Tourism in Rajasthan: An exploratory study

of marketing & policy

A Dissertation by
Ritu Shukla
PPM-24

Towards Partial Fulfillment of PGDPPM Program

2008-10

Under the Guidance of

Dr. Avinash Kapoor

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY AND GOVERNANCE

Management Development Institute
Gurgaon, India

1
 DECLARATION

This is to certify that the dissertation entitled “Tourism in

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

(Ritu Shukla)

Supervisor:

Dr. Avinash Kapoor

Assistant Professor
Management Development Institute
Gurgaon

2
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Ritu Shukla has carried out her dissertation
work in partial fulfillment for the award of the PG Diploma in
Public Policy & Mangement on the topic “Tourism in Rajasthan:
An exploratory study of Marketing & Policy” during June 2009 to
Feb2010.

The work presented embodies the original work of the candidate to

the best of our knowledge.

Date:

Signature of the Supervisor

Signature of the Chairperson, School of Public Policy, MDI

3
 Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge here the guidance I received from my

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

4
 Table of Contents

Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Research Methodology
4. Observations and Analysis
5. Conclusions/ Recommendations
6. References
7. Annexures
A 1 :India Tourism Statistics, 2008
A 2: National Tourism Policy, 2002
A 3: Rajasthan Tourism Policy, 2001
A 4: Rajasthan Tourism Unit Policy, 2007
A 5: Adopt A Monument Scheme, 2005
A 6: Questionnaire for Tourists
A7: Questionnaire for resort owners/hoteliers/tour
operators/travel agents etc
A8: Schedule for interviewing Govt. officials

5
 Abstract

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

traditions, heritage, a wide platter of tourist spots, music, rustic as
well as royal beauty to savour the tastes of a variety of tourists. It
has the potential to offer most menorable life experiences to those
who have wander lust. The state has been one of the few states
which have been aggresively promoted by the Incredible India
Campign.The state was one of the first few states to come out with
a state Tourism Policy in 2001. It has the advantage of being close
and part of the National Capital Region and also on the Golden
Triangle Circuit. But does this all translates into the magnitude of
growth the state should have achieved. The study is an effort to find
out whether the state has been able to tap its full tourist potential
or not. It also studies the marketing policy adopted by the state
government. Are the promotional efforts undertaken by the state
supply driven or are customer centric? It also studies the perception
of the varius stakeholders to the various government policies. The
study is basically an exploratory study aimed at exploring the
inititiativs for tourism promotion. Finally, the author draws certain

6
conclusions based on the analysis of primary data collected by the
author and gives her suggestions.

7
 List of Tables
1. Foreign Exchange Earnings from Tourism in India (1991 to
2009)
2. Number of Foreign Tourist with Percentage Share of
Rajasthan (2001 to 2005)
3. Number of Foreign Tourist Arrival in Rajasthan (1971 to
2008)
4. Domestic Tourist Statistics (2004-2006)
5. No. Of Tourists visiting Rajasthan in 2004-05(country wise)
6. Country-wise Foreign Tourist Arrivals in Rajasthan (2001 to
2005)
7. Number and Percentage Share of Top Ten States in Foreign
Tourist Visits in India (2008)
8. Infrastructure Requirements/investment for Tourism
Infrastructure in Rajasthan (2001 to 2020)
9. State-wise Number of Recognised Tour Operators, Travel
Agencies, Tourist Transport Operators, Adventure Tour
Operatorsand Domestic Tour Operators in India (As on
31.12.2007)

8
 List of symbols/abbreviations

AAM Adopt A Monument

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

9
UNWTO United Natins World Tourism Organization

10
11
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

A routine world where everything is predictable makes life monotonous and

boring. Human beings have always looked for ways and means to break
monotony in their life. This probably has taken man to distant places and, thus,
has evolved the concept of tourism. In general terms, tourism is defined as travel
for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization(WTO)
defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual
environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and
other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within
the place visited”. Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. Tourism
can be considered as one of the most remarkable socio-economic phenomena of
the twentieth century. From an activity “enjoyed by only a small group of
relatively well-off people” during the first half of the last century, it gradually
became a mass phenomenon during the post-World War II period, particularly
from the 1970s onwards. It now reaches larger and larger numbers of people
throughout the world, and is a source of employment for a significant segment of
the labour force.

Importance of Tourism
Over time, an increasing number of destinations have opened up and invested in
tourism development, turning modern tourism into a key driver for socio-
economic progress, through the creation of jobs and enterprises, infrastructure
development, and the export income earned. Tourism has become one of the
major international trade categories. The overall export income generated by
international tourism including passengers transport reached US$ 1.1 trillion in
2008, or US$ 3 billion a day. Tourism exports account for as much as 30% of the
world’s exports of commercial services and 6% of overall exports of goods and
services. Globally, as an export category, tourism ranks fourth after fuels,

12
chemicals and automotive products. For many developing countries it is one of
the main income sources and the number one export category, creating much
needed employment and opportunities for development. The worldwide
contribution of tourism to gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated at some
5%. Tourism’s contribution to employment tends to be slightly higher and is
estimated in the order of 6-7% of the overall number of jobs (direct and indirect).
For advanced, diversified economies, the contribution of tourism to the GDP
ranges from approximately 2% for countries where tourism is a comparatively
small sector, to over 10% for countries where tourism is an important pillar of the
economy. For small islands and developing countries, or specific regional and
local destinations where tourism is a key economic sector, the importance of
tourism tends to be even higher.

Incredible India

India has a huge potential for tourism and has been marketing its tourism
potential aggressively during the last one decade. Prior to this, we were following
a policy of tourism (1982) in an environment of closed economy with strict
licensing procedures. The then policy did not emphasize any role for the private
sector and foreign investment was also not envisaged. As a result, there was not
much development of the sector. The National Action Plan for tourism
announced in May 1992 had thus set the target to increase India's share in the
world tourism market to 1% by 2000 AD but unfortunately this is yet to be
achieved.

To be a part of the tourism revolution taking place across the world, India
came out with its National Tourism Policy in 2002. The policy recognized the
need to change its strategies and tools of its machinery of implementation to
partake in the global tourism revolution as with the existing policies India’s share
of world tourist traffic had remained static through out the decade at 0.38%. The
policy of the Centre and the sustained efforts of the various tourism rich states

13
borne some result as by 2008 India’s share in the world tourist arrivals increased
to 0.58% and its ranking increased to 41. As far as the world tourism receipts are
concerned, India’s ranking rose to 23 and its share to1.28%(India Tourism
Statistics, 2008).

Rajasthan – Padharo Mere Des

Amongst the various states with great tourist potential, Rajasthan occupies an
important place. Rajasthan with its rich historical, cultural and environmental
treasures, coupled with colorful fairs and festivals and friendly people has
become a favourite destination for tourists from all over the world. Except for a
sea-beach and snow-clad mountains, it offers everything to tourists. No tourist
itinerary is complete without inclusion of the tourist spots of Rajasthan. So
whether it is the Pink City of Jaipur – which has the additional advantage of lying
on the Golden Triangle Circuit comprising of Delhi-. Agra- Jaipur- or the
picturesque sand dunes of Jaisalmer and Jodhpur (now the favorite of celebrities
such as Maddona, Britney Spears, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolly and many more) or
the Pushkar lake and the Ajmer Sharif or the City of Lakes, Udaipur, the state
has something or the other to offer to everyone. The eco tourists can admire the
widelife and take the tiger trail – yes, the tigers are still there (some 40 of them
have been reported in and around Ranthambore National Park and Sawai
Madhopur wildlife sanctuary as per a census conducted in May 2009 says a
relase of the Raj. Forest Dept, Feb, 2010) - or you can simply sit back and
indulge in bird watching in the wetlands of keoladeo bird Sanctuary at Bharatpur.
The state government had given priority to this sector and the allocation in the
Five years Plan for tourism is constantly increasing. In Rajasthan, tourism is the
third largest employer after agriculture and textiles sector.

As per the present data available from the Ministry of Tourism, Rajasthan
occupies the 4 Th position (with 5% share of the total domestic tourists) and 5th
position (with 10.5 % share of the total foreign tourists) respectively as far as the
numberof domestic and foreign tourist arrivals in the country is concerned.

14
 Its importance could also be seen from the fact that the state was one of
the few states which had come out with its state tourism policy in 2001. Tourism
has a significant multiplier effect on the economy. It is estimated that every rupee
spent by a tourist changes hands 13 times, and that every hotel room generates
direct employment to three persons and indirect employment to eight persons.
With its rich cultural heritage, Tourism is a focus sector in Rajasthan. Keeping
this in view, Government of Rajasthan granted status of the industry to tourism
sector in 1989, therefore, all the facilities and concessions available to industries
in the State are also available to tourism units. Besides the department of
Tourism, the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) is
developing the tourist centers (by strengthening the infrastructure facilities in
terms of accommodation, catering transport services and boating and sight
seeing facilities) in Rajasthan since 1978.

The growth in the sector is led by private sector with majority of resorts, luxury
hotels, and heritage hotels being opened in the recent years in the state coming
up in the private sector. With a view to bridging the gap between current demand
and supply of hotel accommodation in Rajasthan and in view of the projected
growth of tourism in the coming decade, 'Hotel Policy-2006' was announced by
the State Government in June 2006. “Rajasthan Tourism Unit Policy 2007” has
replaced this policy. Under 'Hotel Policy 2006', concessions were available to the
Star category of Hotels only whereas under new policy concessions will also be
available to other categories of hotels, heritage hotels and other tourism units
such as camping sites, holiday resorts and restaurants etc.

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

rooms in more than 150 hotels. Of these, over 1,400 rooms (54 hotels) belong to
the heritage category. Prominent tourism industry players with strong presence in
Rajasthan include the Indian Hotels, ITC-Sheraton, the Oberoi and Holiday Inn.
Rajasthan, the land of unending tales of glory and valor, is dotted with a number
of architectural marvels. These erstwhile residences of the Maharajas of the
bygone era nowadays serve as the Heritage hotels in Rajasthan. The

15
spectacular architecture, beautiful interior and awestruck exterior of these forts,
palaces and havelis act as ideal destinations to spend the time in the royal
ambience. The state has the largest number of heritage hotels in India. The
hospitality you will get in the heritage hotels of Rajasthan will leave you
speechless. To further give boost and to protect the monuments, Rajasthan
Government has launched’ Adopt-a-Monument’ scheme for heritage
conservation in 2005. The scheme envisages adoption of a monument by any
person with a view to restoring and maintaining it for a period of 10-30 years.

To propel the growth of the tourism sector, the state government has
realized the need for a strong infrastructure in the form of roads, airports, urban
infrastructure. Due to the significant nature of the investment required and
paucity of funds available with the State Government, private sector participation
in infrastructure projects is essential to fructify the investments. To facilitate the
development, the state government has invited private sector investment in
Roads, Power, Tourism, Urban Infrastructure, and Industrial Infrastructure etc.

Purpose of the study

Various policies have been introduced by the state government for the promotion
of tourism in the state and also promotion efforts undertaken by the Union
Government. But whether they have borne the desired results or not. The study
is an effort to find out whether the full potential of theTourism sector of Rajasthan
has been tapped or not; how successful has been the Tourism Policy and
marketing strategy as adopted by the state in this regard; and how it is perceived
by the various stakeholders. It will also dwell on some of the questions such as:

Has Rajasthan fully exploited its tourism potential or there is plenty of beautiful,
rustic and royal beauty of Rajasthan that still remains untapped and unexploited?
Has the Tourism policy being able to provide the required environment for the
rapid growth of tourism in the state? Is it making the required progress in the right

16
direction? Is the reality the same as envisaged by the policy? What is the
response of the implementers of the policy? Are there service delivery and
implementation problems? What are the perceptions of the various stakeholders,
has the approach being participatory. How is the private sector participating in
the development scenario? What is the hidden treasure that needs to be
unraveled? Are there gaps in the potential and its realization? What has been
the marketing strategy of Rajasthan for the tourism sector? What are the
promotions measures taken to strengthen the brand Rajasthan.

Significance
It is expected that the research would help in better understanding of the growth
of the tourism sector of Rajasthan. It would help in identifying the gaps in the
implementation of the Government’s policies and also bring out the requirements
as felt by the various stakeholders. It may provide a sound board to the
authorities. The marketing potential of the state as a tourist destination was
explored and the study would provide an analysis of the marketing strategy. This
would make it possible to understand what appeals and is favorable to the
growth of the sector. As part of the study, an effort has been made to find out
how tangibles and intangibles have to be marketed and how the promotional and
branding strategies can make a difference. The author has also attempted to give
suggestions to bridge the various gaps in implementation.

Flow of the study

The Chapter 1 gives an introduction to the subject as to what tourism means. It
also gives an over-view of the tourism scenario worldwide, in India and in the
study area i.e the state of Rajasthan. It mentions how the tourism industry is now
on the road to revival after suffering due to the western economic melt down. It
also briefly gives an over-view of the rich tourist potential of the state of
Rajasthan and briefly mentions the policy interventions undertaken by the state
governemnt. It also states the purpose of the study as “to find out whether the full

17
potential of theTourism sector of Rajasthan has been tapped or not; how
successful has been the Tourism Policy and marketing strategy as adopted by
the state has been in this regard and how it is perceived by the various
stakeholders.” The chapter ends with what the researcher believes will be the
significance of the study.

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

study the problem. This includes the various policies of the Government of India
(National Tourism Policy2002, Tourism Policy of Rajasthan, 2001; Rajasthan
Tourism Unit Policy, 2007) and also new initiatives undertaken for the growth of
tourism in the state- including niche tourism areas such as caravan tourism,
adventure sports, golf tourism. The structures implementing the various policies
were also reviewed. The various studies undertaken by the government such as
for collecting the Rajasthan Tourism Statistics undertaken by AC Nielson ORG
Marg in 2004-05, Rajasthan Infrastructure Vision 2025 were also reviewed. The
marketing principles, the various marketing concepts such as marketing mix,
SWOT analysis etc were also reviwed in the light of the literature available.

The Chapter 3 gives the methodlgy used for the research. It gives step-by-step
account of what the reseracher undertook as part of the research design. The
Research problem, the research questions are all covered under the chapter.
The theoretical framework for the reserach, the identification of the dependent
and independent variables and also extraneous variables are given in details. It
also gives an account of how the primary data was collected, the sample size,
use of the Likert scale for assessing attitudes of the respondents.

The Chapter 4 is an account of the observations and analysis, which are drawn
after the process of data collection. This includes anlaysis of the data that has
been collected from all the three stakeholders under three different heads.

18
The Chapter 5 gives conclusions that emanates from the analysis and
observations from the data that the researcher had collected. Basd on this, the
researcher had given her recommendations.

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

19
CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Tourism
Various authors have defined tourism. While Mathieson and Wall (1982) created
a good working definition of tourism as "the temporary movement of people to
destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities
undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to
cater to their needs." Macintosh and Goeldner (1986) have defined tourism is
"the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the interaction of
tourists, business suppliers, host governments and host communities in the
process of attracting and hosting these tourists and other visitors." But the widely
used definition is the one given by the World Tourism Organization. Tourism is
defined by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) as comprising the activities of
persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not
more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes. The
WTO further explains that “Tourism” refers to all activities of visitors including
both “tourists (overnight visitors)” and “same-day visitors”.

Tourist Destination
Many new destinations have emerged alongside the traditional ones of Western
Europe and North America. A tourist destination is an amalgam of tourist
products, services and public goods consumed under the same brand name,
thus offering the consumer an integrated experience (Buhalis, 2000; Leiper,
1995). Rather than describing it in terms of a well-defined geographical area
such as a country, island or town (Davison and Maitland, 1997; Hall, 2000),
contemporary definitions view a destination as a blend of consumers’ space and
tourism products providing a holistic experience which is subjectively interpreted
according to the consumer’s travel i inerary, cultural background, purpose of visit,
past experience, etc. (Fuchs and Weiermair, 2003).

