims to project the strength and challenges of medical tourism scenario in India with Special Reference to Delhi and NCR. I choose this topic for research work with objectives to investigate the new trends in medical field, to find out the potential of Delhi-NCR as medical tourism destination, to investigate factors that are responsible for choosing Delhi as health care destination by tourist. My research work will help in identifying different challenges and opportunities in DELHI-NCR for medical treatment. I am optimistic that the findings of the research work will help in promoting DELHI-NCR as medical hub of not only India but the world.

Employee to Entrepreneur Transition Trends and Financing of SMEs in Indian Tourism Industry

Employee to Entrepreneur Transition Trends and Financing of SMEs in Indian Tourism Industry

An extended COPRAS model for multi-criteria decision-making problems and its application in web-based hotel evaluation and selection

Facilitation of suitable accommodation for different travellers is the prime concern of travel agencies. Travel agencies must keep themselves competitive and sustain a good pace of growth to continue raising profits by attracting and retaining as many tourists as possible through meeting their various prospective needs. To achieve this, the agencies must prepare well-organised data for hotels and destinations from a quality control perspective. Initially, the hotels are ranked and evaluated according to performance across several criteria from the tourists’ viewpoint. The relative importance of each criterion is mainly subjective and depends on the assessor’s judgement. Additionally, hotels’ rankings vary across different websites, resulting in inconsistencies. To handle such inconsistencies and subjectivity, this paper presents a collective decision-making evaluation framework by integrating a weighted interval rough number (WIRN) method and a WIRN-based complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) model to evaluate and rank hotels. An empirical example and a real-world case study from the Indian tourism industry are presented to validate the applicability of the proposed framework. Finally, a comparison and sensitivity analysis are performed to examine the validity and robustness of the proposed model.

Cashless Economy and Digitalization of Tourism & Hospitality Practices in India

Travel, Tourism and hospitality are the service oriented industry. Tourism is the fastest growing sector in India among the G20 countries which is growing by 8.5% in 2016 and forecast 6.7% in 2018. According to World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) India's travel and tourism sector ranks 7th in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country's GDP, generated Rs. 14.1 trillion (USD208.9 billion) in 2016, which is world's 7th largest in terms of absolute size; the sum is equivalent to 9.6% of India's GDP. As per the report of UN World Tourism Organization (UN-WTO) reflects that India had approx. 9 million foreign tourist arrivals(FTA)in the year of 2016, and ranked 40th position in the world. The new initiatives have been taken by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has given new synergy to boost up Indian tourism industry i.e., new e-visa regime, investment through Make in India in tourism and hospitality sector, enable investment in vital infrastructure, and allow companies to do business in India. Although digital enabled technology centric tourism enterprises have tried to overcome this problem and supported by innovative digital practices like internet banking, mobile banking, e-wallets, debit and credit cards. But only e-banking or mobile banking tech-savvy customers were availing these privileges. The micro, small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) had directly affected and both domestic and foreign tourists faced critical and worse situation that time. The tourists were frequently cancelling the hotels, airlines and holidays packages bookings which directly affected to travel agents and tour operators, hoteliers throughout the country. In spite of these loss of those people whose livelihood direct and indirect linked with tourism industry like tour guide, taxi drivers, souvenirs shopkeepers, home stays, restaurants, street vendors, rural tourism centric enterprises and those who supplying necessities like, farmers, milkman, grocers, handicraft and handloom artists, music and dance artists etc. This paper is based on the explorative study which will review the process of digitalization, through transformation and innovation of digital payments system to promote a cashless tourism practices in India.

An Empirical Exploration of the Success Dynamics of Online Tourism Aggregators in India

This study is the reflection of the various factors affecting the online tourism aggregators in this Techno enthusiastic world. In this study the factors affecting tourism aggregators are identified and analysed for the purpose of measuring their success. Growing in number of web clients and utilization of web, alongside headway in data innovation is putting forth relative information in the virtual space. Indian tourism is having new opportunities as many foreign investments are made on the hotels, which in a way is promoting the India tourism. Besides many tourism applications are also popping up each day. Even in the recent times, the government has come up with investments plans towards the tourism industry as well as the technical base for India. Hence it gives an extensive scope for the industry to grow. The latest promotional efforts and celebrity endorsements in the tourism industry has created revolutionary impact and took Indian Tourism to the next level. Hence, the conglomerate of technology and tourism and their mutual impact is the integral part of the research. This research focuses on assessing impact on the online conversion of travellers. A logistic regression model in SPSS has been designed to find significant relation between the independent variables and dependent variable. It also analyses the factors which are affecting significantly in the success of the aggregators specific to tourism industry. This paper seeks to explore the industry from the perspective of technology and provide a deeper insight of the same.

