Recent trends in inbound tour
operation in Kerala with reference to intersight tours and travels
A summer training and project Report
submitted for the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the
degree
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (TOURISM)
By
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM
STUDIES
PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY
PUDUCHERRY – 605014
MAY- JUNE 2011
 |
DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM STUDIES
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY
PUDUCHERRY – 605014
20010 - 2012
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that this project report titled(RECENT
TRENDS IN INBOUND TOUR OPERATION IN KERALA WITH REFERENCE TO INTERSIGHT TOURS
AND TRAVELS) is based on the individual study and original work done by SARATH
KRISHNAN.C.B.of Master of Business Administration (Tourism) from the Department
of Tourism Studies, School of Management, Pondicherry University during the
period of study in the academic year 2010-2012.
Dr. Y. V RAO
SIBI GEORGE
Associate Professor & Head, Assistant Professor,
Department of Tourism Studies Faculty Advisor cum Guide, Pondicherry
University Department of Tourism Studies
Pondicherry
University
 |
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this project report titled(RECENT
TRENDS IN INBOUND TOUR OPERATION IN KERALA WITH REFERENCE TO INTERSIGHT TOURS
AND TRAVELS) submitted to the School of Management, Pondicherry University is
based on the original work done entirely by myself and is completely based on
my own observations and research. It hasn’t previously been formed the basis
for award of any other Degree, Diploma, fellowship or any other similar title.
The facts presented in this study are true to the best of
my knowledge and understanding.
Place:
PUDUCHERRY
Date:
SARATH KRISHNAN.C.B.
MBA (Tourism) 1st Year
Department of Tourism Studies
Pondicherry University
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I
offer my sincere thanks to Dr. Y. V RAO , Associate Professor and Head,
Department of Tourism Studies, School of Management, Pondicherry University for
his constant encouragement and providing the necessary assistance for the
completion of my project.
I
extend my sincere gratitude to SIBI
GEORGE, Assistant Professor, Department
of Tourism Studies, and Pondicherry University, my Project guide
for her constant guidance and whole- hearted support for the completion of the
project.
I
also take this opportunity to thank
the entire staff of the
Inter sight tours and travels,cochin.
for having guided
me throughout the training
period and providing
a helping hand
for completing the project.
I express
my sincere thanks
to all other
faculty members of Department
of Tourism Studies,
Pondicherry University Dr. Sampad Kumar Swain, Dr. Jitendra Mohan Mishra, Mr. Anu
Chandran and DR.Sherry Abraham. for their
consistent support and
valuable suggestions on one
or other occasions
for the completion
of the report
and project.
I finally
thank my parents, whose
constant grace helped
me to carry out
the entire project.
SARATH KRISHNAN.C.B.
INTRODUCTION
Tourism and travel is considered as one of the world's largest
industries. This industry is growing faster than world economy on all counts.
It is considered that this smokeless industry has the potential to double its
contribution to the world economy. Tourism is an economic and industrial
activity in which many individuals, firms corporations, organizations
associations are engaged. It is economically important and it provides a source
of income, employment and it brings infrastructure development in the
respective countries. Incoming tourism is also known as 'inbound tourism'. In
bound tourism means a free flow of travellers to a particular country from
different countries.
Incoming
tourism is a valuable source of income for the country and the local economy,
because it's not just the hotels and attraction the benefit from the spending
power of tourists. Money spreads out to benefit all sorts of local people, for
example the money that goes to hotels goes as wages to the waiters,
chambermaids, receptionist etc, who then spend it on what they want to.
Mainly all the products of tourism industry
are selling through the tour operators. A tour operator typically combines tour
and travel components to create a holiday. Niche tour operators may specialise
in destinations. As tourism industry is changing from time to time tour
operators are forced to modify their products and method of operations. In this
project the researcher is trying to bring out the recent trends in inbound tour
operations and how intersight tours and travels applying it in the tourism
industry.
Inbound
Tourism in India
Tourism is the largest service industry
in India, with a contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP and 8.78% of the
total employment in India. India witnesses’ more than 5 million annual foreign
tourist arrivals and 562 million domestic tourism visits. The tourism industry
in India generated about US$100 billion in 2008 and that is expected to
increase to US$275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate. The Ministry
of Tourism is the nodal agency for the development and promotion of tourism in
India and maintains the "Incredible India" campaign.
According to
World Travel and Tourism Council, India will be a tourism hotspot from
2009–2018, having the highest 10-year growth potential.The Travel & Tourism
Competitiveness Report 2007 ranked tourism in India 6th in terms of price
competitiveness and 39th in terms of safety and security. Despite short- and
medium-term setbacks, such as shortage of hotel rooms, tourism revenues are
expected to surge by 42% from 2010 to 2017.
India has a
growing medical tourism sector. The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi
significantly boosted tourism in India. A tour operator typically combines tour
and travel components to create a holiday. The most common example of a tour
operator's product would be a flight on a charter airline plus a transfer from
the airport to a hotel and the services of a local representative, all for one
price. Niche tour operators may specialise in destinations, e.g. Italy,
activities and experiences, e.g. skiing, or a combination thereof. The original
tour operating was the difficult of making arrangements in far-flung places,
with problems of language, currency and communication. The advent of the
internet has led to a rapid increase in self-packaging of holidays. However,
tour operators still have their competence in arranging tours for those who do
not have time to do DIY holidays, and specialize in large group events and
meetings such as conferences or seminars. Also, tour operators still exercise
contracting power with suppliers (airlines, hotels, other land arrangements,
cruises, etc.) and influence over other entities (tourism boards and other
government authorities) in order to create packages and special departures for
destinations otherwise difficult and expensive to visit. Tourism is the second largest industry in the world. The travel and
tourism industry creates billions of employment opportunity and contribute
greatly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country in India it is one the
fastest growing industry largely contributes towards the economic development
and stability. The Travel and Tourism industry constitute of various service
providers such as Tour operator/Travel agents, Hotels, transportation companies
etc. All these service providers contribute directly for the arrival of
tourists to a pa particular country. All the service providers have the link
with each other. The tour operator has to get the services of hotels and
transportation companies and vice versa. Tourism is an information rich
industry. So information is the most valuable factor in the travel and tourism industry.