20
Growth in Numbers
Over the past six decades, tourism has experienced continued growth and
diversification to become one of the largest and fastest growing economic
sectors in the world .As growth has been particularly high in the world’s emerging
regions, the share in international tourist arrivals received by developing
countries has steadily risen, from 31% in 1990 to 45% in 2008. As per WTO,
International tourist arrivals have continued to grow – from 25 million in 1950, to
277 million in 1980, to 438 million in 1990, to 684 million in 2000. In 2007, there
were over 903 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 6.6% as
compared to 2006. Despite the uncertainties in the global economy, international
tourist arrivals during the first four months of 2008 followed a similar growth trend
as in the same period in 2007.However, as a result of the economic crisis of
2008, international travel demand suffered a strong slowdown beginning in June
2008, with growth in international tourism arrivals worldwide falling to 2% during
the boreal summer months, while growth from January to April 2008 had reached
an average 5.7% compared to its 2007 level. However, growth returned to
international tourism in the last quarter of 2009 contributing to better than
expected full-year results, according to the latest edition of the UNWTO World
Tourism Barometer. International tourist arrivals fell by an estimated 4% in 2009
to 880 million. This represents a slight improvement on the previous estimate as
a result of the 2% upswing in the last quarter of 2009. In contrast, international
tourist arrivals shrank by 10%, 7% and 2% in the first three quarters respectively.
Asia and the Pacific and the Middle East led the recovery with growth already
turning positive in both regions in the second half of 2009. Prospects have also
improved with arrivals now forecast to grow between 3% and 4% in 2010.This
outlook is confirmed by the remarkable rise of the UNWTO Panel ofExperts’
Confidence Index. WTCC has predicted that the number of world travelers would
go up to 1600 million by the year 2020 AD. The WTO ‘s 2009 International
Tourism Results and Prospects for 2010 presents a hopeful picture for the
tourism industry worldwide. Similarly to the situation in previous crisis,

21
 consumers tended to travel closer to home during 2009. Several destinations
have seen domestic tourism endure the crisis better and even grow significantly,
often with the support of specific government measures aimed at leveraging this
trend. This was the case among many other countries, of China, Brazil and
Spain, where the domestic market, representing a large share of the total
demand, contributed to partially offsetting the decline in international tourism.

Tourism in India
As per Indian Tourism Statistics 2008(released by the Ministry of Tourism,
attached at Annexure A1), number of foreign tourist arrivals in India is 5.37
million and the annual growth rate is 5.6%. India’s share of international tourist
arrivals is 0.58%. India’s Rank in World Tourist Arrivas is 41. The share of India
in International Tourism Receipts is 1.24%and India’s rank in World Tourism
Receipts is 23. The number of domestic tourists visits to all states and UTs in
2008 was 562.92 million and an annual growth rate of 6.9%. As per the statistics
available from Ministry of Tourism, the foreign exchange earnings from Tourism
In India from 1991 to 2009 are given below.
Table 1
Foreign Exchange Earnings from Tourism in India
(1991 to 2009#)
Foreign Exchange % Foreign Exchange %
Year
Earning (Rs. in Million) Change Earning (in Million US $) Change
1991 43180 - 1861 -
1992 59510 37.8 2126 14.2
1993 66110 11.1 2124 -0.1
1994 71290 7.8 2272 7.0
1995 84300 18.2 2583 13.7
1996 10046# 19.2 2832 9.6
1997 10511# 4.6 2889 2.0
1998 12150# 15.6 2948 2.0

22
1999 12951# 6.6 3009 2.1
2000 15626# 20.7 3460 15.0
2001 15083# -3.5 3198 -7.6
2002 15064# -0.1 3103 -3.0
2003 20729# 37.6 4463 43.8
2004 27944# 34.8 6170 38.2
2005 33123# 18.5 7493 21.4
2006* 39025# 17.8 8634 15.2
2007* 44360# 13.7 10729 24.3
2008$ 50730# 14.4 11747 9.5
2009# (Jan-
24693 -4.4@ 5007 -21.6@
June)
Source: Ministry of Tourism Govt. of India.

Tourism in Rajasthan
Rajasthan has emerged as one of the top states as far as tourism is concerned.
As per the Indian Tourism Statistics 2008, Rajasthan occupies the 4 th (with 5%
share of the total domestic tourists) and 5th position (with 10.5 % share of the
total foreign tourists) respectively as far as the number of domestic and foreign
tourist arrivals in the country is concerned. The share of Rajastahn in the total
tourist arrivals have declined in the years 2002 and 2003 (because of the effect
of 9/11 bombings in the US and overall world-wide dip in the sector). It has
picked up again from 2004 onwards as could be seen from the table below.

Table 2
Number of Foreign Tourist with Percentage

23
 Share of Rajasthan
(2001 to 2005)
Foreign Tourist
Foreign Tourist Visits % Share of
Year Visits to all States (in
to Rajasthan (in Lakhs) Rajasthan
Lakhs)
2001 54.36 6.08 11.2
2002 51.58 4.28 8.3
2003 67.08 6.29 9.4
204 82.97 9.72 11.7
2005* 99.34 11.31 11.4
Note: * : Provisional.

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

The overall number of foreign tourists in the state from 1971 onwards to
2008 is given below. The numbers have risen from a mere 42,500 in 1971
to 6,23,100 in 2000 but then due to the WTC attacks it fell to 4,28,437 in
2001 but it picked up after two years and has now reached 14,77,646 a
more than two fold increse in the course of 6 years.

Table 3
Number of Foreign Tourist Arrival in Rajasthan
(1971 to 2008)
Year Foreign Tourist
1971 42500
1972 48350
1973 54611
1974 55781
1975 66207
1976 92272
1977 125112
1978 160134
1979 195837
1980 208216
1981 220440
1982 237444
1983 266221
1984 259637

24
 1985 268774
1986 291763
1987 348260
1988 366435
1989 419651
1990 417641
1991 494150
1992 547802
1993 540738
1994 436801
1995 534749
1996 560946
1997 605060
1998 591369
1999 562685
2000 623100
2001 608283
2002 428437
2003 628560
2004 971772
2005 1131164
2006 1220164
2007 1401042
2008 1477646

Source: Department of Tourism, Govt. of Rajasthan

As far as the domestic tourits in Rjasthan are concerned, the table given
below gives the three-year data from some of the states including
Rajasthan.

Table 4

Domestic Tourists Statistics

25
Year Rajasthan Delhi Goa Kerala Tamil Nadu UP MP
2004 1,60,33,896 18,66,552 20,85,729 58,72,182 4,22,79,838 8,83,71,247 86,19,486

2005 1,87,87,298 20,61,782 19,65,343 59,46,,423 4,32,13,228 9,54,40,947 70,90,952

2006 2,34,83,287 22,37,130 20,98,654 62,71,724 5,83,40,008 10,55,49,478 1,10.62,640

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

As per the Tourism Policy of Rajathan 2002,the world famous "golden triangle"
comprising of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur has put Jaipur on the world tourism map. 60% of
international tourists visiting India visit these places. The report also says that
every rupee spent by a tourist in the State, changes hands thirteen times and
every hotel room generate direct employment to three persons and indirectly to
eight persons.

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

Tourism, Government of India in 2005-06, the highest number of tourists coming
to India comes to Rajasthan followed by Tamil Nadu in the said period.
As per another international survey that rated the world's top 133 tourist
places, conducted by National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable
Destinations, in 2009, Rajasthan is considered the world's 19th dream
destination, the backwaters of Kerala have been rated 23rd.The Taj Mahal, Agra
Fort and Fatehpur Sikri together have found 30th place in the survey.One of the
panelists has opined that Rajasthan is India's Tuscany, a region in North-Central
Italy known for its landscapes and its artistic legacy.According to the survey,
Rajasthan has a 'strong sense of cultural identity' and 'remarkable appeal and
mystique'.However, the survey expressed its concern about the tourism benefits
not reaching the local communities.

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

26
and response. International tourist arrivals continued to deteriorate due to the
impact of global economic crisis with the growth of overseas tourists visiting India
slowing down to 5.6 per cent in 2008 as against 14.3 per cent in 2007(Annual
Report, Ministry Of Tourism). Tourist footfalls had further declined in the
aftermath of the co-ordinated terror-strike at Taj, the premier hotel in Mumbai,
and several other places in the city. The chain of events had an impact on the
tourist arrivals in India. This coupled with the May 13th, 2008 series of bomb
blasts that claimed more than 80 lives in Jaipur also had its impact.
Nevertheless, Indian tourism sector outperformed the global growth of 2 per cent
in international tourist arrivals in 2008.Foreign Tourist Arrivals( FTAs) during
2009 were 5.11 million with a growth rate of(-)3.3% as compared to theFTAs of
5.28 million and growth rate of 4% during 2008.Though the growth rate for 2009
is (-)3.3%, it is better than UNWTO’s projected growth rate of (-)6% to (-)4% for
the world.FTAs during the Month of December 2009 were 6.46 lakh as compared
to FTAs of 5.34 lakh in December 2008 and 5.97 lakh in December 2007.The
growth rate in FTAs in December 2009 over December 2008 works out to 21%
which is highest positive growth registered in any month of 2009.

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

visitors*+day tourists**) to the State of Rajasthanfor the period of April 2005 –
March 2006 was 17549628, out of this, 9231132were Domestic, 1010904 were
Foreign and 7307592 were Day tourists. Out of this, the highest number of tourist
visiting the state were from France(in the said period) but in the total bed night
spend tourists from UK and US were at the top and also for other years as could
be seen from the table 5 below this table.

27
 Source: Ministry of Tourism, Govt. Of India

The table below gives a nationality wise distribution of freign tourists coming to
Rajasthan. Tourists from France, UK and US top the list.
Table 6
Country-wise Foreign Tourist Arrivals in Rajasthan
(2001 to 2005)
Country 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005*

U.K 74776 48925 63950 91336 120169

France 89948 50890 94500 139565 169485
Italy 33359 22380 38122 59505 84780
Canada 15237 10720 22221 33731 52873
USA 41768 27873 41684 68535 105074
Germany 47761 30920 50006 71978 94056
Australia 24611 15830 23840 41090 61921
Switzerland 17147 20397 17211 29320 45662

28
Japan 29654 12564 18794 24811 29979
Srilanka 701 1439 2023 3263 311
Others 233321 186499 256209 408638 366854
Total 608283 428437 628560 971772 131164
*Provisional.
Compiled from the statistics released by: Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No 836, dated
01.08.2006
However, as far as foreign tourists are concerned, Rajasthan continues to be
among the top ten states in the country.
Table 7
Number and Percentage Share of Top Ten States in Foreign Tourist Visits
in India
(2008)
Foreign Tourist Visits * in 2008
States
Number Percentage Share (%)
Delhi 2339287 16.6
Maharashtra 2056913 14.6
Tamil Nadu 2029410 14.4
Uttar Pradesh 1610089 11.4
Rajasthan 1477646 10.5
West Bengal 1133671 8.0
Andhra Pradesh 789180 5.6
Kerala 598929 4.2
Himachal Pradesh 376736 2.7
Goa 351123 2.5
Total of Top 10 States 12762984 90.5
Others 1349606 9.5
Total 14112590 100.0

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

Source: Ministry of Tourism Govt. of India.

29
Tourism Policy
Policy
The word "policy" is not a tightly defined concept but a highly flexible one, used in
different ways on different occasions. Anderson (1975) defines policy as a
purposive course of action followed by an actor or set of actors in dealing with a
problem or matter of concern. Policy comprises decisions taken by those with
responsibility for a given policy arena, and these decisions usually take the form
of statements or formal positions on an issue, which are then executed by the
bureaucracy (Keely and Scooones 2003). Schneider and Ingram (1992) provide
a seemingly comprehensive definition of policy, when they state “Policies are
revelaed through texts, practises, symbols and discourses that define and deliver
values including goods and services as well as regulations, income, status and
other positively or negatively valued attributes”.

National Tourism Policy, 2002

A NationaI Policy on Tourism highlighting the importance of the sector and the
objectives of tourism development in the country was presented in the Parliament
in 1982. The policy did not emphasize the role of private sector, and foreign
investment was not envisaged. The policyaIso did not lay adequate emphasis on
domestic tourism and the need for product development. As such, the Ministry of
Tourism had prepared a draft National Tourism Development
Policy,2002(attached as Annexure A2) with the objective of positioning tourism
as a major engine of economic growth and to harness its direct and multiplier
effects for employment and poverty eradication in an environmentally sustainable
manner. It was felt that at the institutional level, a framework would have to· be
evolved that is Government-led, private sector driven and community-welfare
oriented. Sustainability was envisaged to serve as the guiding star for the new
Policy. The development and management strategies was to be so worked out
as to ensure that tourism largely acts as a smokeless industry and its ecological
footprints remain as soft as possible. No one engaged, directly or indirectly, in
the tourism industry, is to be allowed to secure short-term gains by resorting to

30
what has been called the darker side of tourism. Neither over-exploitation of
natural resources should be permitted nor the carrying capacity of the tourist-
sites ignored. Special thrust was to be imparted to rural tourism and tourism in
small settlements, where sizeable assets of our cultural and natural wealth exist.
It was also envisaged in the policy that a section of the State police should be
earmarked to act as tourrist police and special training should be imparted to it.
Broadly the policy attempted to: -

• Position tourism as a major engine of economic growth;

• Harness the direct and multiplier effects of tourism for employment
generation, economic development and providing impetus to rural tourism;
• Focus on domestic tourism as a major driver of tourism growth.
• Position India as a global brand to take advantage of the burgeoning
global travel trade and the vast untapped potential of India as a
destination;
• Acknowledges the critical role of private sector with government working
as a pro-active facilitator and catalyst;
• Create and develop integrated tourism circuits based on India's unique
civilization, heritage, and culture in partnership with states, private sector
and other agencies;
• Ensure that the tourist to India gets physically invigorated, mentally
rejuvenated, culturally enriched, spiritually elevated and "feel India from
within".

The Tourism Policy of Rajasthan, 2001

Recognising the potential attractions that Rajasthan has to offer to domestic and
foreign tourists, the Government has accorded Tourism a special status. Tourism
was declared industry in Rajasthan in the year 1989.A new pragmatic policy,
taking into account the changing socio-economic and investment scenario in the
State of Rajasthan and the emerging trends in the tourism phenomenon was thus
announced in 2001(attached as Annexure A3). The policy was announced with

31
the following objectives:
• Increase employment opportunities, especially in rural areas for
uemployed rural youth.
• Optimum utilisation of rich tourist resources of the State in order to attract
the maximum number of domestic and international tourists;
• To facilitate the growth of tourism in the State and to further involve the
private sector in the development of tourism in Rajasthan;
• Preservation of rich natural habitat and bio-diversity, historical,
architectural and cultural heritage of Rajasthan; special emphasis on
conservation of historical monuments in Rajasthan;
• To develop a ready market for the rich and varied handicrafts and cottage
industries of Rajasthan; ensure welfare of artisans/ artistes;
• To promote inter cultural understanding through religious / pilgrim tourism
and fairs and festivals;
• To promote socio-economic development of Rajasthan through Tourism
with special thrust on backward areas;
• To make tourism a "People's Industry" in the state;
• To minimise the negative impacts of tourism and promote sustainable
tourism;
• To open new vistas in tourism like Adventure tourism, Eco-tourism,
Camel/Horse safaris, River and Canal cruise, House boats in Rajasthan
(Palace-On-Waves), Educational Tourism, Caravan Tourism and Village
Tourism.
• Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur and other cultural institutions will be
associated with Tourism development.

32
Other policies of Rajasthan Government promoting tourism

Land Bank Schene

The Rajasthan Govt. with an objective for easy establishment of Tourist Units
has launched an innovative scheme of Land Bank. This is in accordance to
the policy directives as laid in the Tourism Policy document.Under this
scheme, such Govt. Land / Nazool properties which are being selected for
establishment of Tourism units by the department be transferred to Land
Bank for further disposal at level of DoT and RTDC. Such selected property
are available for disposal in the "Land Bank" established in RTDC, so that
entrepreneurs can invest in tourist units in the State. The disposal of the
properties of Land Bank is by open two-stage bidding sanction. In the first
stage, bids are evaluated on the basis of bidders experience in hotel industry,
its financial standing and management capability etc. In the second stage,
financial bids are invited from the short listed bidders of the first stage and
thereafter the property is awarded as per the decision of the committee, which
is communicated to the successful bidder.

