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Tourism in Rajasthan: An exploratory study of marketing & policy

A Dissertation by

Ritu Shukla PPM-24

Towards Partial Fulfillment of PGDPPM Program

2008-10

Under the Guidance of Dr. Avinash Kapoor

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY AND GOVERNANCE

Management Development Institute Gurgaon, India

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DECLARATION

This is to certify that the dissertation entitled “Tourism in Rajasthan: An exploratory study of marketing & policy” is a piece of original bona-fide research done by me, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Post Graduate Diploma in Public Policy and Management (PGDPPM) 2008-10 at Management Development Institute, Gurgaon. This work has not been submitted in part or full to any other Institute or University, in India or abroad, for any degree or diploma. My indebtedness to other works has been duly acknowledged at the relevant places.

(Ritu Shukla)

Supervisor: Dr. Avinash Kapoor Assistant Professor Management Development Institute Gurgaon

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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Ritu Shukla has carried out her dissertation work in partial fulfillment for the award of the PG Diploma in Public Policy & Mangement on the topic “Tourism in Rajasthan: An exploratory study of Marketing & Policy” during June 2009 to Feb2010. The work presented embodies the original work of the candidate to the best of our knowledge. Date: Signature of the Supervisor Signature of the Chairperson, School of Public Policy, MDI

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Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge here the guidance I received from my Guide, Dr. Aviansh Kapoor who took such keen interest in my efforts and helped me in finding the way through the maze. I would also like to mention the constant encouragement & support from my parents, Yashpal and Shakuntla Shukla who always encouraged me to aim for the best, and also my family members especially my brother Kapil and bhabhi Mamta, without which this work would not have been completed. My special thanks to my friends Kesat and Dinesh who helped me in collection of data. I would also like to thank Vishal, Preeti and my uncle Arun Shukla for their help in collating the data.

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Table of Contents

Abstract

1. Introduction

2. Literature Review

3. Research Methodology

4. Observations and Analysis

5. Conclusions/ Recommendations

6. References

7. Annexures

A 1 :India Tourism Statistics, 2008

A 2: National Tourism Policy, 2002

A 3: Rajasthan Tourism Policy, 2001

A 4: Rajasthan Tourism Unit Policy, 2007

A 5: Adopt A Monument Scheme, 2005

A 6: Questionnaire for Tourists

A7: Questionnaire for resort owners/hoteliers/tour

operators/travel agents etc

A8: Schedule for interviewing Govt. officials

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Abstract

Rajasthan, the land of chivalry, royalty, rich art &culture,

traditions, heritage, a wide platter of tourist spots, music, rustic as

well as royal beauty to savour the tastes of a variety of tourists. It

has the potential to offer most menorable life experiences to those

who have wander lust. The state has been one of the few states

which have been aggresively promoted by the Incredible India

Campign.The state was one of the first few states to come out with

a state Tourism Policy in 2001. It has the advantage of being close

and part of the National Capital Region and also on the Golden

Triangle Circuit. But does this all translates into the magnitude of

growth the state should have achieved. The study is an effort to find

out whether the state has been able to tap its full tourist potential

or not. It also studies the marketing policy adopted by the state

government. Are the promotional efforts undertaken by the state

supply driven or are customer centric? It also studies the perception

of the varius stakeholders to the various government policies. The

study is basically an exploratory study aimed at exploring the

inititiativs for tourism promotion. Finally, the author draws certain

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conclusions based on the analysis of primary data collected by the

author and gives her suggestions.

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List of Tables

1. Foreign Exchange Earnings from Tourism in India (1991 to

2009)

2. Number of Foreign Tourist with Percentage Share of

Rajasthan (2001 to 2005)

3. Number of Foreign Tourist Arrival in Rajasthan (1971 to

2008)

4. Domestic Tourist Statistics (2004-2006)

5. No. Of Tourists visiting Rajasthan in 2004-05(country wise)

6. Country-wise Foreign Tourist Arrivals in Rajasthan (2001 to

2005)

7. Number and Percentage Share of Top Ten States in Foreign

Tourist Visits in India (2008)

8. Infrastructure Requirements/investment for Tourism

Infrastructure in Rajasthan (2001 to 2020)

9. State-wise Number of Recognised Tour Operators, Travel

Agencies, Tourist Transport Operators, Adventure Tour

Operatorsand Domestic Tour Operators in India (As on

31.12.2007)

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List of symbols/abbreviations

AAM Adopt A Monument AMA American Marketing Association ASI Archaeological Survey of India Aus AID Australian Agency for Interantional Development DMO Destination Marketing Organization DOT Department of Tourism FAR Floor Area Ratio FEE Foreign Exchange Earnings FTA Foreign Tourist Arrival GOI Government of India GSA General Sales Agents IL&FS Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited ITOPC Indian Tour Operators Promotion Council JDA Jaipur Development Authority MoEF Ministry of Environment & Forests MOT Ministry of Tourism POW Palace on Wheels RITTMAN Rajasthan Institute of Tourism and TravelManagement RRW Royal Rajasthan on Wheels RTDC Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation SPV Special Purpose Vehicle TAF Tourist Assistant Force

TIB Tourist Information Bureaus

TRC Tourist Reception Centres

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UNWTO United Natins World Tourism Organization

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION A routine world where everything is predictable makes life monotonous and

boring. Human beings have always looked for ways and means to break

monotony in their life. This probably has taken man to distant places and, thus,

has evolved the concept of tourism. In general terms, tourism is defined as travel

for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization(WTO)

defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual

environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and

other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within

the place visited”. Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. Tourism

can be considered as one of the most remarkable socio-economic phenomena of

the twentieth century. From an activity “enjoyed by only a small group of

relatively well-off people” during the first half of the last century, it gradually

became a mass phenomenon during the post-World War II period, particularly

from the 1970s onwards. It now reaches larger and larger numbers of people

throughout the world, and is a source of employment for a significant segment of

the labour force.

Importance of Tourism Over time, an increasing number of destinations have opened up and invested in

tourism development, turning modern tourism into a key driver for socio-

economic progress, through the creation of jobs and enterprises, infrastructure

development, and the export income earned. Tourism has become one of the

major international trade categories. The overall export income generated by

international tourism including passengers transport reached US$ 1.1 trillion in

2008, or US$ 3 billion a day. Tourism exports account for as much as 30% of the

world’s exports of commercial services and 6% of overall exports of goods and

services. Globally, as an export category, tourism ranks fourth after fuels,

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chemicals and automotive products. For many developing countries it is one of

the main income sources and the number one export category, creating much

needed employment and opportunities for development. The worldwide

contribution of tourism to gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated at some

5%. Tourism’s contribution to employment tends to be slightly higher and is

estimated in the order of 6-7% of the overall number of jobs (direct and indirect).

For advanced, diversified economies, the contribution of tourism to the GDP

ranges from approximately 2% for countries where tourism is a comparatively

small sector, to over 10% for countries where tourism is an important pillar of the

economy. For small islands and developing countries, or specific regional and

local destinations where tourism is a key economic sector, the importance of

tourism tends to be even higher.

Incredible India

India has a huge potential for tourism and has been marketing its tourism

potential aggressively during the last one decade. Prior to this, we were following

a policy of tourism (1982) in an environment of closed economy with strict

licensing procedures. The then policy did not emphasize any role for the private

sector and foreign investment was also not envisaged. As a result, there was not

much development of the sector. The National Action Plan for tourism

announced in May 1992 had thus set the target to increase India's share in the

world tourism market to 1% by 2000 AD but unfortunately this is yet to be

achieved.

To be a part of the tourism revolution taking place across the world, India

came out with its National Tourism Policy in 2002. The policy recognized the

need to change its strategies and tools of its machinery of implementation to

partake in the global tourism revolution as with the existing policies India’s share

of world tourist traffic had remained static through out the decade at 0.38%. The

policy of the Centre and the sustained efforts of the various tourism rich states

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borne some result as by 2008 India’s share in the world tourist arrivals increased

to 0.58% and its ranking increased to 41. As far as the world tourism receipts are

concerned, India’s ranking rose to 23 and its share to1.28%(India Tourism

Statistics, 2008).

Rajasthan – Padharo Mere Des Amongst the various states with great tourist potential, Rajasthan occupies an

important place. Rajasthan with its rich historical, cultural and environmental

treasures, coupled with colorful fairs and festivals and friendly people has

become a favourite destination for tourists from all over the world. Except for a

sea-beach and snow-clad mountains, it offers everything to tourists. No tourist

itinerary is complete without inclusion of the tourist spots of Rajasthan. So

whether it is the Pink City of Jaipur – which has the additional advantage of lying

on the Golden Triangle Circuit comprising of Delhi-. Agra- Jaipur- or the

picturesque sand dunes of Jaisalmer and Jodhpur (now the favorite of celebrities

such as Maddona, Britney Spears, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolly and many more) or

the Pushkar lake and the Ajmer Sharif or the City of Lakes, Udaipur, the state

has something or the other to offer to everyone. The eco tourists can admire the

widelife and take the tiger trail – yes, the tigers are still there (some 40 of them

have been reported in and around Ranthambore National Park and Sawai

Madhopur wildlife sanctuary as per a census conducted in May 2009 says a

relase of the Raj. Forest Dept, Feb, 2010) - or you can simply sit back and

indulge in bird watching in the wetlands of keoladeo bird Sanctuary at Bharatpur.

The state government had given priority to this sector and the allocation in the

Five years Plan for tourism is constantly increasing. In Rajasthan, tourism is the

third largest employer after agriculture and textiles sector.

As per the present data available from the Ministry of Tourism, Rajasthan

occupies the 4 Th position (with 5% share of the total domestic tourists) and 5th

position (with 10.5 % share of the total foreign tourists) respectively as far as the

numberof domestic and foreign tourist arrivals in the country is concerned.

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Its importance could also be seen from the fact that the state was one of

the few states which had come out with its state tourism policy in 2001. Tourism

has a significant multiplier effect on the economy. It is estimated that every rupee

spent by a tourist changes hands 13 times, and that every hotel room generates

direct employment to three persons and indirect employment to eight persons.

With its rich cultural heritage, Tourism is a focus sector in Rajasthan. Keeping

this in view, Government of Rajasthan granted status of the industry to tourism

sector in 1989, therefore, all the facilities and concessions available to industries

in the State are also available to tourism units. Besides the department of

Tourism, the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) is

developing the tourist centers (by strengthening the infrastructure facilities in

terms of accommodation, catering transport services and boating and sight

seeing facilities) in Rajasthan since 1978.

The growth in the sector is led by private sector with majority of resorts, luxury

hotels, and heritage hotels being opened in the recent years in the state coming

up in the private sector. With a view to bridging the gap between current demand

and supply of hotel accommodation in Rajasthan and in view of the projected

growth of tourism in the coming decade, 'Hotel Policy-2006' was announced by

the State Government in June 2006. “Rajasthan Tourism Unit Policy 2007” has

replaced this policy. Under 'Hotel Policy 2006', concessions were available to the

Star category of Hotels only whereas under new policy concessions will also be

available to other categories of hotels, heritage hotels and other tourism units

such as camping sites, holiday resorts and restaurants etc.

Rajasthan has a developed tourism infrastructure, with over 6,000 hotel

rooms in more than 150 hotels. Of these, over 1,400 rooms (54 hotels) belong to

the heritage category. Prominent tourism industry players with strong presence in

Rajasthan include the Indian Hotels, ITC-Sheraton, the Oberoi and Holiday Inn.

Rajasthan, the land of unending tales of glory and valor, is dotted with a number

of architectural marvels. These erstwhile residences of the Maharajas of the

bygone era nowadays serve as the Heritage hotels in Rajasthan. The

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spectacular architecture, beautiful interior and awestruck exterior of these forts,

palaces and havelis act as ideal destinations to spend the time in the royal

ambience. The state has the largest number of heritage hotels in India. The

hospitality you will get in the heritage hotels of Rajasthan will leave you

speechless. To further give boost and to protect the monuments, Rajasthan

Government has launched’ Adopt-a-Monument’ scheme for heritage

conservation in 2005. The scheme envisages adoption of a monument by any

person with a view to restoring and maintaining it for a period of 10-30 years.

To propel the growth of the tourism sector, the state government has

realized the need for a strong infrastructure in the form of roads, airports, urban

infrastructure. Due to the significant nature of the investment required and

paucity of funds available with the State Government, private sector participation

in infrastructure projects is essential to fructify the investments. To facilitate the

development, the state government has invited private sector investment in

Roads, Power, Tourism, Urban Infrastructure, and Industrial Infrastructure etc.

Purpose of the study

Various policies have been introduced by the state government for the promotion

of tourism in the state and also promotion efforts undertaken by the Union

Government. But whether they have borne the desired results or not. The study

is an effort to find out whether the full potential of theTourism sector of Rajasthan

has been tapped or not; how successful has been the Tourism Policy and

marketing strategy as adopted by the state in this regard; and how it is perceived

by the various stakeholders. It will also dwell on some of the questions such as:

Has Rajasthan fully exploited its tourism potential or there is plenty of beautiful,

rustic and royal beauty of Rajasthan that still remains untapped and unexploited?

Has the Tourism policy being able to provide the required environment for the

rapid growth of tourism in the state? Is it making the required progress in the right

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direction? Is the reality the same as envisaged by the policy? What is the

response of the implementers of the policy? Are there service delivery and

implementation problems? What are the perceptions of the various stakeholders,

has the approach being participatory. How is the private sector participating in

the development scenario? What is the hidden treasure that needs to be

unraveled? Are there gaps in the potential and its realization? What has been

the marketing strategy of Rajasthan for the tourism sector? What are the

promotions measures taken to strengthen the brand Rajasthan.

Significance It is expected that the research would help in better understanding of the growth

of the tourism sector of Rajasthan. It would help in identifying the gaps in the

implementation of the Government’s policies and also bring out the requirements

as felt by the various stakeholders. It may provide a sound board to the

authorities. The marketing potential of the state as a tourist destination was

explored and the study would provide an analysis of the marketing strategy. This

would make it possible to understand what appeals and is favorable to the

growth of the sector. As part of the study, an effort has been made to find out

how tangibles and intangibles have to be marketed and how the promotional and

branding strategies can make a difference. The author has also attempted to give

suggestions to bridge the various gaps in implementation.

Flow of the study The Chapter 1 gives an introduction to the subject as to what tourism means. It

also gives an over-view of the tourism scenario worldwide, in India and in the

study area i.e the state of Rajasthan. It mentions how the tourism industry is now

on the road to revival after suffering due to the western economic melt down. It

also briefly gives an over-view of the rich tourist potential of the state of

Rajasthan and briefly mentions the policy interventions undertaken by the state

governemnt. It also states the purpose of the study as “to find out whether the full

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potential of theTourism sector of Rajasthan has been tapped or not; how

successful has been the Tourism Policy and marketing strategy as adopted by

the state has been in this regard and how it is perceived by the various

stakeholders.” The chapter ends with what the researcher believes will be the

significance of the study.

The Chapter 2 covers the literature review undertaken by the reseracher to

study the problem. This includes the various policies of the Government of India

(National Tourism Policy2002, Tourism Policy of Rajasthan, 2001; Rajasthan

Tourism Unit Policy, 2007) and also new initiatives undertaken for the growth of

tourism in the state- including niche tourism areas such as caravan tourism,

adventure sports, golf tourism. The structures implementing the various policies

were also reviewed. The various studies undertaken by the government such as

for collecting the Rajasthan Tourism Statistics undertaken by AC Nielson ORG

Marg in 2004-05, Rajasthan Infrastructure Vision 2025 were also reviewed. The

marketing principles, the various marketing concepts such as marketing mix,

SWOT analysis etc were also reviwed in the light of the literature available.

The Chapter 3 gives the methodlgy used for the research. It gives step-by-step

account of what the reseracher undertook as part of the research design. The

Research problem, the research questions are all covered under the chapter.

The theoretical framework for the reserach, the identification of the dependent

and independent variables and also extraneous variables are given in details. It

also gives an account of how the primary data was collected, the sample size,

use of the Likert scale for assessing attitudes of the respondents.

The Chapter 4 is an account of the observations and analysis, which are drawn

after the process of data collection. This includes anlaysis of the data that has

been collected from all the three stakeholders under three different heads.

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The Chapter 5 gives conclusions that emanates from the analysis and

observations from the data that the researcher had collected. Basd on this, the

researcher had given her recommendations.

The Chapter 6 gives a list of the references and the chapter 7 is a compilation of

the annexures.