The United Nations classified
three forms of tourism in 1994 in its Recommendations on Tourism Statistics the
classification was done according to the geographical boundary of travel the
classification is as follows:
- Domestic tourism: In this type of tourism the geographical area is revolving within the country, in domestic tourism involving residents of the given country travelling only within his own country. The travel area is only within the native country.
- Inbound tourism: Involvement of non-resident of the country travelling in the given country for a specific period of time and the travelers are foreign nationals. The Tourist inflow from one country to a country is normally called as inbound tourism.
- Outbound tourism: involving residents traveling in another country. Normally other than their local residents. The out flow of tourist from one country to another is called as outbound tourism.
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The UN also derived
different categories of tourism by combining the 3 basic forms of tourism:
Internal tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and inbound
tourism;National tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and outbound
tourism; and International tourism, which consists of inbound tourism and
outbound tourism.
Intra bound tourism is a term coined by the Korea Tourism Organization and widely accepted in Korea. Intra bound tourism differs from domestic tourism in that the former encompasses policy-making and implementation of national tourism policies.
Recently, the tourism industry has
shifted from the promotion of inbound tourism to the promotion of intra bound
tourism because many countries are experiencing tough competition for inbound
tourists. Some national policymakers have shifted their priority to the
promotion of intra bound tourism to contribute to the local economy. Examples
of such campaigns include "See America" in the United States,
"Get Going Canada" in Canada, and "Guseok Guseok" (corner
to corner) in South Korea.
Individually, sufficient health is also a condition, and of course the inclination to travel. Furthermore, in some countries there are legal restrictions on travelling, especially abroad. Certain states with strong governmental control over the lives of citizens (notably established Communist states) may restrict foreign travel only to trustworthy citizens. The United States prohibits its citizens from travelling to some countries, for example Cuba.
In
bound Tourism Types:
Inbound Tourism can be of different types
according to different criteria’s. And by the type of tourist activities The
different form of tourism are:
·
Mass
Tourism: Large scale movement of tourist to a particular country is called
mass tourism. Mass tourism could only have developed with the
improvements in technology, allowing the transport of large numbers of people
in a short space of time to places of leisure interest, so that greater
numbers of people could begin to enjoy the benefits of leisure time.
·
Medical
Tourism: Medical tourism (also called medical travel, health
tourism or global healthcare) is a term initially coined by travel
agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of
travelling across international borders to obtain health care. It also refers
pejoratively to the practice of healthcare providers travelling
internationally to deliver healthcare.
·
Agri
tourism: Agri tourism is defined most broadly. It involves
any activities that brings tourist into a farm or an agricultural land area
is called Agri tourism. Agritourism has different definitions in
different parts of the world, and sometimes refers specifically to farm
stays, as in Italy. Elsewhere, agritourism includes a wide variety of
activities, including buying produce direct from a farm stand, navigating a
corn maze, picking fruit, feeding animals, or staying at a B&B on a farm.
·
Eco
tourism: Ecologically sustainable tourism is called as eco
tourism Generally, ecotourism focuses on volunteering , or
voluntourism, personal growth and environmental responsibility. Ecotourism
typically involves travel to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural
heritage are the primary attractions. One of the goals of ecotourism is to
offer tourists insight into the impact of human beings on the environment,
and to foster a greater appreciation of our natural habitats.
·
Religious
Tourism: Religious
tourism, also commonly referred to as faith tourism, is a form of tourism,
whereby people of faith travel individually or in groups for pilgrimage,
missionary, or leisure (fellowship) purposes. The world's largest form of
mass religious tourism takes place at the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi
Arabia.
·
Wildlife
Tourism: Wildlife tourism
can be an eco and animal friendly tourism, usually showing animals in their
natural habitat. Wildlife tourism, in its simplest sense, is watching wild
animals in their natural habitat. Wildlife tourism is an important part of
the tourism industries in many countries including many African and South American
countries, Australia, India, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia and Maldives among
many. It has experienced a dramatic and rapid growth in recent years
worldwide and is closely aligned to eco-tourism and sustainable-tourism.
·
Space
Tourism: Space Tourism
is space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. Orbital space
tourism opportunities are limited and expensive, with only the Russian Space
Agency providing transport.
·
Extreme
Tourism: Extreme
tourism or shock tourism
is a niche in the tourism industry involving travel to dangerous places (mountains,
jungles, deserts, caves, etc.) or participation in dangerous events. Extreme
tourism overlaps with extreme sport. The two share the main attraction,
"adrenaline rush" caused by an element of risk, and differing
mostly in the degree of engagement and professionalism.
Recent Trends in inbound Tourism
Tourism sector is highly
influenced by the time. The taste and demand of the tourists varies from time
to time. There has been an up market trend in the inbound tourism over
the last few decades, especially in Europe, where international travel for
short breaks is common. Some of the recent trends in inbound Tourism
are:
·
Sustainable
tourism: Sustainable tourism is envisaged as leading to management
of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can
be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological
processes, and biological diversity and life support systems. Sustainable
tourism can be seen as having regard to ecological and socio-cultural
carrying capacities and includes involving the community of the destination
in tourism development planning. It also involves integrating tourism to
match current economic and growth policies so as to mitigate some of the
negative economic and social impacts of 'mass tourism'.
·
Eco
tourism: Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is
responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that
strives to be low impact and (often) small scale. It helps educate the
traveler; provides funds for conservation; directly benefits the economic
development and political empowerment of local communities; and fosters
respect for different cultures and for human rights
·
Pro-poor
tourism: The pro poor tourism has to help the very poorest in
developing countries has been receiving increasing attention by those
involved in development and the issue has been addressed either through small
scale projects in local communities and by Ministries of Tourism attempting to
attract huge numbers of tourists. Research by the Overseas Development
Institute suggests that neither is the best way to encourage tourists' money
to reach the poorest as only 25% or less (far less in some cases) ever
reaches the poor; successful examples of money reaching the poor include
mountain climbing in Tanzania or cultural tourism in Luang Prabang, Laos.