Rajasthan Tourism Unit Policy, 2007

The Glorious Heritage and colorful culture of the state is a special attraction for
Foreign Tourists. Heritage assets, found all over the state can be utilized for
development of Tourism. During the last few years, there has been tremendous
increase in the number of tourists to the State. However the infrastructural
facilities have not kept pace. Presently there are 36,000 rooms available for
Tourists and by year 2012 an additional 20,000 Hotel rooms would be required
for tourists in the State. With this objective, the State Govt. had in 2006
announced a New Hotel Policy proposing several concessions. The concessions
in the hotel Policy 2006 were to be extended to the Star category of Hotels only,
whereas several other categories of hotels, heritage hotels and other tourism
units such as camping sites, holiday resorts and restaurants etc. are also
providing accommodation for tourists.

33
In this regard, Tourism unit as defined in rule 1AA of Rajasthan Land Revenue
(Industrial Area Allotment) Rules, 1959, and Rule 2 (r) of Rajasthan Land
Revenue (Conversion of Agricultural Land for Non-Agricultural purpose in Rural
areas), Rule, 2007, includes all types of hotels, heritage hotel, holiday resorts
etc. In view of the new definition of Tourism Unit, it has become essential for
Tourism development not only to include classified hotels in the Hotel Policy but
also to include all other category of hotels, heritage hotels and other tourism units
in the New Policy. With this objective Rajasthan New Tourism Unit Policy
2007(attached as Annexure A4) was announced. The following concessions
and facilities have been made applicable for all types of Tourism Units: –
• In Rule 2(r)(d) of Rajasthan Land Revenue (Conversion
ofAgricultural Land for Non-Agricultural purposes in rural areas),
Rule, 2007, a restaurant having investment of Rs. 10.00 lacs or
more, has been included. This investment will be increased to
Rs.1.00 crore.
• Considering the new developments taking place in the Tourism
sector and the possible need for inclusion of new definitions in the
policy to avail of the benefits, Principal Secretary, Tourism and
Principal Secretary, Urban Governance would define and
recommend to the concerned departments to include such activities
as Tourism Units in applicable rules.

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

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

34
Other Incentives available for establishment of Hotel Industries in
Rajasthan
The following incentives are available for establishing Hotel industries in the
state:
A.There will be no conversion charges for conversion of Agriculture land in
urban areas and conversion of agriculture land for non-agriculture purpose in
rural areas under Tourism Unit Policy2007.

B. Maximum land area for allotment of land has been increased and special
reserve price has been kept from 10% to 50% of the commercial reserve
price of the area for various Tourism Units under Tourism Unit Policy 2007.

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

or other tourisms units without permission and are also operational the same
shall be regularized on merits basis on payment of 25% of regularization fees
under Rajasthan Municipality Rule 2000 under Tourism Unit Policy 2007.

D. FAR (Floor area ratio) for hotels already established will be increased from
1.75 to 2.0 to allow construction of additional floor under Tourism Unit Policy
2007.

E. For new Hotel projects under Hotel policy 2006 (FAR) has been increased
up to twice within scheme area subject to the condition that over all FAR of
the scheme area shall not exceed 1 (one).

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

conversion of land for development of Tourism Hub as declared by the
Tourism Department Government of Rajasthan under the provisions of
Tourism Hub Policy.

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

35
 of amenities around monuments (amenities- toilets, communication, and
restaurant, parking facilities) under the provisions of Tourism Hub Policy.

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

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

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

(more then 100 years) into Hotels.

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

Incentives available for new Tourism units under Rajasthan investment

promotion scheme, 2003 of Industries Department, Govt. of Rajasthan.

A. Exemption in Luxury Tax: -

(i) 100% of Luxury Tax for a period of 7 years
B. Exemption in Stamp Duty: -
(i) 50% in stamp duty for a period of 7 years
C. Other Incentives: -
(i) 50% of entertainment duty for 7 years
(ii) 50% of electrical duty for 7 years
(iii) 50% from conversion charges
D. Interest subsidy to Tourism Units such as Hotel, Motel etc.
(i) 5% interest subsidy to and wage/employment subsidy.
(ii) An additional 1% interest subsidy for SC/ST entrepreneurs.

However, these exemptions were available from 1.7.2003 to

31.3.2009.

Adopt a Monument Scheme

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

36
Rajasthan launched the scheme for ‘Adopt a Monument’ (AAM), as an instrument
for public-private participation for preserving the State’s rich heritage. It was
expected that a large number of NRIs, specially those of Rajasthani origin, NRRs
and corporate entities from within Rajasthan may become interested in
participating in this mammoth task. AAM scheme (attached as Annexure A5)
has been framed keeping in view this objective. The scheme envisages adoption
of a monument by any person with a view to restoring it and to maintain it after
restoration for a period upto 10 years. The project will constitute conservation of
Heritage monuments. The conservation shall comprise of expenditure viz. capital
and recurring to be incurred on conservation, restoration, face-lift and
maintenance of the monuments including landscaping, signage’s, conveniences
etc. It shall also include the recurring expenditure to be incurred every year for
maintenance of the entire complex for upto ten years. The following are the
salient features of the scheme:

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

shall identify monuments that can be offered for adoption. The monuments may
be protected by the State Archeology Department under the Act or may not be
protected. However, if it is protected monument, it shall be listed for offer only
after the Department of Archeology has taken necessary steps to permit private
parties to conserve it. State Archeology Department shall prepare a master plan
for each of such existing heritage monument. Each master plan shall comprise of
the details of identified activities and works to be undertaken for the conservation
of the monument concerned.

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

government at the level of Administrative Department of Art & Culture. The
conservation plan shall include the following:
i. Detailed designs for conservation works, public conveniences, landscaping etc.
ii. Detailed plan for maintenance.
iii. Estimates for one time expenditure on conservation works, construction of

37
public conveniences, landscaping etc.
iv. Estimates for year-wise expenditure on maintenance including lighting,
security etc. for a period upto 10 years.

c. The donors will donate the funds to an SPV, a no profit society formed under
Societies Registration Act, 1958. This Special Purpose Vehicle society (SPV)
would operate a Heritage Fund in which these donations shall be deposited and
drawn from in accordance with the plan approved by the Department of Art &
Culture. The SPV shall maintain separate accounts for each of the monuments
and these shall be audited every year. A copy of the audited account shall be
sent to the donors on annual basis.

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

However, in case the donor wishes to carry out the works himself he would be
allowed to do so only after an approval from the AAM Steering Committee. In
such a case, the donor shall carry out the conservation works under the
supervision of the Art & Culture department. AAM Steeringcommittee shall
review the progress of such cases periodically.

It may be of interest to note that a similar scheme was launched in 1987 in New
York. The scheme is relaization if one of the objectives as laid in the Tourism
Policy, 2001.

Jal Mahal Project

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

because of various reasons such as apathy of the conservation authorities,
funding problems etc. One such example was the Jal Mahal Lake in Jaipur. Jal
Mahal is an 18th century pleasure palace located in the middle of the Mansagar
Lake. Mansagar Lake is a 300 acre lake surrounded by the Nahargarh hills. The
Jal Mahal Project Area falls in the Jaipur – Amer tourist corridor and is the only

38
major waterbody in Jaipur. The project location is in the close vicinity of key
tourist attraction viz. Amer, Jaigarh and Nahargarh Forts and the walled city of
Jaipur. Almost every tourist, visiting Jaipur passes through this area. The project
area has the potential to be transformed into a major tourism destination. The
lake and the project area was an ecological disaster, with the dumping of
untreated sewage from the city and poor upkeep. The monument itself was
poorly maintained with no formal access possible for tourists

During the past, several attempts have been made by Government of Rajasthan
to restore the ecological and environmental condition of the lake and its adjoining
area. However, none of these attempts yielded any positive result because of
paucity of funds and non-incentivised approach to take up restoration. In
addition, these measures were not able to provide a sustainable lake restoration
and maintenance program of the area on a long term and continuous basis
.IL&FS was entrusted the job of finding a permanent solution to the development
requirements of the project in the year 2000. Through its joint-venture company
with Government of Rajasthan, PDCOR Ltd. IL&FS institutionalized a careful
process of project development and structuring. It was able to design a
restoration initiative, source the resources for project implementation and
innovatively involve the private sector in sustainable development of the project
area As of date, most of the lake restoration program has been completed and
the identified private sector partner for area development is in the process of the
full area. The project has set a benchmark in sustainable development of the
urban water bodies with private sector participation

As part of financing effort, lake restoration funds of Rs.180 million was arranged
for renewal of the lake eco- system from MoEF, GoI, as a grant under the
National River Conservation Program. The State Government through its nodal
agency, Jaipur Development Authority (JDA), is providing the balance fund

39
This is the first lake conservation project sanctioned by MoEF, GoI for the State
of Rajasthan. Further, while sanctioning the grant amount, MoEF, GoI has been
quite appreciative of the sustainability model, and has recommended that a
similar structure be considered for restoration of Udaipur Lake and other such
environmentally sensitive restoration projects. Jaipur Development Authority
(JDA) was appointed as the nodal agency for lake restoration part of the project.
As of date most of the lake restoration components have been implemented .The
project for tourism development has been awarded to a consortia led by M/s.
KGK Enterprises The tourism products which are proposed to be developed in
the site include: -
(i) Convention Centre and Art Gallery
(ii) Multiplex and Entertainment Centre
(iii) Craft Bazaar
(iv) Arts and Craft Village
(v) Resort Hotels
(vi) Restaurants and Food Court
(vii) Public park and gardens

The developer is also responsible for restoration and maintenance of the Jal
Mahal. The lease rental paid by the private sector developer would be used to
discharge the maintenance obligations of the lake on a continuing basis.

Report on Collection of Tourism Statistics for the State of Rajasthan

Ministry of Tourism, Government of India initiated pilot surveys in ten states

including Rajasthan state on a plan to outsource collection activity of tourism
statistics for the different states. ACNielsen ORG-MARG Pvt. Ltd. was entrusted
with collection of tourism statistics for the State of Rajasthan. The pilot survey
was for a period of 12 months with the purpose to gain experience for future.

The main aim of the proposed survey was to collect relevant tourist related
statistics for understanding subtle trends related to visitors (both domestic as well

40
as foreign ones) in the State. Additionally it was also intended to provide
comprehensive listing of available accommodation infrastructure in prime tourist
destinations in the State, including those of the unorganized sector, for a period
of 1 year (2004-05). The survey along with an assessment of the direct
employment generated by the tourism sector, estimate the expenditure patterns
of tourists, tourist needs, preferences and satisfaction levels with regard to the
various available facilities in the State.

Fairs & Festivals

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

• Summer Festival, Mount Abu

• Teej Festival, jaipur

• World Tourism Day

• Marwar Festival, Jodhpur

• Pushkar Fairs, Ajmer

• Chandrabhaga Fair, Jhalawar

• Bundi Festival, Bundi

• Sharad Mahotsav, Mt. Abu.

• Desert Festival, Jaisalmer

• Baneshwar Fair, Dungarpur

• Elephant Festival, Jaipur

• Camel Festival, Bikaner

New Initiatives

41
Golf Tourism

Today Golf Tourism has been pivot in the field of Tourism. It makes tourist to stay
form more at a place. Expertise is being hired for preparation of Project Report
for making international standard Golf Complex in Rajasthan.

Caravan Tourism

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

promoting caravan tourism. Considering the diverse tourism products and the
multitude of landscapes in India, Caravans and Caravan Parks have a potential
to add an exciting new facet to tourism in Incredible India and would attract a
wide range of market segments including young people, families, senior citizens
and international tourists.

Under the guidelines issued by the Central govt, the Caravans would be
popularized and promoted by developing Caravan Parks in public private
and PPP mode. The Caravan Parks would be approved by the Ministry of
Tourism once they develop the minimum required facilities such as parking bays,
tourist amenities centre, landscaping, toilets and adequate measures for safety
and security of tourists. The caravan parks will also provide electricity, water and
sewerage disposal facilities to the Caravans which are parked. The caravan
parks shall maintain environmental friendly and responsible practices.

Ministry of Tourism shall provide central assistance, which could

be upto Rs 5 crore per destination to State Governments/U.T. Admn under its
existing scheme of product infrastructure development of destination/circuits for
development of caravan parks in Government sector. Assistance to the level of
25% of the cost can also be provided for procurement of caravans in public
sector corporations.

42
Adventure Sports
The terrain in Rajasthan is tailor-made for most adventure sports, with its Aravalli
hills, the open desert tracts, the vast lakes and rivers, the wildlife parks, and little
villages abandoned by the march of civilization as is known, but no less
hospitable for it. And threading these together, a landscape where the paths and
trails weave through a history rich with forts and palaces, mansions and
cenotaphs. And a culture that binds these together into a fascinating journey.
One can choose from a number of adventure sports options. Tourists can relax
with golf, go vintage, or practice archery, go boating - in the Chambal river
through the gorges of the plateau of Hadoti, or, go up in the air, for a bit of aerial
sightseeing over heritage cities by small aircraft or in hot air balloons. Recently
department has organised adventure sports activities at Jaipur and Kota. For
identification of adventure sports tourism sites in the State, a Project Report is
being prepared.

Infrastructure Preparedness of the state

With Rajasthan aiming high on the tourism front, what is the prepardness on the
basic infrastructure and tourism infrastructure front? Does the state have
adequate number of hotels, hotel rooms, airports, quality roads, urban
infrastructure etc? The Rajasthan governnmnt had come out with its requirement
for infrastructure and investment from 2001 to 2020.
Table 8
Infrastructure Requirement/Investment
for Tourism Infrastructure in Rajasthan
(2001 to 2020)
(Rs. in Crore)
Particulars 2001 2005 2010 2015 2020
Hotels 93 177 210 203 300
Restaurants 3 11 9 13 17
Airlines Facilities 45 133 84 42 36
Air Taxis/ Charters/
Helicopter Services 12 23 28 37 37
Taxis/ Tourist Coaches 76 105 145 165 212
Wayside Facilities 12 41 80 92 60

43
 Monuments Conservation 6 14 20 28 42
Sanctuaries 4 14 21 11 8
Amusements/ Theme/
Water Parks 9 15 21 28 32
Others 11 18 20 22 25
Total 271 551 638 641 769
Cumulative Total 271 822 1460 2101 2870
Source: Department of Tourism, Govt. of Rajasthan

It was also envisaged in the Rajasthan Tourism Policy, 2001 that in order to
develop infrastructure, the Government will prepare an Area-based Master Plan
outlining the infrastructure necessary in each such area. The plan will be based
on the potential, which each destination holds for development of Tourism. An
investment plan will be evolved from this Master Plan. The Investment Plan was
to be further translated into an Annual Action Plan in order that the goals set in
the Master Plan will be achieved in a time bound manner.

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

tour operators etc. As far as the recgnised tour operators, travel agencies in the
state is concerned, Rajasthan doesn’t score very high as is visible from the table
given below:
Table 9
State-wise Number of Recognised Tour Operators, Travel Agencies, Tourist Transport
Operators, Adventure Tour Operators
and Domestic Tour Operators in India
(As on 31.12.2007)
Tourist Adventure Domestic
Tour Travel
State/Uts Transport Tour Tour
Operators Agencies
Operators Operators Operators
Andhra Pradesh 6 11 4 - -
Arunachal Pradesh 1 - - - -
Assam 4 - - - -
Bihar 2 3 - - -
Chhattisgarh - - - - -
Goa 13 4 - - -
Gujarat 5 8 2 - -
Haryana 5 4 - - -

44
Himachal Pradesh - - - - -
Jammu & Kashmir 5 1 - - 2
Jharkhand - - - - -
Karnataka 9 22 13 - 2
Kerala 17 5 22 - -
Madhya Pradesh 1 2 2 - -
Maharashtra 40 77 12 1 3
Manipur - - - - -
Meghalaya - - - - -
Mizoram - - - - -
Nagaland - - - - -
Orissa 5 - - - -
Punjab - 3 2 - -
Rajasthan 5 2 - - -
Sikkim - - - - -
Tamil Nadu 22 47 24 - 5
Tripura - - - - -
Uttar Pradesh 9 5 3 - -
Uttarakhand - 1 - 1 -
West Bengal 3 15 1 - -
Andaman & Nicobar - 2 - - -
Chandigarh - 1 1 - -
Dadra & Nagar Haveli - - - - -
Daman & Diu - - - - -
Delhi 285 121 73 22 7
Lakshadweep - - - - -
Puducherry 1 3 1 - -
India 438 337 160 24 19
Source: Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India.