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CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW Tourism Various authors have defined tourism. While Mathieson and Wall (1982) created

a good working definition of tourism as "the temporary movement of people to

destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities

undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to

cater to their needs." Macintosh and Goeldner (1986) have defined tourism is

"the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the interaction of

tourists, business suppliers, host governments and host communities in the

process of attracting and hosting these tourists and other visitors." But the widely

used definition is the one given by the World Tourism Organization. Tourism is

defined by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) as comprising the activities of

persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not

more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes. The

WTO further explains that “Tourism” refers to all activities of visitors including

both “tourists (overnight visitors)” and “same-day visitors”.

Tourist Destination Many new destinations have emerged alongside the traditional ones of Western

Europe and North America. A tourist destination is an amalgam of tourist

products, services and public goods consumed under the same brand name,

thus offering the consumer an integrated experience (Buhalis, 2000; Leiper,

1995). Rather than describing it in terms of a well-defined geographical area

such as a country, island or town (Davison and Maitland, 1997; Hall, 2000),

contemporary definitions view a destination as a blend of consumers’ space and

tourism products providing a holistic experience which is subjectively interpreted

according to the consumer’s travel i inerary, cultural background, purpose of visit,

past experience, etc. (Fuchs and Weiermair, 2003).

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Growth in Numbers Over the past six decades, tourism has experienced continued growth and

diversification to become one of the largest and fastest growing economic

sectors in the world .As growth has been particularly high in the world’s emerging

regions, the share in international tourist arrivals received by developing

countries has steadily risen, from 31% in 1990 to 45% in 2008. As per WTO,

International tourist arrivals have continued to grow – from 25 million in 1950, to

277 million in 1980, to 438 million in 1990, to 684 million in 2000. In 2007, there

were over 903 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 6.6% as

compared to 2006. Despite the uncertainties in the global economy, international

tourist arrivals during the first four months of 2008 followed a similar growth trend

as in the same period in 2007.However, as a result of the economic crisis of

2008, international travel demand suffered a strong slowdown beginning in June

2008, with growth in international tourism arrivals worldwide falling to 2% during

the boreal summer months, while growth from January to April 2008 had reached

an average 5.7% compared to its 2007 level. However, growth returned to

international tourism in the last quarter of 2009 contributing to better than

expected full-year results, according to the latest edition of the UNWTO World

Tourism Barometer. International tourist arrivals fell by an estimated 4% in 2009

to 880 million. This represents a slight improvement on the previous estimate as

a result of the 2% upswing in the last quarter of 2009. In contrast, international

tourist arrivals shrank by 10%, 7% and 2% in the first three quarters respectively.

Asia and the Pacific and the Middle East led the recovery with growth already

turning positive in both regions in the second half of 2009. Prospects have also

improved with arrivals now forecast to grow between 3% and 4% in 2010.This

outlook is confirmed by the remarkable rise of the UNWTO Panel ofExperts’

Confidence Index. WTCC has predicted that the number of world travelers would

go up to 1600 million by the year 2020 AD. The WTO ‘s 2009 International

Tourism Results and Prospects for 2010 presents a hopeful picture for the

tourism industry worldwide. Similarly to the situation in previous crisis,

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consumers tended to travel closer to home during 2009. Several destinations

have seen domestic tourism endure the crisis better and even grow significantly,

often with the support of specific government measures aimed at leveraging this

trend. This was the case among many other countries, of China, Brazil and

Spain, where the domestic market, representing a large share of the total

demand, contributed to partially offsetting the decline in international tourism.

Tourism in India As per Indian Tourism Statistics 2008(released by the Ministry of Tourism,

attached at Annexure A1), number of foreign tourist arrivals in India is 5.37

million and the annual growth rate is 5.6%. India’s share of international tourist

arrivals is 0.58%. India’s Rank in World Tourist Arrivas is 41. The share of India

in International Tourism Receipts is 1.24%and India’s rank in World Tourism

Receipts is 23. The number of domestic tourists visits to all states and UTs in

2008 was 562.92 million and an annual growth rate of 6.9%. As per the statistics

available from Ministry of Tourism, the foreign exchange earnings from Tourism

In India from 1991 to 2009 are given below.

Table 1

Foreign Exchange Earnings from Tourism in India

(1991 to 2009#)

Year Foreign Exchange Earning (Rs. in Million)

% Change

Foreign Exchange Earning (in Million US $)

% Change

1991 43180 - 1861 -

1992 59510 37.8 2126 14.2

1993 66110 11.1 2124 -0.1

1994 71290 7.8 2272 7.0

1995 84300 18.2 2583 13.7

1996 10046# 19.2 2832 9.6

1997 10511# 4.6 2889 2.0

1998 12150# 15.6 2948 2.0

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1999 12951# 6.6 3009 2.1

2000 15626# 20.7 3460 15.0

2001 15083# -3.5 3198 -7.6

2002 15064# -0.1 3103 -3.0

2003 20729# 37.6 4463 43.8

2004 27944# 34.8 6170 38.2

2005 33123# 18.5 7493 21.4

2006* 39025# 17.8 8634 15.2

2007* 44360# 13.7 10729 24.3

2008$ 50730# 14.4 11747 9.5

2009# (Jan-

June) 24693 -4.4@ 5007 -21.6@

Source: Ministry of Tourism Govt. of India.

Tourism in Rajasthan

Rajasthan has emerged as one of the top states as far as tourism is concerned.

As per the Indian Tourism Statistics 2008, Rajasthan occupies the 4 th (with 5%

share of the total domestic tourists) and 5th position (with 10.5 % share of the

total foreign tourists) respectively as far as the number of domestic and foreign

tourist arrivals in the country is concerned. The share of Rajastahn in the total

tourist arrivals have declined in the years 2002 and 2003 (because of the effect

of 9/11 bombings in the US and overall world-wide dip in the sector). It has

picked up again from 2004 onwards as could be seen from the table below.

Table 2

Number of Foreign Tourist with Percentage

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Share of Rajasthan

(2001 to 2005)

Year Foreign Tourist Visits to all States (in Lakhs)

Foreign Tourist Visits to Rajasthan (in Lakhs)

% Share of Rajasthan

2001 54.36 6.08 11.2

2002 51.58 4.28 8.3

2003 67.08 6.29 9.4

204 82.97 9.72 11.7

2005* 99.34 11.31 11.4

Note: * : Provisional.

Source: Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No 836, dated 01.08.2006.

The overall number of foreign tourists in the state from 1971 onwards to

2008 is given below. The numbers have risen from a mere 42,500 in 1971

to 6,23,100 in 2000 but then due to the WTC attacks it fell to 4,28,437 in

2001 but it picked up after two years and has now reached 14,77,646 a

more than two fold increse in the course of 6 years.

Table 3

Number of Foreign Tourist Arrival in Rajasthan (1971 to 2008)

Year Foreign Tourist 1971 42500 1972 48350 1973 54611 1974 55781 1975 66207 1976 92272 1977 125112 1978 160134 1979 195837 1980 208216 1981 220440 1982 237444 1983 266221 1984 259637

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1985 268774 1986 291763 1987 348260 1988 366435 1989 419651 1990 417641 1991 494150 1992 547802 1993 540738 1994 436801 1995 534749 1996 560946 1997 605060 1998 591369 1999 562685 2000 623100 2001 608283 2002 428437 2003 628560 2004 971772 2005 1131164 2006 1220164 2007 1401042 2008 1477646

Source: Department of Tourism, Govt. of Rajasthan

As far as the domestic tourits in Rjasthan are concerned, the table given

below gives the three-year data from some of the states including

Rajasthan.

Table 4

Domestic Tourists Statistics

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Year Rajasthan Delhi Goa Kerala Tamil Nadu UP MP 2004 1,60,33,896 18,66,552

20,85,729 58,72,182

4,22,79,838 8,83,71,247

86,19,486

2005 1,87,87,298 20,61,782 19,65,343

59,46,,423 4,32,13,228

9,54,40,947 70,90,952

2006 2,34,83,287 22,37,130 20,98,654

62,71,724

5,83,40,008

10,55,49,478

1,10.62,640

Source:IT0PC (collated from data from states & UT tourism departments)

As per the Tourism Policy of Rajathan 2002,the world famous "golden triangle"

comprising of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur has put Jaipur on the world tourism map. 60% of

international tourists visiting India visit these places. The report also says that

every rupee spent by a tourist in the State, changes hands thirteen times and

every hotel room generate direct employment to three persons and indirectly to

eight persons.

According to a pilot survey conducted by ACNielsen ORG-MARG for Ministry of

Tourism, Government of India in 2005-06, the highest number of tourists coming

to India comes to Rajasthan followed by Tamil Nadu in the said period.

As per another international survey that rated the world's top 133 tourist

places, conducted by National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable

Destinations, in 2009, Rajasthan is considered the world's 19th dream

destination, the backwaters of Kerala have been rated 23rd.The Taj Mahal, Agra

Fort and Fatehpur Sikri together have found 30th place in the survey.One of the

panelists has opined that Rajasthan is India's Tuscany, a region in North-Central

Italy known for its landscapes and its artistic legacy.According to the survey,

Rajasthan has a 'strong sense of cultural identity' and 'remarkable appeal and

mystique'.However, the survey expressed its concern about the tourism benefits

not reaching the local communities.

Tourist Arrivals For the Indian Tourism Sector, the year 2008-09 has been a year of challenge

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and response. International tourist arrivals continued to deteriorate due to the

impact of global economic crisis with the growth of overseas tourists visiting India

slowing down to 5.6 per cent in 2008 as against 14.3 per cent in 2007(Annual

Report, Ministry Of Tourism). Tourist footfalls had further declined in the

aftermath of the co-ordinated terror-strike at Taj, the premier hotel in Mumbai,

and several other places in the city. The chain of events had an impact on the

tourist arrivals in India. This coupled with the May 13th, 2008 series of bomb

blasts that claimed more than 80 lives in Jaipur also had its impact.

Nevertheless, Indian tourism sector outperformed the global growth of 2 per cent

in international tourist arrivals in 2008.Foreign Tourist Arrivals( FTAs) during

2009 were 5.11 million with a growth rate of(-)3.3% as compared to theFTAs of

5.28 million and growth rate of 4% during 2008.Though the growth rate for 2009

is (-)3.3%, it is better than UNWTO’s projected growth rate of (-)6% to (-)4% for

the world.FTAs during the Month of December 2009 were 6.46 lakh as compared

to FTAs of 5.34 lakh in December 2008 and 5.97 lakh in December 2007.The

growth rate in FTAs in December 2009 over December 2008 works out to 21%

which is highest positive growth registered in any month of 2009.

As per the ACNielsen ORG-MARG survey,the total visitors (overnight

visitors*+day tourists**) to the State of Rajasthanfor the period of April 2005 –

March 2006 was 17549628, out of this, 9231132were Domestic, 1010904 were

Foreign and 7307592 were Day tourists. Out of this, the highest number of tourist

visiting the state were from France(in the said period) but in the total bed night

spend tourists from UK and US were at the top and also for other years as could

be seen from the table 5 below this table.

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Source: Ministry of Tourism, Govt. Of India

The table below gives a nationality wise distribution of freign tourists coming to

Rajasthan. Tourists from France, UK and US top the list.

Table 6

Country-wise Foreign Tourist Arrivals in Rajasthan

(2001 to 2005)

Country 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005*

U.K 74776 48925 63950 91336 120169

France 89948 50890 94500 139565 169485

Italy 33359 22380 38122 59505 84780

Canada 15237 10720 22221 33731 52873

USA 41768 27873 41684 68535 105074

Germany 47761 30920 50006 71978 94056

Australia 24611 15830 23840 41090 61921

Switzerland 17147 20397 17211 29320 45662

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Japan 29654 12564 18794 24811 29979

Srilanka 701 1439 2023 3263 311

Others 233321 186499 256209 408638 366854

Total 608283 428437 628560 971772 131164

*Provisional.

Compiled from the statistics released by: Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No 836, dated

01.08.2006 However, as far as foreign tourists are concerned, Rajasthan continues to be

among the top ten states in the country.

Table 7

Number and Percentage Share of Top Ten States in Foreign Tourist Visits in India

(2008)

Foreign Tourist Visits * in 2008 States

Number Percentage Share (%)

Delhi 2339287 16.6

Maharashtra 2056913 14.6

Tamil Nadu 2029410 14.4

Uttar Pradesh 1610089 11.4

Rajasthan 1477646 10.5

West Bengal 1133671 8.0

Andhra Pradesh 789180 5.6

Kerala 598929 4.2

Himachal Pradesh 376736 2.7

Goa 351123 2.5

Total of Top 10 States 12762984 90.5

Others 1349606 9.5

Total 14112590 100.0

*Provisional (Figures for Maharashtra & Chhattisgarh have been estimated)

Source: Ministry of Tourism Govt. of India.

30

Tourism Policy

Policy The word "policy" is not a tightly defined concept but a highly flexible one, used in

different ways on different occasions. Anderson (1975) defines policy as a

purposive course of action followed by an actor or set of actors in dealing with a

problem or matter of concern. Policy comprises decisions taken by those with

responsibility for a given policy arena, and these decisions usually take the form

of statements or formal positions on an issue, which are then executed by the

bureaucracy (Keely and Scooones 2003). Schneider and Ingram (1992) provide

a seemingly comprehensive definition of policy, when they state “Policies are

revelaed through texts, practises, symbols and discourses that define and deliver

values including goods and services as well as regulations, income, status and

other positively or negatively valued attributes”.

National Tourism Policy, 2002 A NationaI Policy on Tourism highlighting the importance of the sector and the

objectives of tourism development in the country was presented in the Parliament

in 1982. The policy did not emphasize the role of private sector, and foreign

investment was not envisaged. The policyaIso did not lay adequate emphasis on

domestic tourism and the need for product development. As such, the Ministry of

Tourism had prepared a draft National Tourism Development

Policy,2002(attached as Annexure A2) with the objective of positioning tourism

as a major engine of economic growth and to harness its direct and multiplier

effects for employment and poverty eradication in an environmentally sustainable

manner. It was felt that at the institutional level, a framework would have to· be

evolved that is Government-led, private sector driven and community-welfare

oriented. Sustainability was envisaged to serve as the guiding star for the new

Policy. The development and management strategies was to be so worked out

as to ensure that tourism largely acts as a smokeless industry and its ecological

footprints remain as soft as possible. No one engaged, directly or indirectly, in

the tourism industry, is to be allowed to secure short-term gains by resorting to

31

what has been called the darker side of tourism. Neither over-exploitation of

natural resources should be permitted nor the carrying capacity of the tourist-

sites ignored. Special thrust was to be imparted to rural tourism and tourism in

small settlements, where sizeable assets of our cultural and natural wealth exist.

It was also envisaged in the policy that a section of the State police should be

earmarked to act as tourrist police and special training should be imparted to it.

Broadly the policy attempted to: -

• Position tourism as a major engine of economic growth;

• Harness the direct and multiplier effects of tourism for employment

generation, economic development and providing impetus to rural tourism;

• Focus on domestic tourism as a major driver of tourism growth.

• Position India as a global brand to take advantage of the burgeoning

global travel trade and the vast untapped potential of India as a

destination;

• Acknowledges the critical role of private sector with government working

as a pro-active facilitator and catalyst;

• Create and develop integrated tourism circuits based on India's unique

civilization, heritage, and culture in partnership with states, private sector

and other agencies;

• Ensure that the tourist to India gets physically invigorated, mentally

rejuvenated, culturally enriched, spiritually elevated and "feel India from

within".

The Tourism Policy of Rajasthan, 2001 Recognising the potential attractions that Rajasthan has to offer to domestic and

foreign tourists, the Government has accorded Tourism a special status. Tourism

was declared industry in Rajasthan in the year 1989.A new pragmatic policy,

taking into account the changing socio-economic and investment scenario in the

State of Rajasthan and the emerging trends in the tourism phenomenon was thus

announced in 2001(attached as Annexure A3). The policy was announced with

32

the following objectives:

• Increase employment opportunities, especially in rural areas for

uemployed rural youth.

• Optimum utilisation of rich tourist resources of the State in order to attract

the maximum number of domestic and international tourists;

• To facilitate the growth of tourism in the State and to further involve the

private sector in the development of tourism in Rajasthan;

• Preservation of rich natural habitat and bio-diversity, historical,

architectural and cultural heritage of Rajasthan; special emphasis on

conservation of historical monuments in Rajasthan;

• To develop a ready market for the rich and varied handicrafts and cottage

industries of Rajasthan; ensure welfare of artisans/ artistes;

• To promote inter cultural understanding through religious / pilgrim tourism

and fairs and festivals;

• To promote socio-economic development of Rajasthan through Tourism

with special thrust on backward areas;

• To make tourism a "People's Industry" in the state;

• To minimise the negative impacts of tourism and promote sustainable

tourism;

• To open new vistas in tourism like Adventure tourism, Eco-tourism,

Camel/Horse safaris, River and Canal cruise, House boats in Rajasthan

(Palace-On-Waves), Educational Tourism, Caravan Tourism and Village

Tourism.

• Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur and other cultural institutions will be

associated with Tourism development.

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Other policies of Rajasthan Government promoting tourism Land Bank Schene The Rajasthan Govt. with an objective for easy establishment of Tourist Units

has launched an innovative scheme of Land Bank. This is in accordance to

the policy directives as laid in the Tourism Policy document.Under this

scheme, such Govt. Land / Nazool properties which are being selected for

establishment of Tourism units by the department be transferred to Land

Bank for further disposal at level of DoT and RTDC. Such selected property

are available for disposal in the "Land Bank" established in RTDC, so that

entrepreneurs can invest in tourist units in the State. The disposal of the

properties of Land Bank is by open two-stage bidding sanction. In the first

stage, bids are evaluated on the basis of bidders experience in hotel industry,

its financial standing and management capability etc. In the second stage,

financial bids are invited from the short listed bidders of the first stage and

thereafter the property is awarded as per the decision of the committee, which

is communicated to the successful bidder.

Rajasthan Tourism Unit Policy, 2007 The Glorious Heritage and colorful culture of the state is a special attraction for

Foreign Tourists. Heritage assets, found all over the state can be utilized for

development of Tourism. During the last few years, there has been tremendous

increase in the number of tourists to the State. However the infrastructural

facilities have not kept pace. Presently there are 36,000 rooms available for

Tourists and by year 2012 an additional 20,000 Hotel rooms would be required

for tourists in the State. With this objective, the State Govt. had in 2006

announced a New Hotel Policy proposing several concessions. The concessions

in the hotel Policy 2006 were to be extended to the Star category of Hotels only,

whereas several other categories of hotels, heritage hotels and other tourism

units such as camping sites, holiday resorts and restaurants etc. are also

providing accommodation for tourists.

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In this regard, Tourism unit as defined in rule 1AA of Rajasthan Land Revenue

(Industrial Area Allotment) Rules, 1959, and Rule 2 (r) of Rajasthan Land

Revenue (Conversion of Agricultural Land for Non-Agricultural purpose in Rural

areas), Rule, 2007, includes all types of hotels, heritage hotel, holiday resorts

etc. In view of the new definition of Tourism Unit, it has become essential for

Tourism development not only to include classified hotels in the Hotel Policy but

also to include all other category of hotels, heritage hotels and other tourism units

in the New Policy. With this objective Rajasthan New Tourism Unit Policy

2007(attached as Annexure A4) was announced. The following concessions and facilities have been made applicable for all types of Tourism Units: –

• In Rule 2(r)(d) of Rajasthan Land Revenue (Conversion ofAgricultural Land for Non-Agricultural purposes in rural areas), Rule, 2007, a restaurant having investment of Rs. 10.00 lacs or more, has been included. This investment will be increased to Rs.1.00 crore.

• Considering the new developments taking place in the Tourism sector and the possible need for inclusion of new definitions in the policy to avail of the benefits, Principal Secretary, Tourism and Principal Secretary, Urban Governance would define and recommend to the concerned departments to include such activities as Tourism Units in applicable rules.

• Health Spa or other medical health related activities such as Yoga

etc. attached with Tourism Units, Golf Academy, Golf Course, other Sports related activity would be included in the definition of Tourism Units in applicable rules.

35

Other Incentives available for establishment of Hotel Industries in Rajasthan The following incentives are available for establishing Hotel industries in the

state: A.There will be no conversion charges for conversion of Agriculture land in

urban areas and conversion of agriculture land for non-agriculture purpose in

rural areas under Tourism Unit Policy2007.

B. Maximum land area for allotment of land has been increased and special

reserve price has been kept from 10% to 50% of the commercial reserve

price of the area for various Tourism Units under Tourism Unit Policy 2007.

C. Regularization of residential land and buildings which are running as hotels

or other tourisms units without permission and are also operational the same

shall be regularized on merits basis on payment of 25% of regularization fees

under Rajasthan Municipality Rule 2000 under Tourism Unit Policy 2007.

D. FAR (Floor area ratio) for hotels already established will be increased from

1.75 to 2.0 to allow construction of additional floor under Tourism Unit Policy

2007.

E. For new Hotel projects under Hotel policy 2006 (FAR) has been increased

up to twice within scheme area subject to the condition that over all FAR of

the scheme area shall not exceed 1 (one).

F. Fifty percent of the conversion charges shall be charged in case of

conversion of land for development of Tourism Hub as declared by the

Tourism Department Government of Rajasthan under the provisions of

Tourism Hub Policy.

G. 50% concession in Stamp Duty and in conversion charges for developers

36

of amenities around monuments (amenities- toilets, communication, and

restaurant, parking facilities) under the provisions of Tourism Hub Policy.

H. Heritage Property which is converted into Heritage Hotel having minimum

of 10 rooms has been exempted 100% from conversion charges.

I. 75% concession in Stamp Duty on conversion of old Heritage properties

(more then 100 years) into Hotels.

J. 50% Remission in Luxury Tax during the off-season i.e. April to July.

Incentives available for new Tourism units under Rajasthan investment promotion scheme, 2003 of Industries Department, Govt. of Rajasthan.

A. Exemption in Luxury Tax: -

(i) 100% of Luxury Tax for a period of 7 years

B. Exemption in Stamp Duty: -

(i) 50% in stamp duty for a period of 7 years

C. Other Incentives: -

(i) 50% of entertainment duty for 7 years

(ii) 50% of electrical duty for 7 years

(iii) 50% from conversion charges

D. Interest subsidy to Tourism Units such as Hotel, Motel etc.

(i) 5% interest subsidy to and wage/employment subsidy.

(ii) An additional 1% interest subsidy for SC/ST entrepreneurs.

However, these exemptions were available from 1.7.2003 to

31.3.2009.

Adopt a Monument Scheme

Realizing the potential and value of the legacy of the past, the Government of

37

Rajasthan launched the scheme for ‘Adopt a Monument’ (AAM), as an instrument

for public-private participation for preserving the State’s rich heritage. It was

expected that a large number of NRIs, specially those of Rajasthani origin, NRRs

and corporate entities from within Rajasthan may become interested in

participating in this mammoth task. AAM scheme (attached as Annexure A5)

has been framed keeping in view this objective. The scheme envisages adoption

of a monument by any person with a view to restoring it and to maintain it after

restoration for a period upto 10 years. The project will constitute conservation of

Heritage monuments. The conservation shall comprise of expenditure viz. capital

and recurring to be incurred on conservation, restoration, face-lift and

maintenance of the monuments including landscaping, signage’s, conveniences

etc. It shall also include the recurring expenditure to be incurred every year for

maintenance of the entire complex for upto ten years. The following are the

salient features of the scheme:

a. Identification of the monument by the government: The State Government

shall identify monuments that can be offered for adoption. The monuments may

be protected by the State Archeology Department under the Act or may not be

protected. However, if it is protected monument, it shall be listed for offer only

after the Department of Archeology has taken necessary steps to permit private

parties to conserve it. State Archeology Department shall prepare a master plan

for each of such existing heritage monument. Each master plan shall comprise of

the details of identified activities and works to be undertaken for the conservation

of the monument concerned.

b. The conservation plan upto 10 years shall be approved by the State

government at the level of Administrative Department of Art & Culture. The

conservation plan shall include the following:

i. Detailed designs for conservation works, public conveniences, landscaping etc.

ii. Detailed plan for maintenance.

iii. Estimates for one time expenditure on conservation works, construction of

38

public conveniences, landscaping etc.

iv. Estimates for year-wise expenditure on maintenance including lighting,

security etc. for a period upto 10 years.

c. The donors will donate the funds to an SPV, a no profit society formed under

Societies Registration Act, 1958. This Special Purpose Vehicle society (SPV)

would operate a Heritage Fund in which these donations shall be deposited and

drawn from in accordance with the plan approved by the Department of Art &

Culture. The SPV shall maintain separate accounts for each of the monuments

and these shall be audited every year. A copy of the audited account shall be

sent to the donors on annual basis.

d. The conservation works would be carried out by the government agency.

However, in case the donor wishes to carry out the works himself he would be

allowed to do so only after an approval from the AAM Steering Committee. In

such a case, the donor shall carry out the conservation works under the

supervision of the Art & Culture department. AAM Steeringcommittee shall

review the progress of such cases periodically.

It may be of interest to note that a similar scheme was launched in 1987 in New

York. The scheme is relaization if one of the objectives as laid in the Tourism

Policy, 2001.

Jal Mahal Project In Rajasthan, several famous places of tourist importance have fallen in disuse

because of various reasons such as apathy of the conservation authorities,

funding problems etc. One such example was the Jal Mahal Lake in Jaipur. Jal

Mahal is an 18th century pleasure palace located in the middle of the Mansagar

Lake. Mansagar Lake is a 300 acre lake surrounded by the Nahargarh hills. The

Jal Mahal Project Area falls in the Jaipur – Amer tourist corridor and is the only

39

major waterbody in Jaipur. The project location is in the close vicinity of key

tourist attraction viz. Amer, Jaigarh and Nahargarh Forts and the walled city of

Jaipur. Almost every tourist, visiting Jaipur passes through this area. The project

area has the potential to be transformed into a major tourism destination. The

lake and the project area was an ecological disaster, with the dumping of

untreated sewage from the city and poor upkeep. The monument itself was

poorly maintained with no formal access possible for tourists

During the past, several attempts have been made by Government of Rajasthan

to restore the ecological and environmental condition of the lake and its adjoining

area. However, none of these attempts yielded any positive result because of

paucity of funds and non-incentivised approach to take up restoration. In

addition, these measures were not able to provide a sustainable lake restoration

and maintenance program of the area on a long term and continuous basis

.IL&FS was entrusted the job of finding a permanent solution to the development

requirements of the project in the year 2000. Through its joint-venture company

with Government of Rajasthan, PDCOR Ltd. IL&FS institutionalized a careful

process of project development and structuring. It was able to design a

restoration initiative, source the resources for project implementation and

innovatively involve the private sector in sustainable development of the project

area As of date, most of the lake restoration program has been completed and

the identified private sector partner for area development is in the process of the

full area. The project has set a benchmark in sustainable development of the

urban water bodies with private sector participation

As part of financing effort, lake restoration funds of Rs.180 million was arranged

for renewal of the lake eco- system from MoEF, GoI, as a grant under the

National River Conservation Program. The State Government through its nodal

agency, Jaipur Development Authority (JDA), is providing the balance fund

40

This is the first lake conservation project sanctioned by MoEF, GoI for the State

of Rajasthan. Further, while sanctioning the grant amount, MoEF, GoI has been

quite appreciative of the sustainability model, and has recommended that a

similar structure be considered for restoration of Udaipur Lake and other such

environmentally sensitive restoration projects. Jaipur Development Authority

(JDA) was appointed as the nodal agency for lake restoration part of the project.

As of date most of the lake restoration components have been implemented .The

project for tourism development has been awarded to a consortia led by M/s.

KGK Enterprises The tourism products which are proposed to be developed in

the site include: -

(i) Convention Centre and Art Gallery

(ii) Multiplex and Entertainment Centre

(iii) Craft Bazaar

(iv) Arts and Craft Village

(v) Resort Hotels

(vi) Restaurants and Food Court

(vii) Public park and gardens

The developer is also responsible for restoration and maintenance of the Jal

Mahal. The lease rental paid by the private sector developer would be used to

discharge the maintenance obligations of the lake on a continuing basis.

Report on Collection of Tourism Statistics for the State of Rajasthan Ministry of Tourism, Government of India initiated pilot surveys in ten states

including Rajasthan state on a plan to outsource collection activity of tourism

statistics for the different states. ACNielsen ORG-MARG Pvt. Ltd. was entrusted

with collection of tourism statistics for the State of Rajasthan. The pilot survey

was for a period of 12 months with the purpose to gain experience for future.

The main aim of the proposed survey was to collect relevant tourist related

statistics for understanding subtle trends related to visitors (both domestic as well

41

as foreign ones) in the State. Additionally it was also intended to provide

comprehensive listing of available accommodation infrastructure in prime tourist

destinations in the State, including those of the unorganized sector, for a period

of 1 year (2004-05). The survey along with an assessment of the direct

employment generated by the tourism sector, estimate the expenditure patterns

of tourists, tourist needs, preferences and satisfaction levels with regard to the

various available facilities in the State.

Fairs & Festivals The Department of Tourism organizes fairs, festivals and cultural events throughout the year. Some of the important ones are:

• Summer Festival, Mount Abu • Teej Festival, jaipur • World Tourism Day • Marwar Festival, Jodhpur • Pushkar Fairs, Ajmer • Chandrabhaga Fair, Jhalawar • Bundi Festival, Bundi • Sharad Mahotsav, Mt. Abu. • Desert Festival, Jaisalmer • Baneshwar Fair, Dungarpur • Elephant Festival, Jaipur • Camel Festival, Bikaner

New Initiatives

42

Golf Tourism Today Golf Tourism has been pivot in the field of Tourism. It makes tourist to stay

form more at a place. Expertise is being hired for preparation of Project Report

for making international standard Golf Complex in Rajasthan.

Caravan Tourism

In an effort to promote niche tourism prodcts, the central goverenment is

promoting caravan tourism. Considering the diverse tourism products and the

multitude of landscapes in India, Caravans and Caravan Parks have a potential

to add an exciting new facet to tourism in Incredible India and would attract a

wide range of market segments including young people, families, senior citizens

and international tourists.

Under the guidelines issued by the Central govt, the Caravans would be

popularized and promoted by developing Caravan Parks in public private

and PPP mode. The Caravan Parks would be approved by the Ministry of

Tourism once they develop the minimum required facilities such as parking bays,

tourist amenities centre, landscaping, toilets and adequate measures for safety

and security of tourists. The caravan parks will also provide electricity, water and

sewerage disposal facilities to the Caravans which are parked. The caravan

parks shall maintain environmental friendly and responsible practices.

Ministry of Tourism shall provide central assistance, which could

be upto Rs 5 crore per destination to State Governments/U.T. Admn under its

existing scheme of product infrastructure development of destination/circuits for

development of caravan parks in Government sector. Assistance to the level of

25% of the cost can also be provided for procurement of caravans in public

sector corporations.

43

Adventure Sports The terrain in Rajasthan is tailor-made for most adventure sports, with its Aravalli

hills, the open desert tracts, the vast lakes and rivers, the wildlife parks, and little

villages abandoned by the march of civilization as is known, but no less

hospitable for it. And threading these together, a landscape where the paths and

trails weave through a history rich with forts and palaces, mansions and

cenotaphs. And a culture that binds these together into a fascinating journey.

One can choose from a number of adventure sports options. Tourists can relax

with golf, go vintage, or practice archery, go boating - in the Chambal river

through the gorges of the plateau of Hadoti, or, go up in the air, for a bit of aerial

sightseeing over heritage cities by small aircraft or in hot air balloons. Recently

department has organised adventure sports activities at Jaipur and Kota. For

identification of adventure sports tourism sites in the State, a Project Report is

being prepared.

Infrastructure Preparedness of the state With Rajasthan aiming high on the tourism front, what is the prepardness on the

basic infrastructure and tourism infrastructure front? Does the state have

adequate number of hotels, hotel rooms, airports, quality roads, urban

infrastructure etc? The Rajasthan governnmnt had come out with its requirement

for infrastructure and investment from 2001 to 2020.

Table 8

Infrastructure Requirement/Investment for Tourism Infrastructure in Rajasthan

(2001 to 2020) (Rs. in Crore)

Particulars 2001 2005 2010 2015 2020 Hotels 93 177 210 203 300 Restaurants 3 11 9 13 17 Airlines Facilities 45 133 84 42 36 Air Taxis/ Charters/ Helicopter Services 12 23 28 37 37 Taxis/ Tourist Coaches 76 105 145 165 212 Wayside Facilities 12 41 80 92 60

44

Monuments Conservation 6 14 20 28 42 Sanctuaries 4 14 21 11 8 Amusements/ Theme/ Water Parks 9 15 21 28 32 Others 11 18 20 22 25 Total 271 551 638 641 769 Cumulative Total 271 822 1460 2101 2870

Source: Department of Tourism, Govt. of Rajasthan

It was also envisaged in the Rajasthan Tourism Policy, 2001 that in order to

develop infrastructure, the Government will prepare an Area-based Master Plan

outlining the infrastructure necessary in each such area. The plan will be based

on the potential, which each destination holds for development of Tourism. An

investment plan will be evolved from this Master Plan. The Investment Plan was

to be further translated into an Annual Action Plan in order that the goals set in

the Master Plan will be achieved in a time bound manner.

