Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management Tourism ... · Tourism and Travel Volume 8 Issue 1&2 Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (An Organization of Ministry

Intern

ation

al Jou

rnal o

f To

urism

and

Trav

el 2014

ISSN: 0974-2603Vol. 8, No. 1 & 2, 2015

International Journal of

Tourism and Travel

Tourism and Travel

Vo

lum

e 8 Issue 1&

2Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management(An Organization of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India)

Govindpuri, Gwalior - 474 011 (M.P.)

Website: www.iittm.org

In this Issue

ISSN: 0974-2603Vol. 8, No. 1 & 2, 2015


Tourism and Travel

Tourism and Travel

Journal in association with

Ph: 011-28082485, 011-47044510

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.publishingindia.com

Publishing India Group

A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Select Tourism Video Commercials of Incredible India CampaignArun Kumar Poonia, Gajendra Singh Chauhan

Tourists Shopping Behavior and Trip Typology: A Study in an Emerging Destination of IndiaUttam Kr. Baruah, Mrinmoy K. Sarma

An Empirical Study of New Age Employment in Tour Operations and Allied AreasShyju P. J, Rinzing Lama

Human Resource Practices in the Non-Star Category Hotels in KolkataP. R. Sandilyan, Sutheeshana Babu. S

Human Resource Development in Tourism Sector: A Case Study of Orissa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd.Banalata Rath

Films and Destination Promotion: An Exploratory StudyParvi Bharti

Skiing in Gulmarg: Opportunities and ChallengesShahnawaz A. Dar

ADVISORY BOARD

Professor Chris CooperDirector, Christel deHaan Tourism and Travel Research lnstituteUnited Kingdom

Professor Brian KingHead of School of Hospitality, Tourism and Marketing, Victoria UniversityAustralia

Professor C. Michael HallUniversity of Canterbury, Christchurch,New Zealand

Professor Nimit Chowdhary Nodal Officer, Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, Noida, India

Dr. T.V. SinghEditor-in-Chief, Tourism Recreation ResearchIndia

Professor Noel B. Salazar Cultural Mobilities Research (CuMoRe), University of Leuven, Belgium

Professor Ghazali Bin Musa Department of Business Strategy and Policy, University of Malaya, Malaysia

Professor Larry Dwyer Honourary Professor, School of Marketing, University of Sydney, Australia

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-chiefProf. Sandeep Kulshreshtha

EditorDr. Sutheeshna Babu. S

Deputy EditorsDr. Charu Sheela Yadav

Sanjeev Reddy CKN. Subramaniam

Jeet Dogra

l.J. Tourism and Travel (IJT&T) is the bi-annual international journal of lndian lnstitute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM). Objective of this journal is to create value for enterprises and organisations in tourism, travel and related sectors and those committed to support them- policy makers, intervention agencies, researchers and academics, by establishing a platform for learning through sharing from experience, dialogue, creativity and imagination. Every issue of the journal many include contributions based on research, policy issues, conceptual models, reviews, case studies, view points, best practices, book reviews, conference reviews, etc. Contributors from all over are invited to share their ideas, knowledge, and experience through this platform. Authors and audiences may contact the editorial team at:

I.J. Tourism and TravelResearch Unit

Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM)Govindpuri

Gwalior 474011 MP INDIAFax.: +91-751-2344054

E-mail : [email protected]

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the articles carried in T&T do not reflect the opinion of Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management (IITTM) or the editorial team. The information in this journal in believed to be correct, but should not be treated as a substitute for detailed advice in individual situations. It is published without responsibility on part of IITTM and editorial team whether arising out of any negligence, misrepresentation or otherwise for loss occasioned to any person or organisation acting or refraining from acting as a result of any information contained herein. Claims for missing issues can be made within a period of four months of publication. Copyright©2015 Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management International Journal of Tourism and Travel is a bi-annual journal of Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior, 474O11, India. Printed and published by Director, Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior. Chief-editor: Prof. Sandeep Kulshreshtha, Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior 474011.

AdvertisementsInternational Journal of Tourism and Travel Management will accept advertisements. All advertisements are subject to approval by the Editor-in-chief. For details and rates please contact the IITTM office.

SubmissionsInternational Journal of Tourism and Travel Management publishes in the following categories of contributions- policy issues, research articles, concept papers, reviews and cases studies. Shorter contributions of 1500-3000 words are welcome in special categories of viewpoint, best practices, notes, concerns, book reviews and conference reports.

Keeping in mind the audiences, presentation should be lucid and comprehensible. Authors are requested to make it to the point without using an extravagant or ornate language. Even it the manuscript reports the findings of original research, the methodology should be presented clearly and to the extent possible, in a non-technical manner such that our readers with limited back grounds in research methods and analysis are not discouraged from reading the article. Submissions must not be restricted to mere statement of facts. A lot of importance is attached to the analysis of the issue/concept/ findings and their potential for value addition to existing body of knowledge or practice for Tourism, travel and related activities.

Preferred method of submitting manuscripts is through electronic mail to the editor. Submission should be made in Word .doc or .rtf formats. Do not disclose your identity anywhere in the paper except on the cover page.

Always indicate which category of submission you are making. Editor/ referees can suggest a change of category.While submitting electronically always mention in the subject line: Enterprise/ Author name/ first three words in the title.In case manuscript is submitted through surface mail, submit three copies it must accompany paper on CD in the desired format. Ensure that file is free of viruses. It is generally good to create a folder and one copy each inside and outside the folder.

For detailed guidelines on submission or for submission contact:

Editor

International Journal of Tourism and TravelResearch UnitIndian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM)Govindpuri, Gwalior 4740l 1 (MP) INDIAE-mail: [email protected]

CopyrightIt is a condition of publication that manuscripts submitted to this journal have not been published and will not be simultaneously submitted or published elsewhere. By submitting e manuscript, the authors agree that the copyright for the article is transferred to the publisher, it and when the article is accepted for publication. The copyright covers the exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the article, including reprints, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic or other reproductions of similar nature and translations. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

From the editor’s desk

Tourism, Quality of Life and Well-Being- Imperatives and Interconnectedness The inter-connectedness of well-being viz. a. viz. ones’ indulgence in leisure and recreation opportunities can be seen taken roots during the renaissance period, coinciding with a growing realization on the centrality of ‘escape from the mundane and routinized’ life situations. This, in a way, also provided the momentum for emergence of tourism as an economic opportunity, which took commercial dimensions with the onset of industrial revolution. From the hot-springs of the Alps, begun the movement of the well-being seekers to sea-side resorts of Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool and the like gradually and as time passed, their drift took a faster pace and crossed geographies. This gave rise not only to various socio-economic transformation processes in those places they visited but also became instrumental in shaping their outlook towards well-being itself. Their growing sensitivities towards various outcomes emanating from the making of tourism, particularly of those adverse in nature, also made them conscious of their own indulgences as well as the actions of its providers in defining the sustainability of places.

A vast body of knowledge available already would entail to understand how the scholarship have been striving to position tourism in the ongoing discourse on development; be it sustainability, competitiveness, destination health, quality of life, technological influence etc. And, all such studies have also brought forth varying propositions of how tourism impacts the stakeholders viz. consumers (tourists), suppliers and the destination communities- both positively and negatively. However, the studies on ‘quality of life’ (QoL) in the domain of tourism is relatively new and often linked to a special issue of the Journal of Business Research (Vol. 44 (3) 1999) which incorporated articles on the tourists and the community QoL issues. Since then, interest in QoL research has led to emergence of a variety of publications, particularly in the form of a compilation titled Health and Wellness Tourism by Smith and Puczko in 2009. However, most comprehensive documentation of tourism-specific issues and propositions can be seen appeared in the work of Uysal, Perdue & Sirgy (2012) titled ‘Tourism and Quality of Life Research: Enhancing the Lives of Tourists and Residents of Host Communities’.