Wayside Amenities
Rajasthan has a geographical mass of 3.42 Lacs Sq. km. and spans more than
800 Kms. from East to West and North to South.The Air and Rail links are still not
well developed resulting in more use of surface transportation. This necessitates
the creation of suitable wayside amenities at appropriate places in order to
provide commuting tourists an opportunity to relax and refresh themselves. As
per the Rajasthan Tourism Policy, such facilities were to be developed both in
the public and private sectors at intervals of 100 to 125 Kms. Along the
important road-routes in the State,the concept of having various conveniences

45
integrated in such way- side facilities was to be promoted. For this, a survey of all
spots was to be undertaken throughout the State and facilities were to be
developed in the next five years. Private investment was to be encouraged in this
sector and public investment was to be limited to areas where private initiative is
not forthcoming. Still, the wayside amenities remain a policy and its
implementation is awaited.

Policy for Promotion & Marketing of Tourism in India

The Incedible India Campaign

The first marketing initiative of its kind by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of
India, Incredible India was conceptualized in 2002 by Ministry of Tourism. The
primary objective of this branding exercise was to create a distinctive identity for
the country. This resulted in the iconic ”Incredible !ndia” logo, where the
exclamation mark that formed the “I” of India was used to great effect across all
communications. The campaign successfully established India as a high-end
tourist destination, generating a 16% increase in tourist traffic in the first year.

In the second year, the Incredible India campaign focused on spiritual tourism,
resulting in a 28.8% increase in tourist traffic and a no.1 ranking in the Travel &
Leisure readers survey. In 2003, Condé Nast Traveller selected India as one of
the top ten preferred destinations for the discerning traveller. “India’s results are
very exciting and show the country’s increasing popularity amongst sophisticated
travellers. It also reflects very positively on the individuals involved in promoting
India as a premium tourist destination.” Sarah Miller, Editor, Condé Nast
Traveller, 2003.

In January 2004, Lonely Planet conducted a survey in 134 countries to select the
world’s favourite destination for individual travellers. India was ranked among the
top five favourite international destinations in the global survey (the other four
were Thailand, Italy, Australia and New Zealand). According to Lonely Planet,

46
“the respondent for the survey was today’s independent traveller – professional,
with a degree or post-graduate qualification who is aged 25 to 34.” The 2003/04
campaign went on to win many prestigious awards, including Gold at PATA and
the Bombay Ad Club.

After a break of one year, the original team of Incredible India collaborated again.
In 2006, Delhi based creative agency (A), founded by V Sunil, and was called in
to create the new global campaign for 2006/07. The print and outdoor executions
combined spectacular images with a wry, self-assured tone – a far cry from the
bowing and scraping of past campaigns.
The campaign went on to win the PATA Grand Award 2007 for Marketing, and
was one of only four ‘best of show’ Grand Awards out of a total of 339 entries
from 132 organizations.

ITB Berlin,2007-In March 2007, the global brand campaign (an evolution of the
‘Incredible’ theme, which was unprecedented in terms of quality and scale) was
extended to the Internationale Tourismus Bourse (ITB) Berlin – the world's
largest travel and tourism show – where India was participating as the Partner
Country. The campaign used the entire city as a canvas - covering it with large
billboards, branding on taxis and buses, vibrant graphic art and 3D installations.
Signaling a new level of sophistication in India's branding strategy, the ITB
campaign overwhelmed the international media and trade.

India Now, London- India Now was a three-month long campaign designed to
showcase India’s accelerating economy and ever-evolving culture. It was
organized from July to September 2007 in London and featured events, activities
and festivals across the capital dedicated to Indian art, film, food, theatre, music
and fashion. As part of the campaign, buses and taxis plying along the main
routes in London wore vibrant Incredible India colours and messages. Outdoor
panels in 150 bus shelters featured images of India that corresponded to the
names of famous London Underground stations, creating a dramatic and

47
amusing contrast. An estimated one million Londoners and visitors to London
participated in these events. There was also a 16% jump in inbound tourism from
the UK.

Cannes 2007- This special campaign was designed to attract a global film crowd
at the International Film Festival at Cannes. Large outdoor posters showed off
India’s diverse and picturesque locales - from the golden beaches of Kerala to
the Tiger reserves of Madhya Pradesh - with cinematographic-themed headlines
such as ‘Location for Hire’ in French.

India @60, New York- The year 2007 not only marked the 60th year of
independence for India but also celebrated the arrival of India on the global
platform. The Incredible India@60 campaign was launched in New York from
23rd-26th September 2007 to coincide with the UN General Assembly session.
The combination of the four-day event and the General Assembly created the
perfect opportunity to showcase the best of India to world leaders, top
international business moguls and the public. Incredible India@60 took India’s
extraordinary energy and cultural diversity to the watching world. Billboards at
Times Square, taxis, buses, bus shelters, TV and radio announced the arrival of
a brand new India. With eight ministries, eight overseas partners and 41 events –
including four gala dinners, 13 conferences and panel discussions, nine cultural
shows, seven receptions and eight ongoing events – it was a grand show that
maximized India’s presence and visibility to the world.

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

cultural spectrum. Featuring breathtaking images and colour-based headlines
such as Coffee Brown and Red Hot, the campaign was launched globally in 71
leading newspapers and magazines. Using traditional and interactive media -
print, outdoor and the internet - India was positioned as a unique and vibrant
destination for tourists.

48
Campaign 2008-09- The India Tourism 2008 campaign was based on the
experiences of those who came to visit India as tourists and stayed back to make
India their home. It takes a special bond with the country and its people to give
up everything you know and set up home, take roots in India. These are the
people who’ve truly embraced the culture and assimilated it into their being. As
opposed to those who’ve simply being ‘bitten by the India bug’. Staying back is
prompted by a decision that will change their lives forever. It is not a mere whim
or adventure. It is the commitment of a lifetime. There are several people like this
in India and the campaign went through a careful process to select the ones who
they felt could be ambassadors of Indian culture. The creative idea employed a
simple device that stated their country of birth, followed by text that said
‘Motherland: India’.

Atithi Devo Bhavah Campign (2005)

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

full potential of tourism in India. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has
introduced “Atithi Devo Bhavah Program”- A nation wide campaign that aimed at
sensitising key stakeholders towards tourists, through a process of training and
orientation. 'The guest is God' is Indian tourism's version of the customer
satisfaction slogan, 'customer is king', once preached by Peter Drucker.

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

inbound tourist a sense of being welcomed to the country. The campaign targets
the general public as a whole, while focusing mainly on the stakeholders of the
tourism industry. The main components of the campaign are training and
orientation to taxi drivers, guides, immigration officers, tourist police and other
personnel directly interacting with the tourists, while simultaneously creating
brand equity for the trained persons.

49
"Atithi Devo Bhavah" involves Sensitisation, Screening, Induction, Training &
Orientation, Certification and Feedback of key stakeholders of the Tourism
industry in India.

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

campaign, an effort was made to re-install in the stakeholders a sense of pride
and responsibility towards tourists, while positioning India as a popular tourist
destination worldwide.

The Ministry of Tourism through it was thus looking at both the macro and micro
perspective by promoting destinations on the one hand and bringing about a sea
change in the mindset and behaviour of people, on the other.

Components of the Atithi Devo Bhavah Program

This included training programme, Mass Media camapign and PR Road shows.
The key stakeholders (of the tourism industry) were traned in terms of changing
their attitude and behaviour towards foreign tourists. The programme covered 4
areas:

• Hygiene - This include personal hygiene of the person and also that of the
product / service.

• Conduct and behaviour - Politeness and basic courtesies in interacting

with the foreign tourists.

• Integrity - This implies that the person does not cheat the tourists and
charges him a fair price for the service.

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

50
Key stakeholders being covered in the training included taxi drivers, baggage
handlers at airport, tourist guides, hotel staff, employees of tour operators,
immigration and customs officials etc.Since these segments have diverse
backgrounds, education and levels of sophistication, the training is divided into 2
categories:
• Level 1: Covers taxi drives, tourist guides and baggage handlers and
porters.
• Level 2: The tour operators, shop owners / staff, hotel staff, immigration
and customs officials.

This training program was first initiated at Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur,
Agra, Aurangabad, and Goa. In the 2006-07, the programme was rolled out to
other important cities in India.

A Mass Media Communication was carried out in newspapers, TV, cinema and
outdoors to create general awareness about the Atithi Devo Bhavah programme
and to communicate to key stakeholders as to how it is in their own interest that
foreign tourists be treated well and should go back happily from our country.

The India Tourism offices of Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Goa and
Hydrabad have a crucial role to play in the campaign. They act as nodal
agencies to facilitate and coordinate the essential part of the program ie.
Training.

Policy for Promotion & Marketing of Tourism in Rajasthan

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

policy as such. It merely finds a mention in the tourism policy of the state 2001.
The Tourism Policy mentions the following:

51
 • In order to facilitate dissemination of information to the tourists from
foreign and domestic market, the State will cause such literature, films,
videos and other material published and produced as is necessary.
• A multipronged strategy will be evolved to make optimal use of the media
for promoting Rajasthan as an attraction for tourists. Sufficient literature
will also be distributed to important Travel Agents and Tour Operators, Air-
lines, and Hotel groups for discrimination among important people
connected with tourism industry.
• High quality tourist literature would be published in foreignlanguages like
French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Italian, Arabic and of course
English.
• Special efforts would be made for overseas publicity about Rajasthan as a
tourist destination. Private marketing and publicity linkages would be
established with the help of travel agents and tour operators to promote
tourism in Rajasthan in the world tourism market.
• Special drive would be launched to publicise tourism highlights of
Rajasthan in electronic media with the help of e-mail, Internet and latest
means of communication available for e-commerce.
• Efforts would be made to device interactive tourism information packages,
CD-ROMs and online reservation facilities for goods and services in
tourism sector would be made available in private and public sector.

Accordingly, the Tourism Department has taken the following efforts for tourism
promotion, publicity and marketing:

1. Printing of Tourism Publicity Literature

2. Advertising
3. International Conferences

4. Film, Photos, VHS, CD’setc.

5. Exhibitions
6. Seminar&Conferences

52
7. Hospitality
8. Library
9. Souvenirs.

The Department also participates in the various international and national

exhibitions, seminars, marts and conferences. Road shows conducted in the
country and abroad. Department has represented Rajasthan in overseas at
WTM, London, TAAI, Malaysia and PATA, Singapore and for tourism promotion it
has participated in different International / national level conferences, seminars,
exhibitions etc. Department has made efforts through Print Media by releasing
advertisement in the prominent magazines and newspaper for tourism promotion
and publicity.

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

dissemination of information about tourist places, department annually publishes
brochures, folder, booklets posters etc of tourist places. The literature published
is being distributed in the country and abroad, so that the tourist can gain precise
information. It is also being circulated to the tourism trade related personalities
and organisations. Tourist can have these literatures available through the
Tourist Reception Centres / Tourist Information Centres run by the department.

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

the initiatives of the state government viz. organizing new festivals to promote
Rajasthan as an 'Year Round Tourism Destination', introducing Public Private
Partnership model in key tourism projects in the state, offering historical
monuments for adoption to private sector etc.

Rajasthan Tourism Department

The Department of Tourism is working as a separate entity for the execution of
national and state level policies, programmes and also as a coordinating agency

53
for the Central - State Government Department/ Offices and Private sectors
activities for promotion of tourism in the state.

At the directorate level, two Additional Directors, one Joint Director, 2 Deputy.
Director, Sr. Accounts Officer, AD (Planning and Stat.), Assistant Directors,
Assistant Accounts Officer and Tourist Officer are working under the
Commissioner, Tourism. The field offices of the department at the 4 prominent
metropolitan cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai are also functioning.
At the regional level, in the two divisions of State Viz Kota & Jodhpur, Deputy
Directors are heading Offices, apart from Tourist Reception Centres & Tourist
Information Bureaus at other prominent tourist places/ entry points of State.
Under the control of Tourism Department, two public sector entities viz Rajasthan
Tourism Dev. Corporation Ltd. and Rajasthan State Hotel Corporation Ltd. and
one society viz Rajasthan Institute of Tourism and Travel Management
(RITTMAN) are also operating.

Luxury Trains
The Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation operates two luxury trains
bringing the splendor, royalty and the heriage of the state in the lap of luxury. The
two trains Palace on Wheels (POW) and Royal Rajasthan on Wheels (RRW) are
the two attractions for those who want to live and travel the royal way.

The Palace on Wheels

The Palace on Wheels was India's first train luxury train. It was launched by the
Indian Railways in 1982 to promote tourism in Rajasthan, and has been highly
popular since its launch. Following its success, other luxury and tourist trains
have been started on other routes in the country. It is a joint venture of RTDC
and Indan Railways.The concept of the Palace on Wheels was derived from the
royal coaches, which were originally meant to be the personal railway coaches of
the erstwhile rulers of the princely states of Rajputana, Gujarat, the Nizam of
Hyderabad and the Viceroy of British India.

54
There are 14 coaches in the train. Each of them is named after former Rajput
states and matches the aesthetics and interiors of the royal past. Facilities
include a bar with the choicest Indian and international spirits, a lounge with a
good collection of books and televisions and DVD players.Cabins are air-
conditioned with twin beds, channel music, intercom, and attached toilets running
hot and cold water.

The train has two restaurants, "The Maharaja" and "The Maharani", with a
Rajasthani ambience and serving continental, Chinese, Indian and Rajasthani
cuisines.The train departs from New Delhi and during its eight day journey,
travels around Rajasthan with stops in Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai
Madhopur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur, and Agra.The Palace on Wheels.
The train has a capacity for 100 travellers. In the initial 5 years of its operation,
the train had very low occuancy- as low as 10 %. Ths was due to lack of
promotional activitis. But after 1990 when General Sales Agents (GSA) were
appinted, the occupancy started picking up and now POW has 100% occupancy
anytime and you need to book well in advance if you want to have the royal
experience.

Royal Rajasthan on Wheels (RRW)

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

luxury train, Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, was launched in Setember, 2009 and
started its commercial operations in Oct 2009. The itinerary of the train is similar
to the Palace on Wheels except that it goes to Bikaner instead of Sawai
Madhopur. The Royal Rajasthan on Wheels is an upgraded version of the POW.
This luxury train offers 3 distinct itineraries that include journeying across the
beautiful and historic cities that are reminiscent of the glorious past of the
erstwhile Rajputana. The train winds its way through Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur,
Bikaner, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bharatpur, Agra, Varanasi, and Khajuraho across
its 3 tours. No matter which tour itinerary a traveller opt for, they will get a chance

55
to visit the legendary Taj Mahal at Agra. 2 of the 3 itineraries of the Royal
Rajasthan on Wheels have been designed in a way to enable a tourist to visit to
at least one wildlife environs located in the state.

This luxurious train is a joint venture of Rajasthan Tourism Development

Corporation and Rajasthan Railways. Royal Rajasthan on Wheels offers the
most opulent facilities to its guests fit only for the kings. State-of-the-art amenities
are blended with the traditional Rajput hospitality. The train is loaded with opulent
features offering comfort and luxuries to the passengers. The retro lounges and
super deluxe saloon would surely impress the passengers.

Royal Rajasthan on Wheels consists of super deluxe coaches and deluxe

coaches. The guests aboard this train enjoy more space, as the number of
passengers is limited to 80 as against 100 of POW. The train also has a common
lounge, facilitating guest interaction of a high magnitude. And with Wi-Fi internet
facility intact, tourists can actually never lose contact with the world while on the
go. There is also an intercontinental Spa facility to rejuvenate your senses.
Moreover, the attendants are at your disposal to assist you all the time.

Heritage on Wheels
The Heritage on Wheels was launched in 2007 and was in operation for two
financial years. The bi-weekly train (on metre gauge) traversed all the nook and
crannies of the Bikaner and Shekhawati regions of Rajasthan. In the first years of
operation, 900 people took the journey (2007-08) and 800 people in 2008-09.
Due to gauge conversion work on the route the train has to be discontinued
which otherwise gave the opurtunity to the travellers to see the unexplored parts
of the state.

56
Tourist Assistant Force

With the upsurge of tourism in the country, instances have

come to the notice of the tourism department where tourists
have been extorted by shopkeepers, unauthorized guides,
touts, hawkers and even harassed by auto rikshawdrivers.

