Title: PROMOTIONAL PERSPECTIVES IN INDIAN TOURISM
Author: : SAJULAL G. L.
Faculty, Soft Skills
INC, Trivandrum
Abstract:
Now India has become a hot destination for the whole range of travelers from business men to cultural enthusiasts. Even though country is marked with spiritual heritage, wide variety of geographical, historical, religious and cultural tourist spots, India could not develop tourism sector as a major revenue source even after many decades of Independence. Many factors contributed to this below par performance, like poor infrastructure, insufficient budget allocation, lack of planned vision and above all, lack of proper promotional strategies. Now the scenario turned a 360 degree swing with all the lacking factors slowly falling into space. As a result Indian Tourism is one of the largest sectors in the Indian Economy and contributing to its GDP. As seeing is believing, in any new forms of promotions come into the picture as a result. New Tourism product have been evolved such as eco-tourism, health tourism, religious tourism, etc., and new means of promotional strategies have been developed, such as, development of interactive web sites, events organization, In-Film advertisements, etc. This particular paper focuses on promotional perspectives in the Indian Tourism.
The Objective of this research paper is:
To find out promotional perspectives in Indian tourism
Methodology used for the study
Secondary data analysis
Key Words
Domestic Tourism, Institutional Network, Religious Tourism, Athithi Devo Bhava, Medical Tourism, Incredible India.
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Introduction
Tourism is a rapidly growing world’s largest revenue producing industry. India is blessed with beautiful beaches, deserts, Forests, Mountains and back waters. This 5000 years old country is marked by its spiritual and traditional richness. All these factors make India as a goldmine. Country could not make tourism as a major revenue generating sector. Small countries like Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia could play well even though India had a competitive advantage over them. Many factors prevented the growth of Indian tourism like political in difference, poor infrastructure, insufficient Budget allocation ,lack of planned vision and lack of proper promotional strategies. After several years of step-motherly treatment, Indian Government started focusing on tourism industry towards the end of 2002.Now a day’s Government is coming up with innovative promotional strategies. As a result, new tourism products have been involved such as religious tourism, health tourism, and sports tourism etc .Now Indian tourism is one of the largest sectors in the Indian economy and contributing to its GDP.
Indian medical tourism:-Positive image is the need of the hour
In 2003, about 2,726,000 tourists visited India and the revenue from the same was US$3.5billion. Well, if that many relatives of patience (about 3 million) travel to India, we could mange another US$3.5billion from tourism services. Barring inflated projections like these, it remains a fact that medical tourism in India is a growing trend *. It is evident that medical tourism in India is booming sector. Now a bulk of patients from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Africa and Middle East come to India. For them and their government, India is a cost effective solution compared to US and UK. It is evident that India is becoming a treatment zone for the third world countries. The quality and cost are the factors that Indian medical tourism can promote among other countries. Indian government can play a crucial role for promotion medical tourism. Many areas should be taken care in order to convert India as global treatment zone. Some of them are,
Positive image:-
Recent IT boom in India and income raise among the middle class Indian citizens gave a positive image about the Indian among the world. Yet target audience (eg: average senior citizens of Europe) have the image of pre independent India. Many of them is still believing that India is a land of snakes, charms, and cows in traffic. To change these images country’s health care system should be upgraded. Government should make health care system world class one. Government should create a situation, a situation in which target customers can trust Indian surgeons.
Need for quality care:-
Customers are in search of quality. This is same in the case of medical tourism. The perception about quality care in Indian health sector is not so good. The only solution to overcome those for hospitals should follow international health care standard.
Need for health care infrastructure:-
This is an area that demands challenges. From airport to hospital corridor should be equipped to meet needs of the customers.
In short it is clear that India has bright future in medical tourist. But the government should travel a long way to convert India as the most favorite zone for target audience.
Athithi Devo Bhava- a new mantra in customers’ relationship management.
