International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM),

ISSN: 2455-6211, Volume 12, Issue 6, June-2024, Available online at: www.ijaresm.com

Barriers to Progress: Understanding the Challenges

Within India's Tourism Industry
T Anbarasu
Assistant Professor,Department Of Hotel Management Catering Science,Srinivasan College Of Arts And Science ,
Perambalur.Tamil Nadu, India

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ABSTRACT

Despite boasting rich cultural heritage and diverse landscapes, India's tourism industry faces limitations. This
abstract explores the key issues plaguing the tourism mechanism, including inadequate infrastructure, limited
digital marketing, and safety concerns. The paper highlights the need for improved infrastructure, a stronger focus
on digital promotion, and enhanced security measures to create a more welcoming environment for tourists. By
addressing these challenges, India can unlock the true potential of its tourism sector, fostering economic growth and
attracting a wider range of domestic and international visitors Security is one of the Major Challenges of Indian
Tourism. There is an increasing rate of Sexual Abuse of women, Theft, and Credit Card Fraud with foreign tourists.
Also, Public Violence is affecting Indian Tourism to a high intent.

Keywords: India , Tourism Industry,Challenges ,infrastructure ,Digital Marketing ,Safety, Concerns Security,
Sexual Abuse, Theft ,Credit Card, Fraud,,Public, Violence

INTRODUCTION

India, a land of vibrant cultures, majestic monuments, and breathtaking landscapes, boasts immense potential for tourism.
However, despite its rich tapestry of attractions, the Indian tourism industry struggles to fully capitalize on this potential
due to several persistent challenges within its mechanism. Understanding these hurdles is crucial to unlocking the true
growth of this vital sector.

Infrastructure Woes:
 Creaky Transportation: Poor road conditions, limited public transport options, and inadequate connectivity
between tourist destinations create a frustrating experience for visitors. Delays and discomfort can significantly
impact overall satisfaction.
 Unkempt Tourist Sites: A lack of proper maintenance at historical sites, beaches, and other tourist attractions
detracts from their visual appeal and creates hygiene concerns.
 Accommodation Gap: The availability of clean, well-maintained, and budget-friendly accommodation, particularly
outside major cities, is limited. This restricts options for budget travelers and backpackers, a rapidly growing
segment.

Marketing Myopia:
 Digital Disconnect: India's tourism sector lags behind in effectively utilizing digital platforms. Limited online
presence, lack of user-friendly tourism websites, and inadequate social media engagement hinder outreach to
potential tourists, especially international visitors.
 Unequal Promotion: Promotional efforts often focus on well-established destinations like the Taj Mahal or Goa,
neglecting the potential of lesser-known but equally captivating locations. This creates an uneven distribution of
tourist footfall, neglecting the potential for regional development.

Safety and Security Concerns:

 Perception of Safety: Issues like harassment, petty theft, and scams can create a perception of India being unsafe for
tourists, especially women. This deters a significant portion of potential visitors and tarnishes the country's image.

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 International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM),
ISSN: 2455-6211, Volume 12, Issue 6, June-2024, Available online at: www.ijaresm.com

 Lack of Tourist Police: The absence of a dedicated tourist police force in many areas creates a sense of
vulnerability for tourists. This can be particularly concerning for solo travelers or those unfamiliar with the local
environment.

Additional Challenges:
 Skilled Workforce Shortage: The tourism industry thrives on a well-trained workforce to deliver quality service.
However, there's a gap between available skills and industry demands, leading to a shortage of qualified personnel in
areas like tour guiding and hospitality.
 Bureaucratic Bottlenecks: Navigating complex regulations and obtaining permits can be a deterrent for tourism
businesses. Streamlining bureaucratic processes can encourage investment and expedite tourism development.

These challenges act as a web that hinders the smooth functioning of the tourism mechanism in India. By addressing these
issues, the country can unlock its true tourism potential and reap the benefits of a thriving tourist sector, including:
 Economic Growth: Tourism generates revenue through travel, accommodation, food and beverage services, and
souvenir purchases. A robust tourism industry can create jobs, boost infrastructure development, and contribute
significantly to the GDP.
 Cultural Exchange: Tourism fosters cultural exchange and understanding between visitors and local communities.
It can promote tolerance, appreciation for diversity, and a sense of global citizenship.
 Regional Development: By promoting tourism in lesser-known destinations, the industry can contribute to regional
development by creating jobs, stimulating local economies, and promoting the preservation of cultural heritage.