Tourist Assistance Force (TAF) scheme was started by the

tourism department in the year 2000. To begin with, 164
TAF personnel are deployed at prominent sites of tourist interest at Jaipur,
Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bharatpur, Bikaner, Udaipur, Chittaurgarh, Sawai Madhopur,
Ajmer-Pushkar and Mount Abu.

To enhance the safety and security of tourists visiting the State, the Tourism
Department has increased the number of TAF personnel to 250 and new
destinations have been added i.e. Bundi & Alwar-Sariska.

The Tourist Assistance Force can be approached for the following:

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

• In case of harassment by peddlers, hawkers, touts, beggars etc.

• To take guidance about local law and order, security and hazards and for
that free pamphlets of “Dos and Don'ts” are provided to tourists by TAF
personnel.

• To take information about authorized taxi stands, ATMs’, money

exchanges, guest houses, hotels restaurants etc.

• To take guidance about medical facilities available nearby. On-call

ambulance (Phone no.108) facility has been provided by govt. and TAF
personnel guides the tourist in emergency.

57
Marketing
Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association [AMA] as "the
activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering,
and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and
society at large." The AMA has revised its definition of marketing in 2007. Before
this, marketing was defined as an organizational function and a set of processes
for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing
customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.
(Est in 2004). The new definition takes into account input from a broad cross-
section of the Association membership. Marketing is regarded as an 'activity'
instead of a 'function' and positions marketing as a broader activity in a
company/organization, and not just a department. The new definition also
positions marketing as providing long term value rather than narrowly as an
exchange of money (short-term) for the benefit of the shareholder/organization.
Mangement Guru Philip Kotler defines marketing as 'satisfying needs and wants
through an exchange process'
The Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as "the management
process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer
requirements profitably." A different concept is the value-based marketing which
states the role of marketing to contribute to increasing shareholder value. In this
context, marketing is defined as "the management process that seeks to
maximise returns to shareholders by developing relationships with valued
customers and creating a competitive advantage”.

Marketing practice tended to be seen as a creative industry in the past, which

included advertising, distribution and selling. However, because the academic
study of marketing makes extensive use of social sciences, psychology,
sociology, mathematics, economics, anthropology and neuroscience, the
profession is now widely recognized as a science.The overall process starts with
marketing research and goes through market segmentation, business planning

58
and execution, ending with pre and post-sales promotional activities. It is also
related to many of the creative arts.

Destination Marketing
Destination Marketing is a kind of marketing which markets Tourist destinations.
Destination Marketing Organisations do this kind of marketing to promote their
City, County, Area or Country

Branding
“A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or combination of them,
intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to
differentiate them from those of competitors.”(Kotler, Philip. (2000). Marketing
management: The millennium edition)“Branding is perhaps the most powerful
marketing weapon available to contemporary destination marketers” (Morgan
and Pritchard, 2002).
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a ‘name, term, sign,
symbol, or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and
services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of
competition.’ Brands differentiate products and represent a promise of value.
Brands incite beliefs, evoke emotions and prompt behaviours. Marketers often
extend successful brand names to new product launches, lending existing
associations to them. As a result, they speed up consumers’ information
processing and consumers’ learning. Brands have social and emotional value to
users. They have personality and speak for the user. They enhance the
perceived utility and desirability of a product. Brands have the ability to add or
subtract the perceived value of a product. Consumers expect to pay lower prices
for unbranded products or for those with low brand equities, whereas they pay
premiums for their treasured or socially valued brands. Brands have equity for
both customers and investors. Brand equity translates into customer preference,
loyalty and financial gains. Brands are appraised and traded in the marketplace.
Brand equity has been pointed out to include many dimensions, such as

59
performance, social image, value, trustworthiness and identification (Lassar,
1995).
Destination Branding
Destination branding is a process used to develop a unique identity and
personality that is different from all competitive destinations. Destination
branding is “selecting a consistent brand element mix to identify and distinguish a
destination through positive image building” (Cai, 2000).

A destination brand is:

• A way to communicate a destination’s unique identity to visitors
• A means of differentiating a destination from its competitors
• A uniform “look” that all destination partners can consistently use
• A symbol, name, term or design, or combination of these elements.

As per Dstination Branding : Creating the unique destination Pproposition (edited

by Nigel Morgan & Roger Pride)”” Choice of holiday destination is a significant
lifestyle indicator for today’s aspirational consumers and the places where they
choose to spend their squeezed vacation time and hard earned income
increasingly have to have emotional appeal, high conversational capital and even
celebrity value. The World Tourism Organization endorses this view, suggesting
that the twenty-first century will see the emergence of tourism destinations as
fashion accessories. Indeed, as style symbols, destinations can offer similar
consumer benefits to highly branded lifestyle items. These are used to
communicate statements and group memberships, just as vacation trips are
expressive devices communicating messages about identity, lifestyle and status.
Travel for leisure is increasingly permeating the discourse of everyday life, but
remains a highly involving experience, extensively planned, excitedly anticipated
and fondly remembered.”

60
Marketing Startegy

A marketing strategy serves as the foundation of a marketing plan. A marketing

plan contains a list of specific actions required to successfully implement a
specific marketing strategy. Without a sound marketing strategy, a marketing
plan has no foundation. Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental
underpinning of marketing plans designed to reach marketing objectives. It is
important that these objectives have measurable results.

A good marketing strategy should integrate an organization's marketing goals,

policies, and action sequences (tactics) into a cohesive whole. The objective of a
marketing strategy is to provide a foundation from which a tactical plan is
developed. This allows the organization to carry out its mission effectively and
efficiently.

Marketing Plan
As per AMA, marketing Plan is a document composed of an analysis of the
current marketing situation, opportunities and threats analysis, marketing
objectives, marketing strategy, action programs, and projected or pro-forma
income (and other financial) statements. This plan may be the only statement of
the strategic direction of a business, but it is more likely to apply only to a specific
brand or product. In the latter situation, the marketing plan is an implementation
device that is integrated within an overall strategic business plan.

SWOT Analysis
SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business
venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and
identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable and unfavourable
to achieving that objective

• Strengths: attributes of the organization that are helpful to achieving the

61
 objective.
• Weaknesses: attributes of the organization that are harmful to achieving
the objective.
• Opportunities: external conditions that are helpful to achieving the
objective.
• Threats: external conditions, which could do damage to the business’s
performance.

SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the
first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues. While
strengths and weaknesses are internal factors, opportunities and threats are
external factors.

62
 SWOT Analysis of Tourism Sector in Rajasthan
The researcher has attempted a SWOT Analysis based on the literature review

Helpful Harmful
(in achieving growth of the (in achieving growthof the sector)
sector)

Strengths Weakness
(attributes

1.Umpteen places of tourist 1.inadequate infrastructure that needs

importance modernization(airports) and
2. Tourist friendly environment expansion(roads and railways)
of the system)

3. Rich heritage 2. Government has not traditionally

4. Great shopping destination prioritised the sector
5. Rich art & culture 3.Quality and quantity of accomodation
6. Proximity to Delhi insufficient
Internal

7. On the popular Delhi-Jaipur 4. In-state travel facilities inadequate

–Agra circuit 5. Supply driven marketing strategy

Oppurtunities Threats
(attributes of the environment)

1. High Domestic 1. Aggressive promotion by other

Disposable Income states
2. Weekend Tourism from 2. Terror Acts in the state and country
External

Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat affects the image and medium-term

3. Wildlife tourism disincentive for tourists
4. Commonwealth Games 3. Global economic slowdown will
5. Niche Tourism weigh on growth, particularly for US
and UK tourists

63
Marketing mix
The marketing mix was first developed by McCarthy over 40 years ago. It was
designed to suggest that there should be a balanced mix of marketing activities
within the marketing plan. As per AMA, the mix of controllable marketing
variables that the firm uses to pursue the desired level of sales in the target
market. The most common classification of these factors is the four-factor
classification called the "Four Ps"-price, product, promotion, and place (or
distribution). Optimization of the marketing mix is achieved by assigning the
amount of the marketing budget to be spent on each element of the marketing
mix so as to maximize the total contribution to the firm. Contribution may be
measured in terms of sales or profits or in terms of any other organizational
goals.

Elements of the marketing mix- The 4 Ps - The main four elements of the
marketing mix are described as "the 4 P's" - product, price, promotion and place.

Product
The first P is the product. This should define the characteristics of the product or
service that will meet customers' needs.
Price

64
The second P is the price of theproduct and decisions surrounding overall pricing
strategies. Pricing can be a very complex area. Most people believe they should
undercut their competitors but this is not always a wise strategy. Consumers
place value on higher priced products so it's best if various pricing levels of the
products are tested and over time the right pricing level that maximizes profits
could be found out.Even if one decide not to charge for a service it's useful to
realise that this is still a pricing strategy.
Promotion
The third P is about promoting products and services. This may include
advertising, personal selling (eg: attending exhibitions), sales promotions (eg:
special offers), and atmospherics (ie: creating the right impression through the
working environment). Public Relations are also included within Promotion by
many marketing people, although PR people tend to see it as a separate
discipline.
Place
The final P is about ‘place’ – the location where the service is actually going to be
delivered. Many retail gurus say it's all about "location, location, location" and this
still holds true today.
The 4 Cs
Many now dismiss the four Ps as being out of date and have developed the four
Cs to replace that concept. There are the C's developed by Robert Lauterborn
and put forward by Marketing guru Philip Kotler where by:

• Place becomes Convenience ,

• Price becomes Cost to the user
• Promotion becomes Communication
• Product becomes Customer needs and wants

65
The four C's reflect a more customer oriented marketing philosophy. They
provide useful reminders that you need to focus entirely on the customer when
deciding where to offer a service.So, the marketing mix does provide a handy
framework for marketing analysis. The C's are also not nearly as memorable as
the P-words, and marketing texts still tend to use the latter to describe the
elements of the mix.Other experts have further added that business success is
driven by PEOPLE and PROCESS.

Interface between Policy and Marketing

The literature review undertaken by the researcher enabled her to get a clear
picture on the policies, which were formulated, for the promotion of tourism in
Rajasthan. The Tourism policy of Rajasthan formulated in 2001 is the major
policy document, which gives general dirctions for the growth of the sector. The

66
policy envisages a role of enabler for the government and the private sector led
development model for its growth. It lays down the framework and the broad

requirements for the sector to grow. Though, steps have been taken over the
years to implement and achieve the objectives as laid down in the policy, the
progress has not been to the desired level.
The marketing efforts of the government have been restricted to printing of
brochures, leaflets and other material. Participation in seminars and travel marts,
organizing of road shows has been held to promote tourism. But, here it needs to
be mentioned that the use of the true marketing principles in the marketing and
promotion of the sector is yet to be seen. The strategy seems to be more supply
driven then demand driven. Though world-wide the marketing mix has seen
prominence being given to the consumer driven (4Cs) strategy, the government
seems to be still being driven by the 4Ps model and that two half –heartedly. The
private players operating in the field, however, seems to be taking the lead and
the growth of niche tourism products is an example of the consumer driven
strategy.Branding and destination marketing efforts have been taken by the
governent. The Incredible India campiagn is an effort towards it but still a lot
remains desirable on the front as we are still struggling to achieve the target of
getting 1% of the world’s tourist arrivals. Smaller countries such as Singapore,
Dubai are far ahead of us. Despite its strengths, Rajasthan is not doing well on
the domestic tourism front with only 5.0% of the domestic tourists visiting the
state as against 10.5 % of total foreign tourists arriving in India. Another area that
desrves attention is whether we are able to promote and market the lesser
known destinations or destinations that have tourist potential but not yet tapped
and whether the same has been realized or not. The interface between policy
and marketing, thus, seems to be not full fledged.

67
Objectives of the Research
Based on the literature Review, the following research Objectives have been
identified:

• To study of the state of Tourism in Rajasthan and to study the impact of

the various Tourism Policies on the growth of the sector and to give
suggestions on the way ahead.
• To study the perception, understanding and concerns of the various
stakeholders.
• To understand the marketing strategy adopted in the state to promote
tourism and to understand and find out whether the strategy is in line with
the need of the hour. It will also find out whether, promotion and branding
issues are properly taken care of.

68
CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research is a logical and systematic search for new and useful information on a
particular topic. It is an investigation for finding solutions to scientific and social
problems through objective and systematic analysis.

The procedures by which researchers go about their work of describing,

explaining and predicting phenomena are called research methodology.

The choice of the particular topic for conducting the research was tiggered by the
campaign “Incredible India “ to which the author
came closer during her tenure at National AIDS
Control Organization. The online campaign
organized by the Ministry was a topic of interest for
government officers like the researcher who were
associated with Information & communication
department. The marketing management and public
policy courses taught at MDI furtther generatd the
interest of the reseracher to find out the interplay of
public policy and marketing. Being from the state of
Rajasthan naturally made the reseracher turn
towards her own state to explore the potential of tourism in the state. Thus, came
the idea which was further firmed up with discussions with the researcher’s
Guide Dr. Avinash Kapoor, Assistant Professor, Marketing Management, MDI,
Gurgaon. Discussion with the supervisor, experts and colleagues about the
research work, particularly, the problem and its origin, objectives and difficulties

69
faced in the execution of the problem were also conducted by the researcher.
Review of the work reported on the similar problems was also done. The studies
conducted by the Ministry, independent studies done on the subject, case studies
of some other contries etc were referred. The author studied the Tourism Policy
of Rajasthan, 2001; the National tourism Policy, 2002, the Rajasthan Tourism
Unit Policy 2007, the policy for infrastructure development in the state, the state
of private participation in the tourism sector, the growth of hotel industry in the
state. The study of new schemes such as Adopt a Monument , Golf Tourism, Jal
Mahal project and the new branding of the state as “ Rajasthan- Simply Colorful “
was also undertaken.To understand the subject in its full complexity books, case
studies, papers presented at the various conferences on tourism Development
especially w.r.t Rajasthan were studied. Rajasthan Tourism marketing strategy
was also analyzed in the light of various marketing theories. A host of books on
marketing, marketing research, consumer behavior, Brand management, rural
marketing, and sustainable development was also referred. Books on
Rajasthan’s cultural heritage were also used for reference. To keep abreast with
the latest trends in the field of marketing and tourism, national and international
journals such as International Journal of Tourism Research and Journal of Travel
& Tourism Marketing amongst others were also referred. Based on these steps,
the research topic“ Tourism in Rajasthan: An exploratory study of Marketing and
Policy “ was finalized. It is an attempt to delve into the public policy and
management areas in the development of tourism in the state of Rajasthan.The
researcher followed a detailed research process to carry forward the study. In the
process of research, the following steps were undertaken:

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 Process of research

Review concepts
Define research and theories
problem Research Design research
Questions (including sample
Review previous design)
research finding

Interpret and report Collect data

Analysis data (execution)

Defining Research problem

Tourism is third most important sector after agriculture and industry in Rajasthan.
It contributes more than 15%to state GDP. As per the Indian Tourism Statistics
2008, Rajasthan receives about 5% of domestic tourists and 10.5% of
international tourists visiting India. It gets the 5th largest number of domestic
tourists and 4th largest number of foreign tourists in the country. With nearly
everything to offer to tourists (except sea and snow clad mountains), this is one
of the amazingly rich states as far as tourism is concerned. The research
problem relates to whether the state has been able to achieve its full potential as
far as tourism is concerned.

Reviewing Concepts & Theories and Review of Previous Research Findings

The concepts and theories related with the subject were reviewed in detail as

71
part of the literature review. The concepts related to policy, marketing, branding
etc have been dealt in detail in Chapter 2. Some of the previous researches on
similar subjects were also reviewed. Studies done in this regard by various
authors and also studies commissioned by the Government of India and the state
Government were also referred. The Govt. of India has commissioned a study
“Collection of Tourism Statistics for the State of Rajasthan” for a period of a year
(2005-06). The main aim of the proposed survey was to collect relevant tourist
related statistics for understanding subtle trends related to visitors (both domestic
as well as foreign ones) in the State. Additionally it was also intended to provide
comprehensive listing of available accommodation infrastructure in prime tourist
destinations in the State, including those of the unorganized sector, for a period
of 1 year. The survey along with an assessment of the direct employment
generated by the tourism sector, estimate the expenditure patterns of tourists,
tourist needs, preferences and satisfaction levels with regard to the various
available facilities in the State. Studies have been undertaken on the status of
Tourism in the state and what more needs to be done. There were studies which
were undertaken on the over all development scenario in the state and which
touched tourism sector also. One such report was Rajasthan Development
Report, 2006commissioned by the Planning Commission, The researcher,
however, didn’t come through a study encompassing both policy and marketing
perspective.