·
Recession tourism: Recession
tourism is a travel trend, which evolved by way of the world economic crisis.
Identified by American entrepreneur Matt Landau (2007), recession tourism is
defined by low-cost, high-value experiences taking place of once-popular
generic retreats. Various recession tourism hotspots have seen business boom
during the recession.
·
Medical
tourism: Medical tourism is
related with Travel for Health care. Travel for personal health care or for
treatments is included in this type of tourism.
·
Educational
tourism: Educational tourism developed because of
the growing popularity of teaching and learning of knowledge and the enhancing
of technical competency outside of the classroom environment. In educational
tourism, the main focus of the tour or leisure activity includes visiting
another country to learn about the culture, such as in Student Exchange
Programs and Study Tours, or to work and apply skills learned inside the
classroom in a different environment, such as in the International Practicum
Training Program.
·
Creative
tourism: Creative tourism has existed as a form of cultural
tourism, since the early beginnings of tourism itself. Its European roots
date back to the time of the Grand Tour, which saw the sons of aristocratic
families traveling for the purpose of mostly interactive, educational
experiences. More recently, creative tourism has been given its own name by
Crispin Raymond and Greg Richards, who as members of the Association for
Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS), have directed a number of projects for
the European Commission, including cultural and crafts tourism, known as sustainable
tourism. They have defined "creative tourism" as tourism related to
the active participation of travelers in the culture of the host community,
through interactive workshops and informal learning the concept of creative tourism has
been picked up by high-profile organizations such as UNESCO, who through the Creative
Cities Network, have endorsed creative tourism as an engaged, authentic
experience that promotes an active understanding of the specific cultural
features of a place.
·
Dark
tourism: One emerging area of special interest has been identified
by Lennon and Foley (2000) as "dark" tourism. This type of tourism
involves visits to "dark" sites, such as battlegrounds, scenes of
horrific crimes or acts of genocide, for example: concentration camps. Dark
tourism remains a small niche market, driven by varied motivations, such as
mourning, remembrance, education, macabre curiosity or even entertainment.
·
Doom’s
day tourism: Also known as "Tourism of
Doom," or "Last Chance Tourism" this emerging trend involves
traveling to places that are environmentally or otherwise threatened (the ice
caps of Mount Kilimanjaro, the melting glaciers of Patagonia, The coral of
the Great Barrier Reef ) before it is too late. Identified by travel trade
magazine Travel Age West editor-in-chief Kenneth Shapiro in 2007 and later
explored in The New York Times, this type of tourism is believed to be on the
rise. Some see the trend as related to sustainable tourism or ecotourism due
to the fact that a number of these tourist destinations are considered
threatened by environmental factors such as global warming, over population
or climate change. Others worry that travel to many of these threatened
locations increases an individual’s carbon footprint and only hastens
problems threatened locations are already facing.
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Objectives
1. To
study and analyse the major changes/trends in inbound tour operations in recent
years.
2. To
find out the possible future trends in tour operation.
3. To
know how the implementation of new
technologies help to boost the inbound tour operations
4. To
study how the new trends helps the tour operations in Intersight tours and
travels.
5. To
examine the influence of new technologies in profit maximisation.
Scope of the Study
Tourism
industry is a service industry. Tourism has become a popular global leisure
activity. Tourism consist of many products and wide variety of activities
selling of these products and services are very complicated and a very
important activity. Majority of these
products are unable to sell among people. Tourism providers cannot fulfil the
needs and demands of the customers because of the different characteristics of
the products. Providers may lack of new technologies and knowledge about
particular products.
In this project I am trying to explain the
importance of new technologies and trends in tourism industry with practical
experience from Intersight tours and travels. This study may help me to know
about how the technologies helps to simplifies the operational functions in
tour operations, how it helps the operators to simplify the marketing and sales
of tourism products and how the new technologies helps a tour operator to
branding the product in the market. It
may assist to find out the problems facing by tourism industry and hence helps
to suggest the measures to solve it
Limitations of the study
·
Since the whole inbound
operations of intersight tours are through the net, the unavailability of the
customers was the main problem forced to collect data from the employees of the
company.
·
Busy work schedule of employees.
Research methodology
Samples
Samples
are the respondents of this project. Mainly the company focusing on the
business to business operations researcher couldn’t meet customers directly so
the sample is the employees of the concerned company.
Sample size
From the55 employees the researcher
identified 30 as sample.
Data collection methods
Data are
collected from two sources. They are primary sources and secondary sources
Primary
sources
Data
collected from primary sources is known as primary data. Primary data had
collected from employees of intersight tours and travels Cochin through
questionnaire. The questionnaire is capable to bring more knowledge about the topic.
Secondary
sources
The secondary data
collected are published information. The information is collected from
secondary sources such as newspapers, magazines, books, internet sources,
Intersight websites, articles etc.
Data analysis
The data got out of primary and
secondary sources had tabulated in spread sheets. Data interpreted by simple
percentage method.
Percentage method% of respondent = (number of
respondent/total number) * 100 All the results obtained from analysis and
interpretations are plotted as graphs and diagram using Microsoft excel sheet.All
the results obtained from analysis and interpretations are plotted as graphs
and diagram using Microsoft excel sheet.
Profile of Intersight tours and travels
Intersight group of companies, is one of
south India’s leading travel and tourism
management companies, registered under the Companies Act 1956. It has its
registered corporate office at Cochin, Kerala, with numerous branches spread
across India. A company recognized by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of
India, is a proud member of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI),
Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Travel Agents Federation of India
(TAFI), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), Confederation
of Indian Industries (CII), Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and Kerala Travel
Mart Society (KTM). Chairman and Managing Director, Sri. Johny Abraham George
is also the Kerala Chapter Chairman of the Association of Domestic Tour
Operators of India (ADTOI).