As a theoretical construct, QoL research in tourism stems from the works on social indicator movement, advancing a qualified assumption that traditional economic indicators such a GDP is grossly inadequate to explain societal development. The growth vs. development problematiq and the frictions that exist between the proponents of these dominant propositions have not only lead to vigorous inquiries for indicator development but also contributed in its refinement and positioning. While many continued to maintain the primacy of GDP as a measure of development and thereby well-being, its critiques have been arguing that such descriptive measure cannot explain the well-being of people; for it is subjective, complex and determined by a variety of qualitative and quantitative attributes of life situations eventually leading to need satisfaction, life satisfaction, happiness, perceived QoL or life fulfilment .

The social indicator movement continue to posit that life fulfilment is an essential manifestation of a meaningful life. Viewed from tourism angle, both well-being and quality of life are embedded in the very conception of tourism systems. For, every facet of tourism is aimed to achieve certain aspects of a ‘better state of being’, either through recreation of mind and body and/or achieving the purpose of higher learning for the participant. Whereas, making of tourism could eventuate better economic and social opportunities to the destination communities, that in turn, contribute towards betterment of their material and psychological well-being. Even those not involved in any form of tourism service provisions could still benefit from it by way of better social and community infrastructure and facility provisions.

Some of the recent reviews stand to suggest that the dominant economic paradigm of development is fast undergoing transformation and has reached a stage where co-creation of experiences and those supporting to accelerate that process to start dictating the success/failure of the economies. It makes a rather stronger case for an experience-driven product like tourism which primarily depends on varying levels of service deliveries and the experiences created thereof through an integrated value chain. However, this interrelationship is under researched subject and worthy of focused inquiries since the story successful tourist destinations is one of co-creation by a divergent spectrum of stakeholders, something characteristic

to tourism products. There are also studies suggesting that the value of tourism has transitioned to focus more on its non-economic measures such as QoL, satisfaction, well-being and sustainability at large.

QoL can be measured using both qualitative and quantitative approaches and methodologies but very few instances can be seen where a methodology being designed by combining both approaches to study the subject. Similarly, it also offers the scope to treat the destination communities, tourists and those employed in the tourism sector as independent subjects of inquiry in the efforts of destination planners and managers in order to establish the catalystic roles of tourism conclusively in defining the QoL standards amongst the intended stakeholder segments. This offers opportunities not only to better understand the inter-connectedness of tourism with the life domains- destination communities, visitors and employees- but also on varying degrees of importance of tourism to each of those life domains. The subject-specific conceptualization and measures of QoL would also be helpful to enhance the predictability of tourism and life domain relationships.

While many tourism impact studies are available, those linking it with QoL settings are scant even though it is important to have empirical substantiation so as to situate it in both pro and ant-tourism discourses. Similarly, it is equally imperative to situate QoL research at different levels of analysis, ranging from individual to national levels. Tourism has already grown to assume a significant place in both the economic and societal space of the countries and the pace with which it is growing would also indicate the dimensions that it is going to gain in the years ahead. Hence, there exists an imperative for the scholars to engage with a viguour in their research pursuits since the ‘invisible tourism’ would be much more determining and life changing as it evolves. More importantly, developing countries must garner greater space in this pursuit since its context of development and organization could have negative underpinnings when it comes to achieving the QoL goals through tourism and sustainability in general.

Dr. Sutheeshna Babu. SEditor

International Journal of Tourism and TravelVolume 8, Issue 1 & 2, 2015

1. A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Select Tourism Video Commercials of Incredible India Campaign

Arun Kumar Poonia, Gajendra Singh Chauhan 1-12

2. Tourists Shopping Behavior and Trip Typology: A Study in an Emerging Destination of India

Uttam Kr. Baruah, Mrinmoy K. Sarma 13-19

3. An Empirical Study of New Age Employment in Tour Operations and Allied Areas

Shyju P. J., Rinzing Lama 20-31

4. Human Resource Practices in the Non-Star Category Hotels in Kolkata

P. R. Sandilyan, Sutheeshana Babu S. 32-38

5. Human Resource Development in Tourism Sector: A Case Study of Orissa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (OTDC)

Banalata Rath 39-49

6. Films and Destination Promotion: An Exploratory Study Parvi Bharti 50-61

7. Skiing in Gulmarg: Opportunities and Challenges Shahnawaz A. Dar 62-70

Journal is also available online at www.publishingindia.com

A MultiModAl discourse AnAlysis of select tourisM Video coMMerciAls of

incredible indiA cAMpAign

Arun Kumar Poonia*, Gajendra Singh Chauhan**

Abstract The view of exotic ‘destinations’, historical monuments, locals/natives, etc., with suitably soothing background music is the hallmark of Tourism Video Commercials (TVCs). These TVCs serve to assist the prospective tourists in forming a ‘pre visit’ mental image of a destination, but are seldom researched. The present paper attempts a multimodal discourse analysis of two TVCs of “Incredible India” campaign launched in 2004 and 2013, integrating various tools from Destination Image Research Framework, Video Content Analysis and Film Analysis methodology. The repositioning of brand India is aimed by changing the ‘Overt Induced’ destination image, which is achieved with different film making and editing techniques. But there are some common elements too despite the focus shifting from the destination to the tourist. The shift also showcases India as a safe tourist destination for female tourists.

Keywords: Incredible India, Tourism Video Commercials (TVCs), Multimodal Discourse Analysis

introduction

The impact of advertisements on the modern generation can’t be denied, “In a world beset by social and environmental problems, advertising can be seen as urging people to consume more by making them feel dissatisfied or inadequate, by appealing to greed, worry and ambition” (Cook, 2001, p.2). The rise of powerful brands is a living testimony to the audacious impact of advertisements on masses. The advertising strategy varies for a product, service or an idea, and no industry can grow without proper focus on it. Travel & Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries, the industry has grown substantially over the last 10 years, and by 2014, it generated more than $1000 billion in export earnings, supporting 266 million jobs and generating 9 per cent of world GDP(World Travel and Tourism Council, 2014). With this exponential growth of tourism industry, tourist textual practices and genres are socially pervasive and ubiquitous, and have global reach and impact (Tharlow & Jaworski, 2010, p.235). According to Santulli (2007) travel and holiday experience-are a non-material commodity, thus in order to attract prospective tourists the advertisers

employ different discursive strategies while promoting tourist destinations. The main task of destination promotion i s to, “textually re-present the place” (Francesconi, 2007, p.44) so that tourists can feel as if they were “experiencing” the holiday before leaving home (Maci,2007, p.42). The Tourism Video Commercials (TVCs) can be distinctly characterized by the use of: Scene, Spectacle and Sound (SSS), to build up a destination image in the minds of the prospective tourists. These terms can be broadly defined as follows: Scene is essentially the depiction of the overall environment of the destination; Spectacle refers to the elements of culture and life style; and Sound usually is the native/folk music or something soothing ‘in sync tunes’ (as dialogues are mostly absent in majority of the TVCs). With all these elements, TVCs provide a great deal of interesting and complex multimodal text to be analyzed.Verbal, visual, audio effects are subtly combined in order to capture and hold the viewers’ attention, “engender a pleasant psychological attitude, assist concentration, place emphasis and thus leave a lasting mnestictrace”(Francesconi, 2011, p.15). Even in advertising, Video Commercials are the multi modal texts that are very close to reality and are multi sensory in experience and are closest representation of the way human

* Research Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus, Goa, India. Email: [email protected]

** Associate Professor of English and Communication, Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus, Goa, India. Email: [email protected]

Article can be accessed online at http://www.publishingindia.com

2 International Journal of Travel and Tourism Volume 8, Issue 1 & 2, 2015

beings communicate/interact. The Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) helps us understand the ways, purpose and intent of any discourse. As there exists no true meaning in a discourse the only thing that can be achieved out of it is the how and why : the process of discourse creation (tools and techniques) and the aim of the created discourse (interpretation and explanations).

