Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited is a travel agency based in India that provides domestic and international tour packages. Founded over 18 years ago by Ravichandran, the company offers affordable group tours, transportation, and flight/train booking services throughout India and to destinations like Thailand, Singapore, and many countries in Europe. The document provides an overview of the company's services and history of providing tourism in India.
Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited is a travel agency based in India that provides domestic and international tour packages. Founded over 18 years ago by Ravichandran, the company offers affordable group tours, transportation, and flight/train booking services throughout India and to destinations like Thailand, Singapore, and many countries in Europe. The document provides an overview of the company's services and history of providing tourism in India.
Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited is a travel agency based in India that provides domestic and international tour packages. Founded over 18 years ago by Ravichandran, the company offers affordable group tours, transportation, and flight/train booking services throughout India and to destinations like Thailand, Singapore, and many countries in Europe. The document provides an overview of the company's services and history of providing tourism in India.
INTRODUCTION The business of travel agency has undergone significant changes in the last two decades. Gone are the days when there were no formal travel intermediaries to help travelers visit places of interest. Several travel obstacles discouraged people to travel distance places. Only a selected few managed to travel due to their own curiosity, motivation and spending ability. Many could not make it due to the lack of communication network along with facilities and amenities. Leaving behind the job of a travel agent, a destination did not even have minimum facilities to hold the visitors for an hour long. So many changes have taken place over the centuries. Tourism destinations are connected by modes of transport and visitors find a place of stay at the destinations. When modern communication system came into existence in 18th and 19th centuries, the world could witness mass travel leading to the demand of luxury transport and advance arrangement of stay and sightseeing. Those advance bookings of train, ferry, bus, airlines, theater hall, entry fees, etc were organized by a person with sound experience and information. In the beginning of travel agency business, travel agents could help their own community members or fellow members travel safely. Later, it became a formal business with all professional practices. Gradually, the business has grown in such a scale that competitive multinational travel companies have entered into this travel business. This lesson will explain the origin of travel agency business in the world with reference to the contribution of Richard Cox and Thomas Cook for having set up professional travel agency in the 18th and 19th centuries respectively. COMPANY’S PROFILE Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited is a Government of India authorized tourism and travel service providers in India. We provide great travels packages all around India. Our Tourism packages also include multiple countries at an affordable price. The promoter of Rengha Holidays and Tourism Private Limited is Mr.Ravichandran. He was born and brought up in Theni. As he has a great attachment for his motherland, he has started different tour packages to Theni and around places. In actual fact, Theni is a God’s gifted place which owns every part of brand beauties of nature inside in it. Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited offers the best tour packages to various places in India. Various places include Delhi-Agra- Chandigarh, Sikkim – Bhutan, Simla – Kulu – Manali, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Leh Ladhak, Gujarat Tour, Kasi – Varanasi – Allahabad, Bangalore -Mysore-Coorg, OOTY, Yercaud, Kodaikanal, Tirupati, Shirdi Sai Baba, Andaman, Thekkady-Munnar-Allepey-Kochin, Vagaman- Kuttikanam, and Megamalai. Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited is providing tour packages to Thailand, Singapore, and many other foreign countries. We are a government authorized company in Thailand and Malaysia. With more than 18 years of experience in the Tourism field, we are providing international tour packages to countries like Australia, Langkawi, China, Australia, Srilanka, Dubai, Indonesia, and Europe. Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited is organizing Industrial visits, school tours and college tours across India. Rengha Travels possesses a variety of vehicles encompasses A/c and Non-A/c versions of the best luxury cars, vans and 25, 35 & 55 seater buses. Rengha Travels’ fleet comprises a wide range of vehicles of several makes such as Volvo, Isuzu, Ashok Leyland, etc to cater to every customer pocket preference. Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited is providing Train ticket, domestic and international flight booking services. The air ticket booking is permitted by ITTA (Indian Tourist Transporters Association). Rengha Travels performs train ticket reservation approved by IRCTC. Rengha Travels executes all kind of Omnibus ticket reservations to all major cities in India. ABOUT THE COMPANY HISTORY If you are looking for a cab/taxi in Theni, Dindugal, and Sivakasi, then you should contact us. Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited is the best cab or taxi provider in Theni, Dindugal, and Sivakasi. We provide the best vehicles for a pleasurable trip. We are also providing tourism vehicles at an affordable cost to anywhere in India. If you are looking for an outing with the rest of the group, you can hire our Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited. For Tourism, we offer tourist buses and vans from any part of the country to anywhere in the nook and corner of the Bharat. Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited looks forward to being the best Tourism buses and taxi/cab service providers in Theni, Dindugal and Sivakasi. We ensure our customers feel satisfied. Just call us and tell our cab driver the place you wish to destine. You don’t need to tell our taxi drivers how to get somewhere. Just tell them the place. That’s Enough. Have a Fantastic Journey with Rengha Holidays & Tourism Private Limited. THE ORIGINS OF TOURISM By the early 21st century, international tourism had become one of the world’s most important economic activities, and its impact was becoming increasingly apparent from the Arctic to Antarctica. The history of tourism is therefore of great interest and importance. That history begins long before the coinage of the word tourist at the end of the 18th century. In the Western tradition, organized travel with supporting infrastructure, sightseeing, and an emphasis on essential destinations and experiences can be found in ancient Greece and Rome, which can lay claim to the origins of both “heritage tourism” (aimed at the celebration and appreciation of historic sites of recognized cultural importance) and beach resorts. The Seven Wonders of the Worldbecame tourist sites for Greeks and Romans. Pilgrimage offers similar antecedents, bringing Eastern civilizations into play. Its religious goals coexist with defined routes, commercial hospitality, and an admixture of curiosity, adventure, and enjoyment among the motives of the participants. Pilgrimage to the earliest Buddhist sites began more than 2,000 years ago, although it is hard to define a transition from the makeshift privations of small groups of monks to recognizably tourist practices. Pilgrimage to Mecca is of similar antiquity. The tourist status of the hajj is problematic given the number of casualties that even in the 21st century continued to be suffered on the journey through the desert. The thermal spa as a tourist destination regardless of the pilgrimage associations with the site as a holy well or sacred spring are not necessarily a European invention, despite deriving its English-language label from Spa, an early resort in what is now Belgium. The oldest Japanese onsen (hot springs) were catering to bathers from at least the 6th century. Tourism has been a global phenomenon from its origins. Modern tourism is an increasingly intensive, commercially organized, business-oriented set of activities whose roots can be found in the industrial and postindustrial West. The aristocratic grand tour of cultural sites in France, Germany, and especially Italy including those associated with Classical Roman tourism had its roots in the 16th century. It grew rapidly, however, expanding its geographical range to embrace Alpine scenery during the second half of the 18th century, in the intervals between European wars. (If truth is historically the first casualty of war, tourism is the second, although it may subsequently incorporate pilgrimages to graves and battlefield sites and even, by the late 20th century, to concentration camps.) As part of the grand tour’s expansion, its exclusivity was undermined as the expanding commercial, professional, and industrial middle ranks joined the landowning and political classes in aspiring to gain access to this rite of passage for their sons. By the early 19th century, European journeys for health, leisure, and culture became common practice among the middle classes, and paths to the acquisition of cultural capital (that array of knowledge, experience, and polish that was necessary to mix in polite society) were smoothed by guidebooks, primers, the development of art and souvenir markets, and carefully calibrated transport and accommodation systems. HISTORY OF THE TOURISM The Historical Archive on Tourism (HAT, German: Historisches Archive sum Tourismus) is sited in the city of Berlin at the Technische Universität Berlin where it is housed at the Center for Metropolitan Studies (CMS) and the Zentrum Technik und Gesellschaft (ZTG). The HAT had been founded in 1986/87 at the Freie Universität Berlin; in 2011 international protests helped to avert a planned shut-down of the archive and the following year it moved from the Free to the Technical University. Since 1999 the HAT is headed by the historian Hasso Spode and co-financed by the Willy-Scharnow-Foundation. Step by step the collection was enlarged with material about historical travel and tourism research. Today the length of the shelves amounts to some 600 running meter. The focus of the material is not so much on "travel" generally but on "tourism" as a special sort of travelling. The HAT is gathering various materials ranging from Baedekers to private photo albums, in particular there is an extensive collection of flyers and other so-called ephemera. Mainly the material stems from Central Europe, in particular from Germany, but nearly all other parts of the world are also represented, e.g. Southern Africa or USA. Over 50,000 leaflets are stored and more than 250 journals and some 12,000 books are registered. Inaddition statistics, posters and map s are gathered. The bulk of the material is from the 19th and 20th century, some books date back to around 1600. No OPAC is installed but lists of titles are published in the Internet. INTERNET USAGE IN TOURISM It is evident that online trading is rapidly gaining importance, with online travel agencies replacing traditional ones (Buhalis & Licata, 2002). Internet World Statistics (2012) estimated that 2.4 billion people were using the