CHAPTER I

Introduction

1.1. Geography and tourism

Tourism can be defined as an activity oftravelling and its associated

aspects. Tourism is made up of several industries which produce the myriad of

goods and services demanded by consumer tourists(Jafari, 1982, p. 1).Today

tourism is an enormous global industry which is considered as an important

socio-economic and environmental force that can bring prosperity to both culture

and economy of a region.Tourism is now a highly diverse phenomenon having

multiple products to create pull factors of tourismin a region.

Geography being a study of space and spatial variation has a strong

interconnectionwith tourism. The study of the evolution of geographical

thoughts have brought to light that the subject of geography has emerged out of

people’s curiosity to know and understand the spatial variation over the surface

of the earth. During the age of exploration and discovery, much knowledge has

been created out of men’s desire to understand the physical and human

characteristics of a land. The tradition to travel or explore places continued with

the scientific travellers of the 18th and 19th century. Charles Darwin and the

eminent geographer Alexander Von Humboldt were the most notable among

them. Through extensive travel in Eurasia and America, Alexander Von

Humboldt produced huge knowledge based on his observation. Today geography

is a subject which seeks an understanding of the patterns of the world. The world

is changing fast and geographers are keen on understanding the changes and

variation, the factors governing such changes and the probable economic

benefits from such varying characteristics of the earth’s surface. This keenness

1
of geographers has led to the growth ofGeographyof Tourism as one of the

major branches of geography.

Geography as a whole is divided into two main branches: human and

physical geography which are again sub-divided into various branches. The

topics addressed by each branch of geography starting from culture to climate

contribute to the understanding of the phenomenon of tourism. As geography is

a subject based on human explorations and understanding of the earth surface, it

provides tourism the concepts to understand the patterns of variations that

comprise the earth and phenomena of spatial distribution over the earth surface.

Knowing this inherent characteristic of geography, it is clear that tourism and

geography are intrinsically related.

Thus it is seen that though there are various approaches to the study of

tourism, geographical approach can be considered as the most important

approach for understanding of tourism. Components of tourism conceptualises

tourism as a geographic activity and thereby basic concepts in geography can

contribute to understanding of tourism(Nelson, 2013, p. 8).Moreover geography,

the scientific discipline that studies the socio-cultural, economic and physical

attributes of a place provides the base for any comprehensive understanding of

tourism(Singh, 2014, p. 8).

The present study has been conducted to understand the nature of heritage

tourism in Sonitpur district of Assam within the purview of geography of

tourism.

1.1.1.Concept of Heritage

Heritage is related to history, culture and the land on which people live.

Heritagemeans inheritance of things (usually ‘concrete’) from ancestors.

2
According to Sethi(1999), heritage includes historic buildings and monuments,

the sites of important past events like battles, traditional landscape and

indigenous wildlife, language, literature, music and art, traditional events and

folklore practises and traditional lifestyle including food and drink and sport.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in

its World Heritage Convention in 1972 have classified heritages as cultural and

natural. The classification of heritage resources according to UNESCO is

mentioned below:

Table 1.1. Classification of heritage resources according to UNESCO

Cultural heritage Natural
heritage

Tangible Heritage Intangible Tangibl

heritage e and
immovable
heritage
Immovable Movable Music Natural and
Monuments: Archives Dance marine parks
Archeological sites, Literature of ecological
industrial ruins etc Theatre interest
oral Geological and
tradition physical
traditional formations
performances
Social
practices
Buildings: Museum Crafts Landscapes of
architectural works, natural beauty
historic centres. Group Cultural
of buildings spaces
Sites: Libraries Religious Allied natural
Cultural Landscapes, ceremonies themes
historical parks,
gardens and botanical
gardens
know-how
Source: UNESCO, 1972

Ghule(2013) in his doctoral research opines that of the various categories

of heritages mentioned in the above sub-section, the tangible category is widely

dealt with for tourism studies. Various scholars have observed heritage tourism

3
in various ways. The next section observes the concept of heritage tourism and

how has it grown to be a popular form of tourism in the recent years.