Coming to the Indian context, one can easily say that the tourism industry has immense potential, and the focus started on the promotional activities in 2002 with the launch of ‘Incredible India’ campaign. This is an ‘umbrella branding’ for tourism promotion in entire nation, as until 2002, India had eighteen tourism offices abroad but there was no positioning, common branding or a clear, precise message. One foreign office called it “Spiritual India” another termed it ‘Cultural India’ and the third ‘unbelievable India’ (Kant, 2010, p.4). Even though the ‘Incredible !ndia’ campaign was a great success in creating a powerful destination brand, of India, attracting the international tourists, but, there is hardly any linguistic/discourse study of Indian TVCs. First phase of the campaign when it was launched in the overseas markets, aimed at positioning India as a wonderful, exotic destination (Incredible India Campaign, 2004). While the second phase of the campaign took a different route from 2012 onwards, when (Find what you seek, 2013) some different theme based video commercial was created, with a female model. It put the tourist at the center of attention, in stark contrast to the initial phases where destinations were paramount. Then Union Tourism Minister Mr. Chiranjeevi who attended WTM- 2012 said:

“Till now, we had been promoting India internationally from the point of view of the destinations. The Incredible India campaign which we launched in 2002 has been extremely successful. In our ‘Take II’ of the Incredible India campaign, we are going to focus on the consumer: the second phase of Incredible India campaign is Find What You Seek. It is truly in India, you will find what you are seeking” (PIB, 2014).

obJectiVes

The main objectives of this Multimodal Discourse Analysis of the selected Tourism Video Commercials (TVCs) are as given below: (i) Video Content Analysis of the selected TVCs to

compare and contrast the Destination Image Attributes using a framing index.

(ii) To find and explain the various Film making and editing techniques by which the advertisers attempted the strategic shift in brand positioning.

literAture reVieW

As Williamson (1972) says, we can only understand what advertisements mean by finding out how they mean, so advertising discourse needs to be analyzed thoroughly.“An advertisement is an instance of complex discourse, a dynamic and intangible entity made of many components” (Cook, 2001, p.5-6). According to Kress & Van Leeuwen (2006) advertisements are referred to as multimodal texts because of the presence of various elements found in the design of advertising and, “multimodality fulfills a plurality of semiotic, cognitive and emotional functions: it captures the viewers’/readers’ attention” (Francesconi, 2013, p.6). In a multimodal context, several semiotic interactions and influences happen which are not mere combination of various individual modal contexts.Thus, a Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) of Tourism Video Commercials (TVCs), where all these modes interact with each other to produce meaning is feasible for examining tourism texts. The image of a destination plays a central role in tourists’ selection process, as for tourist destinations it is clear that a variety of media sources have shaped the information about, and images of, those destinations. The aim of destination promotion is to lure prospective tourists, for whom “…destination image becomes an important component of destination selection as soon as an individual decides to travel” (Gartner, 1993, p.193). Thus, a proper investigation and research, into the process and techniques of the creation of an induced destination image by the advertisers, must be taken up.The study of TVCs is closely related to destination image analysis. The study of Tourist Destination Image has gained momentum over the years after Hunt (1975) and others initiated with borrowed methods and principles from the areas of marketing and branding research. A destination image is formed in the mind of a tourist from different and varied sources of information like news, magazines, advertising, word-of-mouth, tour, etc. Induced image is created through information received from external sources such as destination advertising (Gartner, 1993, p.196; Morgan & Pritchard, 1998, p.65), while organic images are a result of real experience of that place either by touring or through news, etc. In the present paper, our area of focus is only the study of the attributes/characteristics of these ‘Overt Induced Images’, which are under the direct control of advertisers to a large extent (Gartner, 1993, p.196).

Framing in visual media is meant for certain specific meanings using different camera and editing techniques, that involves the selection and emphasis of certain video frames. The frames, in turn are full of different denotative and connotative meanings that are subject to various interpretations by the audience. Tourism advertisers are engaged in selecting and highlighting certain images and

A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Select Tourism Video Commercials of Incredible India Campaign 3

frames to promote a destination in a desired manner. The commonly used framing method is repeating (frequency) and highlighting (duration) certain keywords, concepts, symbols and images (Entman, 1991; Pan & Kosicki, 1993, quoted in Pan et al., 2011, p.597). Santos (2002) suggests Frame Analysis technique to “determine the images and themes frequently presented about tourist destinations”. Multi modal analysis provides frameworks that help us understand how it is that the vaster ray of semiotic resources such as sound, color, movement and gesture, to name just a few, work together to produce meaning in texts like these TVCs. Tourist videos are still an under explored multimodal tourist text genre that deserves specific critical attention. TVCs serve to assist the consumers in forming a mental image of a destination, but globally they are seldom a topic of research (Francesconi, 2011, p.327 ; Pan et al., 2011, p.596 ).

reseArcH MetHodology

Two independent and differently oriented studies by Pan et al. (2011) and Francesconi (2011) on New Zealand Tourism Video Commercials (TVCs) provide the methodological frameworks for the present study. The Multimodal Analysis of TVCs has been divided into two parts: The first part deals with a Video Content Analysis of the selected TVCs, to find out the Destination Image Attributes and a Framing Index. The second part involves Film Analysis based on types of shots: Angle, Scale, and Camera Movement and Transition types.

Video content analysis techniques are widely used for feature extraction, structure analysis, abstraction and indexing (Dimitrova et al., 2002; Rose, 2007). And, for the said purpose a lot of software, like Power Director 12, Atlas.ti, Vegas Movie Studio, etc. are available. The present study though used only video editing software Power Director 12 for identifying various shots, duration of each shot and frames (video summarization). A log sheet of all shots is prepared manually for each TVC and it includes the duration and shot type.

destination image Attributes and framing index

In this study, attributes of the perceived destination images as summarized by Echtner and Ritchie (1991, p.43) and Beerli and Martin (2004, p.659) are adapted to measure the destination image framed by the two TVCs.

A brief description of every shot is written to assign a destination image attribute, based on the selected representative frame. Afterwards a Framing Index for both the TVCs was calculated based on a Framing Index Formulae as used by Pan et al. (2011, p.599):

“Frequency is calculated as the percentage of how many times a certain theme (image attribute) appears in the TV commercials. Duration is measured by the percentage of length of time a certain theme appears in the commercials. The product of these two percentages is multiplied by 10,000 and is further transformed into a scale ranging from

Fig 1. Destination Image Attributes (Beerli & Martin, 2004; Echtner & Ritchie, 1991as in Steve Pan et al. 2011)


zero to 100 to arrive at a Framing Index, which measures the weight of an attribute in terms of its degree of framing. The researchers first deduct the lowest value from all values so that the new lower limit is zero. All values are then multiplied by a quotient of new highest value (which is 100) divided by the old highest value (after deducting the old lowest value) so that the new higher limit is equal to 100.The formula is:

New Value = [(Old value- Old Lowest value)x (New Highest Value ÷ Old Highest Value) + New Lowest Value].”

Video Analysis

A shot is a sequence of frames captured from a single camera operation (Iedema, 2001, p.190), which is actually a physical basic layer in a video. A shot’s boundaries are determined by editing points or where the camera switches on or off (Dimitrova et al., 2002, p.44). Transition is the defining boundary between shots, it can be abrupt/cut(discontinuous) or it can be gradual fade/dissolve/wipes (continuous). As discussed in Francesconi (2011), O’Halloran (2004) considers the textual ranks of plot, sequence, scene, mise-en-scène and frame as structuring a video, while Iedema’s framework analysis of a TV documentary (2001, p.191-193)consists of six levels: frame, shot, scene, sequence, generic stage and work as a whole. While, Giannetti (2008, p.96-98) proposes a systematic mise en scène (arrangement of elements in a frame) analysis of any given shot that includes fifteen elements, some of them are as follows: 1. Dominant Where is our eye attracted first? Why? 2. Shot and camera proxemics what type of shot? How

far away is the camera from the action? 3. Angle Are we (and the camera) looking up or down on

the subject? Or is the camera neutral (eye level)? 4. Density how much visual information is packed into

the image? Is the texture stark, moderate, or highly detailed?