Internet by the end of June 2012, that is, 34.3% of the world population. At the end of the same period, there were an estimated 820 million Internet users in Europe, an almost 400% growth over the 2000 total of 105 million, a penetration of 63.2%. The percentage of regular Internet users in Denmark, Slovenia and Spain was 89, 65 and 51% respectively, while mobile Internet usage was 61, 30 and 39% in that order. The most popular activity across countries was finding information about goods and services, and in Spain the use of travel and accommodation services (European Commission, 2013). Research conducted in 2012 showed that 148 million travel bookings were made on the Internet that year, accounting for 117.7 billion euros in sales. Of these bookings, 57% were made online, with OTAs commanding a share of 19.5%. Hotel reservations were responsible for 39% of online travel bookings, with Booking.com, Expedia.com and Hotels.com receiving the most traffic (Statistic Brain, 2013). In a recent report, HVS Global Hospitality Services (2014) disclosed that the sum of hotel transactions made in Europe for 2013 was 7.7 billion euros, a 39% increase from 2012. Forrester Research (2012) predicts that by 2017 annual travel sales within Europe will reach 191 billion euros, an average yearly growth of 11%. With consumers turning to online forms of distribution, it is pertinent to research the performance of these sales driven forms of businesses in the realm of information provision. TOURISM DEVELOPMENT The Danish economy showed signs of weakness during the first half of 2013 due to the European debt crisis, but a quick recovery in the latter part of the year resulted in the recording of overall economic growth. While outbound and domestic tourism thrived during the same period, inbound tourism experienced a decrease due to a significant fall in arrivals from the primary origin market, Germany. Nevertheless, online sales of tourism products and services have been on the rise, while offline sales have experienced a decrease. The high rate of Internet penetration in Denmark and an increased trust in Internet retailing have been the catalysts behind this positive development. In 2013, “the average daily rate and occupancy rate increased for hotels in all regions of the country” and continued growth is forecasted for the hotel sector up to 2018. Still, the prospects are less than desired due to high prices and “the lack of ‘5- star’ service level and other attractions” (Euromonitor International, 2014a). Slovenia realized record tourist arrivals in 2012 (up 14%), and a 4% increase in tourist expenditure as a result of a successful “I feel Slovenia” marketing campaign, and the status of its second largest city Maribor, as “European Capital of Culture” for 2012. In the same period domestic tourism figures showed an 8% increase over the previous year, nevertheless, a 5 year forecast has predicted slow growth in this area. Visits to attractions rose by 2% with casinos accounting for the largest share of total sales. In contrary to regional trends, the majority of accommodation sales were transacted offline (95%) due to price sensitive tourists avoiding the pricey online intermediaries. Still, the use of online channels saw a 10% growth. The Slovene government is conducting a 5 year campaign to brand Slovenia as a sustainable destination in hopes of increasing tourist arrivals, with arrivals expected to increase gradually over this period ending 2017 (Euromonitor International, 2014b). While the Spanish economy is suffering from high rates of unemployment, decreases in salary and high taxation, domestic tourism numbers have held steadfast with a shift in preference for low cost carriers and private accommodation; resulting in decreased expenditures. Nevertheless, outbound tourists to the region increased, with a decrease in trips to long haul destinations. Inbound tourism is on the rise as a result of strong tourism promotion and simplified visa procedures, with increased arrivals from as far off as Mexico and Brazil. Last minute bookings have also increased, further signaling the level of uncertainty plaguing the economy, with online bookings showing rapid growth. The number of arrivals is expected to increase due to continued investments in a bid to enhance the tourism offering to meet the demands of being one of the top ten receiving countries in the world OUR SERVICES TRAINING UNDERGONE IN THE COMPANY
1) Ever day Mail Check – in
2) Ticketing Mrs R.Lavanya 3) Travels Mr V. Pradeep 4) Tourism Mr Sasidharan 5) Marketing Mr.Sasidharan 6) Collection Mr. Thiru Murugan 7) Banking M.D Mr. Ravichandran ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE OF THE COMPANY FATHER OF TOURISM AND TRAVEL Thomas Cool isthe Father of Tourism. His first organized t rip was 'Leicester to Loughborough 'in 1841. It covered a distance of 22 km for 570 members. He acted as an agent by buying t ickets in bu lk and selling it to others on a non profit basis. This gave him an idea to package tour s in a profita ble mnner. He organized the t ravel arra ngements, accommodat ions, transport at the dest inations and return to the homeland . MEANING OF TOURISM Tourism is a collection of activities, services and industries that delivers a travel experience, including transportation, accommodations, eating and drinking establishments, retail shops, entertainment businesses, activity facilities and other hospitality services provided for individuals or groups traveling away from home. SCOPE OF TOURISM IN INDIA India holding position under 40 in world most visiting nations. Holding 6 positions in Asian Tourism raking Major advantages of india, culture, weather, spirituality, yoga, food, state diversity and huge number of destinations. TOURISM SCOPE There are many concerns and industries that are direct contributors of the industry and hence in the long run create greater job opportunities to those who would want to be part of the industry 1) Hotels 2) Restaurants 3) Retailing 4) Transportation 5) Travel Agencies 6) Tour Companies 7) Tourist Attractions 8) Recreation and sport Cultural industries are some of the contributors to the industry TOURISM DEPARTMENT There are jobs as Reservation and counter staff , Sales and marketing Staff , Tour Planners and Tour guides. There is also the r e q u i r e m e n t of inf ormation assistants at the off ice of the Tourism departments who are selected through competitive examinations held by the Staff Selection Commission. The option of worki n g as a Guide is also listed under the tourism department as the Ministry of Tourism recogniz es three types of guides CONCEPTS OF TOURISM After the 7th five year plan importance was given to tourism as a foreign exchange earner. This also generated employment for the masses WHO IS A TOURIST??? A tourist is a person who travels largely for pleasure. Perhaps to see the sights, meet people, enjoy a different climate, learn about new places or enjoy new experiences. NATURE OF TOURISM There 4 main characteristics in tourism industry 1) Inflexibility 2) Fixed Tourism 3) Perishable 4) Large Financial Investment SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPORTANCE OF TOURISM 1) Social 2) Educational 3) Economical 4) Political Careet Options TOURISM DEPARTMENT There are jobs as Reservation and counter staff, sales and marketing staff, tour planners and tour guides. There is also the requirement of information assistants at the office of the Tourism departments who are selected through competitive examinations held by the staff selection Commission. The option of working as a Guide is also listed under the tourism department as the Ministry of Tourism recognizes three types of guides HOTELS The Hotel industry being a service industry, serves the basic requirement of food and accommodation. One can choose from operations, front office, house keeping, food and beverages, Accounting, Engineering/Maintenance, Sales, Public relations and Security etc. as one of the many departments to work. TOUR OPERATORS They are the ones who help organize conducted tours to the various tourist spots and manage the travel and stay of the tourists. TRAVEL AGENTS Travel agents evaluate the requirements of tourists and businessmen and help them make the best possible travel arrangements from the many available. Many resorts, travel groups use travel agents to promote their tour packages to travelers. TRANSPORT Apart from airlines, travelers require rail services, coach operators, car hire companies to go from one place to another by air, road, railway, sea etc. All this is take care by the ones handling transport. Future of Tourism Tourism sector has created about 11 million jobs and has the potential to create another 37 million jobs in the future. Although the future of the industry is quite bright but still there is a lot of development in terms of infrastructure and skilled personnel. WHAT IS TOURISM ?? Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty- four (24) hours and 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". TYPES OF TOURISM IN INDIA 1) ECO Tourism 2) Rural Tourism 3) Regional Tourism 4) India City Tour New Tourism Products MONSOON MAGIC : focus from month of April to October. RURAL & VILLAGE TOURISM: the tourism industry is laying special focuses on infrastructural development in various rural destination in various rural destinations in India. MEDICAL TOURISM :The Indian Healthcare Delivery is estimated at US $ 18.7 billion.The industry is growing about 13% annually. WELLNESS & SPA TOURISM : luxurious world class health spa’s are mushrooming across the country. LUXURY TOURISM : Palace on Wheels,Palaces of country etc. ADVENTURE TOURISM : with emphasis on eco toursim. MICE : convention centres coming up in the metro cities. SOME OF THE SALIENT FEATURES OF THE TOURISM POLICY ARE The policy proposes the inclusion of tourism in the concurrent list of the Constitution to enable both the central and state governments to participate in the development of the sector. No approval required for foreign equity of up to 51 per cent in tourism projects. NRI investment up to 100% allowed. Automatic approval for Technology agreements in the hotel industry, subject to the fulfillment of certain specified parameters. Concession rates on customs duty of 25% for goods that are required for initial setting up, or for substantial expansion of hotels. 50% of profits derived by hotels, travel agents and tour operators in foreign exchange are exempt from income tax. The remaining profits are also exempt if reinvested in a tourism related project. CURRENT SUITATIONS OF TOURISM Impact of 26/11 on Indian tourism industry- The Mumbai terror attack has had an impact on the otherwise booming tourism industry. The tourism ministry is doing everything it can to save the sector from a nosedive. As India’s tourism infrastructure develops, it could emerge as one of the biggest tourist attractions. “ The world is just starting to re-discover India ” India's tourism infrastructure is yet poor when compared to the 'best of the world' standards. Yet its diverse and fascinating history has led to the creation of a booming tourism industry. Foreign visitors presently spend more than US $15.4 billion annually in India Average Length of stay in the Country COUNTRY NO. OF DAYS India 31.2 Canada 5.22 Brazil 13.00 France 7.31 Hong Kong/China 3.38 Japan 8.80 Malaysia 5.50 Singapore 2.60 Spain 12.9 Thailand 8.4
WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION
Tourists inflow from Australia – In the last three years the tourist arrivals from Australia to India have almost doubled to a record figure of 1,00,000. Tourists inflow from Britain Every year about 3000,000 tourists from Britain visit India for both business as well as leisure. TOURISTS TO INDIA SPEND MORE Tourists to India spent $ 372 on their visa cards in the year of 2005. This is a 25% rise from the year 2004 thereby, making India the fastest growing Asia -Pacific market for the International tourist spending.Fortunately, after a drop of about 10% in foreign tourist arrival between October 2008 and June 2009, the inbound tourist market is showing definite signs of revival LEADING TOURIST DESTINATION With nearly 140 three and two star hotels, Kerala has turned into a major hot spot for foreign tourists. However Tamil Nadu hold the second position in attracting foreign tourists. Employment generated by tourism in India Tourism Industry provides employment to about 2 corers of people in India. Amir Khan – The New Brand Ambassador of Incredible India Campaign
Union Ministry of Tourism has featured Aamir Khan as the brand
ambassador for its immensely successful Incredible India campaign and spread the message of "Atithi Devo Bhava" (guest is god). IMPACTS TO TOURISM Tourism can be a lucrative source of revenue for a destination, but it can also have major negative impacts on it. These impacts are not only physical, but also cultural. The impacts vary according to the number and the nature of tourists as well as the characteristics of the site at which tourism activities take place. These negative impacts can only be managed effectively if they have been identified, measured and evaluated. NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE AS A BASIS FOR TOURISM Generally, the heritage of a region consists of its physical natural and cultural environment, its natural phenomena and its cultural traditions and immaterial cultural goods. Heritage is always affiliated with a region and/or a society (or a part of a society) and it is based on the region's history. It has its origin in the past; it has been passed over from one generation to the next and maintained until the present. Cultural heritage is directly related to the region's and society's history and also natural heritage has its roots in the past. Nature as it looks at present has been formed by former vegetation and wildlife and underwent constant development and changing through geological and hydrological processes, evolution and human influence. In any case, it is most important to keep in mind that sustainable tourism is taking it's sources from the region's own attractions and past - not from something brought in from abroad, like e.g. a fully air conditioned tropical greenhouse-landscape in a northern region or an indoor ski park in a region where there is never enough natural snow for skiing. The natural and cultural heritage of a region is the main motivation for a tourist’s visit, this is especially the case for cultural or nature tourism, or provides at least an important complementary offer for other types of tourism, e.g. congress tourism, recreation and sports tourism. The outstanding natural and cultural features of a region are those which make a place "special" - and worth a visit. NATURAL AND CULTURE HERITAGE AS A BASIS FOR TOURISM Generally, the heritage of a region consists of its physical natural and cultural environment, its natural phenomena and its cultural traditions and immaterial cultural goods. Heritage is always affiliated with a region and/or a society (or a part of a society) and it is based on the region's history. It has its origin in the past; it has been passed over from one generation to the next and maintained until the present. Cultural heritage is directly related to the region's and society's history and also natural heritage has its roots in the past. Nature as it looks at present has been formed by former vegetation and wildlife and underwent constant development and changing through geological and hydrological processes, evolution and human influence. In any case, it is most important to keep in mind that sustainable tourism is taking it's sources from the region's own attractions and past - not from something brought in from abroad, like e.g. a fully air conditioned tropical greenhouse-landscape in a northern region or an indoor ski park in a region where there is never enough natural snow for skiing. The natural and cultural heritage of a region is the main motivation for a tourist’s visit, this is especially the case for cultural or nature tourism, or provides at least an important complementary offer for other types of tourism, e.g. congress tourism, recreation and sports tourism. The outstanding natural and cultural features of a region are those which make a place "special" - and worth a visit. PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM Due to the dimension of the tourism industry - 900 million arrivals per year around the world - and because tourism is related so essentially to natural areas, it is one of the major threats to biodiversity and natural resources world wide. Therefore, it is absolutely indispensable to undertake efforts to make tourism more sustainable - regarding all kinds of tourism, at all levels and for all parts of the tourism business from international tour operator to small pension owners. The challenge of sustainable tourism development is to make use of tourism's positive impacts, enhancing and channeling the benefits into the right directions, and to avoid or mitigate the negative impacts as far as possible. Referring to the different natural, cultural and economic resources tourism is affecting, various international organizations have developed definitions, principles, charters, codes and criteria for sustainability in tourism - see a compilation in the box below. Note: These are just examples from the international level, there are many more specific principles, criteria etc. for sustainable tourism at regional and local level. INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS FOSTERING SUSTAINABILITY IN TOURISM Various bad occurrences related to tourism as well as the sudden increase in mass tourism in the 1960s triggered a lot of tourism critique and led consequently to the introduction of the phenomenon sustainable tourism or, as it was more commonly known at that time, «green» (gentle) tourism into the debate. It is also a phenomena that has developed out of the growth of the concept of sustainable development. International action in this area, however, did not really take off until the early 1990s. After initial skepticism, however, tourism has been officially recognized as an important issue in international environmental politics, both in relation to the Convention on Biological Diversity and to Agenda 21. At the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2002 (UNCED), the importance of sustainable tourism development was pointed out. Various international conventions and declarations have elaborated principles and criteria for sustainable tourism. Of special importance has been the relationship between tourism and biodiversity conservation - this has been recognized as an important issue within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In consequence, and in order to put the sustainability principles into practice, the CBD Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development have been adopted by the CBD Conference of Parties in 2004. IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES AND AGREEMENTS The Marrakesh Task Force Sustainable Tourism, established in 2006, is encouraging the implementation of actions that promote sustainable tourism through the development of support tools and presenting existing initiatives that may inspire pilot projects and good practice in other countries. The establishment of the “International Guidelines for Biological Diversity and Tourism Development” in 2004. These fulfill the concept of sustainable tourism and should be considered by all relevant bodies as the tool for future planning and management of tourism. The guidelines focus on tourism which takes place on vulnerable ecosystems and in protected areas. They can, however, be applied to all forms of tourism in any geographical region. The CBD Guidelines were established recognizing the fact that sustainable tourism should involve key stakeholders in tourism, conservation, economy and politics in the region and should be completed through a participatory process, which should primarily include the local population. The Quebec Declaration, within the framework of the International Year of Ecotourism 2002, was implemented by the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), as a contribution to bring the different views of NGOs and the tourism industry into line in accordance with sustainable tourism. The Commission for Sustainable Development adopted Decision 7/3 on tourism and sustainable development at its 7th session in New York in 1999. This decision includes the adoption of an international work programme on sustainable tourism development and an invitation to the CBD to “further consider, in the context of the process of the exchange of experience, existing knowledge and best practice on sustainable tourism development with a view to contributing to international guidelines for activities related to sustainable tourism development…”. VISITOR MANAGEMENT AND TOURISTM INFRASTRUCTURE Visitor management and tourism management are very closely linked with each other. However, it is important to clearly distinguish between these two steps within the context of tourism development. Tourism Management covers the management of tourism development and related activities regarding their impacts on ecology, economy and society in the respective (protected) area. The tourism management process includes the conduction of a situation analysis, including the application of visitor impact management frameworks, such as Carrying Capacity or LAC, as well as related strategy development, the development of a management plan and its consequent implementation. Thus, it lies within the responsibility of tourism management to set rules regarding visitor numbers, the extent of tourism activities and the overall type of tourism to be developed in the protected area. Visitor management is one component of tourism management. Whereas tourism management tackles the regional level, dealing with developments and activities within the whole area, visitor management mainly focuses on the specific habitat level. For effective decision-making, visitor. management needs exact data on the level of use (of respective resources), the status of the habitats and the man-made impacts of visitor presence. Visitor management deals with the assessment of direct negative, human-induced, impacts of the visitors’ presence (and related activities) on habitats, species and natural resources (e.g. related erosion). Based on the result of the assessment, visitor management further determines measures to keep the identified impacts at a minimum level or to generally avoid them in the future. Measures that belong to visitor management are for example the design of trail networks, the hardening of surfaces, the prohibition of fireplaces and campgrounds of the measures for visitor education for proper behavior within the protected area. It is important to understand that visitor management is specifically targeted towards the visitor itself and those impacts caused by humans. In order to fulfill this purpose, visitor management includes technical management decisions (e.g. where to build a new trail) as well as value judgments (e.g. decisions to limit use).
TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING AND
MANAGEMENT Generally, when talking about the tourism infrastructure for visitors in protected areas (e.g. trails, visitor centers, resting places, parking lots, camp grounds, view points etc.) particular precaution is necessary due to the high vulnerability of the natural values. In the following, the sustainability principles for two typical examples for visitor infrastructure in protected areas are presented. Tourism infrastructure planning and management Generally, when talking about the tourism infrastructure for visitors in protected areas (e.g. trails, visitor centers, resting places, parking lots, camp grounds, view points etc.) particular precaution is necessary due to the high vulnerability of the natural values. In the following, the sustainability principles for two typical examples for visitor infrastructure in protected areas are presented. Trails To provide trails for hikers, cyclists, horse-riders, skiers, climbers and other types of visitors is a key issue of protected area management. Trails and the whole network of trails in a protected area need to be carefully planned and monitored in order to achieve two goals: a) To keep the negative impacts of the trails and the visitors' activities on and along these trails to a minimum (acceptable) level. b) To provide the visitors with an adequate infrastructure (the trails and related facilities) that allow for a meaningful nature experience according to the expectations of the different visitor groups mentioned above. In general, a protected area will provide two types of trails: normal trails that basically enable visitors to get around/to get to places of interest, and interpretative trails. The latter are an important opportunity to communicate with the visitor and, to a certain extend, to influence his experience and behavior. Interpretative trails have many different purposes including information, education, recreation, safety and conservation of natural and cultural resources. Modern interpretative trails do not only provide information, but follow the concept of actively involving the observer in an interactive process of learning about and experiencing nature. Interpretative trails are characterized by their structured sequence of interpretative features. Modern interpretative trails in protected areas aim to inform the user about the ecosystem(s) the trail is located in. They are a means to communicate natural and cultural values and to raise the visitors’ awareness for environmental conservation issues. To provide trails for hikers, cyclists, horse-riders, skiers, climbers and other types of visitors is a key issue of protected area management. Trails and the whole network of trails in a protected area need to be carefully planned and monitored in order to achieve two goals: a) To keep the negative impacts of the trails and the visitors' activities on and along these trails to a minimum (acceptable) level. b) To provide the visitors with an adequate infrastructure (the trails and related facilities) that allow for a meaningful nature experience according to the expectations of the different visitor groups mentioned above. In general, a protected area will provide two types of trails: normal trails that basically enable visitors to get around/to get to places of interest, and interpretative trails. The latter are an important opportunity to communicate with the visitor and, to a certain extend, to influence his experience and behavior. Interpretative trails have many different purposes including information, education, recreation, safety and conservation of natural and cultural resources. Modern interpretative trails do not only provide information, but follow the concept of actively involving the observer in an interactive process of learning about and experiencing nature. Interpretative trails are characterized by their structured sequence of interpretative features. Modern interpretative trails in protected areas aim to inform the user about the ecosystem(s) the trail is located in. They are a means to communicate natural and cultural values and to raise the visitors’ awareness for environmental conservation issues. INCENTIVE FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM One option how to achieve sustainable practices in tourism businesses is to administer economic instruments that motivate private enterprises to change their operations towards more sustainability. Economic instruments that count on the voluntary participation and engagement of businesses by providing financial benefits to those that participate in a program or engage in making their business more sustainable are called incentives. Other economic instruments, mainly executed by governments, are taxes, e.g. specific eco-taxes for tourism businesses, or charges levied from tourists or businesses using specific resources, e.g. of a protected area. THE USE OF INCENTIVES FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM In sustainable tourism, the aim of incentives is to influence the practice of tourism activities or tourism development to make them more sustainable via changing the behavior or the business practice of tourism providers. The expected outcome of incentives is the reduction of adverse tourism impacts, may they relate to the environment, culture, society or economy of a tourism destination. The issuer of incentives can be governmental bodies, local communities, international institutions, NGOs, private initiatives and also the private tourism sector, e.g. tourism associations or tourism agencies. The beneficiary of the incentives or the participants in an incentive program will be above all the tourism enterprises from local businesses of accommodation, catering, transport and other tourism related services, furthermore local and national travel agents and tour operators up to internationally operating ones. There are also incentives that address the tourists. An incentive scheme could offer the reduction of the tourist tax or a better value for those tourists that chose environmental friendly behavior, e.g. using public transport instead of their own car or taking back their garbage themselves. LITERATURE REVIEW Literature review is a summary of past research that is related to the main concept of this thesis. In this part, a detailed literature review will be presented. We researched many books, reports, periodicals, and researches related to the hypothesis of the project and selected carefully several articles based on which our research will be done. The following are these articles: 1) “Definition of Tourism” (Glafkos A. Anastassiou “Sports Tourism in Island Microstates” 2001) 2) “Lack of Distinctiveness---Image” (CTO. Development of a Ling Term Strategy for Cyprus Tourism—Final Report) 3) “Transportation” (Copper, Fletcher, Gilbert, Shepherd, and Wanhill. “Tourism Principles and practice”) Tourism is often difficult to be defined, because it is a complex concept. And it is often defined by one perspective rather than an array of viewpoints. In the article ‘Definition of Tourism’, it is said that Tourism is often defined in terms of a travel experience rather than by the nature of the activity of tourism itself’. Here, “travel experience’ is emphasized in terms of tourism. It is necessary to consider a tourist as a consumer. For a consumer, visiting a destination is an experience. Once he or she decides to visit a destination, that means he or she buys a product that is intangible. The quality of such a product becomes very important. It will directly influence the satisfaction degree of a consumer’s experience. The intangible product we mentioned here is the tourism product, which can be defined as the resource and creative facilities of a destination combined to produce an amalgam of activities and functions. Tourism products are delivered to tourists through the sensations of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. When tourists come to Cyprus, they will experience the different sensations, which will form perceptions of tourists. By these perceptions, tourists can judge if their expectations are met. If they are satisfied with the product that they bought, they will possibly buy it again and again; in that case, repeat visits or business will occur. How to make a tourist satisfied? Improving the quality of tourism products become very important. The article ‘Lack of Distinctiveness-Image’, it is pointed out ‘with respect to developing distinctiveness in the Cyprus product we believe that history and culture provide the means by which a clear and separate identity can be established’. When Cyprus as a tourist destination is talked about, ‘sun and sea’ will appear in most foreigners’ mind. This means the image of Cyprus is only limited in a very narrow range. The history and culture are often ignored. Besides its natural beauty, Cyprus has also a distinctive archaeological and cultural wealth, originating from its 9,000 years old history. The cultural dimension of tourism is inseparably associated with Cyprus. However, the impression persists that this fundamental resource is not being treated appropriately, with particular reference to its intrinsic and unique historic cultural heritage. Cyprus has rich enclaves of cultural vitality, past and present, which could benefit from the dialogue generated by tourism, in terms of improvement and diffusion. It is important to realize that culture tourism is not limited to the historical-artistic heritage, but also includes popular cultures, artistic production and some contemporary architecture. Culture is an important core the theme in the development of the tourist product. It includes the ‘human’ factor, as well, upon which the identity and uniqueness of the destination is dependant. The culture of Cyprus is reflected in the music, art, theatre, literature, history, architecture, archaeology, museums, monuments, festivals, exhibitions, and interpretative facilities of Cyprus. Culture makes a destination different and interesting. It is clear that Cyprus has the capacity to provide a rewarding and satisfying cultural experience for a wide range of tourists, at present, this potential is not being realized, largely because of a failure in presentation. The presentation of the culture must