An important part of this infrastructure is the number of tour operators, adventure

tour operators etc. As far as the recgnised tour operators, travel agencies in the

state is concerned, Rajasthan doesn’t score very high as is visible from the table

given below:

Table 9

State-wise Number of Recognised Tour Operators, Travel Agencies, Tourist Transport Operators, Adventure Tour Operators and Domestic Tour Operators in India

(As on 31.12.2007)

State/Uts Tour Operators

Travel Agencies

Tourist Transport Operators

Adventure Tour

Operators

Domestic Tour Operators

Andhra Pradesh 6 11 4 - - Arunachal Pradesh 1 - - - - Assam 4 - - - - Bihar 2 3 - - - Chhattisgarh - - - - - Goa 13 4 - - - Gujarat 5 8 2 - - Haryana 5 4 - - -

45

Himachal Pradesh - - - - - Jammu & Kashmir 5 1 - - 2 Jharkhand - - - - - Karnataka 9 22 13 - 2 Kerala 17 5 22 - - Madhya Pradesh 1 2 2 - - Maharashtra 40 77 12 1 3 Manipur - - - - - Meghalaya - - - - - Mizoram - - - - - Nagaland - - - - - Orissa 5 - - - - Punjab - 3 2 - - Rajasthan 5 2 - - - Sikkim - - - - - Tamil Nadu 22 47 24 - 5 Tripura - - - - - Uttar Pradesh 9 5 3 - - Uttarakhand - 1 - 1 - West Bengal 3 15 1 - - Andaman & Nicobar - 2 - - - Chandigarh - 1 1 - - Dadra & Nagar Haveli - - - - - Daman & Diu - - - - - Delhi 285 121 73 22 7 Lakshadweep - - - - - Puducherry 1 3 1 - - India 438 337 160 24 19

Source: Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India.

Wayside Amenities

Rajasthan has a geographical mass of 3.42 Lacs Sq. km. and spans more than

800 Kms. from East to West and North to South.The Air and Rail links are still not

well developed resulting in more use of surface transportation. This necessitates

the creation of suitable wayside amenities at appropriate places in order to

provide commuting tourists an opportunity to relax and refresh themselves. As

per the Rajasthan Tourism Policy, such facilities were to be developed both in

the public and private sectors at intervals of 100 to 125 Kms. Along the

important road-routes in the State,the concept of having various conveniences

46

integrated in such way- side facilities was to be promoted. For this, a survey of all

spots was to be undertaken throughout the State and facilities were to be

developed in the next five years. Private investment was to be encouraged in this

sector and public investment was to be limited to areas where private initiative is

not forthcoming. Still, the wayside amenities remain a policy and its

implementation is awaited.

Policy for Promotion & Marketing of Tourism in India

The Incedible India Campaign The first marketing initiative of its kind by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of

India, Incredible India was conceptualized in 2002 by Ministry of Tourism. The

primary objective of this branding exercise was to create a distinctive identity for

the country. This resulted in the iconic ”Incredible !ndia” logo, where the

exclamation mark that formed the “I” of India was used to great effect across all

communications. The campaign successfully established India as a high-end

tourist destination, generating a 16% increase in tourist traffic in the first year.

In the second year, the Incredible India campaign focused on spiritual tourism,

resulting in a 28.8% increase in tourist traffic and a no.1 ranking in the Travel &

Leisure readers survey. In 2003, Condé Nast Traveller selected India as one of

the top ten preferred destinations for the discerning traveller. “India’s results are

very exciting and show the country’s increasing popularity amongst sophisticated

travellers. It also reflects very positively on the individuals involved in promoting

India as a premium tourist destination.” Sarah Miller, Editor, Condé Nast

Traveller, 2003.

In January 2004, Lonely Planet conducted a survey in 134 countries to select the

world’s favourite destination for individual travellers. India was ranked among the

top five favourite international destinations in the global survey (the other four

were Thailand, Italy, Australia and New Zealand). According to Lonely Planet,

47

“the respondent for the survey was today’s independent traveller – professional,

with a degree or post-graduate qualification who is aged 25 to 34.” The 2003/04

campaign went on to win many prestigious awards, including Gold at PATA and

the Bombay Ad Club.

After a break of one year, the original team of Incredible India collaborated again.

In 2006, Delhi based creative agency (A), founded by V Sunil, and was called in

to create the new global campaign for 2006/07. The print and outdoor executions

combined spectacular images with a wry, self-assured tone – a far cry from the

bowing and scraping of past campaigns.

The campaign went on to win the PATA Grand Award 2007 for Marketing, and

was one of only four ‘best of show’ Grand Awards out of a total of 339 entries

from 132 organizations.

ITB Berlin,2007-In March 2007, the global brand campaign (an evolution of the

‘Incredible’ theme, which was unprecedented in terms of quality and scale) was

extended to the Internationale Tourismus Bourse (ITB) Berlin – the world's

largest travel and tourism show – where India was participating as the Partner

Country. The campaign used the entire city as a canvas - covering it with large

billboards, branding on taxis and buses, vibrant graphic art and 3D installations.

Signaling a new level of sophistication in India's branding strategy, the ITB

campaign overwhelmed the international media and trade.

India Now, London- India Now was a three-month long campaign designed to

showcase India’s accelerating economy and ever-evolving culture. It was

organized from July to September 2007 in London and featured events, activities

and festivals across the capital dedicated to Indian art, film, food, theatre, music

and fashion. As part of the campaign, buses and taxis plying along the main

routes in London wore vibrant Incredible India colours and messages. Outdoor

panels in 150 bus shelters featured images of India that corresponded to the

names of famous London Underground stations, creating a dramatic and

48

amusing contrast. An estimated one million Londoners and visitors to London

participated in these events. There was also a 16% jump in inbound tourism from

the UK.

Cannes 2007- This special campaign was designed to attract a global film crowd

at the International Film Festival at Cannes. Large outdoor posters showed off

India’s diverse and picturesque locales - from the golden beaches of Kerala to

the Tiger reserves of Madhya Pradesh - with cinematographic-themed headlines

such as ‘Location for Hire’ in French.

India @60, New York- The year 2007 not only marked the 60th year of

independence for India but also celebrated the arrival of India on the global

platform. The Incredible India@60 campaign was launched in New York from

23rd-26th September 2007 to coincide with the UN General Assembly session.

The combination of the four-day event and the General Assembly created the

perfect opportunity to showcase the best of India to world leaders, top

international business moguls and the public. Incredible India@60 took India’s

extraordinary energy and cultural diversity to the watching world. Billboards at

Times Square, taxis, buses, bus shelters, TV and radio announced the arrival of

a brand new India. With eight ministries, eight overseas partners and 41 events –

including four gala dinners, 13 conferences and panel discussions, nine cultural

shows, seven receptions and eight ongoing events – it was a grand show that

maximized India’s presence and visibility to the world.

2007-08 campaign-The Colours of India campaign emphasized India’s diverse

cultural spectrum. Featuring breathtaking images and colour-based headlines

such as Coffee Brown and Red Hot, the campaign was launched globally in 71

leading newspapers and magazines. Using traditional and interactive media -

print, outdoor and the internet - India was positioned as a unique and vibrant

destination for tourists.

49

Campaign 2008-09- The India Tourism 2008 campaign was based on the

experiences of those who came to visit India as tourists and stayed back to make

India their home. It takes a special bond with the country and its people to give

up everything you know and set up home, take roots in India. These are the

people who’ve truly embraced the culture and assimilated it into their being. As

opposed to those who’ve simply being ‘bitten by the India bug’. Staying back is

prompted by a decision that will change their lives forever. It is not a mere whim

or adventure. It is the commitment of a lifetime. There are several people like this

in India and the campaign went through a careful process to select the ones who

they felt could be ambassadors of Indian culture. The creative idea employed a

simple device that stated their country of birth, followed by text that said

‘Motherland: India’.

Atithi Devo Bhavah Campign (2005)

A pioneer initiative by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India aimed to tap the

full potential of tourism in India. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has

introduced “Atithi Devo Bhavah Program”- A nation wide campaign that aimed at

sensitising key stakeholders towards tourists, through a process of training and

orientation. 'The guest is God' is Indian tourism's version of the customer

satisfaction slogan, 'customer is king', once preached by Peter Drucker.

'Atithi Devo Bhavah' is a Social Awareness Campaign aimed at providing the

inbound tourist a sense of being welcomed to the country. The campaign targets

the general public as a whole, while focusing mainly on the stakeholders of the

tourism industry. The main components of the campaign are training and

orientation to taxi drivers, guides, immigration officers, tourist police and other

personnel directly interacting with the tourists, while simultaneously creating

brand equity for the trained persons.

50

"Atithi Devo Bhavah" involves Sensitisation, Screening, Induction, Training &

Orientation, Certification and Feedback of key stakeholders of the Tourism

industry in India.

It is a symbolic representation of India's age old hospitality and with this

campaign, an effort was made to re-install in the stakeholders a sense of pride

and responsibility towards tourists, while positioning India as a popular tourist

destination worldwide.

The Ministry of Tourism through it was thus looking at both the macro and micro

perspective by promoting destinations on the one hand and bringing about a sea

change in the mindset and behaviour of people, on the other.

Components of the Atithi Devo Bhavah Program

This included training programme, Mass Media camapign and PR Road shows.

The key stakeholders (of the tourism industry) were traned in terms of changing

their attitude and behaviour towards foreign tourists. The programme covered 4

areas:

• Hygiene - This include personal hygiene of the person and also that of the

product / service.

• Conduct and behaviour - Politeness and basic courtesies in interacting

with the foreign tourists.

• Integrity - This implies that the person does not cheat the tourists and

charges him a fair price for the service.

• Safety and security - Person look after safety and security of the foreign

tourists.

51

Key stakeholders being covered in the training included taxi drivers, baggage

handlers at airport, tourist guides, hotel staff, employees of tour operators,

immigration and customs officials etc.Since these segments have diverse

backgrounds, education and levels of sophistication, the training is divided into 2

categories:

• Level 1: Covers taxi drives, tourist guides and baggage handlers and

porters.

• Level 2: The tour operators, shop owners / staff, hotel staff, immigration

and customs officials.

This training program was first initiated at Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur,

Agra, Aurangabad, and Goa. In the 2006-07, the programme was rolled out to

other important cities in India.

A Mass Media Communication was carried out in newspapers, TV, cinema and

outdoors to create general awareness about the Atithi Devo Bhavah programme

and to communicate to key stakeholders as to how it is in their own interest that

foreign tourists be treated well and should go back happily from our country.

The India Tourism offices of Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Goa and

Hydrabad have a crucial role to play in the campaign. They act as nodal

agencies to facilitate and coordinate the essential part of the program ie.

Training.

Policy for Promotion & Marketing of Tourism in Rajasthan

As far as promotion of tourism in Rajasthan is concerned, there is no specific

policy as such. It merely finds a mention in the tourism policy of the state 2001.

The Tourism Policy mentions the following:

52

• In order to facilitate dissemination of information to the tourists from

foreign and domestic market, the State will cause such literature, films,

videos and other material published and produced as is necessary.

• A multipronged strategy will be evolved to make optimal use of the media

for promoting Rajasthan as an attraction for tourists. Sufficient literature

will also be distributed to important Travel Agents and Tour Operators, Air-

lines, and Hotel groups for discrimination among important people

connected with tourism industry.

• High quality tourist literature would be published in foreignlanguages like

French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, Arabic and of course

English.

• Special efforts would be made for overseas publicity about Rajasthan as a

tourist destination. Private marketing and publicity linkages would be

established with the help of travel agents and tour operators to promote

tourism in Rajasthan in the world tourism market.

• Special drive would be launched to publicise tourism highlights of

Rajasthan in electronic media with the help of e-mail, Internet and latest

means of communication available for e-commerce.

• Efforts would be made to device interactive tourism information packages,

CD-ROMs and online reservation facilities for goods and services in

tourism sector would be made available in private and public sector.

Accordingly, the Tourism Department has taken the following efforts for tourism

promotion, publicity and marketing:

1. Printing of Tourism Publicity Literature

2. Advertising

3. International Conferences

4. Film, Photos, VHS, CD’setc.

5. Exhibitions

6. Seminar&Conferences

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7. Hospitality

8. Library

9. Souvenirs.

The Department also participates in the various international and national

exhibitions, seminars, marts and conferences. Road shows conducted in the

country and abroad. Department has represented Rajasthan in overseas at

WTM, London, TAAI, Malaysia and PATA, Singapore and for tourism promotion it

has participated in different International / national level conferences, seminars,

exhibitions etc. Department has made efforts through Print Media by releasing

advertisement in the prominent magazines and newspaper for tourism promotion

and publicity.

As per the Tourism Departmnt website, the department in order to facilitate

dissemination of information about tourist places, department annually publishes

brochures, folder, booklets posters etc of tourist places. The literature published

is being distributed in the country and abroad, so that the tourist can gain precise

information. It is also being circulated to the tourism trade related personalities

and organisations. Tourist can have these literatures available through the

Tourist Reception Centres / Tourist Information Centres run by the department.

Supporting the emergence of Tourism as a significant industry in Rajasthan are

the initiatives of the state government viz. organizing new festivals to promote

Rajasthan as an 'Year Round Tourism Destination', introducing Public Private

Partnership model in key tourism projects in the state, offering historical

monuments for adoption to private sector etc.

Rajasthan Tourism Department The Department of Tourism is working as a separate entity for the execution of

national and state level policies, programmes and also as a coordinating agency

54

for the Central - State Government Department/ Offices and Private sectors

activities for promotion of tourism in the state.

At the directorate level, two Additional Directors, one Joint Director, 2 Deputy.

Director, Sr. Accounts Officer, AD (Planning and Stat.), Assistant Directors,

Assistant Accounts Officer and Tourist Officer are working under the

Commissioner, Tourism. The field offices of the department at the 4 prominent

metropolitan cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai are also functioning.

At the regional level, in the two divisions of State Viz Kota & Jodhpur, Deputy

Directors are heading Offices, apart from Tourist Reception Centres & Tourist

Information Bureaus at other prominent tourist places/ entry points of State.

Under the control of Tourism Department, two public sector entities viz Rajasthan

Tourism Dev. Corporation Ltd. and Rajasthan State Hotel Corporation Ltd. and

one society viz Rajasthan Institute of Tourism and Travel Management

(RITTMAN) are also operating.

Luxury Trains The Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation operates two luxury trains

bringing the splendor, royalty and the heriage of the state in the lap of luxury. The

two trains Palace on Wheels (POW) and Royal Rajasthan on Wheels (RRW) are

the two attractions for those who want to live and travel the royal way.

The Palace on Wheels The Palace on Wheels was India's first train luxury train. It was launched by the

Indian Railways in 1982 to promote tourism in Rajasthan, and has been highly

popular since its launch. Following its success, other luxury and tourist trains

have been started on other routes in the country. It is a joint venture of RTDC

and Indan Railways.The concept of the Palace on Wheels was derived from the

royal coaches, which were originally meant to be the personal railway coaches of

the erstwhile rulers of the princely states of Rajputana, Gujarat, the Nizam of

Hyderabad and the Viceroy of British India.

55

There are 14 coaches in the train. Each of them is named after former Rajput

states and matches the aesthetics and interiors of the royal past. Facilities

include a bar with the choicest Indian and international spirits, a lounge with a

good collection of books and televisions and DVD players.Cabins are air-

conditioned with twin beds, channel music, intercom, and attached toilets running

hot and cold water.

The train has two restaurants, "The Maharaja" and "The Maharani", with a

Rajasthani ambience and serving continental, Chinese, Indian and Rajasthani

cuisines.The train departs from New Delhi and during its eight day journey,

travels around Rajasthan with stops in Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai

Madhopur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur, and Agra.The Palace on Wheels.

The train has a capacity for 100 travellers. In the initial 5 years of its operation,

the train had very low occuancy- as low as 10 %. Ths was due to lack of

promotional activitis. But after 1990 when General Sales Agents (GSA) were

appinted, the occupancy started picking up and now POW has 100% occupancy

anytime and you need to book well in advance if you want to have the royal

experience.

Royal Rajasthan on Wheels (RRW)

After the stupendous success of Palace on Wheels, Rajasthan’s second super

luxury train, Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, was launched in Setember, 2009 and

started its commercial operations in Oct 2009. The itinerary of the train is similar

to the Palace on Wheels except that it goes to Bikaner instead of Sawai

Madhopur. The Royal Rajasthan on Wheels is an upgraded version of the POW.

This luxury train offers 3 distinct itineraries that include journeying across the

beautiful and historic cities that are reminiscent of the glorious past of the

erstwhile Rajputana. The train winds its way through Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur,

Bikaner, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bharatpur, Agra, Varanasi, and Khajuraho across

its 3 tours. No matter which tour itinerary a traveller opt for, they will get a chance

56

to visit the legendary Taj Mahal at Agra. 2 of the 3 itineraries of the Royal

Rajasthan on Wheels have been designed in a way to enable a tourist to visit to

at least one wildlife environs located in the state.