1.1.2. Concept of heritage tourism

Tourism is the world's largest and fastest growing industry. The worldwide

growth of tourism in recent decades has led to the emergence of multiple forms

of tourism. Recently various studies have brought to light that during the last

decades there is a trend of increase in tourist’s interest in travelling to

cultural/heritage destinations. With the rising demand of tourists, cultural/heritage

tourism is the fastest growing segment of tourism.

Heritage tourism has been evolving as a driving force of economic and

social development in the recent years.Many definitions of heritage tourism have

emerged since 1990s. Ashworth and Tunbridge (1990) argued that heritage

tourism is an ultra compounded of many different emotions, including nostalgia,

romanticism, aesthetic pleasure and a sense of belonging in time and space.

Again Zeppel H. and Hall M. (1990) stated that heritage tourism is a broad field

of speciality travel, based on nostalgia for the past and desire to experience

diverse cultural landscapes and forms. For Yale (1991) heritage tourism is

nothing more than tourism centred on what we inherited which can mean

anything from historic buildings to art works to beautiful scenery. Sethi

(1999)observes that heritage tourism involves travel to sites that in some ways

represent or celebrate an area, community, or people’s history, identity, or

inheritance. The author adds that heritage tourism also gives people the

opportunity to understand others: where they live, their history, how their society

evolved over time, and how and why they preserve their identity to uphold their

honour, prestige, and pride for their traditions and culture

4
 Heritage is regarded as one of the more significant and fastest growing

components of tourism in many developed economies(Li, Wu, & Cai, 2008, p. 309).

This implies that with growing modernization,interest among the tourists to

communicate with both nature and past is increasing rapidly. This is resulting

ingrowingpopularity of heritage tourism as contemporary form of tourism activity.

Now tourists are keener on exploring the invaluable antiquities, archaeological ruins,

pilgrimage sites and museums around the world.However heritage resources are

fragile, non-renewable, and irreplaceable. But tourism is a major way by which

heritage resources can be preservedwhile meeting the commercial demand through

tourism. Heritage tourism is beneficial for several reasons:it supports culture and

helps renew tourism, it helps to preserve the heritage assets, it helps create livelihood

opportunities and establishes and popularise the identity of a community.

In this context, the study onheritage tourism in Sonitpur district of Assam

is to be conducted. It is realised that a systematic assessment of the tourists and

heritage resources of the district is an urgent need. This will facilitate to provide

information to the planners and policy makers to device appropriate steps and

strategies wherever necessary, to vitalize the tourism industry, particularly the

heritage Tourism in the district. A geographical approach of the study of heritage

tourism in the district can provide a holistic view by synthesizing various

physical and human aspects relating to it, which may help in evolving measures

for further development of tourism in the district. Heritage tourism can ensure

economic development of the area and also revival of indigenous heritage.

The present study focuses mainly on the tangible heritage sites of Sonitpur

district of Assam as the area is mainly known for his tangible heritage. However

the study also observes the growing interests of tourists towards intangible

5
heritage which comprises of the experience of culture, cuisine, rural environment

and traditions of the land.

1.2. Statement of the problem

Sonitpurdistrict of Assam has a long history dating back to the pre-historic

period. Being the cradle of a rich cultural heritage since pre-historic times, the

district is rich in pilgrimage and historical antiquities. The district is known for

archaeological ruins and monuments dating back to Gupta period (5th – 6th

century AD). The archaeological remains of the district include stone

inscriptions, architectural remains, sculptures, tanks and ramparts. Apart from it,

the district possesses assets belonging to the colonial era. The district is known

for its mythology, legend and folklore. On the cultural front also, Sonitpur is rich

enough to draw the attention of the tourists.

Though the study area abounds in heritage resources, the assets have

carelessly been harnessed for tourism with little or no research base. Lack of

proper planning and developmental policies has been the prime issue of proper

tourism development in the study area. All this has resulted in unwise

exploitation of heritage resources for touristic utilisation resulting in resource

deterioration and inadequate economic returns.

The current study therefore addresses the above problems of heritage

tourism in the district under the purview of geography of tourism. It has been

observed that proper development of heritage tourism in the district can be the

source of revenue generation and employment opportunities for the local youths.

Heritage tourism can also help in safeguarding the indigenous heritage of the

area.These aspects need in-depth study of heritage tourism in the area from

geographical perspective.

