Informatics Publishing Limited

S. P. Bansal ¹, Amit Gangotia ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Tourism (MTA), Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla., IN
2 Amity Institute of Travel & Tourism, Amity University, Noida., IN

Abstract

The sate of Uttrakhand which has also acquired an acronym "Dev Bhoomi" because of its tremendous potential for the tourism activities and specially related to Holiday/Leisure was the purpose of visit of about 58.2 percent of the foreign tourists visiting Uttarakhand. In addition, about 21.9 percent visited for the purposes of health, yoga, etc. These two groups taken together constituted over 80 percent of all foreign tourists visiting Uttarakhand shares a top five position in terms of Domestic tourist arrivals and also the foreign tourist arrivals in the country as per the data released by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Indian domestic tourism market which has crossed the mark of 563 million tourist arrivals has major share of tourist in the form of Religious Tourism and Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in Uttarakhand. According to statistics maintained by the Tourism Board, the estimated tourist visits in Uttarakhand during 2006 were about 18.99 million by domestic tourists and 0.1 million by foreign tourists. According to a survey undertaken by a consultancy agency in 2005 on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, the major source markets of international tourists for Uttarakhand were United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia, Other European Countries, Nepal, Germany, etc.This paper is an attempt to understand the present scenario of tourism Industry in the state and also understand the profiling of the tourists.

Keywords

Tourist Arrivals, Tourist Inflow, Economic, Tourism Satellite Account, Holistic Approach, Surveys

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Pooja Choudhary ¹, Amit Gangotia ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Tourism and Travel, Central University of Jammu, IN

Abstract

This paper will present some significant findings about intention of Dot com travelers (Dot ComT) to use social networking travel websites. Social networking websites (SNW) are extensively used by youth travelers, mostly by free and independent travelers. Due to the advancements of information technology and emergences of social media, social networking travel websites have become an important platform of communication for dot com generation. The most important advantage of social networking websites (SNW) are information sharing and social interaction. Social networking websites (SNW) has changed the fundamental structure of communication and information gathering. It has become a tool for peer-topeer, person-to-person (P2P) marketing. The demographic profile of the Indian travelers is changing at a very rapid pace as the country has approximately 350 million people who belong to middle class. According to a report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Indias robust economic growth and rising household incomes would increase consumer spending to US$ 3.6 trillion by 2020. The maximum consumer spending is likely to occur in food, housing, consumer durables, and transport and communication sectors (Source: ibef.org). The tourism industry is primarily a service based industry and is dominated by young generation who is highly quipped with the advance technology and has strong urge to travel. This generation dot com generation/I-pad generation/connexivity kids who believes in value for money and love experiencing the new vistas of tourism has been greatly influenced in their travel intentions by the usage of social networking sites. The present study will try to explore the various intentions and reasons behind the high involvement of dot com generation on social networking websites (SNW) on the basis of information Sharing, Social interaction and Innovations.

Keywords

Dot-Com Generation, Social Networking Travel Websites, Social Interaction, Information Sharing.

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Amit Katoch ¹, Amit Gangotia ²

Affiliations
1 Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, IN
2 Central University of Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, IN

Abstract

Rural tourism is now the new buzz word for the development of tourism in Himachal Pradesh, a beautiful mountain state of India. The concept of Atithi Devo Bhava has been further enlarged by the Government of Himachal Pradesh (India) by steering a new scheme of "Har Gaon Ki Kahani"- the story of every village. The scheme has been implemented keeping in mind the rural status of the state and the Historic and traditional fables associated with a number of villages. The scheme has been cautiously prepared in order to encourage more tourists in the rural areas of the state. According to 2011 census of Himachal Pradesh, 89.96 % of the state dwells in the villages. As such the rural environment, rural culture and rural people can play a vital role in the local development by involving the concept of rural tourism. A group of villages around Dharamshala have got immense potential in terms of rural tourism product to showcase the rural life, art, culture and heritage thereby benefitting the indigenous population economically and socially as well as enabling a rich and real tourism experience.

This research paper is exploratory in nature and inspects the rural tourism resources of the villages around Dharamshala. It further focuses on identifying the rural population's understanding of the rural tourism's development and its consequent benefits. Further, the research examines the willingness of the communities to participate in rural tourism.