With
an enviable track record of over 15 years in the Holiday Management segment,
Intersight has today emerged to be a highly preferred service provider for
clients both from India and abroad. With a remarkable count of over a lakh
delighted customers per year, It has widened the area of operations with
offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Nagpur, Kovalam and associated offices all
over India. It also operates overseas offices in the UK and Canada.
It is rated as the best
handling agent for Kerala and inbound tourism through its uncompromising
commitment for world-class service and customer-centric approach. By fostering
strategic relations with major hotels across Kerala, it enjoys the best
possible rates and the best of services from some of the finest hotel chains in
Kerala. Intersight today enjoys a strong hold across India, with particular
focus on Kerala and South India. The customer-centric approach is further
accentuated with an excellent 24 X 7 customer support service manned by the
best qualified and trained professionals.
Being one of the top players in
this segment, it has thoughtfully diversified into all major areas of Travel
and Tourism Management with domain expertise now including - Travel
Documentation & Airline Ticketing, MICE, Luxury Car Division, Holiday
Management, Hotel Reservations etc. to ensure that the customers have a
complete holidaying experience that is hassle free and cost effective. It has
had the privilege to delight a large incentive group of 1400 French Nationals,
who came in groups of 100 each extending from a period of January 2007 to April
2007. Its extensive experience in catering to both Foreign Group Travelers and
FITs has indeed won a lot of accolades.
The exemplary performance in
providing first-rate customer service helped Intersight to emerge as the
official handling agency for India’s National Carrier – Air India, for
executing some of the highly acclaimed flyway packages in South India. It has
entered into strategic alliances and tie-ups with the largest hotel chain in
Kerala managed by the Kerala Tourism development Corporation (KTDC), Axis Bank,
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences etc.
Intersight has an excellent
International Travel and Tourism division that offer all-inclusive complete packages
to exciting destinations in countries like UK, Germany, UAE, Malaysia,
Singapore, Sri Lanka etc.
Oganisation structure
Efficient
and expert team of intersight comprises people with strong solid background and
relevant experience in travel and tourism segment. Everyone in our team, right
from the operational level to the top level, shares a common passion for
offering exemplary service to customers. With its experience in the domain and
strong support services the customers are guaranteed to have the best travel
experience with Intersight.
Team members:
Senior Level Management
|
Johny Abraham George- Chairman & Managing Director
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 |
 Jacob Mathew - Director – Administration |
 V T Antony – Director Transports |
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Ashok Ghatti- Vice President -Overseas Marketing &
Corporate Sales
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P.R. Prasad- Vice President - Marketing & Public
Relations
|
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Abraham TD - Chief Manager- Finance &
Administration
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Rajeev A.M - Consulting Associate - Information Systems
& H
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Operational level Management
The
operational level executives are well trained to execute the tour packages with
a prime-focus on customer satisfaction.
Mission & Vision
·
The core mission of Intersight is to provide
comprehensive holiday experiences with best of quality service and true value
for money.
·
To excel as the best Holiday Management Provider
in India by setting new heights in excellent service, constantly widening the
domain expertise and ensuring customer delight through constant innovation.
Credentials
v
Leading official handling agent in Kerala for
Air India, India’s National Carrier, to carry out their highly regarded flyaway
packages
v
Alliance with the largest hotel chain group in
Kerala, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC)
v
Proud member of the Travel Agents Association of
India (TAAI), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Travel Agents
Federation of India (TAFI), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India
(ADTOI), Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Indo-German Chamber of Commerce
and Kerala Travel Mart Society (KTM)
v
Intersight was the official handlers for AXN’s
Amazing Race in Kerala
v
Intersight is the pioneer in promoting Rail Road
Tourism, in partnership with the Indian Railways & K.T.D.C, the first of
its kind in Indian domestic tourism segment
v
Intersight is actively involved in promoting the
‘Kerala Health and Holiday Programme’ specifically intended for NRI’s, together
with K.T.D.C and Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi. The program
combines the thoughtful combination of health check up with holiday experience.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Intersight
Corporate Social Responsibility is executed in various forms through INTERSIGHT
FOUNDATIONS, which is a registered charitable institution.
v
It provides assistance for deserving candidates
in achieving their educational ambitions.
v
It
provides medical treatment expenses to the deserving candidates.
v
It always extends the full cooperation with
government level Initiatives in the areas of social concerns.
The chief objectives of Intersight
Foudnations include:
• To provide sustained support to worthwhile
causes in educational and charitable activities including promotion of youth
welfare, providing medical relief to those in need, and other charitable activities
for the welfare of the community, without any profit motive:
• To extend financial help for higher studies
to deserving students by establishing and maintaining scholarships and
rendering aid to students by supply of books, stipends, medals and other
incentives to study without any distinction as to caste, color, race, creed or
sex.
• To undertake
betterment projects of government and semi government bodies.
Intersight tours and travels
Registered Office Cochin
Annabuilding.
allappuzha road, Thykoodam, cochin 682036
Kerala, India
allappuzha road, Thykoodam, cochin 682036
Kerala, India
Tel: ++91 484 2313396, 231366
Inbound Tourism
in Kerala.
Kerala, a state situated on the
tropical Malabar Coast of south-western India, is one of the most popular
tourist destinations in the country. Named as one of the ten paradises of the world by the National Geographic Traveler, Kerala is famous especially
for its ecotourism initiatives. Its
unique culture and traditions, coupled with its
varied demography, has made Kerala one of the
most popular tourist destinations in the world. Growing at a rate of 13.31%,
the tourism industry is a major contributor to the state's economy.
Until the early 1980s, Kerala
was a hitherto unknown destination, with most tourism circuits concentrated
around the north of the country. Aggressive marketing campaigns launched by
the Kerala
Tourism Development Corporation—the government agency that oversees tourism
prospects of the state—laid the foundation for the growth of the tourism
industry. In the decades that followed, Kerala Tourism was able to transform
itself into one of the niche holiday destinations in India. The tag line Kerala- God's Own Country was adopted in its
tourism promotions and became synonymous with the state. Today, Kerala Tourism
is a global super brand and regarded as one of
the destinations with the highest brand recall. In 2006, Kerala attracted
8.5 million tourists–an increase of 23.68% in foreign tourist arrivals compared
to the previous year, thus making it one of the fastest growing tourism
destinations in the world. The centuries-old holistic medicine of
Ayurveda, the unique boat races that is the largest team sport in the world,
the ride through the winding waterways in a cozy houseboat or the colorful and
exotic festivals, Kerala offers a multitude of experience to the tourists. The
land’s natural beauty is further enhanced by a rich tradition of music and arts
dating back over a thousand years, making Kerala truly God’s Own Country.