6
 This study is therefore an effort to evaluate the present status of the

existing heritage tourism sites and to identify the potential ones for further

development of tourism in the study area.The present study also tries to

understand the nature of tourism in the area based on perceptions of tourists and

local communities. The study also tries to assess the strength, weaknesses,

opportunities and threats of Sonitpur as a tourist destination. This effort may

help in evolving measures for development of heritage tourism in the district. It

is in this contextthat the present study is conducted to find the suitability of

Sonitpur as a heritage tourism destination and assess the present status related to

heritage tourism of the district.

1.3. Literature review

The concept of leisure and tourism is not a new concept. Various studies

have been done so far in the field of tourism. But scientific study of tourism in

geography is of recent origin. As a matter of fact, the European and American

geographers laid the foundation of tourism studies in geography. Review of

literatures reveals extensive researches done by geographers from the west.

Study of tourism in Geography

In Europe, study of travel and tourism has been initiated by the British

geographers. The publications of Cosgrove and Jackson (1972) deals with the

changing concept of tourism. Many writers have focused on the relationship

between tourism and geography. Rabinson (1976) attempted to measure the

dimensions of tourism, its spatial pattern and issues involved in its planning

process while opining that tourism is the appropriate subject of study for the

geographers. While justifying that heritage tourism is an ideological treatment of

history, nature and tradition, Johnson (1995) focuses on the intrinsic relationship

7
between geography and history. The author has also lays emphasis on the

necessity of heritage conservation.

In a study of tourism, Bhattacharya (2004) mentions about the

prominentwestern geographers contributing to the literature on tourism. He cites

the work ofStansfield and Rickert(1970), Mitchell(1969, 1979, 1981,1984),

Collins(1979) of the USA, Rojotte(1975), Hellenier(1989) of Canada,

Archer(1982), Coppock(1982) and Harrison(1980) of UK, Wolfe(1973),

Benthian(1980), Rupert(1984) and Ritter(1989)of Germany.

In India too, many eminent geographers have undertaken research works

on tourism with a geographical perspective. Singh (1975) has done extensive

work on tourism in India mainly on mountain tourism. His book has elaborate

narratives on the relationship between geography and tourism in his valuable

books.Singh (1994) observes that geographers have displayed greater interest to

the study of tourism than any other group of social scientists. The author

remarked that the interest of the geographers in the field of tourism was due the

establishment of the International Geographical Union working group with

Professor B Barbier as the chairman in 1973. The author adds that the

commission called upon eminent geographers from all over the world to

contribute their ideas on concepts dealing with leisure and tourism for a better

understanding of this complex phenomenon. Another research work on

Mahabaleshawar has been done with a geographical perspective by Pushpalata

(1995) where she assessed the various tourist spots in and around the study

region and suggested development for future planning.Bhattacharya (2001)

worked on national and international tourist trends and potentials of tourism in

Assam with geographical perspective. Looking into the contribution of

8
geographers in the field of tourism, Bhattacharya (2004) opined that there is

hardly any aspect of tourism which does not have some geographical

implications. According to the author, there is considerable amount of literature

contributed by the geographers from the developed world whose works can be

summarised into three main categories: (a) studies of tourism as a general

phenomenon which examine the geographical factors involved in development

of tourism in micro, meso and macro level, (b) studies on development of

tourism or potentials for tourism development of a specific country or region, (c)

studies of specific branches or aspects of tourism. The author also opines that the

attraction of a tourist destination is the outcome of interaction of several

elements: climatic condition, infrastructural facilities, and attitude of the host

community and above all the presence of something interesting to see or do by

tourist. Author opined that potentiality of tourism development in a particular

area lies in the pulling power of such attractive elements that exists there. The

author in his study observes that the potentiality of tourism in an area is indeed

the result of interaction of tourist demand and supply of local availability of

tourist resources.

Li, Wu and Cai (2008) discussed about the importance of spatial analysis

in tourism studies for understanding the carrying capacity. The authors also

observe that understanding spatial relationships between tourist origin and final

and intermediate is important to identify sources of population pressure and

serve management needs of specific attractions. He also lays emphasis on using

geographical tools in examination of the geographical distribution of tourist sites

and their spatial relationship to tourist origin cities.