This luxurious train is a joint venture of Rajasthan Tourism Development

Corporation and Rajasthan Railways. Royal Rajasthan on Wheels offers the

most opulent facilities to its guests fit only for the kings. State-of-the-art amenities

are blended with the traditional Rajput hospitality. The train is loaded with opulent

features offering comfort and luxuries to the passengers. The retro lounges and

super deluxe saloon would surely impress the passengers.

Royal Rajasthan on Wheels consists of super deluxe coaches and deluxe

coaches. The guests aboard this train enjoy more space, as the number of

passengers is limited to 80 as against 100 of POW. The train also has a common

lounge, facilitating guest interaction of a high magnitude. And with Wi-Fi internet

facility intact, tourists can actually never lose contact with the world while on the

go. There is also an intercontinental Spa facility to rejuvenate your senses.

Moreover, the attendants are at your disposal to assist you all the time.

Heritage on Wheels The Heritage on Wheels was launched in 2007 and was in operation for two

financial years. The bi-weekly train (on metre gauge) traversed all the nook and

crannies of the Bikaner and Shekhawati regions of Rajasthan. In the first years of

operation, 900 people took the journey (2007-08) and 800 people in 2008-09.

Due to gauge conversion work on the route the train has to be discontinued

which otherwise gave the opurtunity to the travellers to see the unexplored parts

of the state.

57

Tourist Assistant Force

With the upsurge of tourism in the country, instances have

come to the notice of the tourism department where tourists

have been extorted by shopkeepers, unauthorized guides,

touts, hawkers and even harassed by auto rikshawdrivers.

Tourist Assistance Force (TAF) scheme was started by the

tourism department in the year 2000. To begin with, 164

TAF personnel are deployed at prominent sites of tourist interest at Jaipur,

Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Udaipur, Chittaurgarh, Sawai Madhopur,

Ajmer-Pushkar and Mount Abu.

To enhance the safety and security of tourists visiting the State, the Tourism

Department has increased the number of TAF personnel to 250 and new

destinations have been added i.e. Bundi & Alwar-Sariska.

The Tourist Assistance Force can be approached for the following:

• To know about the locality of tourist sites and respective distance.

• In case of harassment by peddlers, hawkers, touts, beggars etc.

• To take guidance about local law and order, security and hazards and for

that free pamphlets of “Dos and Don'ts” are provided to tourists by TAF

personnel.

• To take information about authorized taxi stands, ATMs’, money

exchanges, guest houses, hotels restaurants etc.

• To take guidance about medical facilities available nearby. On-call

ambulance (Phone no.108) facility has been provided by govt. and TAF

personnel guides the tourist in emergency.

58

Marketing

Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association [AMA] as "the

activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering,

and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and

society at large." The AMA has revised its definition of marketing in 2007. Before

this, marketing was defined as an organizational function and a set of processes

for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing

customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.

(Est in 2004). The new definition takes into account input from a broad cross-

section of the Association membership. Marketing is regarded as an 'activity'

instead of a 'function' and positions marketing as a broader activity in a

company/organization, and not just a department. The new definition also

positions marketing as providing long term value rather than narrowly as an

exchange of money (short-term) for the benefit of the shareholder/organization.

Mangement Guru Philip Kotler defines marketing as 'satisfying needs and wants

through an exchange process'

The Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as "the management

process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer

requirements profitably." A different concept is the value-based marketing which

states the role of marketing to contribute to increasing shareholder value. In this

context, marketing is defined as "the management process that seeks to

maximise returns to shareholders by developing relationships with valued

customers and creating a competitive advantage”.

Marketing practice tended to be seen as a creative industry in the past, which

included advertising, distribution and selling. However, because the academic

study of marketing makes extensive use of social sciences, psychology,

sociology, mathematics, economics, anthropology and neuroscience, the

profession is now widely recognized as a science.The overall process starts with

marketing research and goes through market segmentation, business planning

59

and execution, ending with pre and post-sales promotional activities. It is also

related to many of the creative arts.

Destination Marketing Destination Marketing is a kind of marketing which markets Tourist destinations.

Destination Marketing Organisations do this kind of marketing to promote their

City, County, Area or Country

Branding “A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or combination of them,

intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to

differentiate them from those of competitors.”(Kotler, Philip. (2000). Marketing

management: The millennium edition)“Branding is perhaps the most powerful

marketing weapon available to contemporary destination marketers” (Morgan

and Pritchard, 2002).

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a ‘name, term, sign,

symbol, or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and

services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of

competition.’ Brands differentiate products and represent a promise of value.

Brands incite beliefs, evoke emotions and prompt behaviours. Marketers often

extend successful brand names to new product launches, lending existing

associations to them. As a result, they speed up consumers’ information

processing and consumers’ learning. Brands have social and emotional value to

users. They have personality and speak for the user. They enhance the

perceived utility and desirability of a product. Brands have the ability to add or

subtract the perceived value of a product. Consumers expect to pay lower prices

for unbranded products or for those with low brand equities, whereas they pay

premiums for their treasured or socially valued brands. Brands have equity for

both customers and investors. Brand equity translates into customer preference,

loyalty and financial gains. Brands are appraised and traded in the marketplace.

Brand equity has been pointed out to include many dimensions, such as

60

performance, social image, value, trustworthiness and identification (Lassar,

1995).

Destination Branding

Destination branding is a process used to develop a unique identity and

personality that is different from all competitive destinations. Destination

branding is “selecting a consistent brand element mix to identify and distinguish a

destination through positive image building” (Cai, 2000).

A destination brand is:

• A way to communicate a destination’s unique identity to visitors

• A means of differentiating a destination from its competitors

• A uniform “look” that all destination partners can consistently use

• A symbol, name, term or design, or combination of these elements.

As per Dstination Branding : Creating the unique destination Pproposition (edited

by Nigel Morgan & Roger Pride)”” Choice of holiday destination is a significant

lifestyle indicator for today’s aspirational consumers and the places where they

choose to spend their squeezed vacation time and hard earned income

increasingly have to have emotional appeal, high conversational capital and even

celebrity value. The World Tourism Organization endorses this view, suggesting

that the twenty-first century will see the emergence of tourism destinations as

fashion accessories. Indeed, as style symbols, destinations can offer similar

consumer benefits to highly branded lifestyle items. These are used to

communicate statements and group memberships, just as vacation trips are

expressive devices communicating messages about identity, lifestyle and status.

Travel for leisure is increasingly permeating the discourse of everyday life, but

remains a highly involving experience, extensively planned, excitedly anticipated

and fondly remembered.”

61

Marketing Startegy

A marketing strategy serves as the foundation of a marketing plan. A marketing

plan contains a list of specific actions required to successfully implement a

specific marketing strategy. Without a sound marketing strategy, a marketing

plan has no foundation. Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental

underpinning of marketing plans designed to reach marketing objectives. It is

important that these objectives have measurable results.

A good marketing strategy should integrate an organization's marketing goals,

policies, and action sequences (tactics) into a cohesive whole. The objective of a

marketing strategy is to provide a foundation from which a tactical plan is

developed. This allows the organization to carry out its mission effectively and

efficiently.

Marketing Plan As per AMA, marketing Plan is a document composed of an analysis of the

current marketing situation, opportunities and threats analysis, marketing

objectives, marketing strategy, action programs, and projected or pro-forma

income (and other financial) statements. This plan may be the only statement of

the strategic direction of a business, but it is more likely to apply only to a specific

brand or product. In the latter situation, the marketing plan is an implementation

device that is integrated within an overall strategic business plan.

SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths,

Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business

venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and

identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable

to achieving that objective

• Strengths: attributes of the organization that are helpful to achieving the

62

objective.

• Weaknesses: attributes of the organization that are harmful to achieving

the objective.

• Opportunities: external conditions that are helpful to achieving the

objective.

• Threats: external conditions, which could do damage to the business’s

performance.

SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the

first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues. While

strengths and weaknesses are internal factors, opportunities and threats are

external factors.

63

SWOT Analysis of Tourism Sector in Rajasthan The researcher has attempted a SWOT Analysis based on the literature review

Helpful (in achieving growth of the

sector)

Harmful (in achieving growthof the sector)

Inte

rnal

(at

tribu

tes

of th

e sy

stem

)

Strengths

1.Umpteen places of tourist

importance

2. Tourist friendly environment

3. Rich heritage

4. Great shopping destination

5. Rich art & culture

6. Proximity to Delhi

7. On the popular Delhi-Jaipur

–Agra circuit

Weakness

1.inadequate infrastructure that needs

modernization(airports) and

expansion(roads and railways)

2. Government has not traditionally

prioritised the sector

3.Quality and quantity of accomodation

insufficient

4. In-state travel facilities inadequate

5. Supply driven marketing strategy

Exte

rnal

(a

ttrib

utes

of t

he e

nviro

nmen

t)

Oppurtunities

1. High Domestic

Disposable Income

2. Weekend Tourism from

Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat

3. Wildlife tourism

4. Commonwealth Games

5. Niche Tourism

Threats

1. Aggressive promotion by other

states

2. Terror Acts in the state and country

affects the image and medium-term

disincentive for tourists

3. Global economic slowdown will

weigh on growth, particularly for US

and UK tourists

64

Marketing mix The marketing mix was first developed by McCarthy over 40 years ago. It was

designed to suggest that there should be a balanced mix of marketing activities

within the marketing plan. As per AMA, the mix of controllable marketing

variables that the firm uses to pursue the desired level of sales in the target

market. The most common classification of these factors is the four-factor

classification called the "Four Ps"-price, product, promotion, and place (or

distribution). Optimization of the marketing mix is achieved by assigning the

amount of the marketing budget to be spent on each element of the marketing

mix so as to maximize the total contribution to the firm. Contribution may be

measured in terms of sales or profits or in terms of any other organizational

goals.

Elements of the marketing mix- The 4 Ps - The main four elements of the

marketing mix are described as "the 4 P's" - product, price, promotion and place.

Product The first P is the product. This should define the characteristics of the product or

service that will meet customers' needs.

Price

65

The second P is the price of theproduct and decisions surrounding overall pricing

strategies. Pricing can be a very complex area. Most people believe they should

undercut their competitors but this is not always a wise strategy. Consumers

place value on higher priced products so it's best if various pricing levels of the

products are tested and over time the right pricing level that maximizes profits

could be found out.Even if one decide not to charge for a service it's useful to

realise that this is still a pricing strategy.

Promotion The third P is about promoting products and services. This may include

advertising, personal selling (eg: attending exhibitions), sales promotions (eg:

special offers), and atmospherics (ie: creating the right impression through the

working environment). Public Relations are also included within Promotion by

many marketing people, although PR people tend to see it as a separate

discipline.

Place

The final P is about ‘place’ – the location where the service is actually going to be

delivered. Many retail gurus say it's all about "location, location, location" and this

still holds true today.

The 4 Cs

Many now dismiss the four Ps as being out of date and have developed the four

Cs to replace that concept. There are the C's developed by Robert Lauterborn

and put forward by Marketing guru Philip Kotler where by:

• Place becomes Convenience ,

• Price becomes Cost to the user

• Promotion becomes Communication

• Product becomes Customer needs and wants

66

The four C's reflect a more customer oriented marketing philosophy. They

provide useful reminders that you need to focus entirely on the customer when

deciding where to offer a service.So, the marketing mix does provide a handy

framework for marketing analysis. The C's are also not nearly as memorable as

the P-words, and marketing texts still tend to use the latter to describe the

elements of the mix.Other experts have further added that business success is

driven by PEOPLE and PROCESS.

Interface between Policy and Marketing

The literature review undertaken by the researcher enabled her to get a clear

picture on the policies, which were formulated, for the promotion of tourism in

Rajasthan. The Tourism policy of Rajasthan formulated in 2001 is the major

policy document, which gives general dirctions for the growth of the sector. The

67

policy envisages a role of enabler for the government and the private sector led

development model for its growth. It lays down the framework and the broad

requirements for the sector to grow. Though, steps have been taken over the

years to implement and achieve the objectives as laid down in the policy, the

progress has not been to the desired level.

The marketing efforts of the government have been restricted to printing of

brochures, leaflets and other material. Participation in seminars and travel marts,

organizing of road shows has been held to promote tourism. But, here it needs to

be mentioned that the use of the true marketing principles in the marketing and

promotion of the sector is yet to be seen. The strategy seems to be more supply

driven then demand driven. Though world-wide the marketing mix has seen

prominence being given to the consumer driven (4Cs) strategy, the government

seems to be still being driven by the 4Ps model and that two half –heartedly. The

private players operating in the field, however, seems to be taking the lead and

the growth of niche tourism products is an example of the consumer driven

strategy.Branding and destination marketing efforts have been taken by the

governent. The Incredible India campiagn is an effort towards it but still a lot

remains desirable on the front as we are still struggling to achieve the target of

getting 1% of the world’s tourist arrivals. Smaller countries such as Singapore,

Dubai are far ahead of us. Despite its strengths, Rajasthan is not doing well on

the domestic tourism front with only 5.0% of the domestic tourists visiting the

state as against 10.5 % of total foreign tourists arriving in India. Another area that

desrves attention is whether we are able to promote and market the lesser

known destinations or destinations that have tourist potential but not yet tapped

and whether the same has been realized or not. The interface between policy

and marketing, thus, seems to be not full fledged.

68

Objectives of the Research

Based on the literature Review, the following research Objectives have been

identified:

• To study of the state of Tourism in Rajasthan and to study the impact of

the various Tourism Policies on the growth of the sector and to give

suggestions on the way ahead.

• To study the perception, understanding and concerns of the various

stakeholders.

• To understand the marketing strategy adopted in the state to promote

tourism and to understand and find out whether the strategy is in line with

the need of the hour. It will also find out whether, promotion and branding

issues are properly taken care of.

69

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research is a logical and systematic search for new and useful information on a

particular topic. It is an investigation for finding solutions to scientific and social

problems through objective and systematic analysis.

The procedures by which researchers go about their work of describing,

explaining and predicting phenomena are called research methodology.

The choice of the particular topic for conducting the research was tiggered by the

campaign “Incredible India “ to which the author

came closer during her tenure at National AIDS

Control Organization. The online campaign

organized by the Ministry was a topic of interest for

government officers like the researcher who were

associated with Information & communication

department. The marketing management and public

policy courses taught at MDI furtther generatd the

interest of the reseracher to find out the interplay of

public policy and marketing. Being from the state of

Rajasthan naturally made the reseracher turn

towards her own state to explore the potential of tourism in the state. Thus, came

the idea which was further firmed up with discussions with the researcher’s

Guide Dr. Avinash Kapoor, Assistant Professor, Marketing Management, MDI,

Gurgaon. Discussion with the supervisor, experts and colleagues about the

research work, particularly, the problem and its origin, objectives and difficulties

70

faced in the execution of the problem were also conducted by the researcher.

Review of the work reported on the similar problems was also done. The studies

conducted by the Ministry, independent studies done on the subject, case studies

of some other contries etc were referred. The author studied the Tourism Policy

of Rajasthan, 2001; the National tourism Policy, 2002, the Rajasthan Tourism

Unit Policy 2007, the policy for infrastructure development in the state, the state

of private participation in the tourism sector, the growth of hotel industry in the

state. The study of new schemes such as Adopt a Monument , Golf Tourism, Jal

Mahal project and the new branding of the state as “ Rajasthan- Simply Colorful “

was also undertaken.To understand the subject in its full complexity books, case

studies, papers presented at the various conferences on tourism Development

especially w.r.t Rajasthan were studied. Rajasthan Tourism marketing strategy

was also analyzed in the light of various marketing theories. A host of books on

marketing, marketing research, consumer behavior, Brand management, rural

marketing, and sustainable development was also referred. Books on

Rajasthan’s cultural heritage were also used for reference. To keep abreast with

the latest trends in the field of marketing and tourism, national and international

journals such as International Journal of Tourism Research and Journal of Travel

& Tourism Marketing amongst others were also referred. Based on these steps,

the research topic“ Tourism in Rajasthan: An exploratory study of Marketing and

Policy “ was finalized. It is an attempt to delve into the public policy and

management areas in the development of tourism in the state of Rajasthan.The

researcher followed a detailed research process to carry forward the study. In the

process of research, the following steps were undertaken:

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Process of research

Defining Research problem

Tourism is third most important sector after agriculture and industry in Rajasthan.

It contributes more than 15%to state GDP. As per the Indian Tourism Statistics

2008, Rajasthan receives about 5% of domestic tourists and 10.5% of

international tourists visiting India. It gets the 5th largest number of domestic

tourists and 4th largest number of foreign tourists in the country. With nearly

everything to offer to tourists (except sea and snow clad mountains), this is one

of the amazingly rich states as far as tourism is concerned. The research

problem relates to whether the state has been able to achieve its full potential as

far as tourism is concerned.