be approached by tourism planners with the greatest sensitivity. Once the image of Cyprus is will-developed, Cyprus will be no longer an island only with sea and sun, but a warm, relaxed and friendly Mediterranean island steeped in history and culture and the associated romance that accompanies the mythology of Aphrodite. Transportation for tourism is an essential element of the tourist product. Increasingly, when transport is viewed as part of leisure, the journey is at least as important as the destination itself. The article “Transportation” indicates that ‘Tourism is about being elsewhere and, in consequence, the relationship between transportation and tourism development has traditionally been regarded as ‘chicken and egg’. Adequate transportation infrastructure and access to generating markets is one of the most important prerequisites for the development of any destination’. (Cooper, Fletcher, Gilbert, Shepherd, and Wanhill .1998. ‘Tourism Principles and Practice’) Imagine that there is a very beautiful island in the pacific, and you want to visit it. But you do not know where it is, how to reach it, and use which kind of conveyance. Then, you will never realize your travel. Transportation for tourism is an essential element of the tourist product in two ways: it is the means of movement at the destination. Cyprus, as a tourist destination should develop its transport system. This system here we mean includes two aspects: Access Transport and Internal transport. Access transport provides the means to reach the destination, while internal transport provides the means of movement at the destination. Most tourists come to Cyprus by air because it is fast and saving time. For geographical isolation, for example, Cyprus, air is the dominant and often the only reasonably fast means of travel. While, Cyprus Airline still exists the following problems: 1) Lower competitive capability 2) Limited regulatory regime 3) Inadequate infrastructure. 4) These problems hinder the development of tourism in Cyprus. 5) Internal transportation needs of the tourist are provided by taxis, rental cars, coaches and public transport bus services. The problems of Cyprus internal transportation include that 6) Taxi services are restricted in geography and time 7) Tourist service bus routes are few. 8) And top class touring coaches are few. 9) The above problems are largely within the commercial arena, while some regulatory and quality control issues are the responsibility of the public sector. 10) In many cases the development of internal transportation systems for tourism cannot and should not be separate to those of the domestic market. DEVELOPING SPECIAL INTEREST TOURISM Shown as “Percentage Distribution of Tourists By Location of Stay 2001”(see table 2) over ninety percent of tourists choose to stay at the seaside cities, such as Ayia Napa, Larnaca, Lemesos and Pathos. It indicates that sea and sun are still the main stimulus for most visitors who come to the island. While, the tourism resources of Cyprus are not unilateral. Cyprus has historical sites, museums with a large collection of antiquities and treasures, themed routes, nature trails, and many other interest products, which are dispersed, in the different areas of the island. Attracting tourists to visit different areas of Cyprus should be made great efforts. A S.L.E.P.T. ANALYSIS OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN INDIA Social: Tourism was always looked upon as something that led to the destruction of the social fabric of a place. The more the amount of outside people coming into a place, the more the perceived risk of that place losing its identity. A good example is Goa. From the late 60's to the early 80's when the Hippy culture was at its height, Goa was a haven for such hippies. Here they came in thousands and changed the whole culture of the state. This had a ripple effect on the country. People became cautious, especially of the international tourists. Whenever a certain place became famous, the example of Goa was cited to discourage the inflow of international tourists. However some places such as Kerala and Rajasthan have been able to strike a balance between their own culture and the demands of the international tourists and have profited handsomely in the bargain. People are now adopting themselves to the fact that tourism pays and it can be a major source of income for them. In addition, tourism as a form of recreation has really caught on. People themselves have started traveling and are willing to travel to a place that is out of the way and exotic. While traditionally traveling on a holiday meant going to a hill station or a beach, now people are willing to go in for adventure tourism and also visit places that might be exotic and cannot really be called hospitable. For example, now places like Leh and Lakshadweep are mentioned in the same breath as Goa or Kashmir. FACTS AND FINDINGS 1) In COUNTRY ROADS HOSPIATALITY we were in basically with corporate sector as a trainee 2) Our company deals with corporate sector only, Now it’s moving to individual traveler 3) Our company find data from the net (contacts & name of the company) which is new for our company 4) Our next approach was calling to new client’s and find out the concerns person and them about our company’s business and Try to fix meetings and exchange their business to each other from new client’s. 5) When we called to the client’s, At that time Response from the client’s was not same 6) There are too many responses which I got from the customer: 7) I am not interested, 8) Mail your company’s profile I will check it, 9) Call me tomorrow 10) I’ll back to you 11) We have own event management Firms & travel agents 12) Our company never organize these types of events & trips 13) & few positive responses also. 14) Then we fix meetings with the customers, meet them and the explain our services. organize meetings, gala evening and these types of events according to customer demand and their taste what they want to do. 15) We make tour packages, presentations, Itineraries there with the help of our seniors and previous files RECOMMENDATIONS 1) They should improve their Ideas, packages Itineraries an attractive offers according as per customer demand to grow their image in the tourism market 2) They should improve their staff member, they have to improve way of talking (How to introduce their self & companies profile to new customer) 3) They should improve their infrastructure for meetings in their own office 4) They should publish their itineraries new packages on internet to get more business from new customers 5) They should improve their advertisement style and try to publish their products in market in a new style 6) They should modify their website, their packages on website information regarding tourism time to time with new innovative ideas 7) They should move to travel consultant to travel agent it will make lil more profit to their company TOURISM INDUSTRY 1) It has been a major social phenomenon of societies all over the world. 2) Driven by the natural urge of every human being for new experiences. 3) It acts as an instrument of economic development and employment generation. 4) Globally large service industry in terms of gross revenue and foreign exchange earnings. 5) Stimulates other economic sectors like agriculture, transport, construction etc. TOURISM INDUSTRY IN INDIA Tourism industry in India is on a great boom at the moment. India has tremendous potential to become a major global tourist destination and Indian tourism industry is exploiting this potential to the hilt. Travel and tourism industry is the second highest foreign exchange earner for India, and the government has given travel & tourism organizations export house. The buoyancy in the Indian tourism industry can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, the tremendous growth of Indian economy has resulted in more disposable income in the hands of middle class, thereby prompting increasingly large number of people to spend money on vacations abroad or at home. Secondly, India is a booming IT hub and more and more people are coming to India on business trips. Thirdly, aggressive advertising campaign "Incredible India" by Tourism Ministry has played a major role in changing the image of India from that of the land of snake charmers to a hot and happening place and has sparked renewed interest among foreign travelers. Travel & tourism industry's contribution to Indian industry is immense. Tourism is one of the main foreign exchange earners and contributes to the economy indirectly through its linkages with other sectors like horticulture, agriculture, poultry, handicrafts and construction. Tourism industry also provides employment to millions of people in India both directly and indirectly through its linkage with other sectors of the economy. According to an estimate total direct employment in the tourism sector is around 20 million . Travel & tourism industry in India is marked by considerable government presence. Each state has a tourism corporation, which runs a chain of hotels/ rest houses and operates package tours, while the central government runs the India Tourism Development Corporation. 1) It is the largest service sector in India. 2) Contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP & 8.78% of the total employment in India. 