Kerala’s Model for Success
In order to develop itself as a world class
Tourist destination Kerala has successfully adopt following measures.
•
Strong Brand
Positioning
•
Thinking out of the Box
•
Product Differentiation
•
Model Public/Private
Partnership
•
Tremendous Political
Support
•
Public Acceptance
Indicators on
Economic Impact of Tourism
•
Foreign Exchange
Earnings during the year 2010 is
Rs.3066.52 crores
•
Total Revenue generated
from tourism in 2009 comes to Rs.13130 crores
•
Tourism’s Contribution
to State’s GDP is around 7.70%
•
The average per day
expenditure of a foreign tourist is Rs.3200.
•
The average per day
expenditure of a domestic tourist is Rs.1500
•
The average length of
stay of a foreign tourist is 16 days
•
The average length of
stay of a domestic tourist is 6 days.
Tourist Statistics
Foreign Tourist Arrivals
Kerala Tourism is witnessing an enviable advantage in
tourist arrivals during the year. The number of foreign tourists arrived in
Kerala in the year 2008 is 598929. It shows an increase of 16.11 percent over
the previous year. During the last year Kerala has contributed 11.16 percent of
the total foreign tourist arrivals to India. Fig. 9.1 gives the Comparison of
growth of foreign tourist arrivals in Kerala and India.
Foreign Tourist
Arrivals
Domestic Tourist Arrivals.
The number of Domestic tourists arrived in the year
2008 is 75,91,250. It shows an increase of 14.28 percent over the previous
year. The growth of foreign and domestic
tourists’ arrival to Kerala during the last five years is given in Fig.
Foreign and Domestic
Tourists to Kerala
District wise Arrival of Foreign and Domestic
Tourists in Kerala.
Considering the foreign Tourist arrival,
Thiruvananthapuram District recorded the
maximum foreign tourist arrival and Pathanamthitta
District recorded the least number. In the case of Domestic tourist arrivals,
Thrissur District recorded the maximum and Pathanamthitta the least. The Fig
gives the comparison of District wise arrival of foreign and domestic tourists
in Kerala.
District Wise Tourists
Arrivals
Economic Impact of inbound Tourism
The tourism sector happens to be one of the largest
earners of foreign exchange in the World, and has acquired tremendous
significance in recent years. The sector is growing at a fast pace, especially
in the developing countries. The tourism industry is a major contributor to the
State’s economy. Foreign exchange earnings from Tourism have shown a steady
growth over the year. It is found that the foreign exchange earnings during the
year 2010 is Rs.3066.52 crore which recorded a growth of 16.11 percent over the
previous year. The total revenue generated from tourism comes to Rs. 13130
crore, showing an increase of 14.84 percent over the last year and the tourism
contribution to state’s GDP is 7.70 per cent. From the graph shown below, it is
clear that earnings from Tourism show an increasing trend over the years.
Emerging inbound tourism concepts in
Kerala
·
Ayurvedic tourism
Ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India.kerala is renowned for the ayurvedic treatment and its
rich herbal plants. Most of the inbound tourist arrivals to Kerala is focusing
on ayurvedic treatments. Establishment and development of resorts, spas and
ayurvedic packages from different hotels are examples for this.
·
Honeymoon tourism
Kerala
developed as one of the important honeymoon destinations among all over the
world the picturesque, misty mountain ranges in Kerala and the beautiful
beaches stretches all over Kerala attracts many honey moon tourists across the
globe.
·
Wedding tourism
One
of the upcoming tourist interests in Kerala is wedding tourism. A marriage in
beautiful gods own country is considered as one of the most interesting
experience among tourist from across the world.
·
Cruise tourism
Cruise tours are one of the recent trends in
tourism in Kerala the main cruise nation in Kerala are Cochin and Alleppy.House
boat cruise in Alleppy is one of Kerala’s famous tourist activity among the
tourists. In recent years Cochin port is receiving a very good number of cruise
ships from main tourist places from all over the world.
·
Business tourism (MICE)
MICE(meeting,incentives,conference,events)
is used to refer to a particular type of tourism in which large groups, usually
planned well in advance, are brought together for some particular purpose.
Development of large convention and conference centres are the examples of
development of business tourism in Kerala.
·
Spice tourism
Kerala is one of the blessed states with its
rich spice cultivations. Spices in Kerala attract many from the time
immemorial. The spice plantations along the the state attracts many tourists in
recent years.
·
Culinary tourism
Culinary Tourism
is a relatively new industry. In fact, culinary tourism as an industry did not
coming into being until the year 2001.
Culinary Tourism includes culinary experiences of all kinds. It's much more
than dining guides and restaurant weeks. It encompasses cooking schools,
cookbook and kitchen gadget stores, culinary tours and tour leaders, culinary
media and guidebooks, caterers, wineries, breweries, distilleries, food growers
and manufacturers, culinary attractions and more
·
Monsoon tourism
Monsoon is as nature recoups with the rains, it is rejuvenation
time for humans too. According to Ayurveda, Monsoon is the best season for
rejuvenation therapies. Monsoon stats in June first. During the Monsoon season,
the atmosphere remains dust-free and cool, opening the pores of the body to the
maximum, making it most receptive to herbal oils and therapy. Monsoon tourism
paves way to the tour arrival in off-season in Kerala
·
Village
tourism
The villages in Kerala offer a feast to the eyes of the travellers by way
of its panoramic view of thefields, farms, hillsides,rivers and lakes.The
locals engage in fishing,farming,pottery,jute making and handicrafts. The
visitors are taken on a tour around the village, where you can see many
artisans at work. Stone cutting, carpentry, inlay work, textile block printing,
and potters at their wheels – such rare sights offer joy and relief to the
travellers.Some of Kerala’s most interesting features can be seen during these
tours. These tours can also be combined with visits to tribal villages and to
major places of tourist interest. Such village tours are not only informative
but also enjoyable and relaxing.