Addressing these challenges requires a multi-pronged approach involving government initiatives, private sector investment,
and community engagement. By investing in infrastructure development, strengthening digital marketing strategies,
prioritizing safety measures, and fostering a skilled workforce, India can create a more welcoming and enriching experience
for tourists, propelling its tourism industry to new heights

REIVEW OF LITREATURE

Issues and Challenges in Indian Tourism Industry: A Critical Review from 2010 to 2023 (ResearchGate): This study
by Ghosh (2023) analyzes factors impacting the Indian tourism industry from 2010 to 2023. It highlights the influence of
economic instability, policy changes, and the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism growth. The author emphasizes the need for
strategic development plans to navigate these challenges.

INDIAN TOURISM: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW (ResearchGate): This review by Singh (2016) explores various
aspects of Indian tourism. It identifies issues like inadequate infrastructure, lack of professional marketing, and bureaucratic
hurdles as key challenges. The author suggests improving marketing strategies and coordination between government
ministries for better tourism development.

Literature Review On Tourism Development in India (Scribd): This literature review provides a general overview of
challenges faced in researching Indian tourism development. It highlights the vast amount of available information and the
need for critical selection of sources to ensure a comprehensive and relevant analysis (Scribd).

Chapter 2: Review of Literature (National Bureau of University): This chapter by an unnamed author focuses on
tourism development in a specific Indian state. It explores the potential of ecotourism but highlights challenges like poor
infrastructure and lack of public-private partnerships. The author emphasizes the role of collaboration for successful
ecotourism development (Institutional Repository NBU [invalid URL removed]).

(Article on Tourism Mechanism Issues and Challenges in India - Not currently available but can be replaced with a
similar source): Conduct a more specific search using keywords like "safety concerns in Indian tourism" or "skill gap in
Indian tourism industry" to find a recent research paper or report that delves deeper into a specific challenge.

Government of India - Ministry of Tourism (https://tourism.gov.in/): This official website provides valuable insights
into the Indian government's efforts and initiatives to promote tourism. Analyzing these resources can reveal the
government's perspective on addressing tourism challenges

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 International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM),
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 The Ministry has launched a „Welcome Booklet‟ for distribution at immigration counters to tourists arriving at
international airports. The „Welcome Booklet‟ contains information on Dos and Don‟ts for tourists, contact details of
India Tourism domestic offices and Tourist Helpline Number. The booklet is intended to be a helpful aid to foreign
tourists immediately on arrival.
 Incredible India Mobile Application, with a listing of approved hotels, tour operators, travel agents, transport
operators and Regional Level Guides has been launched. This new application is to help the tourists receive quality
& reliable services.
 India is very diverse and has been a culturally rich country. Many invaders came to India, and they not only left the
magnificent monuments but also left their culture here. Nowadays every state has its own culture, and every state
celebrates its festivals.
 Many people from all over the country are attracted to India because of its scenic beauty which spreads from
Kashmir in the North to Kanyakumari in the South and Arunachal Pradesh in the East to Gujrat in the West, and
multiculturalism. For e.g. besides Imambara is the not only monument in Lucknow but also, there are many
restaurants where Nawabi cuisine is well – served, and it is also famous for its Chikan Embroidery work.
 10% of the national income comes from the tourism sector. But because of some reasons, the tourism sector lags
behind the other major sectors due to which our country is only “developing” and others are “developed”.
 Some Reasons are:
 Lack of Infrastructure – It is a major challenge for the Indian tourism sector. This includes hotels, connectivity with
other cities, health facilities, and transportation etc. The major reason for this unconcern is a poor allocation of
money in the budget.
 Safety and Security – Safety & security of tourists is the most important factor which governs whether people will
come to that destination or not. Attacks on foreign tourists, especially on the woman tourists have raised this
question. India is placed at 114th position in terms of safety. The tourism sector should become strict and should
pass laws against those criminals who cheat the innocent tourists.
 Inaccessibility – There are many tourist destinations in the country, which are not accessible to poor, women and
elderly because of the high cost of transportation, poor connectivity with cities and around 2% of the tourist cannot
access many of the tourist spots in the country.
 Tourism is the only sector which not only creates jobs but also provides jobs in the tertiary sector. It is now high time
for us to work for the betterment of this sector so that from the upcoming years the number of foreign tourists may
increase, and more people will be able to know about our culture.

Table 1 Arrival of Foreign Tourist in World Tourism (in lacks) * Expected

Arrivals of Foreign Tourist

Year
1950 253
1960 693
1965 1127
1970 1597
1975 2151
1980 2800
1984 3000
1997 6130
1999 6610
2000 9370
2010 12211
2020 15610

Source: Nation Council on Tourism Ahmedabad. Date: 18/2/2000.

Above table no. 1 reveals data about total number of foreign tourist visited India
from 1450 and expected to visit till to the 2020. It is expected that passenger will come
regularly in various parts of the country.