9
 Thus it is seen that geography is a necessary approach to the study of

tourism. As tourism involves movement and activities between places,

geographical approach provides the best analysis to a tourism study. From a

geographer’s perspective, the main concern of tourism is to into aspects like the

geographical location of a place, the climate, the landscape, the environment, the

physical planning and the changes in these emerging from provisioning of tourism

facilities and amenities (Singh, 2014, p. 15)

Studies on Heritage Tourism

As tourism is constantly evolving with more diverse and specialised

products to meet the demand of tourists, literatures in the specific field of

tourism have also been developing rapidly with time. Various studies have been

done so far on eco- tourism and their numerous variants and continue to be

widely studied today. Since early 1990s, heritage tourism has been

gainingconstantly increasing attention of academicians, thereby expanding

treasure of literature and research works on the topic. Heritage tourism today

possesses wide range of concepts, definitions, case studies and more general

discourses(Balcar & Pearce, 1996).

The debate surrounding the role of tourism in the retrievals of history has

gained much importance recently. Several scholars have argued that heritage

tourism plays an important role in discovering identity of a region. Heritage

tourism has emerged as an important tool for a region to exhibit their cultural

identity to the world. The importance of heritage tourism has been emphasized

by scholars like Ashworth and Tunbridge (1990) who looked into the

educational significance of heritage tourism opining that heritage tourism is an

effective way to achieve the educational function of tourism. Considering that

10
heritage resources are the Unique Selling Proportion for any given destination,

Singh (1994) studied the sustainability aspect of tourism and noted that the

promotion of heritage tourism in a way can be used to restore the glorious past of

any destination. According to the author, if cultural heritage tourism is

developed keeping in mind the sustainability aspect, it can lead to the enrichment

of culture, resources and the economy of the destination along with protection of

urban centres, preservation of temples and mosques and preservation of dying

arts and crafts and the customs and traditions etc.

Sethi(1999) looked into development of heritage tourism at global scale.

He opined that heritage tourism continued to develop at a steady pace throughout

the first half of the 20th century around the world and observed that development

was fastest in the developing countries of the world such as North America,

Japan, Australia and Europe which are in fact the location of most highly

developed heritage resources of the world. The author opines that the rapid

growth of heritage tourism during the recent years is due to increased leisure

time, more disposable income, the development of package holidays and

increased mobility due to transportation development.

Ghule(2013) observes that heritage tourism has a number of objectives that

must be met within the context of sustainable development such as the

conservation of cultural resources, accurate interpretation of resources authentic

visitors’ experience, and the simulation of the earned revenues of cultural

resources. The author also opines that studies of heritage tourism must involved

understanding the impact of tourism on communities and regions, economic and

social benefits, providing financial resources for protectionas well as marketing

and promotion.

11
Studies on impacts of heritage tourism

The importance of heritage tourism has been emphasized by many eminent

scholars. Ashworth and Tunbridge (1990) looked into the educational

significance of heritage tourism opining that heritage tourism is an effective way

to achieve the educational function of tourism. Li, Wu, & Cai (2008)opined that

heritage tourism reintroduces people to their cultural roots and helps them to

form identity while tourism is a source of finance for the maintenance and

preservation of heritage sites. Wang & Bramwell( 2012) observed that heritage

resources can help facilitate revenue generation and economic growth of a

region. The authors opined that commercial use of heritage resources can

promote urban regeneration and rural revitalisation through their preservation.

Studies on heritage tourism in India

Studies on heritage tourism in India is done to some extent. Most of the

studies reveal that heritage tourism development in India is not satisfactory.

Some of the important studies on heritage tourism are worth reviewing.

Deshmukh and Navle (1997) looks into the impact of pilgrimage tourism

on local community and also on the Physical, economic and Socio – Cultural

activities of the area under study.Raina (2005) looks into the relationship that

exists between tourism, culture, tourists attractions and the host

communities.Chawla (2006) attempts to explain the concepts of cultural tourism

& heritage tourism and discusses the role of culture & religion of India in

tourism development.