5. Framing Tight or loose? Do the characters have no room to move around, or can they move freely without impediments?

6. Depth on how many planes is the image composed? Does the background or foreground comment in any way on the midground?

7. Character placement what part of the framed space do the characters occupy? Center ? Top? Bottom? Edges ? Why?

8. Staging positions Which way do the characters look vis-à-vis the camera?

9. Character proxemics How much space is there between the characters?

Out of these elements only those elements are selected which are useful for the purpose of this study. These visual principles proposed by Halloran, Iedema, Giannetti, with appropriate modifications are applied to the analysis of the extracted shots. A visual analysis of the two TVCs is done by finding and interpreting, Camera Angles (High level, Low Level or Eye Level), Scale (Long shots, Close ups, etc.), Camera Movement (Fixed, zoom in, zoom out, Follow, handheld, etc.) and Transition type (Cut, Fade/Dissolve).

results And discussion

The two TVCs were analyzed shot by shot. TVC 1 (Incredible India 2004) consisted of 23 shots with total time duration of 58 seconds (nearly 1 minute), while in TVC 2 (Find What You Seek 2012) a total of 122 shots were identified with time duration of 176 seconds (approximately 3 minutes). Thus an average shot lasted for around 2.52 seconds in the old ad, while in the new Find what you seek campaign ad the average shot duration was 1.44 seconds. The analysis found that in the older TVC the majority of shots are more than 2 seconds in duration, in fact only 43.48 per cent are less than it. While in the new TVC 88.53 per cent of shots last less than 2 seconds and 18% even less than 1 second. This is like creating a montage effect using editing techniques, which is utilized to the full in video commercials (Giannetti, 2008).

destination image Attributes and framing index

The destination image attributes were found and based on the frequency and duration; a framing index for each attribute was calculated, as given below in Table I:

In TVC 1, the focus was clearly on Culture, history and art of the destination (DI attribute 5; Framing Index 100), with almost 64 per cent of the time was devoted to this attribute alone. Natural resources were also highlighted a bit with 30 per cent time for it (and a Framing Index value of 19), but all other attributes were almost neglected. In fact, the attributes pertaining to natural environment, social environment (interaction with locals/natives), general infrastructure and tourist infrastructure (DI Attributes 2, 5, 6, and 7 respectively) were totally absent. In ‘Find what you seek’ TVC an almost equal focus was given to several destination image attributes, with DI attribute number 4 pertaining to Culture, history and art of the destination got a Framing index value of 100. The next attributes on the Framing Index with highly significant values were Atmosphere of the place (82), social environment (interaction with locals/natives; 81), and Tourist leisure and recreation (65).


Video Analysis

Language is one of the choices among alternatives (Halliday & Matthiessen 2004:19) and it is evident in case of highly formal and professional advertising discourses as well. The meaning making potential of different modes in addition (association) to language is well utilized in multimodal texts like TVCs. The transitions, shots types, lighting, language (spoken or written), sounds, background music, represented participants, movement, proxemics, colours etc. all work in a complex way to create particular meanings. This section analyses the various elements and their meaning potential in totality, to understand the given multimodal texts in a better manner. Although our understanding of how multimodality works and creates meaning is still not very much precisely deciphered. Therefore various elements like music, lights, colors, etc. are not taken for a detailed analysis.

Both the TVCs employed only cuts as transition types from one shot to another, as there was not a single fade or dissolve being used. The abrupt cuts and the small shot duration, together create a sense of moving through various places in a thrilling speed. It also helps the advertisers to showcase the entire destination in an optimum manner. This essentially differentiates TVCs from other video commercials in the sense that, cuts are employed to fulfill the demands of spatial and temporal challenges offered by the vastness of a destination, unlike most other products or even services. Cuts also save a lot of time as compared to fades and dissolves, which is also a major concern of advertisers with their limited time to showcase. As far as lighting was concerned the two commercials has minimal indoor shots

(just 2 in the old TVC and 16 in the new one) and thus natural light was used prominently. Regarding sounds, background music almost entirely accompanies the visuals as there are no dialogues except, the phrase ‘Incredible India’ being sung(a female voice) in the last shots of both the TVCs and some background sounds like temple bells. One exception is found in 118th shot of ‘Find what you seek’ where a brief dialogue ensues between the female protagonist and the fellow traveller man, during the boat journey, when the female tourist replies (in Hindi) to a query of the fellow travelling man (in English). The selection of words and the language used by the characters is aptly selected for specific purpose and the intended messages as,“a text’s choice of wording depends on, and helps create, social relationships between participants” (Fairclough, 1989, p.116).

The background music is Indian (eight beat, Kahrwataal), vibrant and energetic and, is composed as an entire coherent piece for each of the campaign. Although the sounds and music are not analysed in this study but a major ploy by the advertisers that is routinely used in tourism advertising is the absence of local/native language used by the people of the destination. As such, there are hardly any spoken words in these two TVCs. Even when the tourist is interacting with the locals only a pleasant background score soothes the ears of the viewers, taking their thoughts away from the possible linguistic barrier they may have to face while touring the destination. The background music probably makes the TVCs more charming and enticing as it helps in doing away with all types of noises/sounds, thus enhancing the focus and engagement of the viewers. The TVCs consist of all soothing sounds only and hardly any ‘voices’ of destinations

Table I: Framing Index of Destination Image Attributes

Frequency(Shots)

TVC 1% F Duration

(Seconds) % D Framing Index

Destination Image Attributes

Frequency(Shots)

TVC 2% F Duration

(Seconds) % D Framing Index

6 26.08 17.25 29.75 19 Natural Resources 13 10.66 15.15 8.61 180 0 0 0 0 Natural Environment 1 0.82 1.2 0.68 01 4.35 1.95 3.36 1 Atmosphere 23 18.85 39.85 22.64 82

15 65.22 37 63.79 100 Culture, History & Art 29 23.77 38.51 21.88 100

0 0 0 0 0Social Environment (Helping Locals, Na-tives)

25 20.5 36.32 20.64 81

0 0 0 0 0General Infrastructure

3 2.45 4.69 2.67 1

0 0 0 0 0TouristInfrastructure

6 4.92 7.26 4.12 4

1 4.35 1.8 3.1 1 Tourist Leisure & Recreation 22 18.03 33.02 18.76 65

23 100 58 100 Total Shots 122 100 176 100


can be heard.. The name of the campaign: ‘Incredible India’ appears, followed by the website address in the old TVC and ‘Find what you seek’, followed by ‘Incredible India’ in the new TVC, that appears in white color fonts, in the last shots only. The details of shot types with regard to Camera Angle, Scale and Movement are given in the Table II above:

The above table clearly reflects the choices made by the advertisers of the two TVCs with regard to shots being taken. Eye level shots are used mainly in both videos, although the old TVC do make good use of low angle shots as well. Normally there is a kind of visual configuration, in which the represented participant looks directly into the viewer’s eyes, it is called a ‘demand’, in this kind of the image, which “the participant’s gaze . . .…demands something from the viewer and the viewer enters into some kind of imaginary relation with him or her” (Kress and van Leeuwen, 2006, p.118). But in these two videos this type of gaze is missing except for one or two instances in TVC 1. Human participants are normally filmed at eye level and by hand held camera in order to invite a process of identification in the viewers (Dann,1996b, p.71), while according to Bordwell & Thompson, “handheld

camera movement functions to create a subjective point of view” (2008, p.196), so viewers feel a more intimate association with the entire tour and the destination. As far as camera movement is concerned, bulk of the shots are, fixed shots. The new TVC deploys a very good percent of hand held shots as well, which are totally absent from the old TVC. There is drastic change in the use of hand held camera to shoot, from 0 % to 14.64% from TVC 1 to TVC 2. But majority of the shots, almost two-thirds are fixed as we can see 69.57% of fixed shots in TVC 1 and 61.79% in TVC 2.