Theoretical Framework

A tourist destination is perceived by tourists as a single entity, but in fact it

comprises several stakeholder groups:
• Tourists;
• Business entities operating in the tourism sector;
• Public sector;
• Host population; and
• Representatives of non-governmental organizations (Buhalis, 2000).

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Tourism sector has a multi-sectoral approach. It’s success depends on the
working of several government departments and the active participation of the
private sector and other stakeholders. Since, the sector’s growth is driven by the
private sector, it is important that they take the lead in the growth of the sector.
Thus, in governance, accaountability of the various players is required.
Transparency, intra-government coordination and consumer driven approach is
required. Participation of the stakeholders in the policy formulation and
implementation is required.

‘Governance’ is the exercise of power or authority – political, economic,

administrative or otherwise – to manage a country's resources and affairs. It
comprises the mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens
and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their
obligations and mediate their differences.‘Good governance’ means competent
management of a country’s resources and affairs in a manner that is
open,transparent, accountable, equitable and responsive to people’s needs. This
will lead to sustainable development which is much required for the development
of tourism sector. Good governance requires a high degree of transparency and
accountability in public and corporate processes. Since, there is talk of greater
involvemenet of the private sector and community involvement, it is necessary a
participatory approach to service delivery is important for public services to be
effective. As per Aus AID, the following are the economic principles of good
governance
• Good governance requires policies to promote broad-based
economicgrowth, a dynamic private sector and social policies that will lead
to poverty reduction. Economic growth is best achieved in an efficient,
open, marketbased economy.
• Investment in people is a high priority, through policies and institutions that
improve access to quality education, health and other services that
underpin a country’s human resource base.

73
 • Effective institutions and good corporate governance are needed to
support the development of a competitive private sector. In particular, for
markets to function, social norms are needed that respect contract and
property rights.
• Careful management of the national economy is vital in order to maximize
economic and social advancement.
New Guinea

The United Nations emphasizes reform through human development and political
institution reform. According to the UN, good governance has eight
characteristics. Good governance is:
• Consensus Oriented
• Participatory
• Following the Rule of Law
• Effective and Efficient
• Accountable
• Transparent
• Responsive
• Equitable and Inclusive

This framework is thus an essntial framework for the sector.

The interests and priorities of the various stakeholders do not always coincide
and, even worse, they inherently generate inter-group conflicts (Sheehan et al.,
2007); therefore, destinations are considered some of the most difficult entities to
manage and market (Sautter and Leisen, 1999). The task of destination
marketing and management is often entrusted to a central tourism organization,
a so-called destination management organization (DMO), which acts on behalf of
stakeholder groups (Goeldner and Ritchie,2003) by pursuing a range of strategic
objectives such as maximizing customer satisfaction and the profitability of local
enterprises, assuring the long-term prosperity of the local population, and
optimizing available resources through the destination’s sustainable development

74
(Buhalis, 2000).

The experience offered to the tourists play an important role in their decision to
come back or to recommend the place to others. One of the crucial elements of
successful destination marketing is tourist satisfaction, which influences the
choice of destination and the decision to return (Yoon and Uysal, 2005).
Therefore, enhancing customer satisfaction should be one of a DMO’s primary
functions (Morgan and Pritchard, 1998; Pearce, 1997; Seaton, 1997) and a
prerequisite for the development of a strategy leading to a destination’s
enhanced attractiveness and its competitive positioning. However, achieving
tourist satisfaction hinges on the collaboration and integration of marketing efforts
by multiple suppliers. While steering different supply-side stakeholders towards
the common goal of maximizing customer satisfaction may sound very logical at
the theoretical level, it is very difficult to achieve in practice. Fuchs and Weiermair
(2003) note that understanding the nature and the antecedents of satisfaction is
paramount, but so is deciphering the determinants of satisfaction in tourism,
which is ‘‘the amalgam of service industries’’ as it is a difficult theoretical and
empirical task. Several destination competitiveness models include elements
which are the building blocks of tourist satisfaction – for example, awareness,
perception, preferences, etc. – but fail to incorporate them in a coherent and
unified manner in a model that can be used as a generalinstrument and a tool for
benchmarking (Gomezelj and Mihalicˇ, 2008). As mouth-to-mouth publicity is the
best publicity for attracting tourists so the visitors have to be offerd an experience
worth remembering. This will also lead to generation of expectations and
expectation mangement becomes necessary.

Thus, this theoretical framework of good governance, stakeholder participation,

consumer- driven approach of governance and marketing will form the basis for
the reserach.

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Dependent & Independent Variables

To further the research, a set of dependent and independent variables has been
identified. A concept, which can take on different quantitative values, is called a
variable. If one variable depends on upon or is a consequence of other variable,
it is termed as a dependent variable, and the variable that is antecedent to the
dependent variable is termed as independent variable. Independent variables
that are not related to the purpose of the study, but may affect the dependent
variable are termed as extraneous variables.

The development of tourism in the state is the result of the acting together of
multiple factors. Since the role of the governemnet is more of a faciliatator,
enabler, and the private sector has a more important role. Their performance will
depend on the business environment created by the government. Thus, the
government has to frame suitable policies, which addresses the concerns of the
varius stakeholders. Tourism is a multi sectoral activity.
The growth in tourism sector -calcualted by number of tourist arrivals and the
earnings through tourism- is thus the dependent variable. The independent
variables exerting their influence on the dependent variable are connect between
the policy formulation and implementation( this again is dependent on the
involvement and participation of the stakeholders during the formulation of the
policy as well as their perception of the policy), provision of basic infrastructre,
promotion and marketing of tourism potential, innovation, supportive role of the
government, law and order situation of the state, facilities and experience offerd
to the tourists etc. The extraneous variables in this case would be law and order
situation in the state, no natural or man made disaster and no economic crisis.

76
 Independent Variables Dependent Variable

Adequate infrastructure

Effective Promotion and

Growth of Tourism Sector (increase in
demand driven marketing
number of tourist arrivals and earnings)
strategy

Enabling govt. policy

promoting active Private
Sector Participation
Law and order in the state

No natural catastrophe
No major global economic problem

Extaneous Variables

Research Question

The research is an attempt to find answers to the following questions:

• How effective has been the various public policies aimed at growth of
Tourism in the state? Are there any gaps in policy formulation and its
implementation & delivery mechanism?
• What is the perception of the diffeent stakeholders towards the various
policies and whether they think the environment is feasible for the growth
of the Tourism sector in the state?
• Has the state has been able to market itself well to tap its full potential?

77
Research Design

A research design is a plan, structure and strategy of investigtion so conceived

as to obtain answers to research questions or problems. The plan is the
complete scheme or program of the research. It includes an outline of what the
investigator will do from writing their hypothesis and their operational imlications
to the final analysis of data (Kerlinger, 1986). A research design is a procedural
plan that is adopted by the researcher to answer questions validly, objectively,
accurately and economically (Sellitz).

Based on the objective of the research, an exploratory qualitative research has

been conducted by the researcher. An exploratory research is one in which the
research is done with the objective to explore a particular area. It is also termed
as formulative research studies. Major emphasis is on the discovery of ideas and
insights. The research design has to be flexible enough to provide opportunity for
considering different aspects of a problem under study. Qualitative research, is
concerned with qualitative phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating to or involving
quality or kind. Qualitative research is concerned with qualitative phenomenon
involving quality. It is non-numerical, descriptive, applies reasoning and uses
words. Its aim is to get the meaning, feeling and describe the situation.

The study is aimed at exploring the tourism potential in the state of Rajasthan
and to find out whether the same has been tapped to full or not. The study is also
an attempt to find out the attitudes and perceptions of the various stkeholders
who are a part and parcel of the sector. The study area is the important tourist
destinations in the state such as Jaipur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer, These places
were chosen as these have been identified as the ones most frequented by the
tourists based on the tourist arrivals. Both Primary and secondary data was
extensively used for the purpose. As part of the primary data collection, the

78
author conducted stratified random sampling. It is a method of sampling, which
involves the division of a population into smaller groups, known as strata. In
stratified random sampling, the strata are formed based on their members
sharing a specific attribute or characteristic. A random sample from each stratum
is taken, in a number proportional to the stratum's size when compared to the
population. These subsets of the strata are then pooled to form a random
sample.

The main advantage with stratified sampling is how it captures key population
characteristics in the sample. Similar to a weighted average, this method of
sampling produces characteristics in the sample that are proportional to the
overall population.

A likert type scale has been used to understand the attitudes and perception of
the people. Based on the sample analysis, the reseracher had tried to make
statements about the population.

Instrument for data collection

While designing data collection procedure, adequate safeguards against bias

and unreliability were ensured. Questions were well examined and were
unambiguous.

Methods of data collection

Primary data collction

As part of the primary data collection, the author conducted stratified random
sampling. The author visited Jaipur & Pushkar and also collected information and
responses from Jaisalmer, and Biakner. As part of the research, questionnares
(attached as Annexure A7) were administered by the researcher to tourists- both
domestic and international at these tourist destinations. To understand the

79
perception of the private sector hotel and resort owners, tour operators, guides,
emporium owners, a separate questionnaire (attached as Annexure A8) was
administered to them. Interviews were also conducted with Govt officials
implementing the policy. (A schedule of the questions is placed as Annexure A
9.)This included the people at the top level including officials who have held
positions like the Secretary, Department of Tourism, Govt. of Rajasthan, RTDC
officials, police officials, Information officers, and Govt. of India Officials.The
perception mapping of the three groups was undertaken after tabulating and
analyzing tthe data and information gathered through interviews and
questionnaires. As part of the research, the author had studied the policy and
also through interactions with the Government officials tried to find out whether
what was envisged in the policy document has been achieved or steps in the
dirctions have been taken. After more than 8 years, what is the situation on the
ground, what are the gaps in the policy formulation and its implemetation, what
are the gaps and what is the need of the hour.

The data, thus, collected was tabulated and analyzed using statistical, tools. This
enabled us to find out the trends, analyze them and help in forecasting and giving
suggestions, which may help in policy formulation.

Sample Size

The following is the size of the sample undertaken for the research:

6TOURIST TOURISTS RESORT OWNERS/ TOUR

DESTINATION OPERATORS/HOTEL OWNERS
/TRAVELOPERATOTS
JAIPUR 100 40
JAISALMER 50 10
BIKANER 50 10
200 60
TOTAL

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The response rate was 62.5 %(125) in terms of the tourists and 60%(36) in terms
of the resort owners etc. Of the 125 tourist’ respondents, 62.4%were male and
37.6%female. Of the responsents, 56.8% were domestic and 43.2% wer
foreigners. The highest number of respondents were in the gae group 26-
35(39.2%) followed by 36-50 age group(37.6%) and then by 18-25 age group
(17.6%), above 50 (4.8%) and below 18(.8%).

The second category consisiting of the private players had 25 % respondents as

tour operators, 50 % hotel owners, 19,5% travel agents and 2.7% were resort
owners and rest house owners each.

Besides this, some 50 officials were contacted by the reseracher with

questionnaires out of which only 15 respnded by replying to the questionnaire or
through interviews. The interviews were conducted either by phone or in perosn
mostly at Jaipur and Delhi .

Secondary Data

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The secondary data was collected from the websites, databanks, from the
published and unpublished reports and data sources. Websites of the Ministry of
Tourism, Government of India; Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan
and Database such as Indiastat, magportal etc aided in data collection . AC-
Nielso ORG Marg study on tourism statistics conducted for Ministry Of Tourism,
Govt. of India was also helpful in getting secondary data.
The available studies have dwelt on the growth of tourism in Rajasthan and the steps
taken in this direction. Some of the studies have also dwelt on the infrastructure
requirements for propelling the growth of the sector. Since the study was an exploratory
and descriptive one, the author studied not only the factual position of the state in the
sector over the years and decades but also the impact of the policies and the status of
infrastructure and tourism apparatus in the state. The gaps in policy, its perception, it’s
understanding and its implementation was one of the key objectives of the present study.
The marketing strategy of the state was also the subject matter of the study. The
reseracher also got an oppurtunity to visit countries such as United States, United
Kingdom, Switzerland and Singapore. Talks were held with some of the locals and
information was gathered about how these countries are marching ahead in the field of
tourism. For instance, how Singapore having not much of the tourist spots has developed
the Sentosa Island and made it a hub of entertainment. Also, how it has promoted
convention tourism; and how it has emerged as one of the best shopping destinations in
the world. The visit to these places also showed how in Alexandria (Washington DC),
ghost stories have also been used as a tourist attraction. A first hand experience of this ”
the graveyard tour “ gave an idea on what innovation can do to promote tourism. The
visit to Davos, Switzerland during the World Economic Forum showed how an otherwise
sleepy place that was used by TB patients had been transformed into an international
tourist destination by hosting the annual summit. Preservation, marketing, destination
branding were some of the aspects that the visits to these places underlined.

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CHAPTER 4

OBSERVATIONS AND ANALYSIS

The next step is the analysis of data and the observations that flow from it. The
researcher has collected data from three sets of stakeholders. They are:

1. The govt officials implementing the policy

2. The Private sector (including resort owners, hotel owners, tour operators,
travel agents and others associated with the trade) – the stakeholders
who are working in the field and benefitting/ otherwise from the policy
3. Tourists – the ultimate users of the product

The size of the sample for the category 2 & 3 is and thirty six and one twenty five
respectively.

Besides this, the secondary data availble from other sources such as the
wbsitesof Govt. of India, Rajasthan government was also used for getting
inferences by the author.

The primary data collected by the author was aimed at getting the perception of
the various stakeholders about the effect of the government’s policy on the
growth of tourism in the state. The perception of the stakeholders is very
important as it gives an overview of what the polcies aims at and what the final
users feel about it and the actual situation on the ground. The intention behind
any policy initiative is noble but there might be a gap in what is intended and
what happens on the ground. To take the argument further, the objective of the
tourism policy is the promotion of tourism in the state which will have its multiplier
effect on employment generation and poverty eradication.

To see whether the government has really achieved its prime objective, we need
to know from the two stakeholders directly involved with the policy –its
implementers and its beneficiaries i.e the govt.officials and the private sector.

83
Also, we need to know from the ultimate beneficiaries whether the obectives
have been achieved and this can be assessed from the level of satisfaction of the
tourists and whether they would like to visit the state agiain or not. This will
impact the further growth of the sector as mouth to mouth publicity is one of the
most important sources of getting more tourists to any destination. To get to this,
the researcher administered a questionnaire to the tourists asking them various
questions. These questions can be broadly grouped into the following categories:

• Demographic Profile related

• Travel & Infrastructure related
• Experience of Rajasthan

A) Analysis of data related to tourists - Their perception

The primary data collected from the tourists showed the following:

1. The occupational status of the people visiting the state as collected frm
the primary data suggests that the maximm number of people surveyed
are professionals followed by people in government service, private
service, businessmen etc. The pie diagram given below gives a
percentage wise break-up.

84
2. Most of the respondents were either travelling with family or friends. The pie
chart given below shows that 21.6 % respondents were travelling alone rest with
either family or friends. The size of the travelling family was mostly in between 3-

85
5(with morethan 51 % response) meaning people feel like trvelling in a family as
said earlier.

3. Another important faceat which came to light through the data collected was
the source of information about the various tourist places for the majority of
tourists was family and friends (i.e the peolple who had known or viisted the
places themselves). They accounted for about 51.2% of the total followed by
Internet (18.4). Promotion by private entities accounted for 13.6% and road
shows by governmnet a meagre 3.2 %. Majority of the tourists made their own
travel arrangements with nearly 75 % not taking packaged tour. 75 % of
respondents made their own travel arrangements , about 20 % made it through
travel operators and travel agents and others accountd for the rest.

4. The major purpose of the respondents’ visit was leisure, recreation and
holiday. The chart given below gives the percentage wise break up of the
purpose of travel.

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5. Themaximm number of respondents had stayed in guest house/rest house
visitirs bunglow(42.4%) followed by starred hotel (31.2%) and then
unstarred(16.8%) followed by friends & relatives(10.4%) and balance others.The
number of night stay i.e the duration of the stay is found on an average to be 2-
5 days with 78.4 %% of those surveyed belonging to this category.