Medical Tourism Opportunities in India: A Study on the Multispecialty Hospitals of Kolkata

Indian hospital sector is now witnessing cut-throat competition to remain competitive and to attract patients from the foreign countries, they have to change their conventional systems towards more customer-centric approach. Due to the presence of considerable number of super-specialty hospitals, Kolkata is gradually becoming a preferred place in the field of medical tourism in India. Patients from African and Middle East counties are now coming here due to experienced and skilled medical and paramedical staffs, and facilities at an affordable price. The objective of this article is to examine the roles and initiatives of hospital management team in the process of retention of patients. We are also proposing certain strategies based on the value creation strategy for the medical tourism—which will ultimately contribute factors of this aspect. As a part of the qualitative study, we have collected data onto 80 respondents comprising doctors, nurses, supporting staffs and medical superintendent of different private hospitals in Kolkata. The results of this qualitative study indicate that different professional hospital management staffs need to behave like a united team with same organizational goal.

Qualitative Explorations into Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) for Medical Tourism in India

The focus of our research is Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) in Indian medical tourism which has gained wider attention world-wide. To be able to operationalize CBBE (brand equity) for medical tourism scale development, we generated items for such a scale through content analysis. The research questions for this study were (a) What are the dimensions for a brand equity scale for medical tourism considering social, economic, and market influences? (b) How is culture along with an economic indicator such as infrastructure/superstructure relevant in the context of CBBE for medical tourism? and (c) To what extent does the content analysis of interviews based on questionnaires from literature reviews support the variable? The respondents were contacted from two large East Indian Hospitals with continuous visits by heterogeneous foreign patients. Content analysis was used to evaluate the responses using the framework for coding as given by Corbin and Strauss (2008). This paper explores the reasons as to why the patients from western countries and the Middle East prefer other destinations as compared to India for medical tourism. The medical tourism market is growing due to comparatively affluent middle class, better connectivity and wiser cost decisions by patients. The Indian medical tourism market has gained wider attention due to well trained and competent physicians, cost consideration, quality service, better international accessibility and popular use of English as the primary mode for spoken and written communication language. However, there is no general relevant Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) scale for medical tourism market till present day. We have identified six dimensions (three new) for a consolidated and unified CBBE scale for medical tourism. In the later part, we have done a content analysis of 90 patient interviews conducted in Eastern Indian hospitals. The interview questionnaire was developed from the literature review. Lastly, a content analysis is done using Nvivo software for logical validation of literature findings. The content findings and prior literature review enabled us to propose the dimensions of the CBBE scale for medical tourism. The new dimensions may be used for future CBBE research in medical tourism at the global level.

The Significance of ODC Payments for the Students of Hospitality Institute in Pune

The Indian tourism and hospitality industry has emerged as one of the key drivers of growth among the service sector in India. As the growing sector the demand of labor is also high. Students from hospitality colleges are invited by the hotels for outdoor catering when demand of the business is more to support the operation. Many students prefer going for outdoor catering and it has significant role to improve their practical skills. The exposure will help them for their career growth as they get clarity about services and boost their confidence level. Late working hours and payment need some changes to increase the number of outdoor catering. Providing transport facility for all the students will also have positive impact on the student’s frequency to go for outdoor catering. Students feel outdoor catering to be made mandatory which will help each individual to develop.

Ties that bind tourists: embedding destination motivators to destination attachment: a study in the context of Kumbh Fair, India

ABSTRACTDespite the deep cultural value and strong appeal to global tourists, the Kumbh Fair has not been explored much by researchers. This is even though the Kumbh Fair is crafting the tourism of India, thereby leading to its overall socio-economic development. This study aims to examine the determinants of tourist motivation, such as ads awareness, destination image and online-communities, which provoke tourists to have attachment with the destination more closely. The study found the tourists’ attitude as a complementary mediation and spiritual stimuli as a mediating moderator are positively impacting on the significant relationship of destination motivators and destination attachment.

Wonder Pedicabs: leisure rickshaw rides

Subject area Marketing Management and Economics. Study level/applicability Management courses (MBA level), Courses on Tourism Case overview When in India (WII) is a tour company serving the niche segment of Heritage tourism. WII was incorporated in 2011 with the aim to enable foreign and domestic tourists to experience the deeply embedded cultural ethos and heritage of Old Delhi. Their unique tourism product, “the Wonder Pedicabs”, provides leisure rickshaw rides through the Old Delhi lanes. This teaching case focuses on various managerial dimensions of the operations of WII. The case can be used in courses on Marketing as well as Economics. The case discusses the macro and micro environmental forces operating on WII. It deliberates on the economics of various tours offered by WII. It also educates the participants about the process of decision-making that goes into the selection of a tour operator and a tourism product. Hence, it appreciates the significance of need recognition, search for information, evaluation of alternatives and purchase decision as pillars in the process of decision-making process. The case also attempts to educate the participants about the Indian Tourism Sector. Expected learning outcomes Comprehend what constitutes a tourism product and types of tourism. Understand consumer decision-making for a tourism product. Highlight the importance of the tourism sector in the Indian economy. Discuss economic concepts pertaining to cost and volume, enabling managerial decision-making. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 12: Tourism and Hospitality.