Mishra(2007) discusses the tourist attraction places in central India as well

as he analyses tourism infrastructure and tourist profile. He also throws light on

tourism planning & tourism marketing.Singh(2007) focusses on historical

12
growth of heritage tourism and its determents and discusses the socio-cultural

aspects of tourism. He also analyses the impact of tourism and focus on

strategies for cultural tourism and sustainable cultural tourism.Dhar (2010) looks

into the importance of heritage conversation, preservation, restoration and

protection of heritage sites and also focuses on management cultural & natural

heritage sites through traditional knowledge & wisdom.Binoy(2011) argued that

archaeological and heritage tourism get the highest marketshare compared to

other types of tourism in India.

Literatures on tourism in general and heritage tourism in Assam in

particular are very few. Mention can made on the work of Bhattacharya(1997),

who stressed on important roles that can be played by the geographers for

tourism development in Assam.

Many studies have been done on ecotourism, wildlife tourism, adventure

tourism and so on. Unfortunately heritage tourism has failed to draw the

attention of the geographers in Assam. Among the scanty works, mention can be

made of Bhattacharya(2004) who opined that being peripherally located, the

tourism scenario in Assam is not encouraging. According to the author, Assam

has high potentiality for heritage tourism development besides other forms of

tourism. He opined that tourism can play a major role in the economic

development of the state. For this, people’s participation as well as privatisation

of the tourism sector is required.

Baruah(2008) in his study on Sonitpur from the ancient times opined that

the region of Sonitpur had been the cradle of a rich cultural heritage since the

pre-historic period. He studies the growth of the district, its religious diversity

and socio-economic life since the 7th century AD. According to him, today

13
Sonitpur has a great historical bearing which requires preservation as earliest as

possible. According to the author, tourism is a major way by which these

heritage resources can be preserved and this requires detail study of the tourism

status of the area as well as other associated aspects.

Keeping in mind, the literatures reviewed above, the present study

tries to observe the aspects of Heritage Tourism in Sonitpur with a strong

geographical base. As very few studies have been done on heritage tourism in

Assam or Sonitpur in particular, it would be interesting to understand the

prospects and problems of the region.

1.4. Objective of the study

With a geographical perspective, the study intends to fulfil the following

objectives:

i. To assess the existing heritage resource base and tourism facilities in the

study area

ii. To assess the behaviour and perceptions of tourists in the study area

iii. To assess the perception of local community and their participation in

tourism activities in the study area

iv. To assess the potential heritage tourism sites based on tourists

preferences and local availability of tourist resources at the sites

1.5. Research questions:

The study is designed to address the following research questions:

i.What is the nature of heritage resource base of tourism in the area?

14
ii.Is the status of existing tourism infrastructure in the study area adequate to

meet the demand?

iii.How development of tourism in the area doesrelate to tourist satisfaction?

iv.Do tourism in the area benefits the local community?

v.What is the potentiality of further development of tourism in the area?

1.6.Selection of the study area

The present study confines itself to the Sonitpur district of Assam for an

in-depth study of heritage tourism in the district with a geographical

perspective.It is to be noted that the administrative boundary of Sonitpur district

has been bifurcated into two parts namely Sonitpur and Biswanath district in

2016-Vide Govt. Notification No. GAG(B).27/2005/286 dated 26-02-2016. The

present study is based on the new administrative boundary of Sonitpur after the

bifurcation. The present administrative boundary of Sonitpur extends from 92°

57’ East to 93°10’ East longitude and 26° 50’North - 27°26’North latitude

situated at an altitude of 78 meters above MSL.

The specific characteristics of the district can be highlighted as follows:

i. Sonitpur district, located in between Himalayan foothills of Arunachal

Pradesh in the north and the Brahmaputra river including the main course in the

south can be divided in to three physiographic units; namely a) The northern

narrow foot hills b) The wide central plain or built up zone c) The active flood

plain and riverine tracts with char and chaparies1.

ii. The socio-cultural background of the population of the district portrays a

mosaic of different ethnic and religious groups.