Reviewing Concepts & Theories and Review of Previous Research Findings

The concepts and theories related with the subject were reviewed in detail as

Review concepts and theories Research

Questions

Analysis data Interpret and report

Define research problem

Review previous research finding

Design research (including sample

design)

Collect data (execution)

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part of the literature review. The concepts related to policy, marketing, branding

etc have been dealt in detail in Chapter 2. Some of the previous researches on

similar subjects were also reviewed. Studies done in this regard by various

authors and also studies commissioned by the Government of India and the state

Government were also referred. The Govt. of India has commissioned a study

“Collection of Tourism Statistics for the State of Rajasthan” for a period of a year

(2005-06). The main aim of the proposed survey was to collect relevant tourist

related statistics for understanding subtle trends related to visitors (both domestic

as well as foreign ones) in the State. Additionally it was also intended to provide

comprehensive listing of available accommodation infrastructure in prime tourist

destinations in the State, including those of the unorganized sector, for a period

of 1 year. The survey along with an assessment of the direct employment

generated by the tourism sector, estimate the expenditure patterns of tourists,

tourist needs, preferences and satisfaction levels with regard to the various

available facilities in the State. Studies have been undertaken on the status of

Tourism in the state and what more needs to be done. There were studies which

were undertaken on the over all development scenario in the state and which

touched tourism sector also. One such report was Rajasthan Development

Report, 2006commissioned by the Planning Commission, The researcher,

however, didn’t come through a study encompassing both policy and marketing

perspective.

Theoretical Framework

A tourist destination is perceived by tourists as a single entity, but in fact it

comprises several stakeholder groups:

• Tourists;

• Business entities operating in the tourism sector;

• Public sector;

• Host population; and

• Representatives of non-governmental organizations (Buhalis, 2000).

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Tourism sector has a multi-sectoral approach. It’s success depends on the

working of several government departments and the active participation of the

private sector and other stakeholders. Since, the sector’s growth is driven by the

private sector, it is important that they take the lead in the growth of the sector.

Thus, in governance, accaountability of the various players is required.

Transparency, intra-government coordination and consumer driven approach is

required. Participation of the stakeholders in the policy formulation and

implementation is required.

‘Governance’ is the exercise of power or authority – political, economic,

administrative or otherwise – to manage a country's resources and affairs. It

comprises the mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens

and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their

obligations and mediate their differences.‘Good governance’ means competent

management of a country’s resources and affairs in a manner that is

open,transparent, accountable, equitable and responsive to people’s needs. This

will lead to sustainable development which is much required for the development

of tourism sector. Good governance requires a high degree of transparency and

accountability in public and corporate processes. Since, there is talk of greater

involvemenet of the private sector and community involvement, it is necessary a

participatory approach to service delivery is important for public services to be

effective. As per Aus AID, the following are the economic principles of good

governance

• Good governance requires policies to promote broad-based

economicgrowth, a dynamic private sector and social policies that will lead

to poverty reduction. Economic growth is best achieved in an efficient,

open, marketbased economy.

• Investment in people is a high priority, through policies and institutions that

improve access to quality education, health and other services that

underpin a country’s human resource base.

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• Effective institutions and good corporate governance are needed to

support the development of a competitive private sector. In particular, for

markets to function, social norms are needed that respect contract and

property rights.

• Careful management of the national economy is vital in order to maximize

economic and social advancement. New Guinea

The United Nations emphasizes reform through human development and political

institution reform. According to the UN, good governance has eight

characteristics. Good governance is:

• Consensus Oriented

• Participatory

• Following the Rule of Law

• Effective and Efficient

• Accountable

• Transparent

• Responsive

• Equitable and Inclusive

This framework is thus an essntial framework for the sector.

The interests and priorities of the various stakeholders do not always coincide

and, even worse, they inherently generate inter-group conflicts (Sheehan et al.,

2007); therefore, destinations are considered some of the most difficult entities to

manage and market (Sautter and Leisen, 1999). The task of destination

marketing and management is often entrusted to a central tourism organization,

a so-called destination management organization (DMO), which acts on behalf of

stakeholder groups (Goeldner and Ritchie,2003) by pursuing a range of strategic

objectives such as maximizing customer satisfaction and the profitability of local

enterprises, assuring the long-term prosperity of the local population, and

optimizing available resources through the destination’s sustainable development

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(Buhalis, 2000).

The experience offered to the tourists play an important role in their decision to

come back or to recommend the place to others. One of the crucial elements of

successful destination marketing is tourist satisfaction, which influences the

choice of destination and the decision to return (Yoon and Uysal, 2005).

Therefore, enhancing customer satisfaction should be one of a DMO’s primary

functions (Morgan and Pritchard, 1998; Pearce, 1997; Seaton, 1997) and a

prerequisite for the development of a strategy leading to a destination’s

enhanced attractiveness and its competitive positioning. However, achieving

tourist satisfaction hinges on the collaboration and integration of marketing efforts

by multiple suppliers. While steering different supply-side stakeholders towards

the common goal of maximizing customer satisfaction may sound very logical at

the theoretical level, it is very difficult to achieve in practice. Fuchs and Weiermair

(2003) note that understanding the nature and the antecedents of satisfaction is

paramount, but so is deciphering the determinants of satisfaction in tourism,

which is ‘‘the amalgam of service industries’’ as it is a difficult theoretical and

empirical task. Several destination competitiveness models include elements

which are the building blocks of tourist satisfaction – for example, awareness,

perception, preferences, etc. – but fail to incorporate them in a coherent and

unified manner in a model that can be used as a generalinstrument and a tool for

benchmarking (Gomezelj and Mihalicˇ, 2008). As mouth-to-mouth publicity is the

best publicity for attracting tourists so the visitors have to be offerd an experience

worth remembering. This will also lead to generation of expectations and

expectation mangement becomes necessary.

Thus, this theoretical framework of good governance, stakeholder participation,

consumer- driven approach of governance and marketing will form the basis for

the reserach.

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Dependent & Independent Variables

To further the research, a set of dependent and independent variables has been

identified. A concept, which can take on different quantitative values, is called a

variable. If one variable depends on upon or is a consequence of other variable,

it is termed as a dependent variable, and the variable that is antecedent to the

dependent variable is termed as independent variable. Independent variables

that are not related to the purpose of the study, but may affect the dependent

variable are termed as extraneous variables.

The development of tourism in the state is the result of the acting together of

multiple factors. Since the role of the governemnet is more of a faciliatator,

enabler, and the private sector has a more important role. Their performance will

depend on the business environment created by the government. Thus, the

government has to frame suitable policies, which addresses the concerns of the

varius stakeholders. Tourism is a multi sectoral activity.

The growth in tourism sector -calcualted by number of tourist arrivals and the

earnings through tourism- is thus the dependent variable. The independent

variables exerting their influence on the dependent variable are connect between

the policy formulation and implementation( this again is dependent on the

involvement and participation of the stakeholders during the formulation of the

policy as well as their perception of the policy), provision of basic infrastructre,

promotion and marketing of tourism potential, innovation, supportive role of the

government, law and order situation of the state, facilities and experience offerd

to the tourists etc. The extraneous variables in this case would be law and order

situation in the state, no natural or man made disaster and no economic crisis.

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Independent Variables Dependent Variable

Extaneous Variables

Research Question

The research is an attempt to find answers to the following questions:

• How effective has been the various public policies aimed at growth of

Tourism in the state? Are there any gaps in policy formulation and its

implementation & delivery mechanism?

• What is the perception of the diffeent stakeholders towards the various

policies and whether they think the environment is feasible for the growth

of the Tourism sector in the state?

• Has the state has been able to market itself well to tap its full potential?

Growth of Tourism Sector (increase in number of tourist arrivals and earnings)

Adequate infrastructure

Effective Promotion and demand driven marketing strategy

Enabling govt. policy promoting active Private Sector Participation

Law and order in the state

No natural catastrophe No major global economic problem

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Research Design

A research design is a plan, structure and strategy of investigtion so conceived

as to obtain answers to research questions or problems. The plan is the

complete scheme or program of the research. It includes an outline of what the

investigator will do from writing their hypothesis and their operational imlications

to the final analysis of data (Kerlinger, 1986). A research design is a procedural

plan that is adopted by the researcher to answer questions validly, objectively,

accurately and economically (Sellitz).

Based on the objective of the research, an exploratory qualitative research has

been conducted by the researcher. An exploratory research is one in which the

research is done with the objective to explore a particular area. It is also termed

as formulative research studies. Major emphasis is on the discovery of ideas and

insights. The research design has to be flexible enough to provide opportunity for

considering different aspects of a problem under study. Qualitative research, is

concerned with qualitative phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating to or involving

quality or kind. Qualitative research is concerned with qualitative phenomenon

involving quality. It is non-numerical, descriptive, applies reasoning and uses

words. Its aim is to get the meaning, feeling and describe the situation.

The study is aimed at exploring the tourism potential in the state of Rajasthan

and to find out whether the same has been tapped to full or not. The study is also

an attempt to find out the attitudes and perceptions of the various stkeholders

who are a part and parcel of the sector. The study area is the important tourist

destinations in the state such as Jaipur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer, These places

were chosen as these have been identified as the ones most frequented by the

tourists based on the tourist arrivals. Both Primary and secondary data was

extensively used for the purpose. As part of the primary data collection, the

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author conducted stratified random sampling. It is a method of sampling, which

involves the division of a population into smaller groups, known as strata. In

stratified random sampling, the strata are formed based on their members

sharing a specific attribute or characteristic. A random sample from each stratum

is taken, in a number proportional to the stratum's size when compared to the

population. These subsets of the strata are then pooled to form a random

sample.

The main advantage with stratified sampling is how it captures key population

characteristics in the sample. Similar to a weighted average, this method of

sampling produces characteristics in the sample that are proportional to the

overall population.

A likert type scale has been used to understand the attitudes and perception of

the people. Based on the sample analysis, the reseracher had tried to make

statements about the population.

Instrument for data collection

While designing data collection procedure, adequate safeguards against bias

and unreliability were ensured. Questions were well examined and were

unambiguous.

Methods of data collection

Primary data collction

As part of the primary data collection, the author conducted stratified random

sampling. The author visited Jaipur & Pushkar and also collected information and

responses from Jaisalmer, and Biakner. As part of the research, questionnares

(attached as Annexure A7) were administered by the researcher to tourists- both

domestic and international at these tourist destinations. To understand the

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perception of the private sector hotel and resort owners, tour operators, guides,

emporium owners, a separate questionnaire (attached as Annexure A8) was

administered to them. Interviews were also conducted with Govt officials

implementing the policy. (A schedule of the questions is placed as Annexure A 9.)This included the people at the top level including officials who have held

positions like the Secretary, Department of Tourism, Govt. of Rajasthan, RTDC

officials, police officials, Information officers, and Govt. of India Officials.The

perception mapping of the three groups was undertaken after tabulating and

analyzing tthe data and information gathered through interviews and

questionnaires. As part of the research, the author had studied the policy and

also through interactions with the Government officials tried to find out whether

what was envisged in the policy document has been achieved or steps in the

dirctions have been taken. After more than 8 years, what is the situation on the

ground, what are the gaps in the policy formulation and its implemetation, what

are the gaps and what is the need of the hour.

The data, thus, collected was tabulated and analyzed using statistical, tools. This

enabled us to find out the trends, analyze them and help in forecasting and giving

suggestions, which may help in policy formulation.

Sample Size

The following is the size of the sample undertaken for the research:

6TOURIST DESTINATION

TOURISTS RESORT OWNERS/ TOUR OPERATORS/HOTEL OWNERS /TRAVELOPERATOTS

JAIPUR 100 40 JAISALMER 50 10 BIKANER 50 10 TOTAL

200 60

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The response rate was 62.5 %(125) in terms of the tourists and 60%(36) in terms

of the resort owners etc. Of the 125 tourist’ respondents, 62.4%were male and

37.6%female. Of the responsents, 56.8% were domestic and 43.2% wer

foreigners. The highest number of respondents were in the gae group 26-

35(39.2%) followed by 36-50 age group(37.6%) and then by 18-25 age group

(17.6%), above 50 (4.8%) and below 18(.8%).

The second category consisiting of the private players had 25 % respondents as

tour operators, 50 % hotel owners, 19,5% travel agents and 2.7% were resort

owners and rest house owners each.

Besides this, some 50 officials were contacted by the reseracher with

questionnaires out of which only 15 respnded by replying to the questionnaire or

through interviews. The interviews were conducted either by phone or in perosn

mostly at Jaipur and Delhi .

Secondary Data

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The secondary data was collected from the websites, databanks, from the

published and unpublished reports and data sources. Websites of the Ministry of

Tourism, Government of India; Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan

and Database such as Indiastat, magportal etc aided in data collection . AC-

Nielso ORG Marg study on tourism statistics conducted for Ministry Of Tourism,

Govt. of India was also helpful in getting secondary data.

The available studies have dwelt on the growth of tourism in Rajasthan and the steps

taken in this direction. Some of the studies have also dwelt on the infrastructure

requirements for propelling the growth of the sector. Since the study was an exploratory

and descriptive one, the author studied not only the factual position of the state in the

sector over the years and decades but also the impact of the policies and the status of

infrastructure and tourism apparatus in the state. The gaps in policy, its perception, it’s

understanding and its implementation was one of the key objectives of the present study.

The marketing strategy of the state was also the subject matter of the study. The

reseracher also got an oppurtunity to visit countries such as United States, United

Kingdom, Switzerland and Singapore. Talks were held with some of the locals and

information was gathered about how these countries are marching ahead in the field of

tourism. For instance, how Singapore having not much of the tourist spots has developed

the Sentosa Island and made it a hub of entertainment. Also, how it has promoted

convention tourism; and how it has emerged as one of the best shopping destinations in

the world. The visit to these places also showed how in Alexandria (Washington DC),

ghost stories have also been used as a tourist attraction. A first hand experience of this ”

the graveyard tour “ gave an idea on what innovation can do to promote tourism. The

visit to Davos, Switzerland during the World Economic Forum showed how an otherwise

sleepy place that was used by TB patients had been transformed into an international

tourist destination by hosting the annual summit. Preservation, marketing, destination

branding were some of the aspects that the visits to these places underlined.

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CHAPTER 4

OBSERVATIONS AND ANALYSIS

The next step is the analysis of data and the observations that flow from it. The

researcher has collected data from three sets of stakeholders. They are:

1. The govt officials implementing the policy

2. The Private sector (including resort owners, hotel owners, tour operators,

travel agents and others associated with the trade) – the stakeholders

who are working in the field and benefitting/ otherwise from the policy

3. Tourists – the ultimate users of the product

The size of the sample for the category 2 & 3 is and thirty six and one twenty five

respectively.

Besides this, the secondary data availble from other sources such as the

wbsitesof Govt. of India, Rajasthan government was also used for getting

inferences by the author.

The primary data collected by the author was aimed at getting the perception of

the various stakeholders about the effect of the government’s policy on the

growth of tourism in the state. The perception of the stakeholders is very

important as it gives an overview of what the polcies aims at and what the final

users feel about it and the actual situation on the ground. The intention behind

any policy initiative is noble but there might be a gap in what is intended and

what happens on the ground. To take the argument further, the objective of the

tourism policy is the promotion of tourism in the state which will have its multiplier

effect on employment generation and poverty eradication.

To see whether the government has really achieved its prime objective, we need

to know from the two stakeholders directly involved with the policy –its

implementers and its beneficiaries i.e the govt.officials and the private sector.

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Also, we need to know from the ultimate beneficiaries whether the obectives

have been achieved and this can be assessed from the level of satisfaction of the

tourists and whether they would like to visit the state agiain or not. This will

impact the further growth of the sector as mouth to mouth publicity is one of the

most important sources of getting more tourists to any destination. To get to this,

the researcher administered a questionnaire to the tourists asking them various

questions. These questions can be broadly grouped into the following categories:

• Demographic Profile related

• Travel & Infrastructure related

• Experience of Rajasthan

A) Analysis of data related to tourists - Their perception

The primary data collected from the tourists showed the following:

1. The occupational status of the people visiting the state as collected frm

the primary data suggests that the maximm number of people surveyed

are professionals followed by people in government service, private

service, businessmen etc. The pie diagram given below gives a

percentage wise break-up.

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2. Most of the respondents were either travelling with family or friends. The pie

chart given below shows that 21.6 % respondents were travelling alone rest with

either family or friends. The size of the travelling family was mostly in between 3-

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5(with morethan 51 % response) meaning people feel like trvelling in a family as

said earlier.