3) Revenue generated from tourism was about US $100 billion in 2008which is expected to increase to 4) US $275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS AND ECCOMMODATIONS This chapter deals with a summary of the whole study and the conclusions derived there from. It also gives suggestions for the improvement of the working of the employees in the tourism industry to provide better services to the tourists, thereby improving the standard of living of the employees in the tourism industry. Kerala is one of the States in India which provides large number of employees to cater to the needs of the world. Tourism is an industry where service is marketed. It needs skilled and unskilled labourers. If the personnel associated with tourism are trained properly, the services in the tourism industry can be marketed very easily. Tourism is a service oriented business where the customers enjoy the services they are having. Most of the employees working in tourism industry are not professionally qualified. The employees’ turnover is very high in tourism industry. The main reasons for the employee turnover are the low wage system, lack of systematic work schedule and the attitude of the society towards the employees in this industry. The remuneration paid in the unorganised tourism sector is very low when compared with their work. This is the main reason for leaving of the highly qualified personnel from this industry. Tourism workers have to be provided with reasonable compensation for their work. They should have a work schedule like other industries. The Govt. should frame a strategy regarding the working conditions and payment of the employees in tourism industry. The workers in the tourism industry must have an opportunity for presenting their problems. Issues related to human resource development in the tourism sector involve the quality of human resources, their conditions of work, their training and educational programmes, the role of the private sector and the role of the public sector in giving attention and finding solutions to the problems and constraints. If the business has to remain competitive, managers must be skilful in many diverse areas. As a part of the service industry, tourism is labour-intensive and generally requires well-developed social and language skills in a cross-cultural working environment. The availability of skilled and trained manpower is a crucial element for the successful development and sustainability of a tourist destination. In the ultimate analysis, skilled and trained human resources will ensure the delivery of the efficient, highly qualitative service to visitors, which is a direct and visible element of a successful tourism product. The major problems and constraints facing human resources development in the tourism sector are shortage of qualified manpower, particularly at the managerial level, shortage of qualified and experienced teaching staff, shortage of training materials and facilities, lack of strategies and policies for human resources development in the tourism sector, difficulty in keeping pace with rapidly changing technological innovations and dynamic changes in the global marketplace, complexity of the multidisciplinary nature of tourism studies, gap between the training capacity of the educational institutes and the actual need of the industry and shortage of higher-level programmes for management development. Tourism workers need to be equipped with basic competencies regardless of position, rank and salary, to include analytical competencies – consisting of working knowledge in mathematics, basic computer applications and cost analysis, behavioral competencies- customer service, human relations, professional ethics and even history and culture, communication competencies – aside from English working knowledge, Japanese, Chinese, French and other languages also will be advantageous. It also includes ability in report writing and filling-up of company forms. Other Basic competencies –would deal on electricity, geography, environmental practices, hygiene, safety and housekeeping. The facilities or services provided to the tourists were insufficient to meet their requirements. Major findings 1) The trained manpower available in the tourism industry is insufficient to meet their increasing needs. 2) There is a wide gap between the requirement and availability of skilled and unskilled manpower in the case of Classified Hotels in the State. 3) There is a wide gap between the requirement and availability of skilled and unskilled manpower in the case of Un Classified Hotels in the State. 4) An average of 59 per cent of the requirement is available in case of skilled manpower for Classified Hotels in the State. There is shortage of 41 per cent of trained manpower in the case of Classified Hotels. 5) An average of 89 per cent of the requirement is available in case of unskilled labours for Classified Hotels in the State and there is a shortage of 11 per cent. 6) An average of 59 per cent of the requirement is available in case of trained manpower for Un Classified hotels in the State and the shortage of skilled labours is 41 per cent. 7) An average of 89 per cent of the requirement is available for unskilled labours in Un Classified Hotels in the State and the shortage of unskilled employees is 11 per cent. 8) The hypothesis that there exist unbridged gap between supply and demand for trained manpower suitable for tourism industry in the State is accepted. 9) The total intake for various tourism related courses offered by universities institutes in the State is 1356 per year, which is less than the requirement of tourism-based industries in the State. 10) The hypothesis that the intake of universities / govt. agencies, which offer certificates / diploma / degree imparting practical skill and special knowledge training required for tourism, based industries in Kerala is far less than the requirements are accepted. 11) Among the respondents, 50.50 per cent have the opinion that the flights are available for their journey in the State. But, 49.50 per cent of the tourists face difficult in getting flights in time. 12) As per the opinions of tourists the airways ticket available in the State are ‘Difficult’ assumes the first rank (36.31 per cent), followed by ‘Not so easy (28.37 per cent) which assumes the second rank. 13) Most of the tourists have the opinion that the cleanliness of the airport in the State is ‘Good’ (34.14 per cent) and it assumes the first rank. But some tourists say that the cleanliness in the airport is ‘Bad’ (30.54 per cent) and it assumes the second rank. 14) A major part of the tourists visiting the state have the opinion that the facilities at the airports are ‘Satisfactory’ (33.36 per cent) and it assumes the first rank, followed by ‘Very good’ (25.10 per cent0 assumes the second rank and ‘Good’ (19.78 per cent) assumes the third rank. 15) From the tourist, 40.75 per cent says that there is no train connectivity towards most of the tourist destinations in the State and 22.75 per cent of the tourists face difficulty in getting train. 16) Most of the tourists have the opinion that the ticket reservation for train in the State is ‘Difficult’ and it assumes the first rank (33.95 per cent), followed by ‘Very difficult (22.16 per cent) which assumes the second rank. 17) Among the tourists, half of them have the opinion that the cleanliness in compartments is ‘Bad’ (50.42 per cent) and it assumes the first rank, followed by ‘Poor’ (24.37 per cent) and “very poor’ (9.46 per cent) which, assumes the second and third ranks respectively. 18) As per the opinion of tourists, the facilities at the railway stations are ‘Bad’ (49.21 per cent) and it assumes the first rank. Some tourists ranked the facilities at the railway stations as ‘Poor’ (22.29 per cent0 and ‘Very poor’ (10.52 per cent) which assumes the second and third ranks respectively. ƒ Most of the tourists have the opinion that the rail – road connectivity in the State is ‘Not comfortable’ (34.50 per cent) and it assumes the first rank, followed by ‘Just OK’ (31.26 per cent) and ‘Not available’ (16.04 per cent) which assumes second and third ranks respectively. Among the tourists, 33.80 per cent have the opinion that the cleanliness on the road is ‘Bad’ and it assumes the first rank, followed by ‘Poor’ (32.66 per cent) and “very poor’ (20.00 per cent) which, assumes the second and third ranks respectively. Most of the tourists ranked the maintenance of road as ‘Bad’ (50.26 per cent) and it assumes the first rank, followed by ‘Very poor’ (15.28 per cent) and ‘Poor’ (14.32 per cent) which assumes the second and third ranks respectively. ƒ Most of the tourists visiting the state have the opinion that the facilities at the bus stations are ‘Poor’ (42.87 per cent) and it assumes the first rank, followed by ‘Very poor’ (17.60 per cent0 assumes the second rank. ƒ The majority of the tourists visit the State have the opinion that the communication facilities at the destinations are ‘Satisfactory’ (36.31 per cent) and it assumes the first rank , followed by ‘ Very good’ (34.86 per cent) and ‘Good’ (18.52 per cent) which assumes the second and third ranks respectively. ƒ Majority of the foreign tourists (45.50 per cent) are not satisfied with the shopping facilities in the State. But majority of domestic tourists (46 per cent) are almost satisfied with the available shopping facilities in the State. ƒ Among the foreign tourists 40 per cent are not satisfied with the present entertainment facilities in the State and 35 per cent of the domestic tourists are also not satisfied with the available entertainment facilities in the State. ƒ From the foreign tourists, 44 per cent of total tourists are not satisfied with the food items available in the State and 39.50 per cent of the domestic tourists are also not satisfied with food facilities available in the State. ƒ Most of the foreign tourists (52.50 per cent) prefer Western foods. But majority of domestic tourists (44 per cent) prefer Indian foods. ƒ In the case of foreign tourists 55 per cent needs star hotels for their stay during their visit where as 52.50 per cent of domestic tourists only prefer star hotels. ƒ Majority (97 per cent) of the total tourists express their opinion that they are safe during their days in Kerala. Among the foreign tourists 96.50 per cent also respond that they are safe during their visit in Kerala and 97.50 per cent of the domestic tourists say that they are secure in the State at the time of their visit. ƒ In case of foreign tourists, 65.50 per cent face difficulty in communicating with people in the State and 62 per cent of the domestic tourists also face problems in communicating with the local people in the State. ƒ From the foreign tourists 94 per cent of them say that the behaviour of local people in the State is good and 96 per cent of domestic tourists also have the same opinion about the behaviour of the people in the State. ƒ Most of the foreign and domestic tourists (89 per cent) recommend Kerala as a tourist destination to others. ƒ The main attraction of tourists in Kerala is its natural beauty. Majority of the foreign tourists (55.29 per cent) and the domestic tourists (58.49 per cent) recommend Kerala