1
Chars and Chaparies are the local names for the sand bars in the River Brahmaputra

15
 iii. Sonitpur witnesses continuous evolution of rich cultural heritage through

foot-prints of different ruling dynasties. Ancient evidences can be traced back

during 5th – 6thcentury AD during the period of Gupta. Evidences of the post

Gupta period as well as colonial rule are also present in the area.

iv. Sonitpur district of Assam abounds in heritage resources with all its

human history, art, architecture, archaeology besides other cultural expressions

that manifest themselves in arts, literatures, dance, drama, fairs, festivals and the

like. The district bears tremendous scope for growth of heritage tourism.

v. Besides the heritage resources, nature has blessed the district with

immense scenic beauty which tends to attract people from far and near.

So, from this point of view, Sonitpur district of Assam having certain

unique features is an ideal place for the present study. The location of the study

area is shown in map 1.1.

16
Map 1.1. Map showing the locaton of the Sonitpur District, Assam

17
1.7. Database and Research Methodology

1.7.1. Database:

To fulfil the objectives mentioned above, the studyhas been based on both

primary data and secondary data. Primary data is collected through observation,

interview schedules as well as questionnaires.

i. Observation method of data collection is used to understand the ground

realities in the identified heritage sites to understand the present condition, status

of maintenance and basic amenities around the sites and so on.

ii. Interviews were also conducted with the tourists to know their socio-

demographic background and understand the tourist perception and satisfaction.

iii. Information through interviews were collected from the local community

who are directly involved in the activity. Apart from that local resource

personwere interviewed to understand the community participation and

perception of tourism in the study area.

On the other hand, secondary data includes data pertaining to historical

significance of the heritage sites, flow of tourists, origin of tourists,

infrastructural facilities of the area and so on. Secondary data is also be used in

preparation of resource inventory to identify potential sites. Secondary data is

mainly collected from Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) and

Directorate of Museum, Government of Assam and various book and journals

has been referred.

18
 The main target groups for primary data collection, sampling size and the

type of data collected are presented in table 1.2:

Table 1.2 Collection of primary data in the study area

Target groups Sampling Type of data

Tourists Random sampling Socio-demographic
(Sample size back-ground, mode of
of tourists is arrival, length of stay,
determined based kind of
on the flow of accommodation,
tourists to the area purpose of visit,
sources of motivation,
preferences as well as
perception of the
tourists during the stay.

Tourist Satisfaction
Index.

Local resource Purposive sampling Perception of heritage

person tourism in the study
area
SWOT analysis
Local community Purposive sampling Benefits from tourism
directly involved
in tourism
Source: Constructed by the researcher,2016

1.7.2. Methodology

The objective wise methodology of the study is explained below:

i. Methodology for Objective No. 1(To assess the existing

heritage attractions and other tourism facilities in the study area)

To fulfil this objective, data has been collected mainly from secondary

sources. Secondary data from various books and journals are referredto get the

in-depth idea of the historical significance of the sites and their importance in the

field of tourism.

19
 Secondary data is collected to understand the accommodation and

transport status of the study which plays an important role in tourism. Secondary

data is also assessed from Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) to

understand the present activities of Government regarding tourism development

at the sites as well upcoming plans or projects at those sites.

For indepth understanding of the spatial distribution of the heritage sights,

the analysis in this chapter has been done by dividing the study area into three

zones based on distance from the central location. Since maximum

concentration of heritage resources are found in Tezpur, therefore the buffering

has been done by considering the central location as Tezpur. Finally data has

been analysed in a descriptive manner. The three zones are divided on the basis

of distances as follows:

0 to 5 kms: The central zone

5.1 to 15 kms: The suburban zone

15 kms to 35 kms: The countryside zone

Three main tourist destinationshave been identified in the district based on

availability of tourism activities. The destinations are: Tezpur, Balipara and

Singri. Tezpur lies in the central zone whereas Balipara and Singri lies in the

countryside zone.

ii. Methodology for Objective No. 2 (To identify the pattern of

tourist flow, behaviour and perceptions of tourists in the study area )

To meet this objective, data has been collected mainly from primary and

secondarysources. Primary data has been collected through interview schedules

from the tourists both domestic and foreign to understand the socio-

20
demographic back-ground, mode of arrival, length of stay, kind of

accommodation, purpose of visit, sources of motivation, preferences as well

satisfaction of the tourists during the stay and perception.Secondary data

pertaining to tourist flow has been collected from Assam Tourism Development

Corporation and Wild Mahseer Tourism Authority.