Impact of Computer in Inbound
Tour Operation
The developments in computer
and communication technologies have made it possible to have rental cars with
computerized driving directions and self-service video-terminals at rental
counters in high traffic airports. Fully automated rental transaction systems n
— National's "Smart Key" machine and Budget's "Remote
Transaction Book" came into existence. Yet another major contribution of
technological developments in computers and communication systems to tourism is
the computerized reservation systems (CRS). These systems can now inform
subscribers about schedules, fares and seat availability, issue tickets and
boarding passes, record bookings, maintain waiting lists, display preferred
airlines or classes, search for the
lowest fare available or the first available non-stop flight and calculate
fares for domestic and international Itineraries. The system can also make
reservations for other services like hotels, car rentals, cruises, railways,
tours, boat charters, theaters and sporting events. Several major factors make
IT as an integral part of tourism industry:
Inventory of internet and travel websites plays an important role in travel and tourism industry. With the help of internet and travel websites can simplify the work of travel agents, tour operators etc. are indispensable parts in the distribution and marketing of travel and tourism products, and as an important point of sale or product outlets. Information technology helps the producer and the consumer to directly communicating, and sells the tourist products in a effective way.
The intangibility of the product where
risk and uncertainty for the customer is higher, his need for reliable
pre-purchase information is stronger.
The potential customer’s decision risk and dependence on information is
further increased because he cannot see, inspect compare or try out tourist
services before deciding to use them. This is not met perfectly than through
Internet, which is the latest product of information technology. This interactive information-supplying medium
is user friendly and gives enormous information of all kind related to travel.
Apart from supplying
information on world leading and emerging tourist destination of all kind, it
is now possible to book and buy holidays through Internet using plastic money. It
gives information on all Airlines, Hotels and Car hire companies, which are in
its database. Microsoft is a travel
agent. Its Internet site branded ‘Expedia’ is one of the most important
examples of the new generation of travel intermediaries. Distribution of travel
and tourism products using the Internet has a substantial cost reduction
advantage for providers of tourism services.
The cost incurred by suppliers in receiving a customer booking is the
one, which is costly. So, Internet gives
a practical aid both in supplying Information and receiving bookings or selling
tourism products on the principles behalf.
Marketing tourism products on the
Internet is also possible. This is done through the page of the company’s
Internet site. Once the company got access to the Internet, it gets various
opportunities. Of these, Electronic-mail (e-mail) is one. As a tourism product
supplier, especially with business travel as a selected target market, it makes
possible to communicate the person through his/her e-mail address wherever the
client is. Unlike telephone communication,
there is no need for the presence of the receiver of the message during
message transmission. It also gives a typed copy of the message. E-mail communication
medium is very cheap yet efficient and effective. On the other hand, marketing
on the Internet has an advantage of being used by all companies of all size as
long as they can establish their Websites on the Internet.
Virtual tour
As a
service industry, most tourist products are intangible services, they are
experienced and cannot be touched, tasted, smelt or seen and therefore
difficult for tourists to grasp and evaluate. Tourists have, for a long time,
relied on limited information from holiday brochures and other literature to
evaluate tours and destinations. Comprehensive, relevant, timely and accurate
information is essential in tourists' holiday decision-making process. But they
were not readily available to tourists until the emergence of the Internet,
especially the virtual tour helps the tourist to see the videos or photographs
of an particular place and he can simply relay on the information he got from
the virtual tour. In Virtual tours photographs or videos are used to pan and walk-through the different
products. The benefit of this method is that the point of view is constantly
changing throughout a pan. This helps the tourist to get a clear cut idea about
a various requirements of the place or property of his choices.
Rural E-Tourism
Rural e-tourism is largely individual
oriented and may or may not have a mass appeal unlike the industrial tourism.
Budget constraints are bound to exist as small farmers may lack resources for
advertise and promote their products. Rural e-tourism might bring many ancient
historical monuments, galleries, museums, theatres and sites into mainstream
tourism. While those in ruins are rescued and renovated, unknown heritages like
old castles houses, villages etc may be rediscovered. The use of ICT in tourism
can have significant impact on the management and development of heritage
sites. ICT enables equilibrium between both accessibility to heritage and its
preservation.
Internet, mobile
technology and wireless computing (ICT)
Internet, mobile technology and wireless
computing (ICT) provide tourists with the means to gain immediate access to
relevant information of greater variety and in-depth than has been available
previously, about destinations throughout the world (WTO 2001). Internet is
becoming the primary channel for business-to-business (B2B) communications. It
is very useful in the tourist economy improving efficiency, cost- and Price-competitiveness
in the world-wide travel, leisure, hospitality, tour Operators, tourism and
destination management.
Global
Distribution System (GDS) and Computer Reservation System (CRS)
Tourism
is dominated by the need to provide fast and accurate information to the
consumer. The first step to achieve this goal of a one-stop service is via
global distribution systems (GDS). GDS evolved from computer reservation. Systems
and enable the aggregation of information from airlines which enables travel Agents
(as information brokers) and tourists to ‘make reservations and order other Services
in a single marketplace’. Examples of GDS are Sabre, Galileo, Amadeus and World
span.
Chains
of hotels having Central Reservation System (CRS) and GDS. CRS integration
allows for individual properties to benefit from the extensive reach of the
chains marketing network and to allow for cross selling amongst properties
within the chain. GDS integration allows chain properties to extend their reach
beyond that of their chain marketing network. The Internet is more relevant to
tourism because it facilitate information about the consumer or tourist to be
gathered, as well as vice versa.
Computerized Reservation Systems/Global
Distribution Systems (CRS/GDS) cover airline offerings as well as other
tourism related products such as packaged holidays, and other means
of transport. They provide the main links to tour operator systems and
to travel agents.