Keywords

Rural Tourism, Development, Resources, Community Approach, Benefits, Challenges, Impacts.

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Ramjit ¹, Amit Gangotia ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Travel and Tourism, Central University of Jammu and Visiting Faculty of Global Understanding Course, School for Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Jammu, IN
2 Uttarakhand Open University, Haldwani, IN

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the food perceived image, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions toward Jammu and Kashmir. Questionnaire was structured and distributed to customers who were dining at the ethnic restaurants. A total of 308 respondents participated in the study. The 'quality' and 'variety and authenticity' was recognized as the essential images of Indian's cuisine and on the other hand, the respondents were satisfied with the 'Core value' and 'food choices' of the Jammu and Kashmir cuisine and food. Structural equation model technique showed that food/cusine attributes satisfaction was significantly supported, and the satisfaction revealed a significant relationship with behavioural intentions.

Keywords

Cuisine Value, Satisfaction, Behavioural Intention, Destinations, Jammu And Kashmir.

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Shalki Manhas ¹, Amit Gangotia ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Tourism and Travel Management, Central University of Jammu (CUJ), Jammu, IN

Abstract

Background of the Study: In spite of the negative effects of tourism on the natural and cultural environment, tourism is often considered to be a positive aspect for the revenue generation and development of a place. Planning is the most important part of tourism and if this part is neglected in the policy formulation and in the practical implementation of the policy on grounds, the tourism can bring out disastrous outcomes resulting in the destruction of the destination and its products and this can be done only once the tribulations due to tourism are identified in a place. 

Theoretical Background: The South Andaman District of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is the most populated district in terms of the local population as well as the tourist population. It is considered to be the tourists' hub as it has the maximum fall of tourists compared to the other district of these islands. This paper would identify the problems caused due to tourism in the South Andaman District and also find out the difference in the opinions of the different stakeholders further helping the tourism policy makers and planners to maintain sustainability in tourism practices.

Methodology: The primary data collection was done through survey method. A questionnaire was constructed by extracting the variables related to the problems faced by the island destinations due to the development of tourism in the area and was pre tested by discussing it with the academic and industry experts in the field. Factor analysis was used to validate the questionnaire and reduce the items into important factors. The data was analyzed using SPSS 16.0. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used which gave results of the significant difference in opinion of the three categories of the stakeholders as the data checked was not normally distributed.

Research Outcomes: The research findings would help the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to rectify the hurdles and work on comthe policy and its implementation accordingly. These findings would possibly provide an insight for the administrators of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and help them identify difficulties faced by the stakeholder and eliminate them for a better and sustainable tourism industry in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Keywords

Tourism, South Andaman, Development, Stakeholders, Problems.

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Amit Gangotia ¹

Affiliations
1 Assistant Professor, School of Business Studies, Department of Tourism & Travel Management, Central University of Jammu (CUJ), Jammu, J&K, IN

Abstract

The tourism education has undergone a paradigm shift in last few years. The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India has started some of the most desired restructuring in the education system. This includes initiatives like skill development and integrating employability education into school education and under graduate education. National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) has established a system of clear educational path ways qualification packs (QP’s) from school to higher education by providing certification (Level 1 to Level 7 and above) to vocational skills with options of multiple level entry and multiple level exit programs. The importance of this has also been reflected in the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020. The present paper, which is a part of ICSSR sponsored major research project, is based on exploring expectations from the tourism students who have joined the industry after the completion of course in tourism (either at senior secondary level or at undergraduate level). The method of tool preparation based on the results obtained, has been discussed in the present study. The industry expectations have been collected via Google forms in the month of March-April, 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown period and responses are collected from the eminent industry experts which were analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The various expectations thus obtained based on majority responses can be mapped with the curriculum of the course in focus which is being run at various educational institutes of Himachal Pradesh. The results can be highly beneficial not only for improvement in curriculum but in preparing better candidates for the tourism industry. The results are further utilized to probe both teachers and students associated with the course to ascertain the level upto which the curriculum fulfills the expectations laid by the industry experts. Two tools have thus been prepared and they were validated by experts from education, research and tourism. The tools prepared could prove to be fruitful for evaluating any curriculum associated with the course which is the focal point of the research.

Keywords

Vocational Education, Skill Development, Qualification Packs, Tourism Education, Skill Mapping etc.

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