Perception of the tourist visiting the study area is based on primary data

that has been collected through field survey. The technique ofsampling is

purposive and the size of sample varies in three zones based on the nature of

tourist flow to that zone. Total number of domestic tourist surveyed is 200 and

foreign are 100. The distribution of samples in the three tourist destinations are

shown in the table below:

Table 1.3. Table showing the size of sample in the three tourist
destinations

Destination Type Total

Domestic Foreign
Tezpur 100 50 150
Balipara 50 50 100
Singri 50 0 50
Total 200 100 300
Source: Constructed by the researcher,2016

The size of sample in the three places has been chosen based on the nature

of tourist flow and the origin of tourism activities in the place. Tezpur is the

oldest tourism destination and has been receiving tourists since decades.

Balipara, on the other hand, is a newly developed tourist destination which

started in 2005. Tourist flow has gained momentum during last four years.

Singri, a well known pilgrimage destination has not witnessed proper tourism

development yet. Flow of tourists is limited to domestic ones only. Keeping this

21
in mind, the size of sample has been chosen judiciously. Total number of

domestic tourist surveyed is 200 and foreign are 100.

To understand the nature of tourist flow in the area, trend analysis has been

done and CAGR (Compound Annual Growth rate) has been calculated. For

understanding the tourist behaviour and perception, simple percentage method

has used for analysis.

Based on primary data, tourist satisfaction index (TSI) is calculated to

understand the preference of tourist visiting the study area. TSI is a statistical

tool to measure the level of satisfaction of tourist visiting the study area. Data

has been collected through interview schedules designed to get an idea of the

perceptions of tourist regarding the following indicating factors of satisfaction in

the destination:

a. Accommodation

b. Transport

c. Resource diversity

d. Food

e. Host behaviour

f. Information

g. Other infrastructure (Water, medical, police station, banking etc.,)

h. Guide

i. Sanitation

j. Market / purchase

k. Road condition

l. Aesthetics

m. Management

22
 The indicator wise level of satisfaction is calculated and tabulated with the

help of following formula:

Ʃ ∗
TSI= where TSI= Tourist Satisfaction Index

Mi= Numerical value for the particular level of the satisfaction level

Ni= Number of respondents of the particular level of satisfaction

N= Total number of respondents for that factor for all levels of satisfaction

iii. Methodology for Objective No. 3 (To assess the community

participation and perception of local people on the tourism in the study

area)

The chapter is based on data from both primary and secondary sources. As

a primary source of information, a survey has been conducted with a bilingual

(English and Assamese) set of question, considering the local people residing in

the three heritage destinations of Sonitpur. Data were collected through

structured interviews from local community. Two sets of primary data were

collected from local community.

a. 150 local people were interviewed to understand the community

perception and conduct SWOT analysis. This includes academicians, senior

citizens, social activists, cultural activists, and journalists from the study area.

The sampling technique has been purposive random sampling.

b. Apart from that, 120 respondents were interviewed to understand the

nature of work participation in tourism activities in the area. These 120

respondents belong to local community who are directly involved with tourism

23
activities in the area. The sampling technique that has been followed is the

purposive random sampling.

Simple statistical analysis of percentage method is used for data analysis of

community perception and participation.

A SWOT analysis has been conducted based on the perception of both

tourists and local community regarding tourism in the area.

iv. Methodology for Objective No. 4(To assess the potential heritage

tourism sites based on tourists preferences and local availability of tourist

resources at the sites)

For evaluation tourist resource or the degree of attraction of the tourist

resource of the potential sites, multi-criteria decision making tool is applied. This

method is adopted from Ferrario(1982) which was slightly modified by

Bhattacharya (2004). The method is explained below in steps:

a. Step 1. Calculation of Demand index for each heritage tourism site:

Tourist demand of an area has been calculated through the preference or choice

of tourist towards various components of its unique attractions (background

tourism resources). To find out the preference pattern or the choice of tourist,

compilation of resource inventory of the potential resources is created. The

inventory has been prepared on the basis of various publications and tourist

brochures brought out by the state government and private tourism promotional

agencies along with author’s field experiences.