6. Coming to the most satisfying and dissatisfying aspect of their stay, maximum
number of tourists put touts(25.6%), lack of good transport
facilities(24%)information about tourits places(18.4%), traffic , hygiene and
sanitation, filth as the major irritants while the experience-cultural &heritage
topped with 65.6% terming it as the most satisfying .

87
 7.The respondents were also asked to rate the individual attributes such as
transport within the centre, accomodation, and reasonablness of
accomodation tariff, food quality, entertainment and shopping facility. The
same is given below in the chart. The majority of the respondents found the
food quality excellent (62.4%), room tariffs reasonable (64%), visitor’s
attraction interesting (60.8%) and shopping facility adequate (68%).

8. When asked to rate their over all experience at the tourist centre, about 38.4%
rated their experience between three to four. Asked whether they would like to

88
come back for a visit to the state 92.8 % said yes, 4.8% no whle 4% said yes
provided certain things such as traffic, transportation, sanitation and hygiene
improve. Given below is the rating:

B) Analysis of data related to the private sector -Their perception

The perception of the private sector comprising of the hotel owners,resort

owners, travel and tour operators is very important as they are the ones who are
the benefciaries of the business environment created by the policy. This group
was also administered questionnaires by the researcher. Of the 60 people who
were sent the questionnaire, 36 responded. Again the questions asked can be
divided into the following categories:

• Professional Profile related

• Perception of the policy related to toursim
• Areas needing more attention & suggestions

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Of the responses received, 19.44 % were from travel agent, 52.78%from hotel
owners/ resort owners and 25% tour operators. 47.22% of respondents rated
thier business as good in profit folowed by30.56 % as average, 11.11% as very
good, 5.56% as booming and 2.78& in loss.

Based on the responses received, the following can be deduced:

1. The awareness about the National Tourism Policy and the

Rajasthan Tourism Policy was 61.11 % and 69.44 %respectively.
2. The percetion of the respondents about the policy varied from
27.78% of them feeeling it to be clear and giving general directions
to 19.44% feeling that it is comprehensive and stakeholder’s
interests are clearly part of the policy . However, 22.22% of
respondents felt hat it is inadequate and unclear and 11.1%thought
that it’s just another policy document.

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3. As far as rating of the policy is concerned, it was rated by the
maximum number of people (52.78%) as average followed by
22.78% respondents as good. Majority of the respondnts (about
69.44%)felt that the government should play a more active role
while 19.44 % felt that it should act as facilitator and 5.56% felt that

it should continue to play the same role as present.

4. As far as the private sector’s percception about whether the full
potential of the state has been relaized or not, 36.11 % feel still a

91
 lot remains to be tapped.25% of the respondents feel that only
partly it has been realized and 16.67 % feel that it has not been
realized at all.Only a small (8.33%) feel that it has been fully
utilized.
5. On the rating of the marketing efforts on a scale of five, none of the
respondents rated it as excellent or very good, 22.22% rated it as
good, majority of them (61.11) rated it as average and 8.33% as
poor.

6. On the areas, which requires greater attention, 19.44%feel

infrastructure needs priority, 8.33% feel marketing efforts for
promotion requires greater attention, .22.22% feel greater
involvement of local population is required while13.89%feel new
forms of tourism should be developed. However, the maximm
number of respondents ((30.56%) felt that better support to the
private sector is required.

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7. When the respondents were asked which other form of tourism
should be developed in the state, 25% feel that convetion tourism
can be developed, while the majority (63.89%) felt adventure
tourism could be developed. There was no suggestion on any
other forms of tourism that can be developed as requested from
the respondents. On another question, whether the locals are
getting benefitted from the tourism activities, 75% replied in
affirmative.
8. On the rating of the infrastructure, while 92 % of the private sector
respondents feel that it is inadeqaute and needs improvement. As
compared to this, 63.2% of the tourists felt it needs improvement,
8.8% finds it to be inadeqaute, and 26.4% think that it is adequate
to make their stay comfortable.

93
9. On the places whch could be developed as tourist spots, the
private stakeholders have suggested the following places :
 Jhunjhunu
 Pratapgarh
 Sikar
 Bundi
 Naal(Bikaner)
 Deshnokh(Bikaner)
 Sam -Kudi(Jaisalmer)
 Mandawa
 Ramdeva

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C) Analysis of data related to the govt officers -Their perception

The response rate as far as the interview request, filling of questionnaire from the
government officers and staff was not very encouraging with only 15 of them
responding to the questionniare or to interview request. Amongst those
responded included police official, RTDC officials, Information officer, DoT
officials, former secretary of Department of Tourism, Govt. of Rajasthan, district
collector of a prominent tourist spot in Rajasthan, forest official etc.

There was a unawreness about the policy document as such amongst the senior
officers implemting the policy but not amongst the junior sraff implemting the
policy and officials of other departments such as police etc. While those
implemting the policy at the senior level find it quite comrehensive, there were
voices in the government who think that it is inadequate. However, most of the
respondents agreed that the objectives as laid down in the policy are partly
fulfilled. They also were of the view that the government should act as a facilitator
in creating an enabbling environment for the private sector to grow.

There was also a realization that the political support can really help in giving a
great impetus but as Shri Vinod Zutshi says that it is for the bureucracy to
convince the political leadership about the importance of the issue and this
requires passion in the officers for the cause. Shri Amitabh Kant, the former
Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and the man
behind the “Incredible India” campaign in his intercations with the researcher said
that tourism officials needs to be passionate and should be the brand
ambassadors of their product. He also said that “ you need to convince your
political bosses of the potential and for this you need to be passionate”.

Since, tourism is a multi- sectoral activity, it is difficult to get all the departments
on the same page and this sometimes lead to delay in the projects. This view
was also expressed by another officer who said many times it takes so much of

95
time in finalizing the projects that in the meantime other states or countries (very
competetive sector various actors vying for the attention of tourists.) surge
ahead. Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism,
Government of India also takes the multi sectoral argument by saying that this
gets complicated with the federal structure existent in India as the schmes takes
time in approval at the central level and then the state governments who have to
implement the schemes take their own time as it requires co-ordination from
several deprtments.

Mr. Vinod Zutshi spoke to the researcher on how new areas and experiences
need to be created to make the state a 365 days destination. He talked about the
various initiatives taken during his tenure such as Night Tourism(opening of Amer
fort at Night,Night Bazars,) organizing of Summer Festival, Monsoon Festival,
Jhalawar, Bundi, Kama (Bharatpur)and Tribal Festival(Doongarpur),making
tourism an integral part of the Rajasthan Day celebrations by organizing ten day
events showcasing the various facets of Rajasthan. But he also said that there
should be continuity in the policies as then and then only these new festivals can
be recognized and put on the tourism calendar of the state.

On the infrastructure front, there was again unanimity amongst the various
responents that it needs improvement. As per the officals the areas which
require more emphasis from the government are :better connectivity including air
conncetivity with imprortant tourist destinations,development of tourism circuits,
increasing the strength of tourist police and their sensitization to the cause,
trained and skilled manpower to handle diverse situations, marketing efforts
etc.The private sector needs to be assured of a good return by creating a
business friendly environment.

On the branding and marketing efforts of the Rajasthan governmnet, when the
reseracher spoke to Mr. Amitabh Kant, he said that the Rajasthan government
has not been able to leverage the India Incredible campaign and carry it forward.
He said that branding is not mere advertising. It requires concerted efforts and a

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whole lot of marketing research goes into it. Products have to be tailor made to
the consumer’s requirements. You need to have insights into the customer’s
mind – what products he require and how to create an experince around it. This
will require both tangibles and intangibles such as the welcome experiences say
at the emigration or the way the auto/taxi drivers talk or the clenaliness, hygiene
around the places. Mr. Kant says that Rajasthan is such a unique product and it
has the flavour which Europe is looking for. A marketing strategy based on
continous and sound research, based on which a professional agency can build
upon a 360-degree campaign based on consistent strategy and a host of other
activities is what is required for establishing Brand Rajasthan. Another RTDC
official who is promoting the luxury trains , RRW and POW says that the
government doesn’t have a proper marketing wing, there are 2-3 officials at
Jaipur doing the job. According to him, professionals who are from the field
should manage organizations like RTDC. There should be continuity at the top
and the top officails should have at least 3 years term. The hotels of RTDC
should be professionally run and free from political interferences. Marketing
has to move beyond printing of brochures and literature. Kerala Tourism is one
model which some of the officals interviwed thought is a good model to look at.

On the benefits reaching the locals, some of the officials felt that their greater
involvement could be sought through village tourism and nature tourism.

As government officials implemting the policy, the following were the problems
identified by them in implementation :

• Multiple departmental clearances

• Procedural delays
• Time and cost over runs due to sluggish tendering process
• Time in land acquistion
• Lack of skilled manpower
• Funds Constraints

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The following were the reforms suggested by the governmnet officials to tap the
full tourism potential in the state :

• Connectivity (road, air and rail) should be given adequate importance.

• Development of mini airports in areas where influx of foreign tourits is high
• Private participation for building infrastructure
• Civilized and courteus staff
• Ensuring safety and security of tourists
• Giving Tourism a priority status – pro active policy to promote tourism
• Making Rajasthan a 365 days tourist destination through development of
organized entertianment events in the off peak season.

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Perception of the key stakeholders on different issues

Stakeholder

Issue Government Officials Private Sector Tourists

Awareness about the Yes at some senior levels There is

Policy but not amongst other awareness
departments such as police about the policy
and amongst junior level amongst 70% of
officers implmenting the the respondents
policy.
Implementation of the Restricted to the present 58% feel it is
Policy job they are doing. Policy clear, adequate.
dependent on the political But most of the
importance given to the respondents
sector. Procedural feel that the
problemd due to government has
involvement of various to go beyond
departments mere policy and
faciliate and
create more
enabling
environment
with active
private sector
participation .
Infrastructure Needs improvement. More Air and road Needs
pvt. Sector participation in connectivity Improvement. Air
buildng infrastructure. required. and road

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 Better connectivity. conectivity.
Tapping of full tourism A lot needs to be done. A lot needs to A lot needs to be
potential be done done
Marketing Policy of the Good. Average Average
government
Benefit to the locals It is giving. More
involvement
needed.
Other forms of tourism Village tourism Adventure, Adventure
that can be developed Convention.
Areas for improvement Procdural delays Land at cheaper Sanitation,
prices, infra traffic, signages,
development more info to
tourits, budget
hotels, better
local transport

100
CH APTE R 5
CO NCLUSIO N/RE CO MME NDAT IO NS

Rajasthan is one state that has huge tourism potential. It is envisged that the
sector would contribute more than 10% to the state’s GDP(Rajasthan
Infrastructure Agenda,2025).Achieving the envisaged rates of growth for the
sector would require action on a number of fronts, such as improving access to
the town, developing tourism products, improving access to tourist sites within or
around the town, improving support urban infrastructure at tourist locations, and
identifying project opportunities in primary tourism infrastructure. This would also
require effective destination branding exercise. Mere advertisement campaigns
won’t help and would not lead to building of Brand Rajasthan. This would
require a comprehensive branding exercise built on a clear understanding of the
target market, their requirements and tailor made products and a clear strategy to
reach the target audience with a clear and appealing message.

Based on the literature review and the primary data collected from various
stakeholders, the reseracher has reached to the following conclusions :
1. The potential of Rajasthan is yet to be tapped fully. This requires, as
mentioned above, a combination of efforts on both policy and marketing
side. The basic infrastructure road, rail and air connectivity needs to be
strengthed. There are still destinations which have a high influx of foreign
tourits but air connectivity is still not established. This leads to a higher
travel time and thus reduces period of stay as we found out that the
people staying in Rajasthan for more than five days was just 16% .
2. Development of organized entertainment facility and niche products that
could attract young population as well as family is another area, which
deserves attention. As majority of the people visiting the state are young
professionals in the age group of 26-35 , we need to cater to their tastes.

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 A thorough research work needs to be done so as to find out which
products can be develeoped . Also emphasis needs to be placed to create
experiences wonderful enough to make them remember their stay in
Rajasthan for a life time. As could be seen from the primary data collected,
the most satisfying experience for the majority of the people was the
experience (cultural/heritage) they had. We need to leverage this further
and the irritants pinpointed by the tourits (lack of good transportation,
hygiene and sanitation, lack of information, cleanliness, air connectivity,
better infrastructure at the tourist centres) needs to be addresed. As family
and friends were the main source of information about the tourist centres,
this again emphasizes the need for creating experiences.

3. The demographic profile of the country with young population with greater
disposable income, growing middle class , better road infrastructure
wishing to experiment has given an oppurtunity to the state to take the
advantage and promote Tourism in the domestic sector. New products
and experiences developed around this could unlock the doors to this
clientele. Rajasthan’s proximity to Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi gives lots of
scope for development of weekend tourism. Internet marketing is another
area which needs to be the focus of marketers as this was the second
important source of information for the tourists and also younger
population are increasingly using internet as source of information.

4. Rajasthan has several varied types of experiences to cater to all tastes.

So for those preferring the heritage experience, can experience the
comforts of kings and queens in heritage hotels and havelis and for those
discerning travellors looking for something different the boutique hotels are
there. Adventure tourism is also one area that needs to be developed as
suggsted by the majority of the respondents as also MICE(Meetings
Incentives Conferences and exhibitions)tourism. For this , convention
centres with world-class facility and infrastructure will need to be

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 developed. Private sector participation in this endeavour may be sought
.Another possible area could be marriage tourism popularized by
celebrities getting married in the royal fashion in palacs of Udaipur and
Jodhpur. The private sector can explore this furher by offering a similar
experience for budget consumers.

5. Rajasthan needs to promote its food in a big way. It has potential to be a

major hit as could be gauged from the experinces of the respondents who
have ranked it as the second most satisfying experience. If Jaipur Literary
Festival could become such a super hit within 5-6 years ( big media
reports appearing in major International newspapers about the fest)of its
existence so why not a culinary festival. Bollywood and Hollywood may
also be incentivized to “ hire it for location”.

6. The harrasment faced by the tourists at the hands of touts, erring auto and
taxi drivers etc should be put to an end. The local people’s involvement in
the trade has to be sought. While interacting with one of the Khadims at
Ajmer Dargah, the rsearcher came to understand how in the absence of
correct information the tourists coming at the Dargah are fleeced by the
hotel owners, auto and taxi operators and they feel harrased and cheated.
The industry needs to be truly made into a “People’s industry” as
envisaged in the Rajsathan Tourism Policy and by making it pople
oriented and sustainable in nature by reducing the burden on the
environmnet and making it people and environment friendly. Schemes like
Athithi Devo Bhavah can be taken forward and to its logical conclusion.

7. On the question whether the marketing of Rajasthan Tourism is being

done on the marketing principles, the researcher has come to mixed
conclusions. The efforts by the Rajasthan Government doessn’t seem to
be backed by proper market research. It is still based on the seller’s
strtaegy, the consumer orientation is not to be seen in full action. The

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 private players are developing niche products too cater to the consumers
but the state is to be more supportive in its effort. The segmentation of the
market and the positioning of the products/experiences have to be done
accordingly.The government is still continuing with what could be called
the 4 P’s of marketing mix instead 4 Cs. Present here is the analyis:

4Ps 4Cs
Present Position
Place Convenience Convienece is still not what the
marketing efforts and the
policy is aiming at . There are
efforts at providing covienence
by the private players by
providing luxurious stay but
convienence comprises of
other faclities. The
transportation facilities are still
lacking, connectivity is a
problem. There are
infrastructural problems at the
tourist centre. Padharo Maro
Des should not be a mere
slogan.
Price Cost to the user As a sizeable population of
tourists prefers to stay at
budget or unstarred hotels,
this type of accomodation is
what is required. There should
be products with varying prices
to offer to the consumers to

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 choose from depending on the
market segment. Pricing
decisions have to be taken
based on the market segment.
Positioning of the product is to
be done accordingly. Like
wise, transport facilities should
be developed (including good
public transport both between
the centre and within the
centre for the tourists to chose
from. This seems to be yet not
achieved to its full.
Promotion Communication Communication is still not a
proper 360 degree
communication. The
communication strategy is not
planned based on firm
research and is sporadiac
and not consistent. Brand
Rajasthan is yet to be
established. The tag line -
Rajasthan- simply colorful
doesn’t seem to say anything
clear and definite.
Product Customer needs and wants Rajasthan offers many unique
experiences. They are yet to
be tailor made to suit to the
varying needs and wants of
the customers. The tailoring of
the products as per the needs

105
 and wants would requie a
detailed analysis for which a
detailed, comprehensive and
continous market research is
what is required.