as a destination because of its natural beauty. ƒ . In the case of foreign tourists, 50.50 per cent face difficulty from the customs department in the State. ƒ Among the tourists, 37.67 per cent evaluate the services of banks in the State as dedicated and encouraging. ƒ Ranking of the opinions of tourists about the services of airport staff indicates that their services are ‘Not so simple’ and it assumes the first rank (37.51 per cent). ƒ From the total tourists, 60 per cent of foreign tourists and 58 per cent of domestic tourists felt good impression on the personnel in the airport. But at the same time 39.50 per cent of the foreign tourists and 41 per cent of the domestic tourists felt bad on the personnel working in the air port. ƒ Ranking of the responses of the tourists indicates that among the factors which impressed them, attitude of the employees of the airport reports them very great extent and it assumes the first rank (28.7 per cent). ƒ Most of the tourists have the opinion that the services of railway people are ‘Neutral’ and it assumes the first rank (35.30 per cent). ƒ As per the opinions of tourists the services of taxi operators, those who have been reported, as ‘Adjustable’ assumes the first rank (30.14 per cent) and ‘Misleading’ (26.61 per cent) assume the second rank. ƒ Among the tourists, 31.48 per cent of the surveyed are of the opinion that the employees in the buses are ‘Not so cooperative’ and it assumes the first rank, followed by those who have been reported as ‘Non cooperative’ (28.96 per cent) and assumes the second rank. ƒ Ranking of the opinions of tourists about the services of auto drivers indicates that the auto drivers who are reported to have involved in ‘Misleading’ the tourists assumes the first rank (29.64 per cent). ƒ From the total tourists, 25.50 per cent of foreign tourists and domestic tourists also have an impression on the services of the personnel associated with the transportation. But 71 per cent of foreign tourists and domestic tourists felt deficient about the service of personnel associated with transportation. ƒ Ranking of the response of the tourists indicate that among the factors which impressed them, Attitude of the employees of transportation influence them to very great extent and it assumes the first rank (29.34 per cent). ƒ Ranking of the response of the tourists about the factors influencing the bad impression of transportation employees indicate that, among the factors, Communication influences them to a great extent and it assumes the first rank (33.42 per cent) and Attitude assumes the second rank (30.03 per cent). ƒ Among the tourists, 34.05 per cent of the surveyed are of the opinion that the services of people associated with accommodation are ‘Just OK’ and it assumes the first rank, followed by those which have been reported as ‘Comfortable’ (32.95 per cent). ƒ As per the opinions of tourists the food and beverages available in the State are ‘Very good’ assumes the first rank (49.09 per cent). ƒ From the tourists, 38.05 per cent of the surveyed are of the opinion that the hospitality in the State are ‘Good’ and it assumes the first rank. ƒ Ranking of the opinions of tourists about the services of receptionists in hotels indicates that, 45.46 per cent of the tourists reported as ‘Fair’ and it assumes the first rank, followed by those who reported as ‘Courteous’ (33.64 per cent). ƒ Among the tourists surveyed, 37.72 per cent are of the opinion that the services of room boys are ‘Fair’ and it assumes the first rank, followed by those which have been reported as ‘Courteous’ (27.41 per cent). ƒ Ranking of the opinions of tourists about the services of waiters in hotels indicates that, 33.68 per cent of the tourists reported as ‘Fair’ and it assumes the first rank, followed by those who reported as ‘Courteous’ (29.82 per cent). ƒ From the respondents, 35.74 per cent are of the opinion that the services of restaurant people are ‘Dedicated service’ and it assumes the first rank, followed by those which have been reported as ‘Fair’ (29.61 per cent). ƒ Ranking of the opinions of tourists about the services of house keeping people indicates that, 47.96 per cent of the tourists reported as ‘Dedicated service’ and it assumes the first rank, followed by those who reported as ‘Fair’ (20.80 per cent). ƒ Ranking of the opinions of tourists about the services of security people indicates that the security people who are ‘Responsible’ assumes the first rank (41.37 per cent), followed by those who are ‘Fair’ (25.77 per cent). ƒ Ranking of the responses of the tourists indicates that among the factors which impressed those, “Response” of the employees of the accommodation influence them to very great extent and it assumes the first rank (29.63 per cent) followed by Attitude (29.57 per cent). ƒ Ranking of responses of tourists about the factors of bad impression in accommodation indicates that Communication of employees impressed badly them to a very great extent and it assumes the first rank (32.51 per cent) and Attitude assumes the second rank (28.94 per cent). ƒ Among the tourists surveyed, 32.70 per cent are of the opinion that the tourist guides and escorts are ‘Dedicated and courteous’ and it assumes the first rank, followed by those who have been reported as ‘Unqualified and ill trained’ (26.73 per cent) and it assumes the second rank. ƒ As per the opinions of the tourists the Tourist police who are ‘Authoritative and responsible’ assume the first rank (45.92 per cent). ƒ Ranking of the opinions of tourists about the services of shop keepers indicates that the shop keepers who are ‘Motivating’ them assume the first rank (36.27 per cent), followed by those who are ‘Helpful’ (34.91 per cent). As per the opinions of the tourists, the destination management people who are ‘Protective’ assume the first rank (34.13 per cent) and ‘Adjustable’ (26.67 per cent) assumes the second rank. ƒ Ranking of the opinions of tourists about the services of local people indicates that the local people who are ‘Cooperative’ assumes the first rank (27.70 per cent), followed by those who are reported as ‘Not so bad’ (26.32 per cent). ƒ Majority of the foreign tourists (63.50 per cent) felt deficient about services of the people related with destination and 60 per cent of the domestic tourists also felt deficient about their functioning related with destination. ƒ Ranking of the responses of the tourists indicates that among the factors responsible for bad impression of the destination people, Communication affected adversely to a very great extent and assume the first rank (3097 per cent) followed by Attitude (30.65 per cent). ƒ Among the tourists, 32.27 per cent are of the opinion that the facilities available in the tourist destinations are ‘Good’ and it assumes the first rank, followed by those which have been reported as ‘Satisfactory’ (29.52 per cent). ƒ Ranking of the opinions of tourists about the answers of employees towards their queries indicates that the answers of employees are accurate and it assumes the first rank (46.38 per cent). ƒ Among the respondents, 41.88 per cent are of the opinion that the behavior of employees is ‘Good’ and it assumes the first rank. ƒ From the tourists surveyed, 37.68 per cent are of the opinion that they get ‘Satisfactory’ personal attention and it assumes the first rank. ƒ Ranking of the opinions of tourists about the cleanliness of employees in the State indicates that the employees who are ‘Just OK’ ,assumes the first rank (35.27 per cent). ƒ In the case of foreign tourists 46 per cent were influenced by the natural beauty and 40 per cent like the cultural & historical monuments of the State. Among the domestic tourists 46.50 per cent were attracted by the natural beauty and 37 per cent were only attracted by the cultural & historical monuments in the State. ƒ The major issues raised by the foreign and domestic tourists in the State are delay in service delivery, congestion and traffic blocks and insufficient facilities at the destinations. ƒ Among the tourists surveyed, 47.40 per cent are of the opinion that the level of satisfaction in the State is ‘Good’ and it assumes the first rank. ƒ The hypothesis that the infrastructural facilities and skilled manpower at destinations are far below the tourist’s expectations is accepted. ƒ Majority of the employees working in travel agencies in the State are not professionally qualified. Only 44 per cent of the travel agents have professional degree / diploma in tourism. ƒ Most of the employees in travel agencies (52 per cent) do not have any degree or diploma in travel or tourism management. ƒ Most of the persons (44 per cent) in the travel industry are of the opinion that the remuneration availed in this field is insufficient to meet their requirements. ƒ Majority of the travel agents (44 per cent) provide air and bus ticketing services to the tourists. ƒ Majority of the travel agents (40 per cent) provide specific package, requested package and full package facilities for the tourists as per their requirements. ƒ Almost all the travel agents (84 per cent) arrange boarding and lodging services to the tourists. ƒ Majority of the travel agents (84 per cent) select the employees on the basis of merit or qualification. ƒ Majority of the travel agents (56 per cent) report that the absenteeism of employees in their organisation is medium. ƒ Majority of the travel agents (44 per cent) report that the employee turnover in their organisation is high. ƒ The main reasons reported by the travel agents (84 per cent) for employee turnover in the tourism industry are low wages when compared with the work load and other better chances. ƒ The travel agents (44 per cent) say that the communication between the employees is fair. ƒ The travel agents (44 per cent) get a good cooperation from the employees in their routine work. ƒ Majority of the travel agents (44 per cent) say that the communication of employees with their superiors is fair. ƒ The main steps taken by the travel agents to retain their employees are fair wages and incentives. But majority of the travel agents (48 per cent) do not take any steps to retain the employees. ƒ Majority of the travel agents (84 per cent) expect that their employees should be sincere and punctual. ƒ Most of the travel agents gave opportunities (92 per cent) to listen the opinion of their employees. ƒ Among the employees working in the HR department of hotel industry, 72 per cent have professional degree in tourism. ƒ Some of the employees in the HR department of hotel industry (28 per cent) have no professional degree or diploma in the field of tourism. ƒ Majority of the people working in the HR department of hotel industry (72 per cent) are not satisfied with their remuneration. ƒ The main professional services provided by the institutions in hotel industry are laundry, health club and beauty parlour. Other services provided by the hotel industry in the State are dry cleaning and hair dressing. ƒ Most of the organizations in the hotel industry (34 per cent) provide induction training for the newly appointed employees. But another major part of the organizations in the industry (29 per cent) do not provide any type of training to their employees. The remaining organizations provide daily briefing, weekly briefing, monthly briefing and yearly training to their employees. ƒ Majority of the HR department in hotel industry (42 per cent) report that the absenteeism of employees in the industry is medium. ƒ More than half of the HR departments in the hotel industry (52 per cent) say that the employee turnover in the industry is high. ƒ The main reason for the employee turnover in hotel industry (66 per cent) are low wages, other better chances and attitude of the society towards the jobs in this industry. ƒ Majority of the employees in HR department of hotel industry (55 per cent) report that the communication with the subordinates is good. ƒ Majority of the employees in HR department of hotel industry (58 per cent) report that the cooperation from the subordinates is good. ƒ Most of the employees in HR department of hotel industry (54 per cent) report that the communication with the superiors is good. ƒ The major step taken to retain the employees in hotel industry is better wages (76 per cent) and 10 per cent of the HR department does not any step to retain their employees. ƒ More employees are working in the sections of Maintenance (25.50 per cent), Front office (21 per cent) and Security (21 per cent) in the hotel industry. ƒ Among the employees working in the hotels, 58 per cent are professionally qualified and 42 per cent are not professionally qualified. ƒ Among the professionally qualified employees who are working in the hotel industry, most of them (55.17 per cent) have only Diploma in Tourism and19.83 per cent have PG Diploma or Degree. ƒ Among the employees working in the hotel industry, majority of them (65.50 per cent) receive the guests by greeting them in English. ƒ Majority of the employees with professional qualifications working in the hotel industry (62.07 per cent) have undergone one year course in the field of tourism. ƒ Among the employees working in the hotel industry having professional training, most of them (70.69 per cent) get training from govt. institutions. ƒ Majority of the employees working in the hotel industry (60.50 per cent) demands more training in their field of operations. ƒ Most of the employees in hotel industry (31.50 per cent) demand more training facilities in the field of tourism management. ƒ From the employees working in the hotel industry, 72 per cent select the present job as a livelihood and only 24 per cent select their job with special interest in tourism. ƒ Most of the employees working in the hotel industry (45 per cent) are found in this field for a period of 1 to 4 years. ƒ Among the dissatisfied employees in hotel industry, majority of them (92.68 per cent) are dissatisfied because of the low wages system prevailing in the industry. ƒ Majority of the employees in hotel industry (53 per cent) expect promotion chances in their present job. But 47 per cent think that there is no promotion chance in their present job. ƒ Almost all the employees in hotel industry (94.50 per cent) say that the job in tourism sector requires special knowledge and skill. ƒ Among the employees in hotel industry, 63 per cent have special knowledge or skill in this field and 37 per cent have no special skill or knowledge. ƒ Among the employees having special training, most of them (36.11 per cent) got training from unclassified hotels and only 27.78 per cent got training from the star hotels. ƒ Majority of the employees in hotel industry (49 per cent) are unaware of the various courses available in the field of tourism management. ƒ Most of the employees in hotel industry (69.50 per cent) does not get training from their present management. ƒ Among the employees who got training from the present management, got training only for a period of 2 months or 3 months. ƒ Among the employees in hotel industry, 62.50 per cent facing some difficulty in using languages for conversing with tourists. ƒ Majority of the employees in hotel industry (50 per cent) are not satisfied with the remuneration they are having from the industry. ƒ Among the employees working in the hotel industry, 52 per cent of them recommend the involvement of trade union in the industry. ƒ From the employees working in the hotel industry, 61 per cent are facing difficulty in communicating with the tourists. ƒ Most of the top management in the hotel industry (54.50 per cent) is ready to make conversation with their subordinates weekly. ƒ Majority of the employees in the hotel industry (43.50 per cent) considered that the present incentive schemes available in the industry are only average. Among the employees in the hotel industry, 57.50 per cent have the opinion that the incentive schemes will motivate the employees. ƒ Most of the employees in hotel industry (66.50 per cent) have not much freedom in taking decisions in their daily work without consulting the top management. ƒ Majority of the employees in hotel industry (90 per cent) demands more training institutes with more professional courses in the field of tourism to improve the quality of services in this industry. ƒ The human resources in tourism industry are not well equipped to meet the demand of the customers. There is shortage of professionally qualified workers in this field. ƒ There are no separate strategies and policies for human resource development in the tourism sector in the State. ƒ Since the Calculated value, in case of both Unclassified Hotels and Classified Hotels, is higher than the Table value, (Fcal..= 502.67454 >Ftab.= 493.006171 (at .0002 level) the hypothesis that ‘the Nunber of Tourist Arrivals have no positive influence on Income from Tourists’ is rejected. ƒ As the Calculated value, in case of both Unclassified and Classified Hotels, is higher than the table value, (Fcal.= 4878.27518>Ftab =784.007280 (at .0000 level), the hypothesis that ‘the Remuneration offered to Employees has no positive influence on Income from Tourits’ is rejected. ƒ The Calculated value, in case of both Unclassified and Classified Hotels, is higher than the table value, (Fcal.= 1161.84264 >Ftab.= 784.007280 (at .0001 level)), so the hypothesis that ‘the Marketing Expenditure per Day has no positive influence on Income from Tourists ’ is rejected. ƒ Since the Calculated value, in case of both Unclassified and Classified Hotels, is higher than the table value ,(Fcal.=14.09229 >Ftab.= 10.127964 ( at 0.05 level)), the hypothesis that ‘the Hotel Occupancy Rate have no positive influence on Income from Tourists’ is rejected. ƒ As the Calculated value in case of both Unclassified and Classified Hotels, is higher than the table value, (Fcal.= 91.20927 >Ftab.= 10.127964 (at 0.05 level),.) the hypothesis that ‘the Length of Residence has no positive influence on Income from Tourists ’ is rejected. ƒ In case of Unclassified Hotels, the hypothesis that ‘the Number of Tourist Arrivals have no positive influence on Income from Tourists’ is rejected, because the calculated value, is higher than the Table value, (Fcal..=131.48>Ftab.=34.11622(at0.01 level). ƒ The hypothesis that ‘the Remuneration offered to Employees has no positive influence on Income from Tourists’ is rejected in the case of Unclassified Hotels as the Calculated value, , is higher than the table value, (Fcal.=2380>Ftab.784.007(at 0.0001 level). ƒ Since the Calculated value, in case of Unclassified Hotels, is higher than the table value, (Fcal.=4752.895 >Ftab.=784.007(at 0.0001 level)), the hypothesis that ‘the Marketing Expenditure per Day has no positive influence on Income from Tourists ’ is rejected. ƒ As the Calculated value, in case of Unclassified Hotels, is higher than the table value,(Fcal.=2.67939.>Ftab.=2.6622(at 0.2002 level)), the hypothesis that ‘the Hotel Occupancy Rates have no positive influence on Income from Tourists’ is rejected. ƒ The Calculated value, in case of Unclassified Hotels, is higher than the table value, (Fcal.=3.44564 >Ftab.=3.2332(at 0.1604 level)). So, the hypothesis that ‘the Length of Residence has no positive influence on Income from Tourists ’ is rejected. ƒ Since the Calculated value, in case of Classified Hotels, is higher than the Table value, (Fcal..= 21.05666>Ftab.=20.617982(at0.0194level) the hypothesis that ‘the Number of Tourist Arrivals have no positive influence on Income from Tourists ’ is rejected. ƒ As the Calculated value, in case of Classified Hotels, is higher than the table value, (Fcal.= 2133.88698 >Ftab. 784.007(at0.0000 level), the hypothesis that ‘the Remuneration offered to Employees has no positive influence on Income from Tourists’ is rejected. ƒ The Calculated value, in case of Classified Hotels, is higher than the table value, (Fcal.= 694.07392>Ftab.=167.0292(at 0.001 level)). So, the hypothesis that ‘the Marketing Expenditure per Day has no positive influence on Income from Tourists’ is rejected. ƒ Since the Calculated value is higher than the table value,(Fcal.= 3.7567.>Ftab.=3.703006(at 0.1583 level)), the hypothesis that ‘the Hotel Occupancy Rates have no positive influence on Income from Tourists.’ is rejected. ƒ As the Calculated value, in case of Classified Hotels, is higher than the table value, (Fcal.= 1.28304>Ftab.=1.5619(at 0.3397level),.) the hypothesis that ‘the Length of Residence has no positive influence on Income from Tourists ’ is rejected Bibliography Website- www.countryroads.co.nr www.wikkipedia.com www.tourismofindia.com www.travelindia.com