Similarly, the shots showing no human presence especially the medium and long shots, are kind of invitation for the viewers to enter the “empty” space (Dann, 1996b). Thus the two TVCs employ almost identical (39% each) percentage of these two types of ‘invitational shots’. Close Ups (medium and extreme as well) are employed emphatically, almost 50% in both the TVCs. Bordwell & Thompson (2008) emphasize that close ups are normally used to emphasize facial expression, details of a gesture or a significant object. Normally, close ups are used to involve the audience intensively by engaging them in the feelings, emotions felt

Table II: Video Analysis

TVC 1(Frequency Shots) % Camera Angle TVC 2 (Frequency Shots) %

16 69.56522 Eye Level 110 89.430895 21.73913 Low Level 2 1.6260162 8.695652 High Level 10 8.943089

23 (Total) 100 122 100 Scale

2 8.695652 Extreme Long Shot 3 2.443 13.05 Medium Shot 37 30.96 26.09 Long Shot 23 18.72 8.7 Close Up 21 17.075 21.74 Medium CU 27 21.955 21.74 Extreme CU 11 8.94

23 122

Movement16 69.57 Fixed 75 61.791 4.35 Zoom In 4 3.250 0 Zoom Out 4 3.252 8.7 Follow 11 8.951 4.35 Pan Right 5 4.070 0 Pan Left 4 3.250 0 Track In 1 0.822 8.7 Track Out 0 01 4.35 Tilt Up 0 00 0 Hand Held 18 14.6423 122


by the character. But, TVC 2 uses the editing technique (i.e. cuts) to communicate differently even with the slightly lesser number of close ups nearly 48%, in comparison to 52% used in TVC 1. By utilizing ‘Eye Line match cuts’ TVC 2 reflects the intended interaction between the tourist and the locals as a real one. Simultaneously, the lesser number of Extreme Close Ups in TVC 2 (only 9% as compared to 22% in TVC 1) seemingly shows the female tourist in a kind of safe zone that is not too much intimate with anyone.

conclusions

The present study identifies the intended shift of Incredible India campaign in the two selected TVCs, which is established through a proper multimodal discourse analysis. The aim of TVCs is to show the life, culture and heritage, picking bits and pieces and gluing them together using video editing techniques, to make it feel like a tour of the destination and thus establishing a pre visit expectant ‘Tourist Gaze’ (Urry, 2002, p.1).The analysis has put forth in concrete terms what and how of this strategic shift. The first TVC was basically a more stereotypical way of showcasing India as a tourist destination, i.e. the opening shot is of TajMahal. While in ‘Find What You Seek’ campaign, a young female model is shown as a ‘foreign’ tourist, roaming around India, interacting with the locals (mostly males), and exploring the destination as well as her own interests. The aim of TVC 2 is to arouse a feeling of an ‘interactive’ destination that will provide whatever you as a tourist wish to find out. The aim of this strategic shift is not only to promote what India has to offer as a tourist destination but also, to highlight the safety issues particularly for female tourists. This is evident in the destination image framing index where the interaction with locals/natives is absent in TVC 1, while in TVC 2 it is highly prominent. Secondly, the high number of close up shots in TVC 2, with eye line match cuts shows the female tourist interacting with local males in close proximity but without any kind of fear or discomfort. Similarly, her speaking the Indian language and telling that she is coming ‘doosribaar’ to India further strengthens that India is safe and even worth coming second time. Also, the native using English in Find What You Seek, is a message for prospective tourists that language barrier will not be a big issue in India and many a people do know English language. The use of handheld camera in TVC 2 (which is totally absent in TVC 1) also lends a lot of subjectivity and personal touch to the prospective tourist while watching the video. This gives a lot of credibility to the interactions, recreation and adventures undertaken by the protagonist in the commercial. The theme of tourist adventures and recreation was almost absent in TVC 1, while it is well highlighted in TVC 2 (with a Framing Index of 65). The only common frames in the two TVCs can be summarized based on analysis are the images of ayurvedic body massage, boat race, the lake, the colors of

holi. Although common but even these frames are presented in totally different light. Both the TVCs essentially highlight the indispensable importance of Culture, history and art of the destination for promoting any destination, even when a strategic shift in brand positioning is intended.

Thus the present paper intends to start a look into how India is being ‘framed’ as a destination over the years. There is hardly any study related to Incredible India campaign from a multimodal discourse analysis perspective. The study can help the promoters to look at what ‘frames’ are to be promoted and how. Based on it, the future campaigns can be more creative and stimulating, with an awareness of what intended impact is expected on the prospective tourists with proper selection of images and various video and editing techniques.

references

Beerli, A., & Martin, J. D. (2004). Factors influencing destination image. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(3), 657-681.

Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2008), Film Art: An Introduction, (8th ed.), McGraw Hill, New York.

Cook, G. (2001). The discourse of advertising (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.

Dann, G. (1996b). The People of Tourist Brochures”, in Selwyn, T.(ed.), The Tourist Image: Myths and Myth Making in Tourism. JohnWiley&Sons, Chichester, pp.61-81.

Dimitrova, N., Zhang, H.-J., Shahraray, B., Sezan, I., Huang, T., & Zakhor, A. (2002). Applications of Video-Content Analysis and Retrieval, IEEE Multimedia, 9(3), 42-55.

Echtner, C. M., & Ritchie, J. R. B. (1991). The meaning and measurement of destination image. Journal of Tourism Studies, 2(2), 2-12.

Entman, R. M. (1991). Framing U.S. coverage of interna-tional news: Contrasts in narratives of the KAL and Iran air incidents. Journal of Communication, 41(4), 6-27.

Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and Power. Longman, London.

Francesconi, S. (2007). English for Tourism Promotion: Italy in Tourism Texts. Hoepli, Milano.

Francesconi, S. (2011). Multimodally Expressed Humour Shaping Scottishness in TouristPostcards. The Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 9(1), 1-17.

Francesconi, S. (2011). New Zealandas“ the youngest coun-try on earth”: A Multimodal Analysis of a Tourist Video. Textus, 24, 323-340.

Francesconi, S. (2013). Reading tourism texts: A multimodal analysis. Channel View, Bristol UK, Publication.

Gartner, W. C. (1993). Image formation process. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 2(3), 191-215.


Giannetti, L. (2008). Understanding movies (11th ed.). Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2004). An introduction to functional grammar (3rd ed.), Arnold, London.

Hunt, J. D. (1975). Image as a factor in tourism develop-ment. Journal of Travel Research, 13(3), 1-7.

Iedema, R. (2001). Analysing Film and Television. A Social Semiotic Account of Hospital: An Unhealthy Business”, in T. vanLeeuwen and C. Jewitt (eds), Handbook of Visual Analysis, Sage, London, pp. 183-204.

Incredible India Campaign (2004). TVC Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mcA1-3pJaE[Accessed on 16th July 2014].

Incredible India Campaign (2013), Find What You Seek, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaA1cyJnOjU[Accessed on 20th July 2014].

Kant, A. (2010). Branding India: An incredible story, Harper Collins, India.

Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading images: The grammar of visual design (2nd ed.). Routledge, New York.

MaciS. (2007). Virtual Touring: The Web-language of Tourism. Linguisticae Filologia, 25, 41-65.

