Evolution of Tourism Planning

Описание: Definition:
According to Macintosh and Goeldner (1986): "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”.
UNWTO: “activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside of their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes”.
Planning
Planning is a dynamic process of determining goals, systematically selecting alternative courses of actions to achieve those goals, implementing the chosen alternatives, and evaluating the choice to determine if it is successful.
It is a multidimensional activity and seeks to be integrated. It embraces social, economic, political, and technological factors. It is concerned with the past, present and the future.
What Is Tourism Planning?
Tourism planning is the process of considering the needs of people planning a trip and using those factors to determine the best resources, programs and activities for their trip. Tourism planning is intended for local residents and businesses of the location, as well as tourists who travel there.
Development
Tourism development involves broadening the ownership base such that more people benefit from the tourism industry, skills development, job and wealth creation and ensuring the geographic spread of the industry throughout the province.
History of Indian Tourism
India is a centre of two ancient civilizations of the world called the Indus valley civilization, and the Aryan civilization. Tourism development in India started in the early sixties. By that time most of the other countries have achieved a remarkable progress in this area and has exploited to maximum possible extent. The best way to introduce India as a tourist destination to foreigners is that ‘India is a country of all seasons and all reasons. India’s tourism resources have always been considered immense. The geographical features are diverse, colourful and varied. As such the resource potential is so much that it can cater to all kinds and tastes of tourists.
The first conscious and organized efforts to promote tourism in India were made in 1945 when a committee was set up by the Government under the Chairmanship of Sir John Sargent, the then Educational Adviser to the Government of India. Thereafter, the development of tourism was taken up in a planned manner in 1956 coinciding with the Second Five Year Plan. The approach has evolved from isolated planning of single unit facilities in the Second and Third Five Year Plans. The Sixth Plan marked the beginning of a new era when tourism began to be considered a major instrument for social integration and economic development.
Present Situation and Features of Tourism in India
Today tourism is the largest service industry in India, with a contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP and providing 8.78% of the total employment. India witnesses more than 5 million annual foreign tourist arrivals and 562 million domestic tourism visits. The tourism industry in India generated about US$100 billion in 2008 and that is expected to increase to US$275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate. The Ministry of Tourism is the nodal agency for the development and promotion of tourism in India and maintains the "Incredible India" campaign.
According to World Travel and Tourism Council, India will be a tourism hotspot from 2010-2020, having the highest 10-year growth potential. As per the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 by the World Economic Forum, India is ranked 11th in the Asia Pacific region and 62nd overall, moving up three places on the list of the world's attractive destinations. It is ranked the 14th best tourist destination for its natural resources and 24th for its cultural resources, with many World Heritage Sites, both natural and cultural, rich fauna, and strong creative industries in the country. India also bagged 37th rank for its air transport network. The India travel and tourism industry ranked 5th in the long-term (10-year) growth and is expected to be the second largest employer in the world by 2019.