INTERNET USAGE STATISTICS
World Internet Users and Population Status
World Internet Users and Population Status
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
India
Internet Usage Stats and Telecommunications Market Report
Internet Usage Stats and Telecommunications Market Report
Internet Usage and Population Statistics:
|
YEAR
|
Users
|
Population
|
% Pen.
|
Usage Source
|
|
1998
|
1,400,000
|
1,094,870,677
|
0.1 %
|
ITU
|
|
1999
|
2,800,000
|
1,094,870,677
|
0.3 %
|
ITU
|
|
2000
|
5,500,000
|
1,094,870,677
|
0.5 %
|
ITU
|
|
2001
|
7,000,000
|
1,094,870,677
|
0.7 %
|
ITU
|
|
2002
|
16,500,000
|
1,094,870,677
|
1.6 %
|
ITU
|
|
2003
|
22,500,000
|
1,094,870,677
|
2.1 %
|
ITU
|
|
2004
|
39,200,000
|
1,094,870,677
|
3.6 %
|
C.I. Almanac
|
|
2005
|
50,600,000
|
1,112,225,812
|
4.5 %
|
C.I. Almanac
|
|
2006
|
40,000,000
|
1,112,225,812
|
3.6 %
|
|
|
2007
|
42,000,000
|
1,129,667,528
|
3.7 %
|
|
|
2009
|
81,000,000
|
1,156,897,766
|
7.0 %
|
|
|
2010
|
100,000,000
|
1,173,108,018
|
8.5 %
|
Trends in inbound tour operations
The main trends in inbound
tourism are changed by different factors and it affected the tastes and choices
of travelers. According to the travel arrival in the country the main trends in
inbound tourism are:
·
Greater
sensibility for environment and health concern:
The tourist choices of destination are
highly influenced by the sensibility of environment and health issues. The
tourist will not be motivated to visit a particular place if there are any
natural calamities or natural disasters. For example the natural calamities
like floods, earthquakes, volcanic erupted areas will be excluded from the
major tourist itineraries from the major tourist itineraries because of the
unwanted risks and the uncertainty of the particular place effect the tourism
flow to that particular place.
The tourists are highly influenced by
the health concerns the places which is affected by any epidemic diseases will
discourage the visitors to visit a particular place. For example swine flu in
China negatively affects china’s tourist arrival in the particular year.
·
Preference
for sustainable products:
The educated tourist arrival and
tourist arrival for informational purpose is now higher than past years. The
tourist interests are switched to alternative type of tourism like eco tourism,
farm tourism etc. The tourists are ready to respect the sensibility of nature
and they preference more sustainable tourist products and that is a good remark
in the field of the travel too.
·
Dislike
for mass products and looking for more individualised series:
In
recent year the tourist dislike for mass tourism products and they were
motivated to go for more individualised travel. That means most of the
travellers are travelling for the individualised relaxation and rejuanation.
This is simply to escape from the busy schedule of the day to day life and
urbanised living styles. The tourists interests for the individualised calm and
quite places are high than past years.
·
Growing
interests for safety during the trips:
In
recent years the tourists are concerned about the safety and security during
their trips the high demand for the safer places shows this special attitude of
tourist, most of the tourists avoids
extreme adventure spots from their itinerary because of the high risk factors.
·
Increasing
use of internet and new fixed and mobile technologies:
The
use of internet and fixed mobile technologies in searching for the tourist
destination is increasing. The use of travel websites and online technologies
are increasing in recent years. The technological advancement also affect the
tourism industry in a positive way.
Data analysis
Prominent type of tourism
industry
Table 1
|
Type
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Package
|
7
|
23
|
|
independent
|
3
|
10
|
|
Family
|
8
|
26
|
|
Group
|
12
|
40
|
|
Business
|
0
|
0
|
|
Total
|
30
|
100
|
The above
diagram shows that the majority of the tourists are coming as inbound tourists
are of groups. Then the travelers are coming with family or with any package
offered by the operator stands to the next position. 40% of the respondent
remarked that group type of tours is prominent in inbound form of tourism.
Table 2
Commercialization of destination with the growth of inbound tourism
|
commercialization
|
Yes
|
No
|
Total
|
|
Frequency
|
25
|
5
|
30
|
|
Percentage
|
83
|
17
|
100
|
The table shows that 83% of the total respondent agreed
with the statement that through growth of inbound tourism, destination and
tourist supply can be commercialized and marketed on a global basis.
Table 3
Development in Kerala
|
Development
|
Yes
|
No
|
Total
|
|
Frequency
|
21
|
9
|
30
|
|
Percentage
|
70%
|
30
|
100
|
The above table and diagram shows
that majority (70%) of the respondent believes that inbound tour operations
pave way for tourism development in Kerala.
Table 4
Inbound tourism in different calamities
|
Calamities
|
Yes
|
No
|
Total
|
|
Frequency
|
17
|
13
|
30
|
|
Percentage
|
56
|
44
|
100
|
Most of the respondent (56%)
voted to statement inbound tours affected by global threats like economic
crisis, terrorism, natural disasters, inflation. But 44% are remarked as all
these calamities can’t affect inbound tourism.
Table 5
Implementation of new technology for the
improvement of intersight tours
|
implementation
|
Yes
|
No
|
Total
|
|
Frequency
|
30
|
0
|
30
|
|
Percentage
|
100
|
0
|
100
|
All of the respondents believe that implementation of new
technology help intersight in bringing up newer trends in inbound tours. This
shows all the employees are welcoming new technology for the betterment of
company.
Table 6
Implementation of new technology for the
improvement of inbound tours.
|
Implementation
|
Yes
|
No
|
Total
|
|
Frequency
|
27
|
3
|
30
|
|
Percentage
|
90
|
10
|
100
|
The
above table and graph shows that90% of the total respondent remarked that the
implementation of new technology can improve the inbound tour operation.