Athithi devo Bhava means guest is god. It also means treat your guest as a god. Government of India tourism department has picked up this slogan to nationwide campaign to all stakeholders in tourism industry. This capacity building program aims at stakeholders of Indian tourism such as taxi drivers, immigration officials, tourist police, travel agents etc.
It is a symbolic representation of India’s age old hospitality and with this a campaign, we are trying to re-install in the stakeholders a sense of pride and responsibility towards tourists, while positioning India as a popular tourist destination world wide.**
This training program aimed to change the outlook of Indian citizens in their approach towards for the international tourists. This training program stresses on maintenance of personal and product/service/monument hygiene and cleanliness. It emphasizes on
safety and security of visiting foreign tourists. This training program is organized for various stakeholders on the basis of theirs education background and nature of the world. There are two levels of training .First level covers taxi drivers, Tourist’s guides, porters etc. and second level covers tour operators, hoteliers, tourist’s police and immigration officials. This capacity building program involves receiving feedback from visiting
Foreign tourists act as a strong input to improve the training programs.
Sports tourism-untapped revenue source
Now a day’s sport tourism is becoming major revenue centre for Indian tourism. Sports and travel share a symbiotic relation, where by people are attracted to a particulars destination as a sport event particular (active), an event spectator, or to attend sport attractions of that place (passive). In fact the concept started with British national traveling abroad for winter sports. Indian travel agents and tour operators are very keen on sports tourism. The following table illustrates various tour operates and travel agents dealing in sports packages
|
Tour Operators and Travel Agents Dealing in Sports Packages*** |
|
Air Cruise Travels Pvt. Ltd : cricket, formula 1, soccer(FIFA World Cup) |
|
Friends Globe Travels Ltd : Cricket, water sports, Golf, Soccer (FIFA World Cup) |
|
Pyramid Travels : Cricket |
|
Trust Travel & Tours : Formula 1,Tennis and Soccer |
|
SOTC Sports Abroad : Cricket, Golf, Formula 1 ,Golf, Soccer |
|
Sports Services Pvt. Ltd : Cricket ,Golf, Formula 1, Golf, Soccer |
|
GET Lionel India : Cricket, Tennis, Soccer, Formula 1 |
Sports tourism is an untapped revenue generating source for Indian tourism. Cricket and adventure tourisms opening innumerable avenues for Indian tour operators. But Indians still have to travel a long way to achieve their goals in tourism. Innovative promotional strategies and careful planning are the need of the hour.
Religious Tourism
India is a country noted for its heritage and spiritual richness. Moreover, India is the birth place of many faiths. It is the land of festivals and temples. Religious tourism is a goldmine for Indian tourism. However, country never trapped the potential of the religious tourism due to the lack of promotional strategies .Initiative should come from the part of State Government to promote religious tourism. Festival such as Kumbhmela, Brahmotsavam(Tirupathi-annually), Makara Jyothi (Sabarimala), Rath Yatra(Puri-annually) should be promoted with the help of innovative strategies. Like KailashManasarovar Pilgimage, Amarnath Yatra, Sri Venkateswara(Balaji) Temples are worlds best pilgrimage centers. Religious tourism should be marketed with due importance because it can attract international, national and religious tourists.
Effective Tourism advertisement strategies-the right remedy
Advertising plays a key role in promoting tourism because it can create mass awareness. An advertisement helps to place the service position in the consumer’s mind which is the relative with competitor regarding the price, quality, offer, features and package. It helps a service organization to build their brand. So advertising strategies for tourism depends on the type of consumers, targeted tourists, tourists place and the preposition you are marketing, the message strategy and the media decisions you have taken .The message execution styles is the dominant factor in advertising . These messages should cover a wide arena of Lifestyle, Fantasy mood, Slice of life and all these should convey a tone of emotional element. All tourism advertisement strategies should ignite this emotional element.