Morgan, N., & Pritchard, A. (1998). Tourism promotion and power: Creating images, creating identities, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

O’Halloran, K. (2004). VisualSemiosisinFilm”, in K.O’ Halloran (ed.). Multi- modal Discourse Analysis: Systemic Functional Perspectives, Continuum, London, pp.110-130.

Pan, Z., & Kosicki, G. M. (1993). Framing analysis: an approach to news discourse. Political Communication, 10(1), 55-75.

Pan, S., Tsai H., & Lee, J. (2011). Framing New Zealand: Understanding tourism TV commercials. Tourism Management, 32, 596-603.

PIB. (2014) Paradigm Shift in Incredible India Campaign Focus on Consumer Instead ofDestination Says Union Tourism Minister. Retrieved from:http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=88966 [Accessed 16th July 2014].

Rose, G. (2007). Visual methodologies: An introduction to the interpretation of visual methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications, CA.

Santos, C. A. (2002). A study of tourism discourse: The New York Times travel section coverage of tourism in Portugal, Unpublished PhD Thesis, The Pennsylvania State University.

Santulli, F. (2007). The Rhetoric of Multimodality: The Persuasive Power of Verbal-visual Interplay”, in G. Garzone, P. Catenaccio and G. Poncini (eds), Multimodality in Corporate Communication: Webgenres and Discursive Identity, Angeli, Milano, pp.31-54.

Thurlow, C., & Jaworski, A. (2010). Tourism discourse: Language and global mobility. Palgrave MacMillan, London.

Urry, J. (2002). The Tourist Gaze, Sage Publication, New Delhi.

Williamson, J. (1972). Decoding advertisements: Ideology and meaning in advertising, Boyars, London.

WTTC. (2014). Welcome to World Travel & Tourism Council. Retrieved from http://www.wttc.org/ [accessed on 20th Dec. 2014].


Appendix

Table- TVC 1 Video Content Analysis

Shot Number Duration(seconds) Represented Participant(s)/Objects Transition

Type1 2.35 TajMahal shown with Sun rising on its left. C2 2.75 A lady offering morning prayer C3 2.05 Mountains C4 2.2 A waterfall C5 2.4 A lady and some people doing some yoga, out in the sand dunes C6 1.9 Lighted lamps floating in front of a deity C7 1.4 A girl near a lake C8 2.75 Two ladies in boating in a lake C9 6.65 A man playing a drum outdoors C10 5.25 Boat Race C11 1.52 Two ladies shown, one applying Mehandi on another’s palms C12 1.1 -----do------ C13 1.65 People dancing outdoors C14 1.8 Two ladies giving a body massage to a female ‘tourist’ C15 2.35 A dancer is shown in front of a waterfall doing a kind of warrior dance C16 2.35 A lady showering rose petals from a balcony of a palace C17 2.85 A lake in the mountains C18 1.2 Two persons are shown in a kind of warrior dance (outdoors) C19 2.32 People playing with colors and dancing C20 1.95 Two ladies in white dress running with flowers in their hands, near a lake. C

21 1.3 A lady is shown dancing, in a rural mud house with a water pot on her head. C

22 1.9 A group of artists playing drums and dancing (outdoors) C

23 6

An elephant is shown sprinkling water on its body. Folds its trunk to gesture a welcome. A female voice sings Indiaaaa Incredible Indiaaaa. The words Incredible India appears on the top right hand side, while www.incredibleindia.org appears on the right hand bottom, both in white color font.

C

Total 58 sec. Average Shot Duration 2.5 seconds C= Cut

Table: TVC 2 Video Content Analysis

Shot Number

Duration(seconds) Represented Participant(s)

Scene Description(Collection of shots with same

theme)

TransitionType

1 1.7 A sheep1 FP practicing Yoga in the open with a trainer, probably at dawn.

C2 1.9 Female Protagonist (FP) doing yoga C3 1.63 FP doing Yoga C4 1.17 FP in a boat in a lake

2. The FP boats around in a lake with natives doing their chores.

C5 1.33 Boats in the lake C6 1.1 A boatman C7 0.8 Fishermen in lake C


8 1.05 FP in hills with a motorbike

3. The bike of the FP is not working and she is alone in the mountains. She is helped by two males, riding their horses. She rides away on her bike, thanking them.

C

9 2.25 FP having trouble with her bike;two local horse rid-ers C

10 1.9 Two riders crosses FP C11 1.8 Comes back to help FP C

12 1.36 FP shakes hands with one of them thanking for their help C

13 1.36 The two persons riding horse C14 1.13 FP rides away on her bike C15 0.8 FP playing carom with some kids 4. She plays carom with kids (prob-

ably Buddhists)C

16 1.2 -------do------- C17 1.07 Coconut trees

5. The FP is shown with an Indian, where she is enjoying a coconut drink and talking to him

C18 0.6 Coconut peeled off C19 0.5 ----do----- C20 1 FP enjoying coconut with a local C21 1 -------do-------- C22 0.8 -------do--------- C23 1.6 ---------do---------- C24 0.75 ---------do----------- C25 1 --------do----------- C26 0.9 Some girl traveller in an airport

6. Moves to another place by airC

27 0.8 FP in an airport C28 1.25 FP on a bike with a couple 7. Enjoys a motorcycle ride through a

vast barren stretch of land with an In-dian (Rajasthani) couple

C29 1.5 --------do----------- C30 1.4 A vast stretch of land C

31 1 FP in a swimming pool, in some yoga position, lying on her back 8. She is shown relaxing in a swim-

ming pool (beating the heat)C

32 1.5 --------do----------- C33 1.43 A crowded cricket stadium

9. Inside a crowded cricket stadiumC

34 2.8 FP among spectators, standing C35 1.36 FP with some Indian ladies

10. Visits Golden Temple with some Sikh ladies.

C36 1.33 -----do--------- C37 1.6 Golden Temple C38 1.66 FP inside a huge rubber ball

11. She is shown enjoying various ad-venturous activities in the mountains. Snow clad peaks and trekkers lined up moving across it.

C

39 1.6 With a person inside, the Giant ball is rolling down-hill C

40 1.07 FP with an person doing a parachute jump C41 2.2 --------do------------ C42 1.17 FP gearing up for a mountain hike C

43 1.43 Snow clad mountains with a streak of mountaineers moving C

44 1 FP relaxing on snow lying C45 1.5 ---------do------------ C46 1.07 Oil massage on a person’s back

12. A person is taking oil massage, . The identity of the person is not shown. In the last shot, FP in a bath tub

C47 1 -----do----on hands C48 1.2 ---do--------on legs C49 1.1 ------do……feet (2 pairs of hands are involved) C50 1.9 FP taking a herbal tub bath C


51 1.9 Town with Blue Colored houses

13. Tasting local food with the natives and interacting with them.

C52 1.23 In the streets of the city, locals moving around C53 1.5 FP relishing some drink at local’s house C54 1.17 FP talking with the local male C55 1.23 FP tasting some sweets C56 1.2 Local explaining to FP about something C57 1.43 FP in in her hotel bed

14. SleepsC

58 1.43 FP nodding her head in sleep C59 0.9 A Tiger

15. Enjoying wildlife in a jeep and later on an elephant accompanied by a male. Rhinos are seen and photographed.

C60 1.1 Tiger C61 1.6 FP standing in an open jeep (safari) C

62 0.8 FP being told something by a male guide/Indian tourist C

63 1.45 A Rhino is grazing C

64 2.25 FP enjoying elephant safari with a male Indian tour-ist/guide, clicking Rhinos C

65 1.13 FP continues her elephant safari C66 1.3 A man with a mask of tiger

16. Watches some mask dance and rel-ishes an ice cream to beat the heat in the street.

C67 1.07 Some mask dance C68 1.3 FP watching the dance C69 0.8 An ice cream C70 0.5 FP relishing the ice cream C71 0.6 ----do------ C72 1.46 FP trying rock climbing, fellow rock climbers 17. Rock climbing C73 2.17 Cyclists on a mountainous terrain

18. Goes for cycling in mountains, falls down and her elbow is bruised. Helped by fellow male cyclists. She is shown with some ladies in a house who treats her wound with some local home pre-pared herbal ointment. All is well.