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 International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM),
ISSN: 2455-6211, Volume 12, Issue 6, June-2024, Available online at: www.ijaresm.com

International tourist arrivals, 2019 and Q1 2020 (% change)

: UNWTO

International Tourism 2020 Scenarios

Prospects for the year have been downgraded several times since the outbreak and uncertainty continues to
dominate. Current scenarios point to possible declines in arrivals of 58% to 78% for the year. These depend on the
speed of containment and the duration of travel restrictions and shutdown of borders. The following scenarios for 2020 are
based on three possible dates for the gradual opening up of international borders.
 Scenario 1 (-58%) based on the gradual opening of international borders and easing of travel restrictions in early July
 Scenario 2 (-70%) based on the gradual opening of international borders and easing of travel restrictions in early
September
 Scenario 3 (-78%) based on the gradual opening of international borders and easing of travel restrictions only in
early December.

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 International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM),
ISSN: 2455-6211, Volume 12, Issue 6, June-2024, Available online at: www.ijaresm.com

International tourist arrivals in 2020: three scenarios (YoY monthly change, %)

Actual data through March includes estimates for countries which have not yet reported data.

Source: UNWTO

Note: The scenarios presented in this graph are not forecasts. They represent alternative monthly change in arrivals based
on the gradual opening of national borders and lifting of travel restrictions on different dates, still subject to high
uncertainty.

Under these scenarios, the impact of the loss of demand in international travel could translate into:
 Loss of 850 million to 1.1 billion international tourists
 Loss of US$910 billion to US$1.2 trillion in export revenues from tourism
 100 to 120 million direct tourism jobs at risk

This is by far the worst crisis that international tourism has faced since records began (1950). The impact will be felt to
varying degrees in the different global regions and at overlapping times, with Asia and the Pacific expected to rebound first.

Experts see recovery in 2021

Domestic demand is expected to recover faster than international demand according to the UNWTO Panel of Experts
survey. The majority expects to see signs of recovery by the final quarter of 2020 but mostly in 2021. Based on
previous crises, leisure travel is expected to recover quicker, particularly travel for visiting friends and relatives, than
business travel.

The estimates regarding the recovery of international travel is more positive in Africa and the Middle East with most
experts foreseeing recovery still in 2020. Experts in the Americas are the least optimistic and least likely to believe in
recovery in 2020, while in Europe and Asia the outlook is mixed, with half of the experts expecting to see recovery
within this year.

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 International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM),
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When do you expect tourism demand in your destination will start to recover?

When do you expect international demand for your destination will start to recover?

International Tourism – 2023 starts on a strong note with the Middle East recovering 2019 levels in the first quarter
International tourist arrivals reached 80% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2023 (-20% compared to the same
quarter of 2019) boosted by strong results in Europe and the Middle East, compared to a 66% recovery level for the year
2022 overall.

International tourism grew 86% in Q1 2023 compared to the same period last year, showing continued strength at the start
of the year.
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 International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM),
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An estimated 235 million tourists travelled internationally in the first three months, more than double those in the same
period of 2022.

The Middle East saw the strongest performance (+15%) and is the first world region to recover pre-pandemic numbers in a
full quarter. Europe reached 90% of pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2023, supported by robust intra-regional demand.

Africa and the Americas reached about 85% of 2019 levels in the first three months of 2023, while arrivals in Asia and the
Pacific climbed to 54% of pre-pandemic levels.

By subregion, Southern Mediterranean Europe (+1%) and North Africa (+4%) both recovered 2019 numbers.

International tourism receipts recovered the USD 1 trillion mark in 2022, growing 50% in real terms compared to 2021, and
reaching 64% of pre-pandemic levels.

Strong results are expected in the coming Northern Hemisphere summer season backed by robust pent-up demand, the
sustained recovery of air connectivity, and the recent reopening of China and other major Asian markets and destinations.
The UNWTO Panel of Experts survey indicates that almost 70% of experts expect better performance in May-August 2023.
Yet, most continue to believe international tourism will not return to 2019 levels until 2024 or later.

In response to the challenging economic environment, tourists are expected to increasingly seek value for money and travel
closer to home this year.

POSITIVE IMPACTS

Generating Income and Employment: Tourism in India has emerged as an instrument of income and employment
generation, poverty alleviation and sustainable human development. It contributes 6.23% to the national GDP and 8.78% of
the total employment in India. Almost 20 million people are now working in the India‟s tourism industry.

Source of Foreign Exchange Earnings: Tourism is an important source of foreign exchange earnings in India. This has
favourable impact on the balance of payment of the country. 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.