3. Another important faceat which came to light through the data collected was

the source of information about the various tourist places for the majority of

tourists was family and friends (i.e the peolple who had known or viisted the

places themselves). They accounted for about 51.2% of the total followed by

Internet (18.4). Promotion by private entities accounted for 13.6% and road

shows by governmnet a meagre 3.2 %. Majority of the tourists made their own

travel arrangements with nearly 75 % not taking packaged tour. 75 % of

respondents made their own travel arrangements , about 20 % made it through

travel operators and travel agents and others accountd for the rest.

4. The major purpose of the respondents’ visit was leisure, recreation and

holiday. The chart given below gives the percentage wise break up of the

purpose of travel.

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5. Themaximm number of respondents had stayed in guest house/rest house

visitirs bunglow(42.4%) followed by starred hotel (31.2%) and then

unstarred(16.8%) followed by friends & relatives(10.4%) and balance others.The

number of night stay i.e the duration of the stay is found on an average to be 2-

5 days with 78.4 %% of those surveyed belonging to this category.

6. Coming to the most satisfying and dissatisfying aspect of their stay, maximum

number of tourists put touts(25.6%), lack of good transport

facilities(24%)information about tourits places(18.4%), traffic , hygiene and

sanitation, filth as the major irritants while the experience-cultural &heritage

topped with 65.6% terming it as the most satisfying .

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7.The respondents were also asked to rate the individual attributes such as

transport within the centre, accomodation, and reasonablness of

accomodation tariff, food quality, entertainment and shopping facility. The

same is given below in the chart. The majority of the respondents found the

food quality excellent (62.4%), room tariffs reasonable (64%), visitor’s

attraction interesting (60.8%) and shopping facility adequate (68%).

8. When asked to rate their over all experience at the tourist centre, about 38.4%

rated their experience between three to four. Asked whether they would like to

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come back for a visit to the state 92.8 % said yes, 4.8% no whle 4% said yes

provided certain things such as traffic, transportation, sanitation and hygiene

improve. Given below is the rating:

B) Analysis of data related to the private sector -Their perception

The perception of the private sector comprising of the hotel owners,resort

owners, travel and tour operators is very important as they are the ones who are

the benefciaries of the business environment created by the policy. This group

was also administered questionnaires by the researcher. Of the 60 people who

were sent the questionnaire, 36 responded. Again the questions asked can be

divided into the following categories:

• Professional Profile related

• Perception of the policy related to toursim

• Areas needing more attention & suggestions

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Of the responses received, 19.44 % were from travel agent, 52.78%from hotel

owners/ resort owners and 25% tour operators. 47.22% of respondents rated

thier business as good in profit folowed by30.56 % as average, 11.11% as very

good, 5.56% as booming and 2.78& in loss.

Based on the responses received, the following can be deduced:

1. The awareness about the National Tourism Policy and the

Rajasthan Tourism Policy was 61.11 % and 69.44 %respectively.

2. The percetion of the respondents about the policy varied from

27.78% of them feeeling it to be clear and giving general directions

to 19.44% feeling that it is comprehensive and stakeholder’s

interests are clearly part of the policy . However, 22.22% of

respondents felt hat it is inadequate and unclear and 11.1%thought

that it’s just another policy document.

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3. As far as rating of the policy is concerned, it was rated by the

maximum number of people (52.78%) as average followed by

22.78% respondents as good. Majority of the respondnts (about

69.44%)felt that the government should play a more active role

while 19.44 % felt that it should act as facilitator and 5.56% felt that

it should continue to play the same role as present.

4. As far as the private sector’s percception about whether the full

potential of the state has been relaized or not, 36.11 % feel still a

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lot remains to be tapped.25% of the respondents feel that only

partly it has been realized and 16.67 % feel that it has not been

realized at all.Only a small (8.33%) feel that it has been fully

utilized.

5. On the rating of the marketing efforts on a scale of five, none of the

respondents rated it as excellent or very good, 22.22% rated it as

good, majority of them (61.11) rated it as average and 8.33% as

poor.

6. On the areas, which requires greater attention, 19.44%feel

infrastructure needs priority, 8.33% feel marketing efforts for

promotion requires greater attention, .22.22% feel greater

involvement of local population is required while13.89%feel new

forms of tourism should be developed. However, the maximm

number of respondents ((30.56%) felt that better support to the

private sector is required.

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7. When the respondents were asked which other form of tourism

should be developed in the state, 25% feel that convetion tourism

can be developed, while the majority (63.89%) felt adventure

tourism could be developed. There was no suggestion on any

other forms of tourism that can be developed as requested from

the respondents. On another question, whether the locals are

getting benefitted from the tourism activities, 75% replied in

affirmative.

8. On the rating of the infrastructure, while 92 % of the private sector

respondents feel that it is inadeqaute and needs improvement. As

compared to this, 63.2% of the tourists felt it needs improvement,

8.8% finds it to be inadeqaute, and 26.4% think that it is adequate

to make their stay comfortable.

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9. On the places whch could be developed as tourist spots, the

private stakeholders have suggested the following places :

Jhunjhunu

Pratapgarh

Sikar

Bundi

Naal(Bikaner)

Deshnokh(Bikaner)

Sam -Kudi(Jaisalmer)

Mandawa

Ramdeva

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C) Analysis of data related to the govt officers -Their perception

The response rate as far as the interview request, filling of questionnaire from the

government officers and staff was not very encouraging with only 15 of them

responding to the questionniare or to interview request. Amongst those

responded included police official, RTDC officials, Information officer, DoT

officials, former secretary of Department of Tourism, Govt. of Rajasthan, district

collector of a prominent tourist spot in Rajasthan, forest official etc.

There was a unawreness about the policy document as such amongst the senior

officers implemting the policy but not amongst the junior sraff implemting the

policy and officials of other departments such as police etc. While those

implemting the policy at the senior level find it quite comrehensive, there were

voices in the government who think that it is inadequate. However, most of the

respondents agreed that the objectives as laid down in the policy are partly

fulfilled. They also were of the view that the government should act as a facilitator

in creating an enabbling environment for the private sector to grow.

There was also a realization that the political support can really help in giving a

great impetus but as Shri Vinod Zutshi says that it is for the bureucracy to

convince the political leadership about the importance of the issue and this

requires passion in the officers for the cause. Shri Amitabh Kant, the former

Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and the man

behind the “Incredible India” campaign in his intercations with the researcher said

that tourism officials needs to be passionate and should be the brand

ambassadors of their product. He also said that “ you need to convince your

political bosses of the potential and for this you need to be passionate”.

Since, tourism is a multi- sectoral activity, it is difficult to get all the departments

on the same page and this sometimes lead to delay in the projects. This view

was also expressed by another officer who said many times it takes so much of

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time in finalizing the projects that in the meantime other states or countries (very

competetive sector various actors vying for the attention of tourists.) surge

ahead. Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism,

Government of India also takes the multi sectoral argument by saying that this

gets complicated with the federal structure existent in India as the schmes takes

time in approval at the central level and then the state governments who have to

implement the schemes take their own time as it requires co-ordination from

several deprtments.

Mr. Vinod Zutshi spoke to the researcher on how new areas and experiences

need to be created to make the state a 365 days destination. He talked about the

various initiatives taken during his tenure such as Night Tourism(opening of Amer

fort at Night,Night Bazars,) organizing of Summer Festival, Monsoon Festival,

Jhalawar, Bundi, Kama (Bharatpur)and Tribal Festival(Doongarpur),making

tourism an integral part of the Rajasthan Day celebrations by organizing ten day

events showcasing the various facets of Rajasthan. But he also said that there

should be continuity in the policies as then and then only these new festivals can

be recognized and put on the tourism calendar of the state.

On the infrastructure front, there was again unanimity amongst the various

responents that it needs improvement. As per the officals the areas which

require more emphasis from the government are :better connectivity including air

conncetivity with imprortant tourist destinations,development of tourism circuits,

increasing the strength of tourist police and their sensitization to the cause,

trained and skilled manpower to handle diverse situations, marketing efforts

etc.The private sector needs to be assured of a good return by creating a

business friendly environment.

On the branding and marketing efforts of the Rajasthan governmnet, when the

reseracher spoke to Mr. Amitabh Kant, he said that the Rajasthan government

has not been able to leverage the India Incredible campaign and carry it forward.

He said that branding is not mere advertising. It requires concerted efforts and a

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whole lot of marketing research goes into it. Products have to be tailor made to

the consumer’s requirements. You need to have insights into the customer’s

mind – what products he require and how to create an experince around it. This

will require both tangibles and intangibles such as the welcome experiences say

at the emigration or the way the auto/taxi drivers talk or the clenaliness, hygiene

around the places. Mr. Kant says that Rajasthan is such a unique product and it

has the flavour which Europe is looking for. A marketing strategy based on

continous and sound research, based on which a professional agency can build

upon a 360-degree campaign based on consistent strategy and a host of other

activities is what is required for establishing Brand Rajasthan. Another RTDC

official who is promoting the luxury trains , RRW and POW says that the

government doesn’t have a proper marketing wing, there are 2-3 officials at

Jaipur doing the job. According to him, professionals who are from the field

should manage organizations like RTDC. There should be continuity at the top

and the top officails should have at least 3 years term. The hotels of RTDC

should be professionally run and free from political interferences. Marketing

has to move beyond printing of brochures and literature. Kerala Tourism is one

model which some of the officals interviwed thought is a good model to look at.

On the benefits reaching the locals, some of the officials felt that their greater

involvement could be sought through village tourism and nature tourism.

As government officials implemting the policy, the following were the problems

identified by them in implementation :

• Multiple departmental clearances

• Procedural delays

• Time and cost over runs due to sluggish tendering process

• Time in land acquistion

• Lack of skilled manpower

• Funds Constraints

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The following were the reforms suggested by the governmnet officials to tap the

full tourism potential in the state :

• Connectivity (road, air and rail) should be given adequate importance.

• Development of mini airports in areas where influx of foreign tourits is high

• Private participation for building infrastructure

• Civilized and courteus staff

• Ensuring safety and security of tourists

• Giving Tourism a priority status – pro active policy to promote tourism

• Making Rajasthan a 365 days tourist destination through development of

organized entertianment events in the off peak season.

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Perception of the key stakeholders on different issues

Stakeholder

Issue

Government Officials

Private Sector

Tourists

Awareness about the Policy

Yes at some senior levels

but not amongst other

departments such as police

and amongst junior level

officers implmenting the

policy.

There is

awareness

about the policy

amongst 70% of

the respondents

Implementation of the Policy

Restricted to the present

job they are doing. Policy

dependent on the political

importance given to the

sector. Procedural

problemd due to

involvement of various

departments

58% feel it is

clear, adequate.

But most of the

respondents

feel that the

government has

to go beyond

mere policy and

faciliate and

create more

enabling

environment

with active

private sector

participation .

Infrastructure Needs improvement. More

pvt. Sector participation in

buildng infrastructure.

Air and road

connectivity

required.

Needs

Improvement. Air

and road

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Better connectivity. conectivity.

Tapping of full tourism

potential

A lot needs to be done. A lot needs to

be done

A lot needs to be

done

Marketing Policy of the government

Good. Average Average

Benefit to the locals It is giving. More

involvement

needed.

Other forms of tourism

that can be developed

Village tourism Adventure,

Convention.

Adventure

Areas for improvement Procdural delays Land at cheaper

prices, infra

development

Sanitation,

traffic, signages,

more info to

tourits, budget

hotels, better

local transport

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CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATIONS Rajasthan is one state that has huge tourism potential. It is envisged that the

sector would contribute more than 10% to the state’s GDP(Rajasthan

Infrastructure Agenda,2025).Achieving the envisaged rates of growth for the

sector would require action on a number of fronts, such as improving access to

the town, developing tourism products, improving access to tourist sites within or

around the town, improving support urban infrastructure at tourist locations, and

identifying project opportunities in primary tourism infrastructure. This would also

require effective destination branding exercise. Mere advertisement campaigns

won’t help and would not lead to building of Brand Rajasthan. This would

require a comprehensive branding exercise built on a clear understanding of the

target market, their requirements and tailor made products and a clear strategy to

reach the target audience with a clear and appealing message.

Based on the literature review and the primary data collected from various

stakeholders, the reseracher has reached to the following conclusions :

1. The potential of Rajasthan is yet to be tapped fully. This requires, as

mentioned above, a combination of efforts on both policy and marketing

side. The basic infrastructure road, rail and air connectivity needs to be

strengthed. There are still destinations which have a high influx of foreign

tourits but air connectivity is still not established. This leads to a higher

travel time and thus reduces period of stay as we found out that the

people staying in Rajasthan for more than five days was just 16% .

2. Development of organized entertainment facility and niche products that

could attract young population as well as family is another area, which

deserves attention. As majority of the people visiting the state are young

professionals in the age group of 26-35 , we need to cater to their tastes.

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A thorough research work needs to be done so as to find out which

products can be develeoped . Also emphasis needs to be placed to create

experiences wonderful enough to make them remember their stay in

Rajasthan for a life time. As could be seen from the primary data collected,

the most satisfying experience for the majority of the people was the

experience (cultural/heritage) they had. We need to leverage this further

and the irritants pinpointed by the tourits (lack of good transportation,

hygiene and sanitation, lack of information, cleanliness, air connectivity,

better infrastructure at the tourist centres) needs to be addresed. As family

and friends were the main source of information about the tourist centres,

this again emphasizes the need for creating experiences.

3. The demographic profile of the country with young population with greater

disposable income, growing middle class , better road infrastructure

wishing to experiment has given an oppurtunity to the state to take the

advantage and promote Tourism in the domestic sector. New products

and experiences developed around this could unlock the doors to this

clientele. Rajasthan’s proximity to Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi gives lots of

scope for development of weekend tourism. Internet marketing is another

area which needs to be the focus of marketers as this was the second

important source of information for the tourists and also younger

population are increasingly using internet as source of information.

4. Rajasthan has several varied types of experiences to cater to all tastes.

So for those preferring the heritage experience, can experience the

comforts of kings and queens in heritage hotels and havelis and for those

discerning travellors looking for something different the boutique hotels are

there. Adventure tourism is also one area that needs to be developed as

suggsted by the majority of the respondents as also MICE(Meetings

Incentives Conferences and exhibitions)tourism. For this , convention

centres with world-class facility and infrastructure will need to be

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developed. Private sector participation in this endeavour may be sought

.Another possible area could be marriage tourism popularized by

celebrities getting married in the royal fashion in palacs of Udaipur and

Jodhpur. The private sector can explore this furher by offering a similar

experience for budget consumers.

5. Rajasthan needs to promote its food in a big way. It has potential to be a

major hit as could be gauged from the experinces of the respondents who

have ranked it as the second most satisfying experience. If Jaipur Literary

Festival could become such a super hit within 5-6 years ( big media

reports appearing in major International newspapers about the fest)of its

existence so why not a culinary festival. Bollywood and Hollywood may

also be incentivized to “ hire it for location”.

6. The harrasment faced by the tourists at the hands of touts, erring auto and

taxi drivers etc should be put to an end. The local people’s involvement in

the trade has to be sought. While interacting with one of the Khadims at

Ajmer Dargah, the rsearcher came to understand how in the absence of

correct information the tourists coming at the Dargah are fleeced by the

hotel owners, auto and taxi operators and they feel harrased and cheated.

The industry needs to be truly made into a “People’s industry” as

envisaged in the Rajsathan Tourism Policy and by making it pople

oriented and sustainable in nature by reducing the burden on the

environmnet and making it people and environment friendly. Schemes like

Athithi Devo Bhavah can be taken forward and to its logical conclusion.

7. On the question whether the marketing of Rajasthan Tourism is being

done on the marketing principles, the researcher has come to mixed

conclusions. The efforts by the Rajasthan Government doessn’t seem to

be backed by proper market research. It is still based on the seller’s

strtaegy, the consumer orientation is not to be seen in full action. The

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private players are developing niche products too cater to the consumers

but the state is to be more supportive in its effort. The segmentation of the

market and the positioning of the products/experiences have to be done

accordingly.The government is still continuing with what could be called

the 4 P’s of marketing mix instead 4 Cs. Present here is the analyis:

4Ps 4Cs

Present Position

Place Convenience Convienece is still not what the

marketing efforts and the

policy is aiming at . There are

efforts at providing covienence

by the private players by

providing luxurious stay but

convienence comprises of

other faclities. The

transportation facilities are still

lacking, connectivity is a

problem. There are

infrastructural problems at the

tourist centre. Padharo Maro

Des should not be a mere

slogan.

Price Cost to the user As a sizeable population of

tourists prefers to stay at

budget or unstarred hotels,

this type of accomodation is

what is required. There should

be products with varying prices

to offer to the consumers to

105

choose from depending on the

market segment. Pricing

decisions have to be taken

based on the market segment.