C74 1.17 Cycling down the slope C75 1.8 FP falls from cycle; other male cyclists rush to her C76 1.63 FP helped ; Elbow bruised C77 1.7 Some herbs being crushed by a lady C78 1.9 A lady applies herbs on FP’s elbow C79 1.4 FP in talks with the ladies C80 1 FP looking at her elbow C81 1 ------do---------- C 82 1.1 FP removing the dried herb from elbow C 83 1.2 FP looking at her healed elbow C84 0.9 An aeroplane takes off

19. Flies away to another destination.C

85 1.5 FP sleeping inside aeroplane C86 1.4 FP meditating on a river bank

20. Meditates on a river bank, plays chess with ‘sadhus’.

C87 1.8 FP playing a Game of chess with monks C88 1.13 -------do------- C89 1.37 FP playing colors with locals

21. Enjoying playing colors and danc-ing with locals.

C90 1.5 People ------do------ C91 1.43 FP ------do-------- C92 1.3 A stern looking portrait inside a hotel room

22. Inside her hotel room, with some portraits. Goes to sleep under a quilt, a bit scared.

C93 1.8 FP looking at the portrait C94 1.5 Another portrait in the room C95 1.2 FP goes to sleep under a blanket C


96 1.3 Boat race

23. Stands with some locals in a boat and enjoys a snake boat race.

C97 1.3 ---do---- C98 2.13 ----do---- C99 1.36 FP in a boat with locals hooting during the boat race C100 1.46 FP in a field of dried chilies, sneezing around 24. Roaming around sneezing, in a

field of dried chilies. Workers working around.

C101 1.56 ----do----- C102 2.63 -----do---- C103 1.63 FP rushes with a tiny bag

25. Rushes for a bus in some hilly vil-lage. Puts her muffler on a seat through the window. Talks with her fellow pas-sengers.

C104 1.8 Crowd waiting for bus C105 1.73 FP occupies a seat in ‘Indian way’ C106 1.4 FP rushes to enter the bus with others C107 1.46 FP moving to her seat in the bus C

108 1.6 FP on her seat as bus moves, interacts with fellow passenger C

109 1.5 Glider moving in air26. A glider (boat) lands on river sur-face.

C110 1.6 -----do------ C111 1.6 Glider lands on river surface C

112 2.1 FP along sea coast with an elephant and a male per-son

27. Moving around sea coast with an elephant. Swims with it in sea.

C

113 1.17 -----do----- C114 1.7 FP lying on Elephant C115 1.8 FP swimming along with elephant in the sea C116 2 ------do----- C

117 2 FP travelling with locals in a boat, a man asks her: You First time in India? 28. Travelling in a boat, crossing the

river, a dialogue between FP and a lo-cal male is heard. Sun is setting. The sound of river water and some birds. A female voice sings Indiaaaa.

C

118 4 FP replies to the man, in his language: Naahi, doos-ribaar C

119 2.7 Boat moves on with travellers, sun going down in the west. C

120 1.7 FP lighting a lamp on river bank 29. It is dark and lamps are lighted by her, on a river bank. Temple bells can be heard in the background. Find what you seek and Incredible India appears on the screen, while a female voice is heard singing the words Incredible In-diaaaa.

C121 1.3 ------do------ C

122 3.45 River bank with a few lighted lamps inside baskets on bamboo poles C

176 Sec-onds Av Shot Duration 1.44 seconds C= Cut

TourisTs shopping Behavior and Trip Typology: a sTudy in an emerging

desTinaTion of india

Uttam Kr. Baruah* , Mrinmoy K. Sarma**

Abstract Research findings consistently indentified the importance of inbound tourist’s shopping activities as contributor to local economy. This paper analyses the shopping expenditure of domestic tourists in the Northeast India. Previous studies show the associations of tourists’ trip typologies and demographic profiles, particularly, of the international tourists with shopping expenditures. A study was carried out in 2011 by employing a convenient method of sampling survey in Northeastern region of India comprising seven sister states to examine the association of trip typology, marital status and gender of domestic tourists with expenditure on shopping. The results indicate probable association of shopping expenditure with trip typology and gender while marital status does not seem to influence expenditure on shopping. Among tourists of different typologies, ‘Rural and culture’ tourists scaled high reflecting maximum expenditure on shopping while ‘Nature and parks’ tourists as well as ‘Active outdoor’ tourists incurred least on shopping. Gender-wise segmentation indicates female tourists as high spender than male counterparts. It is advisable to retailers in destination areas to orient their products offerings attractive to the female tourists visiting to enjoy rural & cultural tourists and also those come with family members for leisure purposes.

Keywords: Trip Typologies, Shopping, Tourist’s Expenditure, Domestic Tourists

inTroduCTion

The importance of shopping to the economy of the destination areas has been well documented in research findings. Shopping has been identified as most popular activity among tourists (Kent, 1983) or the second largest component of tourists expenditures (Li, 1999) and even some times posed as major attraction drawing tourists to buy (Kim and Littrell, 2001; Moscardo, 2004). But study on tourism shopping is still limited and in an exploratory stage (Meng, 2012). While a person might not travel for the purpose of shopping, many tourists shop while traveling (Kinley, 2012; Keown, 1989; Meng, 2012). Shopping is the primary means of generating tourism revenue and contribution to local economic development (Littrell, 2004, Jansen-Verbeke, 1998). Shopping expenditure forms a significant portion of tourists travel budget. Evidences show that there have been constant increases in the share of shopping expenditure to total trip budget. Kent (1983) reported that tourist’s expenditure on shopping formed 18% of the total expenditure of tourists and Lleave (2005) found that this segment of expenditure constitutes more than 25% ($24.05) of the total budget. In another study conducted by Law and Au (2000) explored that tourist’s expenditure on shopping ranges from 33%

to 56% of the total travel spending. Tourists indulge on shopping for two basic reasons of utility and pleasure (Yuan, 2013). Different motivations and trip-related characteristics are associated with the decision regarding participation in shopping and level of expenditure (Alegre 2012; Oh, 2004).Tourist’s expenditure on shopping is influenced by travel motivation which in turn, influenced shopping center attributes (Kinley, 2012). Tourist shopping intention and actual purchase behavior are also influenced by indicators like planned behavior, impulsive behavior, and experiential consumption factors (Meng, 2012). The amount spent on shopping by tourists at festivals also has association whether they are new comer and repeated comer. New tourists spend less than 30% of the total tourists spending at the festivals (Damonte. 2013). As evidenced, tourists shopping activities have cascading impact on the local economy. destination marketers are showing increasingly interest in matching shopping facilities along with destination positioning. But shopping behaviour of tourists may not remain uniform over the periods and across the destinations. In particular, it may be different between domestic and inbound (e.g., foreign) tourists. Despite increased interest shown by researchers on shopping activities, there is limited empirical research on domestic tourists’ shopping behaviour even though such

* Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, Darrang College, Tezpur, Assam, India. [email protected]

** Professor, Department of Business Administration and former Dean, School of Management Sciences, Tezpur University, Assam, India. [email protected]



studies may provide insights about how domestic tourists behave while shopping, and such information may add impetus in efforts to lure and make the tourists to go for shopping. Brookman (1998) expedited that international tourists are very lucrative for retailers as about 85% of them rate shopping as number one activity. On the other hand Menente(2000) reported that the total tourism consumption in Italy in 1997 was € 67.8 billion of which 38.6% was spent by International tourists and 61.4% by domestic tourists. Thus there is a case for analysing domestic tourists’ influence in shopping in the Indian context also.

liTeraTure revieW

As tourist activity, shopping deserves good attention from both the researchers and destination marketers (Lehto, 2004). The associations of demographic characteristics, trip typologies, opportunities to shop etc., with shopping behaviour have been well documented. There are associations between tourist preferences and trip typologies with spending on shopping (Lehto, 2004; Hobson, 1996; Oh, 2004). Travel motivation is found to be an important contributing determinant of expenditure on shopping (Yuan, 2013; Alegre 2012; Kinley, 2012; Anderson, 2010).Tourist’s involvement in shopping is also not uniform across tourists of different typologies (Kincade, 2001; Gursoy, 2003; Littrell, 2004). Tourist shopping intention and actual purchase behavior are influenced by various indicators, including planned behavior, impulsive behavior, and experiential consumption factors (Meng, 2012). ‘Opportunity to shop’ in the destination areas also play key role in motivating tourists to get involved on shopping (Lehto l, 2004; Snepenger, 2003; Suh, 2005).