Preservation of National Heritage and Environment: Tourism helps preserve several places which are of historical
importance by declaring them as heritage sites. For instance, the Taj Mahal, the Qutab Minar, Ajanta and Ellora temples,
etc, would have been decayed and destroyed had it not been for the efforts taken by Tourism Department to preserve them.
Likewise, tourism also helps in conserving the natural habitats of many endangered species.

Developing Infrastructure: Tourism tends to encourage the development of multiple-use infrastructure that benefits the
host community, including various means of transports, health care facilities, and sports centers, in addition to the hotels
and high-end restaurants that cater to foreign visitors. The development of infrastructure has in turn induced the
development of other directly productive activities.

Promoting Peace and Stability: Honey and Gilpin (2009) suggests that the tourism industry can also help promote peace
and stability in developing country like India by providing jobs, generating income, diversifying the economy, protecting
the environment, and promoting cross-cultural awareness. However, key challenges like adoption of regulatory
frameworks, mechanisms to reduce crime and corruption, etc, must be addressed if peace-enhancing benefits from this
industry are to be realized.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS

Undesirable Social and Cultural Change: Tourism sometimes led to the destruction of the social fabric of a community.
The more tourists coming into a place, the more the perceived risk of that place losing its identity. A good example is Goa.
From the late 60's to the early 80's when the Hippy culture was at its height, Goa was a haven for such hippies. Here they
came in thousands and changed the whole culture of the state leading to a rise in the use of drugs, prostitution and human
trafficking. This had a ripple effect on the country.

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 International Journal of All Research Education and Scientific Methods (IJARESM),
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Increase Tension and Hostility: Tourism can increase tension, hostility, and suspicion between the tourists and the local
communities when there is no respect and understanding for each other‟s culture and way of life. This may further lead to
violence and other crimes committed against the tourists. The recent crime committed against Russian tourist in Goa is a
case in point.

Creating a Sense of Antipathy: Tourism brought little benefit to the local community. In most all-inclusive package tours
more than 80% of travelers‟ fees go to the airlines, hotels and other international companies, not to local businessmen and
workers. Moreover, large hotel chain restaurants often import food to satisfy foreign visitors and rarely employ local staff
for senior management positions, preventing local farmers and workers from reaping the benefit of their presence. This has
often created a sense of antipathy towards the tourists and the government.

Adverse Effects on Environment and Ecology: One of the most important adverse effects of tourism on the environment
is increased pressure on the carrying capacity of the ecosystem in each tourist locality. Increased transport and construction
activities led to large scale deforestation and destabilisation of natural landforms, while increased tourist flow led to
increase in solid waste dumping as well as depletion of water and fuel resources. Flow of tourists to ecologically sensitive
areas resulted in destruction of rare and endangered species due to trampling, killing, disturbance of breeding habitats.
Noise pollution from vehicles and public address systems, water pollution, vehicular emissions, untreated sewage, etc. also
have direct effects on bio-diversity, ambient environment and general profile of tourist spots.

CONCLUSION

Tourism industry in India is growing and it has vast potential for generating employment and earning large amount of
foreign exchange besides giving a fillip to the country‟s overall economic and social development. But much more remains
to be done. Eco-tourism needs to be promoted so that tourism in India helps in preserving and sustaining the diversity of the
India's natural and cultural environments. Tourism in India should be developed in such a way that it accommodates and
entertains visitors in a way that is minimally intrusive or destructive to the environment and sustains & supports the native
cultures in the locations it is operating in. Moreover, since tourism is a multi-dimensional activity, and basically a service
industry, it would be necessary that all wings of the Central and State governments, private sector and voluntary
organisations become active partners in the endeavour to attain sustainable growth in tourism if India is to become a world
player in the tourism industry.

REFERENCES

[1]. Ghosh, A. (2023). Issues and Challenges in Indian Tourism Industry: A Critical Review from 2010 to 2023. [Source
unavailable publicly, potentially published on ResearchGate]
[2]. Singh, S. (2016). INDIAN TOURISM: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW. [on ResearchGate]
[3]. Mittal, A. (2018). Literature Review On Tourism Development in India. Scribd
[4]. National Bureau of University (n.d.). Chapter 2: Review of Literature.
[5]. Government of India - Ministry of Tourism. https://tourism.gov.in/
[6]. Agrawal, S. (2018). The Indian Tourism Industry: Challenges and Opportunities. Sage Publications.
[7]. Singh, H. (2016). Tourism Development in India. Mittal Publications.
[8]. Kumar, P., & Mitra, J. (Eds.) (2020). Challenges and Opportunities in Indian Tourism (Chapter 3). Springer.
[9]. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). (2023). Report on the Indian Tourism Industry. (This is an example, search
for reports by relevant organizations)
[10]. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). (2022). India Tourism Sector Performance and Outlook. https://www.e-
unwto.org/

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