The inventory is then handed over to the tourists for their comment.

Percentage of tourist preferring each category of attraction is considered as an

index to judge the significance of that category. The value will be then rounded

24
to a simple conversion scale of 1 to 10. At the end, each of the attraction

categories thus receives a numerical coefficient of tourist demand. To have an

overall picture of tourist demand of a particular location, the numerical

coefficients of each of the attraction category will be added, subject to their

availability in that area.

b. Step 2. Calculation of Supply index for each heritage tourism site: The

second step involves the evaluation the supply or local availability component of

attraction possessed by an area so as to analyze how well the resources are able

to satisfy the interest or choice of tourists. Availability or supply component of

resources or attractions has been assessed on the basis of some essential

characteristics, which are common to all tourist attractions, irrespective of their

varying nature. Assessment of tourist supply will be done on the basis of

weighted sum method. These criteria are as: importance, accessibility admission

seasonality popularityand fragility.

For assessing the above mentioned ‘Supply component’ of tourist

resources of an area, each of the above mentioned criteria is rated by adopting a

nominal scale. Assessment of the position of the criteria selected is made on the

basis of personal observation in the field and interaction with the tourists who

visited the concerned locations. The weights assigned to all the criteria are added

to get the supply index of the particular site.

c. Step 3. Calculation of resource value for each heritage tourism site

The third step is the calculation of potentiality index. For each of the

tourist sitesthere are two comparable numerical values representing a demand

25
component (A) and a supply component (B) of resources. Thus the potentiality

of a site is calculated as:

P = (A+B)/2

Where,

P= Potentiality Index

A= tourist demand index at each site

B= tourism resource supply index at each site

Based on potentiality index, the sites are grouped into ranges such as high

potentiality region, medium potentiality region and low potentiality region.

Maps are prepared to show the ranges of potentialities of heritage tourism in the

study area.

1.8. Research-framework

The study is completed under the following research framework (shown in

Figure 1.1)

26
Phase 1
Collection of Identification Determination of
Post Field Review of
Secondary data of heritage sample size and
Relevant
work from various sites sampling technique
literature sources
phase
Preparation of
the base map
of the study Preparation
Collection of primary data of interview
Phase 2 by: schedules/que
i. Observation
from Tourists(foreign and domestic) stionnaires
Field work ii. Interview schedules Local communality
phase
Data analysis:
i. Qualitative textual
Phase 3 explanation
Data organization / ii. Quantitative ( application
Post field work phase arrangement and of appropriate statistical
classification tools)
iii. Preparation of maps
through GIS techniques

Thesis writing Findings and conclusion

Figure 1.1. The Research Framework

27
 1.9. Organisation of the study

To meet the objectives, the study is organized in the following manner:

Chapter 1: Introduction

This chapter includesintroduction,literature review statement of the

problem, objectives, research questions, methodology and research framework)

Chapter 2: Geographical background of the study area.

This chapter gives a detail description of the geographical and historical

background of Sonitpur district of Assam

Chapter 3: Assessment of heritageresource base inSonitpur

This chapter deals with thespatial distribution of the heritage resources in

the study area and their historical significance. The chapter also classifies the

heritage resources based on types and deal with accommodation and

transportation facilities in the study area. The chapter also highlights the

involvement of government and non-government organization in tourism

development in the area.

Chapter 4: Nature of flow and perception of tourists visiting Sonitpur

This chapter studies the trend of tourist flow in the study area, origin of the

tourists and tourist seasonalityin the study area. This chapter also assesses the

perception of tourists and their satisfaction regarding the tourism supply

components in the study.

28
 Chapter 5:Community participation and their perception on tourism

in Sonitpur

This chapter studiestheperception of local communities regarding

tourismin the study area, their involvement pattern in tourism activities as well

as SWOT analysis of tourism growth in the study area

Chapter 6: Assessment of potential heritage sites in Sonitpur

This chapter explores the potential heritage sites based on tourist

preferences and local availability or the supply components in the study area.

Chapter 7 Summary and Conclusion

This chapter summarizes the entire study and recommends measures to

boost the status of tourism in the study area.

29