Incredible India
Ever since I went to Munnar, this one thought about the tourism industry of India has been lingering in my mind. India is blessed with a diverse topography. Be it deserts, or snow-clad
mountains. Be it beautiful beaches, or dark forests. Be it heritage sites or pilgrimage sites. You name it and India has it. Equally diverse is the fine cuisine of India, which has started receiving considerable amount of attention from foreign countries, in the recent past. Every state in the country has a variety of food specialties to offer, which are completely different from each other and yet equally delicious. Why is it then, that other Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia are preferred over India by foreign tourists? Why is the tourism industry of India not as developed as these countries? Why do even Indians, willing to spend fortunes on tours, prefer to spend their money in other countries?
mountains. Be it beautiful beaches, or dark forests. Be it heritage sites or pilgrimage sites. You name it and India has it. Equally diverse is the fine cuisine of India, which has started receiving considerable amount of attention from foreign countries, in the recent past. Every state in the country has a variety of food specialties to offer, which are completely different from each other and yet equally delicious. Why is it then, that other Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia are preferred over India by foreign tourists? Why is the tourism industry of India not as developed as these countries? Why do even Indians, willing to spend fortunes on tours, prefer to spend their money in other countries? One of the major drawbacks could be the Marketing. 
In this day and age, marketing plays a vital role in any industry, be it manu-facturing or a service industry. We often hear of bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan & Aishwarya Rai, promoting the tourism of a particular region, like Kerala. We often see advertisements, advising people to “Go Goa”… But how often do we see advertisements inviting people to India as a whole? Very rarely. India has a lot to offer as a “whole package” tourist destination. For a developing economy like ours, an industry like tourism can be very important from the point of view of Foreign Exchange, and whatever revenue is earned through this industry will only be helpful.
Another thing, that can be the reason for putting off tourists, is the poor maintenance of tourist spots, all over the country. To add to this, the roads in most parts of the country, even in the Financial Capital of India – Mumbai, are in a lousy state. And the situation isn’t too different in other states either. The traffics in most cities are poorly organized. In quite a few cities, it makes you wonder whether such a thing as Traffic Rules or Signals exists at all.
India boasts of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal.
But how well is it maintained, especially the area surrounding it? The “Heaven on Earth” Kashmir… another ultimate tourist spot. But recently, the terrorist activities have started taking a toll on the tourism in Kashmir, which depends on this industry to a great extent.
A little improvements here and there, especially in the basic requirements of tourism, like roads & infrastructure, could go a long way. After all, no one can resist this country blessed with diverse environmental glory, which believes in “Atithi Devo Bhava”!!!
In this day and age, marketing plays a vital role in any industry, be it manu-facturing or a service industry. We often hear of bollywood stars like Amitabh Bachchan & Aishwarya Rai, promoting the tourism of a particular region, like Kerala. We often see advertisements, advising people to “Go Goa”… But how often do we see advertisements inviting people to India as a whole? Very rarely. India has a lot to offer as a “whole package” tourist destination. For a developing economy like ours, an industry like tourism can be very important from the point of view of Foreign Exchange, and whatever revenue is earned through this industry will only be helpful.Another thing, that can be the reason for putting off tourists, is the poor maintenance of tourist spots, all over the country. To add to this, the roads in most parts of the country, even in the Financial Capital of India – Mumbai, are in a lousy state. And the situation isn’t too different in other states either. The traffics in most cities are poorly organized. In quite a few cities, it makes you wonder whether such a thing as Traffic Rules or Signals exists at all.
India boasts of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal.
But how well is it maintained, especially the area surrounding it? The “Heaven on Earth” Kashmir… another ultimate tourist spot. But recently, the terrorist activities have started taking a toll on the tourism in Kashmir, which depends on this industry to a great extent.A little improvements here and there, especially in the basic requirements of tourism, like roads & infrastructure, could go a long way. After all, no one can resist this country blessed with diverse environmental glory, which believes in “Atithi Devo Bhava”!!!
posted by Unknown @ 1:13 PM
3 Comments:
Hey!
This one is waaay better than last one! Excellent article!
You raised some really good points there..especially the idea of marketing "India" as a whole package for tourism was great..
well written :)
Its a good idea but the problem is - unlike singapore and malaysia, India is a huge country.. Firstly the climate difference.. then the food.. then the travel.. all the tourists may not be able to afford flight tickets..
And in India, every state has a tourism minister and he concentrates on his state (wish everyone did their work properly)..
the main tourist centres in India are the - Golden triangle (north), Rajasthan, Kerala and Goa.. All for different purposes and hence Its a bit difficult to connect all these and promote as one..
But that's exactly what my point is.... this diversity should be used to an advantage to the maximum possible extent. Thanks to that, India can be promoted as a one-stop tourist destination, where you've got everything right from different types of foods to different environments.
And as far as the marketing part is concerned, I am basically talking about targetting the rich travellers, especially foreign tourists coming from developed nations like US, Germany, Australia, UK etc for whom Rupees converted to their respective currencies, is close to nothing. For them travelling from one state to another, located far off, wont be as costly an affair!
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