Even though India is marked with its cultural richness and heritage, diversity, natural wealth, beaches and lagoons, country could not develop tourism sector as a major revenue source. The major reason for poor performance is due to lack of effective advertisement strategies. Due to globalization new doors are open in the Indian tourism industry. As a result the scenario turns a three 360 degree swing with all lacking factors slowly falling in to place. Now Indian tourism is the one of the largest sectors of in Indian economy and contributing to its GDP. Now there is a boom in Indian tourism advertisement industry. As a result new tourism products have been evolved such as eco tourism, health tourism and religious tourism and new means of advertising strategies have been developed, such as development of interactive websites, In-film advertisement etc.
Incredible India campaign
Current socio – economic background of Indian middle class and nuclear families paved the way for domestic tourism. Domestic tourists want to explore the possibilities of diverse landscape and beauty across various parts of India. At the same each state is blessed with different kinds of food, festivals, craft, architecture monuments, landscape and weather. This rich history and heritage adds extra mileage to domestic tourism. In order to utilize potential of domestic tourism, creating awareness is highly essential. There lies the significance of the campaign Incredible India. It is a revival to Indian tourism industry. This campaign is giving stress to the theme of diversity. It is also promoting various kinds of tourism like adventure, history, medical, spiritual and religious tourism. This campaign is focusing on both domestic and international tourists.
“According to estimates, domestic tourism is expected to generate revenue worth 600 billion. Contrast this with the inbound tourism spending, which is estimated at approximately Rs.170 billion with approximately 2.2 million foreign tourists visiting India in 2002”. ****
Table
|
State |
Positioning |
|
Kerala |
God’s Own Country |
|
Karnataka |
Theatre of Inspiration |
|
Andhra Pradesh |
Kohinoor of India |
|
Tamil Nadu |
Enchanting Tamil Nadu |
|
Pondicherry |
Peaceful Pondicherry-Give Time a Break |
|
Goa |
Go Goa, 365 days on a holiday |
|
Gujarat |
Vibrant Gujarat |
|
Uttar Pradesh |
Many Faiths, Many Journeys |
|
Uttaranchal |
Experience the Divine |
|
Jammu and Kashmir |
Welcome to Paradise |
|
Punjab |
Passionate Punjab |
|
Rajasthan |
Hospitality Amidst Royal Ambience |
|
Maharashtra |
Maharashtra Unlimited |
|
Madhya Pradesh |
Magical Mystical Madhya Pradesh-the very heart of India |
|
Orissa |
The Soul of India |
|
West Bengal |
The land of exotic charms |
|
North East |
Unexplored Parade |
Now Indian states have taken tourism as a serious business and structuring it in order to cater the needs of both international as well as domestic tourists. The following tables explains the positioning statements of various states in India .
Each state is coming out with innovative advertisement strategy in a competitive and professional manner. Some of them are,
God’s own country
Kerala is a mega brand in Indian tourism industry. The government is promoting both domestic and international tourism through different and innovative advertisement strategies. Positioning itself as the “Green Gateway of India” and Gods own country”. Kerala has been advertising to woe the international and domestic travelers ******. Government is using advertisement as a key strategy in order to convey the message of beautiful beaches, backwaters and lagoon. The state has taken a lead in promoting Ayurveda through out the world with the help of Kerala Ayurveda centers. Government started Kerala Ayurveda centers across the country. It is a key strategy to attract domestic tourists. The state tourism department created a CD titled “Ayurveda.The Mantra of Nirmaya”. The state is a serious mission to promote tourism by organizing various events like Kerala travel mart, national boat show and Kerala gold fest. Government signed MoUs with Indian Railways and Indian Airlines to boost domestic tourism. Now Kerala is a supreme brand in Indian tourism industry.
Celebrities as Brand ambassadors – An effective advertisement strategy
Karnataka signed up Rahul Dravid and Singer Vasundra Das to promote Karnataka tourism. Rahul is to promote the state to international tourists whenever he visited any country. Especially he is expected to promote the state in Pakistan ****. It is highly successful and innovative strategy in tourism advertisement. Presence of celebrities can easily capture the attention of global citizens. Bangalore is a hotspot for shopping at the same time the is also marked with it’s cultural heritage and festivals. The state government is a serious effort to promote tourism with the help of successful advertisement strategies is like trade shows, exhibitions and festivals.