In the light of the above, the following are some of the

suggestions/recommendations of the researcher :

1. Tourism must be given the status of a priority sector – Though

tourism industry is the third largest after agriculture and industry in
Rajasthan contributing about 15 % to SGDP, the sector doesn’t seem to
receive the priority it deserves. The potential of the multiplier effect of
the tourism industry is not being realized in its true light. While the state
government was one of the few states to come out with a State Tourism
Policy in 2001 but there are many gaps between its formulation and
implementation that needs to be filled. The sector , thus , needs to be
given the status of priority status and incentives provided for its
development.
2. Continuity in the policies by subsequent governments- The boost
and leadership that the political leadership provides to the sector can do
wonders to the growth of this sector. The active role and support of the
top political bosses can make all the difference. But with the change in
the regime, sometimes there is a discontnuity in the focus that this sector
is accorded. As even now, some sees tourism as an elitist industry
thriving on the 5 star hotels and resorts and catering to the higher
classes. Kerala is today a success story because of the continuity in the
policies for tourism promotion carried by successive governmnets. The
policies needs to be incemental and progressive and not regressive. A
vision for the growth of the sector in the state for the next 20-25 years

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 needs to work on and the successive governments should work towards
its realization.

3. Better connectivity between the various tourist centres in the state

- There is a need for connecting important tourist destinations by air – the
most important cities in this regard would include Mt. Abu, Bikaner,
Jaisalmer, and Ajmer, initially. Airports at these locations need to be set
up in a phased manner, as availability of air services to these cities
would result in significant saving in travel time. It is suggested that some
inter-city connection be given so that tourists can commute to their main
destinations. This would require a fleet of small aircraft connecting these
centres. Thus, private operators who could start air taxi operations would
need to be encouraged. Besides this, road and rail connectivity for faster
movement should be encouraged. Highways and expressways under
PPP programme under the National Highways Development programme
and by the state government should be done so that quality roads save
travelling time. Gauge conversion from metre gauge to broad gauge
should be taken up with co-operation of Indian railways ( especially in the
Shekawati region whose tourist potential is yet to be realized).

4. Infrastructure at and around the tourist sites to be develpoed – Most

of the respondents have complained about the state of cleanliness and
hygiene, safety and security, tarnsportation within the centre, lack of
information centres, signages, public toilets, street lightening etc. Getting
the tourits to the destinations is just one part of the story but basic
facilities needs to be there to faciitate and make their stay comfortable.
There should be proper landscaping , lighting, public toilets, and
information about the tourist spot available at the location.

5. Making the over all experience of the tourists wonderful so that they
bcame brand ambassadors of the state- Merely offering a luxurious

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 stay in the luxurious or heritage hotels, resorts is not enough. For the
tourists, the over alll experience during the stay counts. If due to
harrasment by lapkas(touts), over charging by the auto rikshaw drivers,
nagging by beggars, filth near the major tourist attractions, and lack of
adequate safety and security , tourists does not enjoy their stay and
doesn’t enjoy the whole experiece, he / she would not only come back
but also create a negative image for the state which would not be good
for the growth of the sector as publicity by word of mouth is the most
effctive method of promotion.

6. Role and location of Tourist Reception Centres (TRCs) / Tourist

Information Bureaus (TIBs): Availabilty of correct, timely and easily
information is very important for a tourist. To get the correct information,
the tourist would not like to go to information centres which are far away.
Currently, TRCs / TRBs are mostly located at areas within the town that
are not very visible to the tourist entering the town. These are sometimes
located at places where a tourist would not normally even go. This has
been the case in a large number of towns. However, since a TRC or TIB
should be the first point of contact for a tourist entering the town, there is
a need to ensure that these are located at important entry points /
strategic locations. Also, the effectiveness of these TRCS / TIBs was
found to vary significantly across towns. At most centres, these are
operating out of a single room, are inadequately stocked and have poor
infrastructure in terms of vehicles, computers, connectivity through
internet, etc. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the TRCs / TIBs
are uniformly effective in terms of being well equipped with brochures,
etc. and manned by knowledgeable personnel. It is also understood that
a pilot project for privatisation and computer networking of TRCs / TIBs is
being considered – this could possibly be replicated across the remaining
TRCs / TIBs

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7. Preservation of heritage and greater involvement of private sector-
we have several examples of heritage sites which are lying unattented
and in ruins . The ASI is not in a position to maintain them due to
resource crunch and many of them doesn’t are even under ASI’s
umbrella.At several locations, properties (such as parks, historical sites,
forts, etc.) are not being maintained properly and even the responsibility
for maintenance is not clearly known. Proper maintenance of key
properties is essential in order to ensure that the tourist sites remain
attractive to tourists. Some key parks or sites of historical importance
could possibly be contracted out to the private sector for maintenance,
for which the financial parameters / guidelines and performance criteria
may be worked out. One such succesful example in the state of this type
of initiative has beeen the Jal Mahal project in Jaipur . The Humayun’s
Tomb in Delhi is also another success story worth emulating.
8. Maintenance of tourist spots and properties by Urban Local Body
working with the Tourism Department: An alternative where properties
are not being maintained by the private sector could be that the Urban
Local Body is given the responsibility for maintenance, for which it is
monitored by the local Tourism Department. A possible model could be
the formation of a local-level committee chaired by the District Collector
for overseeing maintenance. It is suggested that some part of the ULB’s
budget could be earmarked for maintenance of the tourist places. Also, a
maintenance fund could be created out of a city development levy on
guests staying at hotels. This could be in the form of a small surcharge
added on to the total hotel bill as in done inseveral countries(the
reseracher saw the same in existense in Switzerland during her visit
there). The rates could vary for domestic tourists from within Rajasthan
those from outside the state but from within India and those from foreign
tourits.

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9. Policies aimed at improving tourism infrastructure- Steps have been
taken to improve the tourism infrastructure in the state and an
investment plan has been preapred till 2020. Some of the steps in this
direction have been taken by creation of land banks, changes in land
policy and icentives through the Rajasthan Tourism Unit Policy,2007.
These policies should further aim to increase the tourist accomodation
infrastructure and make them available at prices, which incentivize the
players so that the lands for these hotels are not avialble at exorbitant
prices. As the capital costs of the accomodation units has a bearing on
the room tarrifs thus the land price (which accounts for about 40-50% of
the project cost)becomes an important determinant for affordable
accomoodation. The land should be available on long-term leases by the
land owning agencies rather than on high reserve prices. It is necessary
in the light of the fact that India is competing with other countries in the
region for the foreign tourists. The price competetiveness of Indian hotels
is reduced vis-a Vis competing destinations in the neighbourhood , such
as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and China. Hotel room tarriffs at the
gateways(Delhi, Mumbai etc) are amongst the top ten highest in the
world (Study to Preapare a roadmap, ADB). Thus, the Rajsthan tourist
destinations such as Jaipur should try to take the advantage by offering
lower tarrifs and by development of international air connectivity so that
foreign tourits come directly to Rajasthan instead of coming through
Delhi and Mumbai.
10. Government taking over some important heritage properties for
maintenance / preservation: At some locations, heritage properties /
monuments are not open to the public since these are owned privately.
This becomes a major limitation, because parts of important tourist sites,
such as historical monuments, palaces, forts, etc., remain inaccessible to
the tourist. In cases where it is possible, the government might consider
taking over some of these properties on priority basis. It could also take

110
 up the responsibility for restoration and development works, such as
construction of boundary walls for these properties, etc., and also take
over the maintenance function, at least initially.
11. Impetus on promotion of domestic tourism – As far as domestic
tourism in Rajasthan is concerned, its share of the country’s total is a
meagre 5 %. Pilgrimage tourism especially at Pushkar, Ajmer Dargah is
the ones drawing major domestic tourists. The foreign tourist arrival in
the state is seasonal due to it beiing long haul destination. Thus, the
strategy requires that we need to promote the state as a 365 days
destination, the way Goa and Kerala has promoted itself. There is a need
to organize tourism events and organized entertainment activities to
lure domestic tourism in the so called off peak season.The tourism
infrastructure is capital intensive and thus it should be utilizd to its full
capacity through out the year to take out the capital cost. Thus, it is
necessary that domestic tourism may be promoted amongst the rising
middle Indian class with high personal disposable income. Besides
pilgrim tourism, the young demographics of the country are also
favourable for the growth of domestic tourism. It is necessary that these
two segments of population should be offered new experiences (beyond
pilgrimage tourism) such as adventure toursim, weekend tourism fun
tourism, caravan tourism and niche products that attracts the young
awitnessing an annual growth of about thirty percent.
12. Adoption of a customer oriented approach of marketing- One
common feature of all successful tourism development strategies across
different countries has been reliance on research (market intelligence) to
base strategic decisions. This clearly indicates a preference (and need)
for a market-oriented approach (i.e. give the customer what he or she
wants) rather than the more traditional production- oriented approach
that is still followed in some countries (i.e. give the customer what you
think he or she wants). Infact, nearly 10% of the annual expenditure of
various Tourism Promotion Boards (and / or Commissions) is set aside

111
 for market research. In the current-set up in Rajasthan, there is little
reliance on research to base decision-making. Infact, there is a mismatch
between available research and the needs of the sector in the state,
because of which tourism research and information is not making the
contribution it should be to the development of the sector in the state. It is
in this background that the Raasthan Infrastructure Agenda 2025,
Vision 2025 report presented by Pricewater House Coopers submitted
in 2003 has suggested that the state should set up a “Technical
Secretariat” to the Department of Tourism. Such an approach, i.e.
creation of a Technical Secretariat outside of the government, is being
taken by more and more states. Though there is already a society in
Rajasthan (the Rajasthan Institute of Tourism and Travel Management -
RITTMAN) for tourism research / conducting specialized training
courses, etc., a Technical Secretariat could act as a nodal agency for
undertaking research activities relating to the tourism sector, and could
be responsible for the following:

• Provide ongoing research inputs to the key decision makers (market

research would typically include demand estimation, e.g. propensity of
tourists from a particular country or region taken as a group, to travel,
segmentation (visitor arrivals by age, source, mode of transport, income
category, travel purpose, etc.), and buyer behaviour (e.g. preferences of
UK long haul backpackers versus Korean group tours and Young Office
Ladies from Japan). This would involve developing research formats, co-
ordinating research activities, etc. All subsequent decisions relating to
product, packaging, promotion, pricing, etc., would then be driven by these
research outputs
• Develop a tourism information system in the state to forecast visitor arrivals
(including numbers, length of stay, modes of arrival, travel routes,
expenditure, etc.)
• Provide advice to the government on a continuous basis on policy

112
 development and implementation, management and competitiveness .
• Assist in establishing sector standards and an effective accreditation
framework for tourism development in the state. Key elements of this
include the following:
• Developing and implementing a single, integrated, effective
quality standards and accreditation framework for Rajasthan
tourism products and services
• Gathering, analysing and disseminating information about the fit
between visitors’ expectations and their actual experience
• Benchmarking international tourism standards and service
levels
• Ensuring that operators have the necessary capability building
tools, training and assistance
• Developing a business case for an industry-wide consumer
protection and complaints management framework
• Facilitate development and structuring of viable tourism projects
on an ongoing basis
• Carry out / co-ordinate marketing programmes and outreach
13. Building of Brand Rajasthan on solid foundation of market
research and going for a 360 degree approach of promotion-
Initiation of an annual marketing / trade event to promote tourism in
the state: Rajasthan as a tourism destination has a small voice, market
share, and level of awareness amongst prospective tourists. The total
experience that Rajasthan has to offer is unique, but strong marketing
and branding will be required if it is to become a leading tourism
destination in the future. Branding should not be confused with
advertising which plays only a marginal role. The branding excercise
should have a clear definition of value proposition , consisitency in
communication strategy(same positioning and same creatives across all
media) through all the communication channels; it should be based on
constant research and innovation and a continous effort backed by

113
 adeqaute financial resources. The state government has not been able
to leverage the hype created by the Incredible India campaign to its full.
When we look at the marketing policy of the state government, a clear
strategy is what is missing. Infact, what the researcher came across
when exploring the promotional policy of the government was brochures,
pamphlets, booklets , participation in marts, conferences etc. A key
constraint that was expressed by various stakeholders is that there is
currently lack of awareness of the town or circuit / region as a tourist
destination. Destinations such as Kumbhalgarh have clearly suffered due
to lack of proper marketing and awareness. It is therefore suggested that
an annual Rajasthan marketing / trade mart at a specific location and
date each year could be started on the lines of similar trade events
internationally. This would help promote awareness of Rajasthan as a
tourist destination (perhaps taking up a certain region each time as its
theme) and therefore facilitate tourism growth in the state. This event
should be subsidized by the state and would be critical for marketing
Rajasthan as a leading tourist destination
14. Preparation of tourism literature and other promotional material: At
most places there is inadequate literature on important sites /
monuments / forts, etc., which is a basic requirement to promote
awareness of a particular place. For the publishing and distribution of
brochures and other informational material, the government could hire
professional advertising agencies and public relations firms, as well as
involve the private sector in planning and execution. It could also prepare
short films on the tourist sites and broadcast these in the visual media
and at other prominent places
15. Accreditation of taxis: Most of the taxis/ auto rikshaws in the state do
not run by meter. This was also one of the common complaints raised
by the various respondents. This often causes tourists to feel insecure
and cheated. A system by which tourist taxis are accredited to check
exploitation of tourists and promote uniformity in rates should be

114
 considered. Also, the government could consider making it mandatory for
new taxi permits to be awarded only to accredited taxis

16. Strengthening the Tourist Assistance Force (TAF): It was found that
the efficacy of the TAF varies considerably across locations. This is
because the local TAF field officers are under the control of the
respective regional tourism department, whose effectiveness varies from
location to location. There is a need to make TAF uniformly efficient
across locations by instituting proper performance criteria and guidelines,
which should be strictly enforced. Making TAF more effective would help
check incidents of harassment of tourists, etc., which are quite common
currently
17. Uniform for Guides: At a number of tourist places, it is impossible to
distinguish an accredited guide from those that are not. While the
solution lies in strict enforcement of the system of guides at tourism
locations, the same has been found to be ineffective. An option therefore
could be to introduce a dress code for guides, which would help any
tourist to easily make out the authenticity of the guide, thus helping him
or her to feel more secure and helping reduce incidents of harassment,
etc.
18. Setting up of Money Changers & ATM facility: Currently, money-
changing facilities in the state are mainly available through select bank
branches or through foreign exchange operators (i.e. authorised dealers
– ADs, restricted money changers – RMCs, and full fledged money
changers – FFMCs). At some places, inadequacy of such facilities was
expressed, and with the growth of tourism traffic in the future, there will
be greater need for such facilities. To ensure the setting up of money
changers at important tourist destinations, the government could
consider making it mandatory for the building plans of all new
commercial establishments (commercial complexes / hotels, etc.) beyond
a particular size in the major tourist centres of the state to include

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 exclusive space for money changers in their building plans. This would
also encourage the implementation of the new RBI policy on money
changers, which allow.s agents / franchisees of ADs or FFMCs to offer
money changing facilities. ATM facilty at all the tourist spots should also
be ensured as this was one of the suggestions which emanated from the
responses of respondents.
19. Introduce an annual International Restoration Award: The
government could consider initiating an annual International Restoration
Award, wherein entries could be invited from national / international
students or organisations for submitting concept plans for development
of select historical sites. The top two or three chosen plans could be
felicitated, thus ensuring the visibility of Rajasthan as well as providing
an incentive to interested parties. Another suggestion is for the
government to initiate training packages for conservation work involving
national and international craftsmen, artisans, professionals, etc.

Limitations of the Research

The research could not visit many destinations due to the paucity of time.
Further research needs to be taken in the Shekawati region. Also the inputs
of small traders/ businessman could not be incorportaed much. The field of
wild life tourism could not be explored. Further research on these areas and
the work being undertaken by the government and private research could be
undertaken. The impact of niche tourism products can be a further topic of
research. How greater involvement of locals could be envisaged could be
another future area of reserch.

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