The Profitability of Indian Tourism Sector: A Fixed Model Panel Analysis

The current paper tests the applicability of the SCP framework i.e. industrial structure, conduct and performance in the Indian tourism industry. Herfindahl-Hirshman Index was used to understand concentration index for the Indian tourism industry and the structure conduct and performance relationship was tested using fixed effect model for panel regression in Eviews. The data was collected from Prowess for 23 companies in the tourism industry for a period of five years i.e. 2011 to 2015. The results of the study indicated that the Indian tourism industry was highly concentrated between 2011-2015, with a few major players enjoying majority market share, however, in 2015, the indicators pointed towards lower levels of concentration. The panel regression analysis indicated that the SCP paradigm was not supported for Indian tourism industry, though support was found for relationship between conduct and performance. The negative relationship between conduct and performance also indicated that there was a higher expenditure on marketing and advertising in the industry. The results of the study indicated that the industry was not working on IO based structure but rather Efficiency bases model which needed to be studied further.

Empirical research on CBBE scale for medical tourism

PurposeThe medical tourism market across the globe lacks a consolidated, standard customer-based brand equity (CBBE) scale till the present day. The purpose of this research is to theorize a scale with probable existing dimensions and based on prior literature adding culture and infrastructure/superstructure as new components for global comparison among BRICS and SAARC nations. This empirical research initiates laying the foundation of deriving a unified scale.Design/methodology/approachExtensive literature reviews from leading academic journals, books and web information were used to theoretically propose the scale. R (an open source coding language) was used for quantitative analysis.FindingsCulture (environment index) and infrastructure/superstructure (industry/economic index) were found to be relevant in the context of CBBE scale for medical tourism. The other dimensions are brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality and loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsThe research literature was fragmented because of international scopes of medical tourism destinations as well as a variety of medical services offered. The dynamic nature of this industry, which is dependent on several factors such as healthcare, cost, related services, tourism etc. made it difficult to access the real contribution of individual items.Practical implicationsThis paper proposes the foundation to develop a CBBE scale for medical tourism in India, adding culture and infrastructure/superstructure as new dimensions. It opens doors for new research with scale refining, branding assessment and fine-tuning items for the new dimensions.Originality/valueThis research is the first of its kind to create a standard CBBE scale for developing countries. It has added a new set of literature and consolidated prior contextual works on culture and infrastructure in reference to medical tourism. The questionnaire is of practical value to hospitals. The interview transcript is novel in nature for future works.

Co-relation and Causality: A study of Indian Tourism, Peace and Stability

Co-relation and Causality: A study of Indian Tourism, Peace and Stability

Using Logistic Regression to Estimate the Customer Value for Transport and Hospitality Services

The purpose of this paper is to implement a model for predicting the mode of transportation used by the tourists in India. The paper is based on a machine learning approach, namely logistic regression, which targets to analyse the behaviour of tourists in India. The data for the model was taken from the 72nd survey by NSSO which was conducted to understand the travel patterns of Indian tourists. The paper identifies certain key parameters which can help in knowing the consumer needs. These findings will be helpful for various businesses within the tourism sector and will aid them in coming up with better informed products and services. Most of the tourism related literature fails to consider on the impact of cultural and social factors on the choice or decisions made by tourists. The paper takes into consideration these aspects.

Exploring the Relevance of Cultural Resource Management: A Case Study of Kalaripayattu

Kalari is the Malayalam (language spoken in Kerala) word for a special kind of gymnasium, where the martial art known as Kalaripayattu is practised based on the idea of a sound mind in the sound body. It is one of the most ancient and comprehensive art form of India rather the world, because it has an excellent system of physical training, effective self-defence techniques, both armed and unarmed, training for excellent flexibility for physical and mental strength and is based on the Dravidian culture of India. Kalaripayattu is considered as the basis for all martial arts. This martial art has been practised on the basis of a scientific system of medicine called Kalarichikilsa ( Kalari-related treatment). This article investigates the potential of cultural heritage resources from a supply and demand perspective, as cultural resource management is the need of the hour to preserve and commercialize cultural and heritage resources. The study reveals that cultural heritage resources like Kalaripayattu could become a unique selling proposition of Indian tourism market, provided these resources are protected, preserved and encouraged through effective promotion strategies in various target markets.

Governance and Management of Religious Tourism in India

Governance and Management of Religious Tourism in India

At the confluence of leisure and devotion: Hindu pilgrimage and domestic tourism in India.

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Role of Food in Attracting Tourists Towards Popular Tourism Destinations in India: An Empirical Study

This research reviewed investigates the part food plays in bringing in tourists to Indian tourism hotspots. Food is an integral part of the cultural experience of any destination, and the Indian cuisine is known for its diversity and richness. The literature review below shows that food is a significant factor in enticing tourists to Indian tourism sites. The studies find that tourists are willing to pay more for food that is authentic and represents the local cuisine, and that the availability of a variety of food options is essential in attracting tourists, as they prefer to experiment with different cuisines. The study recommends that the tourism industry in India should focus on promoting the local cuisine as a significant aspect of the cultural experience of the destination. The industry should also work on improving the quality and variety of food options available to tourists. These conclusions can be useful to policymakers and tourism boards to bring in new approaches to attract more tourists to popular destinations in India.

Medical Tourism in India and Its Future Prospects

Medical Tourism in India and Its Future Prospects