365 days on a Holiday : Goa- Punch line talks
Goa is the favorite destination for domestic and international destination for domestic and international tourists. The punch lines of Goa tourism clearly conveys it a destination to be visited throughout the year. The state has positioned itself as a land of dream and romance. It promotes Goa as a land of monuments and historical sites. Goa is marked with romantic beaches in the world. Goa tourism is marketing this hot destination as place for relax, a place where the traveler will be greeted with warmth and love. As a result it’s different promotional strategies, Goa reminds as a strong brand in the minds of domestic travelers and also a synonym of leisure tourism.
In – film advertisement
Tourism advertising is very active in India. States are coming with innovative promotional strategies to promote tourism by placing the locations in popular films or serials can attract domestic tourists. This strategy was first successfully implemented by Chattisgarh. The fame of “ Khandala” increased after it was placed in the film “Ghulam”.
Information Technology – an innovative tool in tourism advertisement
The World Wide Web have its significance in tourism industry because it can break boundaries and easily accessible and available to everyone and everywhere. Effective application of information technology in tourism advertisement can bring promising results. A website allows flow of information where technology and advertising strategies get integrated and coordinated.
With $267 million in 1996, internet advertising revenues reached $4.2 billion for the third quarter of 2006 (more than 33% increase over $3.1 billion in Q3 2005). Travel and tourism which is an information-rich business and a very fragmented industry formed the most important business on the web in terms of the volume of e-commerce with e-mail, wireless advertising and websites forming the three major vehicles for internet advertising.*******Now a days Internet formed as a source of effective advertisement media for corporate houses and majority of the home had bandwidth connections with television programs available online . It will help consumers to interact with advertisement. Internet advertisement can act as a effective tool for interactive marketing. Interactive marketing demands a dialogue instead of one way communication and the use of information will be from consumer rather than about the consumer .It helps consumers to interact with the website content including interactive product demonstrations, apart from discussion groups on the web advertisements.
Web site design for tourism
Web site for tourism should be properly designed and it should speak consumer’s language. Various design parameters like website content, graphical design, features and technology should be simple. It is important that a website is made to entertain the user by providing information about destinations. The designers of website should have technical skill along with understanding of the advertising and tourism industry.
Now online advertising is bringing positive changes in tourism industry. The web combines the characteristics of traditional media and offers unparalleled richness and thus forming a new avenue for effective communication. Online advertising agencies should be keen by attracting the attention of internet users by providing both information and entertainment.
In short, in the era of globalization, tourism industry demands creative advertisement strategies in order to attract promising customers. Creativity in advertisement demands empathy for thoughts, feelings and value of the customers.
Customer research should be done in order to understand needs, interests and preferences.
All the advertisement strategies should be aligned accordingly to get promising customers. In the present Indian market, tourism advertising should be more aggressive in order tap its full potential.
Conclusion
Today’s, business world is coming across with changing realities, widening the business network, increasing incomes and educational services are being sought beyond borders. As never before, a grown care for health and respect for the tradition and culture has also been generated. Today India has also become an attractive ground for global players with tremendous changes which have made tourism being looked at with a different perspective. With innovation on promotional strategies Indian tourism has to be reengineered in order to tap its real potential
Reference
(*)Tourism- Promotional perspectives, by Radha krishna, page number (100)
(**)Tourism- Promotional perspectives, by Radha krishna, page number (162)
(***)Tourism- Promotional perspectives, by Radha krishna, page number (107)
(****)Tourism- Promotional perspectives, by Radha krishna, page number (142)
(*****) Tourism- Promotional perspectives, by Radha krishna, page number (150)
(******) Tourism- Promotional perspectives, by Radha krishna, page number (45)
(*******) Tourism- Promotional perspectives, by Radha krishna, page number (47)
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