Table 7
|
|
Greater
sensibility for environment and health concern
|
|
||
|
Preference
for sustainable products
|
11
|
||
|
Dislike
for mass products and looking for more individualized services
|
 6 |
||
|
Growing
interest for safety during the trips
|
  3 |
||
|
Increasing
use of Internet and new fixed and mobile technologies
|
7
|
Most of the
respondent (36%) feels tourists will look for preference for sustainable
products.(23%) of them remarked that the internet and new fixed and mobile
technology will convert as future trend of tourism industry.
Table 8
Brand image
through inbound tourism
|
brand
image
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Effective
|
26
|
86
|
|
Ineffective
|
0
|
0
|
|
no
opeinion
|
4
|
14
|
|
Total
|
30
|
100
|
86% of the
total respondent remarked that inbound tour can built up a brand image of the
nation, if favorable government policies are promoted. 14% of them remarked as
no opinion. Nobody (0%)remarked as ineffective to the question.
Table 9
Inbound tourism
as a marketing tool
|
Inbound
|
yes
|
no
|
don't
know
|
Total
|
|
Frequency
|
27
|
1
|
2
|
30
|
|
Percentage
|
90
|
3
|
7
|
100
|
Most of the
total respondents(90%) remarked that inbound tourism can use as a marketing
tool to promote a destination or a country.
Table 10
Inbound
in intersight
|
inbound
|
very
effectively
|
Effectively
|
ineffectively
|
Total
|
|
freqyency
|
25
|
5
|
0
|
30
|
|
Percentage
|
83
|
17
|
0
|
100
|
The above
diagram shows that(83%)of the total respondents remarked as very effective for
the inbound operation in intersight tours.
Table 11
Inbound as economy generator
|
economy
|
Yes
|
no
|
Total
|
|
frequency
|
20
|
10
|
30
|
|
Percentage
|
66
|
34
|
100
|
The above mentioned
diagram indicates that most of the respondents (66%) believe the inbound
tourism can’t be a revenue generator to host community.
Table 12
Inbound as a stimulant of
economy in 3rd world countries
|
stimulant
|
yes
|
no
|
total
|
|
frequency
|
22
|
8
|
30
|
|
Percentage
|
73
|
27
|
100
|
Majority of the
respondent (73%) believed that tours
serves as a direct stimulant to the economy of third world countries and
fragile destinations.
Table 13
Inbound tourism in product life cycle
|
stage
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
introduction
|
5
|
19
|
|
development
|
7
|
23
|
|
growth
|
14
|
47
|
|
maturity
|
4
|
13
|
|
decline
|
0
|
0
|
|
total
|
30
|
100
|
The diagram shows that the
inbound tourism is on the growth stage. Majority (47%) of the responders chose
growth as the stage of inbound tourism in the life cycle of a product.
Findings
Ø Group
tours are the most prominent type of in
tourism industry
Ø Through
growth of inbound tourism, it is possible that the destination and tourist
supply can be commercialized and marketed on a global basis.
Ø Inbound
tour operations can pave way for tourism development in the third world
nations.
Ø Inbound
tours may affect by global threats like economic crisis, terrorism, natural
disasters, and inflation.
Ø Implementation
of new technology will help intersight in bringing up newer trends in inbound
tours.
Ø Implementation
of new technology will help in the growth of inbound tours
Ø The main trends in changing inbound
tourism are:
o
Preference
for sustainable products
o
Increasing
use of Internet and new fixed and mobile technologies
o
Dislike
for mass products and looking for more individualized services
o
Greater
sensibility for environment and health concern
Ø Inbound
tour can build up a brand image of the nation, if favorable government policies
are promoted.
Ø Inbound
tourism can be use as a marketing tool to promote destinations in a country.
Ø Inbound
tour operation in intersight is effective
Ø Inbound
tour can provide ample economy for tour organizations by generating FOREX for
the host country
Ø Inbound
tours serves as a direct stimulant to the economy of Kerala and fragile
destinations
Ø Inbound
tourism places the growth stage in product life cycle.
Suggestions
·
New technologies must
be provided to the Inbound tour operations
·
Lack of proper
information and difficulty in browsing is the other major critical issues the
regular visitors of the website is facing, there for the company have to add
more information about the its products and services is the one of the way to
overcome these issues.
·
Favorable government
policies and laws should be promoted to welcome more tourist arrivals in
Kerala.
·
To promote and design
economically viable packages meeting to the needs of client.
Conclusion
Kerala
is well known for its culture and arts and has now become hot tourist
destination for all types of tourists. For the growth and development of
tourism the role of service providers are unavoidable. There has lots of
significant changes been happening in the field of tour operation, mainly because
of the advancement of new technologies. The interests and trends of inbound
tour operations are varies from time to time Intersight tours and travels is
one of the major inbound tour operators in Kerala, managing inbound tour
operations. They co-coordinating the tour services via internet by engaging
continuous communication with other service providers. The main benefit in
technological development in inbound tourism
is reduction of time and costs of integration, distribution, promotion,
and commercialization of destination tourism supply. At the same time the quality
of services can also be improved, that too at unimaginable lower cost. An increased flexibility and responsiveness
of destinations’ value proposition can be ensured through the technological
development in Inbound tour operations. If inbound Tourism is effectively
promoted through introduction of appropriate Tourism Policies and Government
Initiatives, inbound Tourism can be developed into an alternative model of
economic sustenance in Third World Countries. In the light of advent of new
concept of sustainability in tourism initiatives, technological development is
a better option to reduce the intangibility of tourism products and thereby the
development of tourism. For this study a sample of 30 employees are selected
and their perception and attitude towards the recent trends in the inbound tour
packages is collected and analysed.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- "Tourist statistics for Kerala". Tourism Statistics. Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. Archived from the original on 2006-07-01. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
- "Kerala Tourism — Superbrand". Superbrand status of Kerala Tourism brand. Government of Kerala. Archived from the original on 2006-07-12. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
- Keralatourism.org - Tourist Statistics 2009
- Mohindra 2003, p. 8.
- Kerala Tourism - Branding a Tourist Destination
- Kerala is the world's fastest-growing tourism destination says Renuka Choudhry.