Positioning of the product is to

be done accordingly. Like

wise, transport facilities should

be developed (including good

public transport both between

the centre and within the

centre for the tourists to chose

from. This seems to be yet not

achieved to its full.

Promotion Communication Communication is still not a

proper 360 degree

communication. The

communication strategy is not

planned based on firm

research and is sporadiac

and not consistent. Brand

Rajasthan is yet to be

established. The tag line -

Rajasthan- simply colorful

doesn’t seem to say anything

clear and definite.

Product Customer needs and wants Rajasthan offers many unique

experiences. They are yet to

be tailor made to suit to the

varying needs and wants of

the customers. The tailoring of

the products as per the needs

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and wants would requie a

detailed analysis for which a

detailed, comprehensive and

continous market research is

what is required.

In the light of the above, the following are some of the

suggestions/recommendations of the researcher :

1. Tourism must be given the status of a priority sector – Though

tourism industry is the third largest after agriculture and industry in

Rajasthan contributing about 15 % to SGDP, the sector doesn’t seem to

receive the priority it deserves. The potential of the multiplier effect of

the tourism industry is not being realized in its true light. While the state

government was one of the few states to come out with a State Tourism

Policy in 2001 but there are many gaps between its formulation and

implementation that needs to be filled. The sector , thus , needs to be

given the status of priority status and incentives provided for its

development.

2. Continuity in the policies by subsequent governments- The boost

and leadership that the political leadership provides to the sector can do

wonders to the growth of this sector. The active role and support of the

top political bosses can make all the difference. But with the change in

the regime, sometimes there is a discontnuity in the focus that this sector

is accorded. As even now, some sees tourism as an elitist industry

thriving on the 5 star hotels and resorts and catering to the higher

classes. Kerala is today a success story because of the continuity in the

policies for tourism promotion carried by successive governmnets. The

policies needs to be incemental and progressive and not regressive. A

vision for the growth of the sector in the state for the next 20-25 years

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needs to work on and the successive governments should work towards

its realization.

3. Better connectivity between the various tourist centres in the state - There is a need for connecting important tourist destinations by air – the

most important cities in this regard would include Mt. Abu, Bikaner,

Jaisalmer, and Ajmer, initially. Airports at these locations need to be set

up in a phased manner, as availability of air services to these cities

would result in significant saving in travel time. It is suggested that some

inter-city connection be given so that tourists can commute to their main

destinations. This would require a fleet of small aircraft connecting these

centres. Thus, private operators who could start air taxi operations would

need to be encouraged. Besides this, road and rail connectivity for faster

movement should be encouraged. Highways and expressways under

PPP programme under the National Highways Development programme

and by the state government should be done so that quality roads save

travelling time. Gauge conversion from metre gauge to broad gauge

should be taken up with co-operation of Indian railways ( especially in the

Shekawati region whose tourist potential is yet to be realized).

4. Infrastructure at and around the tourist sites to be develpoed – Most

of the respondents have complained about the state of cleanliness and

hygiene, safety and security, tarnsportation within the centre, lack of

information centres, signages, public toilets, street lightening etc. Getting

the tourits to the destinations is just one part of the story but basic

facilities needs to be there to faciitate and make their stay comfortable.

There should be proper landscaping , lighting, public toilets, and

information about the tourist spot available at the location.

5. Making the over all experience of the tourists wonderful so that they bcame brand ambassadors of the state- Merely offering a luxurious

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stay in the luxurious or heritage hotels, resorts is not enough. For the

tourists, the over alll experience during the stay counts. If due to

harrasment by lapkas(touts), over charging by the auto rikshaw drivers,

nagging by beggars, filth near the major tourist attractions, and lack of

adequate safety and security , tourists does not enjoy their stay and

doesn’t enjoy the whole experiece, he / she would not only come back

but also create a negative image for the state which would not be good

for the growth of the sector as publicity by word of mouth is the most

effctive method of promotion.

6. Role and location of Tourist Reception Centres (TRCs) / Tourist Information Bureaus (TIBs): Availabilty of correct, timely and easily

information is very important for a tourist. To get the correct information,

the tourist would not like to go to information centres which are far away.

Currently, TRCs / TRBs are mostly located at areas within the town that

are not very visible to the tourist entering the town. These are sometimes

located at places where a tourist would not normally even go. This has

been the case in a large number of towns. However, since a TRC or TIB

should be the first point of contact for a tourist entering the town, there is

a need to ensure that these are located at important entry points /

strategic locations. Also, the effectiveness of these TRCS / TIBs was

found to vary significantly across towns. At most centres, these are

operating out of a single room, are inadequately stocked and have poor

infrastructure in terms of vehicles, computers, connectivity through

internet, etc. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the TRCs / TIBs

are uniformly effective in terms of being well equipped with brochures,

etc. and manned by knowledgeable personnel. It is also understood that

a pilot project for privatisation and computer networking of TRCs / TIBs is

being considered – this could possibly be replicated across the remaining

TRCs / TIBs

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7. Preservation of heritage and greater involvement of private sector-

we have several examples of heritage sites which are lying unattented

and in ruins . The ASI is not in a position to maintain them due to

resource crunch and many of them doesn’t are even under ASI’s

umbrella.At several locations, properties (such as parks, historical sites,

forts, etc.) are not being maintained properly and even the responsibility

for maintenance is not clearly known. Proper maintenance of key

properties is essential in order to ensure that the tourist sites remain

attractive to tourists. Some key parks or sites of historical importance

could possibly be contracted out to the private sector for maintenance,

for which the financial parameters / guidelines and performance criteria

may be worked out. One such succesful example in the state of this type

of initiative has beeen the Jal Mahal project in Jaipur . The Humayun’s

Tomb in Delhi is also another success story worth emulating.

8. Maintenance of tourist spots and properties by Urban Local Body working with the Tourism Department: An alternative where properties

are not being maintained by the private sector could be that the Urban

Local Body is given the responsibility for maintenance, for which it is

monitored by the local Tourism Department. A possible model could be

the formation of a local-level committee chaired by the District Collector

for overseeing maintenance. It is suggested that some part of the ULB’s

budget could be earmarked for maintenance of the tourist places. Also, a

maintenance fund could be created out of a city development levy on

guests staying at hotels. This could be in the form of a small surcharge

added on to the total hotel bill as in done inseveral countries(the

reseracher saw the same in existense in Switzerland during her visit

there). The rates could vary for domestic tourists from within Rajasthan

those from outside the state but from within India and those from foreign

tourits.

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9. Policies aimed at improving tourism infrastructure- Steps have been

taken to improve the tourism infrastructure in the state and an

investment plan has been preapred till 2020. Some of the steps in this

direction have been taken by creation of land banks, changes in land

policy and icentives through the Rajasthan Tourism Unit Policy,2007.

These policies should further aim to increase the tourist accomodation

infrastructure and make them available at prices, which incentivize the

players so that the lands for these hotels are not avialble at exorbitant

prices. As the capital costs of the accomodation units has a bearing on

the room tarrifs thus the land price (which accounts for about 40-50% of

the project cost)becomes an important determinant for affordable

accomoodation. The land should be available on long-term leases by the

land owning agencies rather than on high reserve prices. It is necessary

in the light of the fact that India is competing with other countries in the

region for the foreign tourists. The price competetiveness of Indian hotels

is reduced vis-a Vis competing destinations in the neighbourhood , such

as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and China. Hotel room tarriffs at the

gateways(Delhi, Mumbai etc) are amongst the top ten highest in the

world (Study to Preapare a roadmap, ADB). Thus, the Rajsthan tourist

destinations such as Jaipur should try to take the advantage by offering

lower tarrifs and by development of international air connectivity so that

foreign tourits come directly to Rajasthan instead of coming through

Delhi and Mumbai.

10. Government taking over some important heritage properties for maintenance / preservation: At some locations, heritage properties /

monuments are not open to the public since these are owned privately.

This becomes a major limitation, because parts of important tourist sites,

such as historical monuments, palaces, forts, etc., remain inaccessible to

the tourist. In cases where it is possible, the government might consider

taking over some of these properties on priority basis. It could also take

111

up the responsibility for restoration and development works, such as

construction of boundary walls for these properties, etc., and also take

over the maintenance function, at least initially.

11. Impetus on promotion of domestic tourism – As far as domestic

tourism in Rajasthan is concerned, its share of the country’s total is a

meagre 5 %. Pilgrimage tourism especially at Pushkar, Ajmer Dargah is

the ones drawing major domestic tourists. The foreign tourist arrival in

the state is seasonal due to it beiing long haul destination. Thus, the

strategy requires that we need to promote the state as a 365 days

destination, the way Goa and Kerala has promoted itself. There is a need

to organize tourism events and organized entertainment activities to

lure domestic tourism in the so called off peak season.The tourism

infrastructure is capital intensive and thus it should be utilizd to its full

capacity through out the year to take out the capital cost. Thus, it is

necessary that domestic tourism may be promoted amongst the rising

middle Indian class with high personal disposable income. Besides

pilgrim tourism, the young demographics of the country are also

favourable for the growth of domestic tourism. It is necessary that these

two segments of population should be offered new experiences (beyond

pilgrimage tourism) such as adventure toursim, weekend tourism fun

tourism, caravan tourism and niche products that attracts the young

awitnessing an annual growth of about thirty percent.

12. Adoption of a customer oriented approach of marketing- One

common feature of all successful tourism development strategies across

different countries has been reliance on research (market intelligence) to

base strategic decisions. This clearly indicates a preference (and need)

for a market-oriented approach (i.e. give the customer what he or she

wants) rather than the more traditional production- oriented approach

that is still followed in some countries (i.e. give the customer what you

think he or she wants). Infact, nearly 10% of the annual expenditure of

various Tourism Promotion Boards (and / or Commissions) is set aside

112

for market research. In the current-set up in Rajasthan, there is little

reliance on research to base decision-making. Infact, there is a mismatch

between available research and the needs of the sector in the state,

because of which tourism research and information is not making the

contribution it should be to the development of the sector in the state. It is

in this background that the Raasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025,

Vision 2025 report presented by Pricewater House Coopers submitted

in 2003 has suggested that the state should set up a “Technical

Secretariat” to the Department of Tourism. Such an approach, i.e.

creation of a Technical Secretariat outside of the government, is being

taken by more and more states. Though there is already a society in

Rajasthan (the Rajasthan Institute of Tourism and Travel Management -

RITTMAN) for tourism research / conducting specialized training

courses, etc., a Technical Secretariat could act as a nodal agency for

undertaking research activities relating to the tourism sector, and could

be responsible for the following:

• Provide ongoing research inputs to the key decision makers (market

research would typically include demand estimation, e.g. propensity of

tourists from a particular country or region taken as a group, to travel,

segmentation (visitor arrivals by age, source, mode of transport, income

category, travel purpose, etc.), and buyer behaviour (e.g. preferences of

UK long haul backpackers versus Korean group tours and Young Office

Ladies from Japan). This would involve developing research formats, co-

ordinating research activities, etc. All subsequent decisions relating to

product, packaging, promotion, pricing, etc., would then be driven by these

research outputs

• Develop a tourism information system in the state to forecast visitor arrivals

(including numbers, length of stay, modes of arrival, travel routes,

expenditure, etc.)

• Provide advice to the government on a continuous basis on policy

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development and implementation, management and competitiveness .

• Assist in establishing sector standards and an effective accreditation

framework for tourism development in the state. Key elements of this

include the following:

• Developing and implementing a single, integrated, effective

quality standards and accreditation framework for Rajasthan

tourism products and services

• Gathering, analysing and disseminating information about the fit

between visitors’ expectations and their actual experience

• Benchmarking international tourism standards and service

levels

• Ensuring that operators have the necessary capability building

tools, training and assistance

• Developing a business case for an industry-wide consumer

protection and complaints management framework

• Facilitate development and structuring of viable tourism projects

on an ongoing basis

• Carry out / co-ordinate marketing programmes and outreach

13. Building of Brand Rajasthan on solid foundation of market

research and going for a 360 degree approach of promotion- Initiation of an annual marketing / trade event to promote tourism in the state: Rajasthan as a tourism destination has a small voice, market

share, and level of awareness amongst prospective tourists. The total

experience that Rajasthan has to offer is unique, but strong marketing

and branding will be required if it is to become a leading tourism

destination in the future. Branding should not be confused with

advertising which plays only a marginal role. The branding excercise

should have a clear definition of value proposition , consisitency in

communication strategy(same positioning and same creatives across all

media) through all the communication channels; it should be based on

constant research and innovation and a continous effort backed by

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adeqaute financial resources. The state government has not been able

to leverage the hype created by the Incredible India campaign to its full.

When we look at the marketing policy of the state government, a clear

strategy is what is missing. Infact, what the researcher came across

when exploring the promotional policy of the government was brochures,

pamphlets, booklets , participation in marts, conferences etc. A key

constraint that was expressed by various stakeholders is that there is

currently lack of awareness of the town or circuit / region as a tourist

destination. Destinations such as Kumbhalgarh have clearly suffered due

to lack of proper marketing and awareness. It is therefore suggested that

an annual Rajasthan marketing / trade mart at a specific location and

date each year could be started on the lines of similar trade events

internationally. This would help promote awareness of Rajasthan as a

tourist destination (perhaps taking up a certain region each time as its

theme) and therefore facilitate tourism growth in the state. This event

should be subsidized by the state and would be critical for marketing

Rajasthan as a leading tourist destination

14. Preparation of tourism literature and other promotional material: At

most places there is inadequate literature on important sites /

monuments / forts, etc., which is a basic requirement to promote

awareness of a particular place. For the publishing and distribution of

brochures and other informational material, the government could hire

professional advertising agencies and public relations firms, as well as

involve the private sector in planning and execution. It could also prepare

short films on the tourist sites and broadcast these in the visual media

and at other prominent places

15. Accreditation of taxis: Most of the taxis/ auto rikshaws in the state do

not run by meter. This was also one of the common complaints raised

by the various respondents. This often causes tourists to feel insecure

and cheated. A system by which tourist taxis are accredited to check

exploitation of tourists and promote uniformity in rates should be

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considered. Also, the government could consider making it mandatory for

new taxi permits to be awarded only to accredited taxis

16. Strengthening the Tourist Assistance Force (TAF): It was found that

the efficacy of the TAF varies considerably across locations. This is

because the local TAF field officers are under the control of the

respective regional tourism department, whose effectiveness varies from

location to location. There is a need to make TAF uniformly efficient

across locations by instituting proper performance criteria and guidelines,

which should be strictly enforced. Making TAF more effective would help

check incidents of harassment of tourists, etc., which are quite common

currently

17. Uniform for Guides: At a number of tourist places, it is impossible to

distinguish an accredited guide from those that are not. While the

solution lies in strict enforcement of the system of guides at tourism

locations, the same has been found to be ineffective. An option therefore

could be to introduce a dress code for guides, which would help any

tourist to easily make out the authenticity of the guide, thus helping him

or her to feel more secure and helping reduce incidents of harassment,

etc.

18. Setting up of Money Changers & ATM facility: Currently, money-

changing facilities in the state are mainly available through select bank

branches or through foreign exchange operators (i.e. authorised dealers

– ADs, restricted money changers – RMCs, and full fledged money

changers – FFMCs). At some places, inadequacy of such facilities was

expressed, and with the growth of tourism traffic in the future, there will

be greater need for such facilities. To ensure the setting up of money

changers at important tourist destinations, the government could

consider making it mandatory for the building plans of all new

commercial establishments (commercial complexes / hotels, etc.) beyond

a particular size in the major tourist centres of the state to include

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exclusive space for money changers in their building plans. This would

also encourage the implementation of the new RBI policy on money

changers, which allow.s agents / franchisees of ADs or FFMCs to offer

money changing facilities. ATM facilty at all the tourist spots should also

be ensured as this was one of the suggestions which emanated from the

responses of respondents.

19. Introduce an annual International Restoration Award: The

government could consider initiating an annual International Restoration

Award, wherein entries could be invited from national / international

students or organisations for submitting concept plans for development

of select historical sites. The top two or three chosen plans could be

felicitated, thus ensuring the visibility of Rajasthan as well as providing

an incentive to interested parties. Another suggestion is for the

government to initiate training packages for conservation work involving

national and international craftsmen, artisans, professionals, etc.

Limitations of the Research The research could not visit many destinations due to the paucity of time.

Further research needs to be taken in the Shekawati region. Also the inputs

of small traders/ businessman could not be incorportaed much. The field of

wild life tourism could not be explored. Further research on these areas and

the work being undertaken by the government and private research could be

undertaken. The impact of niche tourism products can be a further topic of

research. How greater involvement of locals could be envisaged could be

another future area of reserch.

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CHAPTER 6

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CHAPTER 7

ANNEXURES