Demographic characteristics of tourists like gender, age, employment and marital status are identified as significant factors influencing the amount of money spent on shopping and the items that they preferred to buy (Oh, 2004; Anderson 1995; Anderson 1996; Kim, 2001; Littrell, 1994). Researchers also explored the role of ‘price differences’ between place of origin and destination visited in tourist’s involvement on shopping (Timothy, 1995; Keown, 1989). Some researchers confirmed the stimulating influence of tourists’ cultural background on shopping activity (Telfer, 2000; Mok, 2000; Jansen-Verbeke, 1991; Kim, 2001) and even attitudes that tourists hold towards other cultures may influence their travel experience including souvenir purchase intentions. Brinda (2013) studied the influence of perceived authenticity of cultural event and their product on shopping expenditure and found that tourists are more likely to spend more if they perceive product as authentic. Realizing tourists’ propensity to shop, some destination marketers have started to blend it with destination image (Gets, 1994, Kent, 1983).

This study departs from previous studies in the sense that shopping behaviour was examined among the domestic tourists rather than inbound or international tourists. The current study examines the tourist’s shopping behaviours in Northeastern region of India. Northeast India consisted of seven states of India namely, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura. The region has got its own identity due to its unmatched physical, economic and socio-cultural characteristics. This region of India is credited with unique and unspoiled natural beauty with abundant varieties of flora and fauna, melodious folk music and dance, indigenous festivals, delicious local dishes, and craftworks. Tourism resources of this part of India have become popular destinations for domestic tourists originated from different parts of the country. Besides, the number of foreign tourists visit to this part of India cannot be underestimated. According to the statistics released by Department of Tourism, Government of India, in the year 2012, the number of domestic tourists visiting all states of India was estimated to be 104,50,47,536 that registers a growth rate of 9.59 percent. The number of domestic tourists visiting to all the seven states were estimated to be 59,20,395. A part from domestic tourists, 39,813 foreign tourists visited the Northeast India in 2012. Thus, the number domestic tourist visiting this part of the country is not discouraging.

oBJeCTives of The sTudy

Previous studies carried out across different countries show the associations of demographic or other attributes like age, gender, marital status, trip typology, travel motivations, cultural background, price differences, opportunity to shop etc, with shopping behaviours and preferences towards shopping (Oh, 2004; Anderson 1995; Anderson 1996; Kim, 2001; Littrell, 1994; Timothy, 1995; Keown, 1989; Telfer, 2000; Mok, 2000; Jansen-Verbeke, 1991; Kim, 2001). These studies were conducted among international tourists. However, the authors are not aware of any study in India covering such aspects. The current study attempts to examine the association of trip typologies, marital status and gender with shopping behaviour among domestic tourists with a sample of travelers originated from within India who have visited Northeast India. The objectives of this paper are: 1. To see the association of trip typologies with the

amount spent on shopping, 2. To see the association of gender and marital status of

domestic tourists with the amount spent on shopping, and

3. To give opinion for possible managerial implications so that retailers may orient the products offerings attractive to tourists.

Tourists Shopping Behavior and Trip Typology: A Study in an Emerging Destination of India 15

meThodology adopTed for The sTudy

In order to provide a better understanding of tourists’ needs and motivations, researchers have developed several tourist typologies using different parameters (Dey, 2006). Littrell (1994) developed trip typology on the basis of tourists travel style. Accordingly, four types of travelers were identified: people-oriented visitors, history and park visitors, urban entertainment profile and active outdoor profile. In another study, Yu (2003) developed trip typologies based on travel experience and behaviours. Trip typologies developed include the social & cultural tourists, spectator & recreational tourists and outdoor tourists. Again to augment the profiles of senior travellers by comparing and contrasting on shopping variables, Littrell (2004) factored trip typology into outdoors, cultural, sports and entertainment tourists. In that study, typologies were developed based on travel activities. In another study, Oh (2004) took the basis of trip typology as experiences sought by tourists during trips and accordingly seven typologies were generated to describe experience factors. These include active outdoor, history and park, social with friends, urban entertainment, escape and people, intimacy and romance and relaxed with family groups. Considering the nature and feature of the destinations of Northeast India, in the current study typologies are developed on the basis of experiences tourists sought during trips. Accordingly, four travelers are identified which include rural and cultural oriented, nature and parks oriented, active outdoor oriented and relax with family group. These segments of tourists have been drawn from the study of Oh (2004). ‘Nature and Park’ tourists are those who come to enjoy the flora, fauna, and other natural resources. This segment comes particularly to visit parks and sanctuaries. The tourists visiting rural areas of the region to see the culture, belief, life style, culinary art etc. are classified as ‘Rural and cultural’ tourists. Again, ‘Active outdoor tourists’ represents the segment who come to participate in sports, adventure activities etc. and finally many tourists come with family members just for leisure purposes and to have a break from their routine life, they are assumed as ‘Relaxed with family members’.

The reason behind choosing Northeast India was that the region is an emerging destination particularly for enjoying flora, fauna, culture, religion, leisure, natural beauty and relaxation with family members. The region is famous among national tourists and has been becoming popular destination among international tourists.

Using a visitor exit-survey, a total of 650 domestic/national tourists visiting the Northeast India were interviewed of which 407 questionnaires were finally accepted for analyses. The criterion for rejection of rest of the questionnaires was non-spending on shopping. The survey was a self-administered

one and respondents who were just finishing their visit were interviewed. Data were collected by employing a convenient sampling survey. The convenient sample consisted of non-resident to the region that were visiting for leisure, religion, culture, history, outdoor activities, and to have relaxed time with families. Only one person of a family was interviewed in two exit points - viz. Shillong and Guwahati. The respondents were interviewed personally and they were requested to score in a 10-point Likert-type interval scale indicating lowest scale ‘1’ as least expenditure and highest scale ‘10’ as maximum expenditure. The survey was conducted during November and December, 2011. The data were collected by distributing a self-administered structured questionnaire. The instrument was used to collect specific data on trips characteristics such as purposes of visit, destinations visited, information sources, use of tour operator and travelers socio-demographic factors. One way ANOVA tests were conducted to test the relationship of Trip typology and age with the level of expenditure on shopping. Further, to test the association of expenditure on shopping with gender and marital status, Independent Sample T-test was performed.

The break-up of respondents on the basis travel motivations include 75 ‘Rural and cultural’ tourists, 137 ‘Nature and parks tourists’, 114 ‘Active outdoor tourists’ and 81 ‘Relaxed with families tourists’. Gender-wise the respondents included 224 male tourists and 184 female tourists. In terms of marital status, majority of the respondents are married (232).

disCussion on ouTComes

The findings of the study are explained in the next section.

a. Trip Typology and shopping expenditure

Domestic tourists’ expenditure on shopping was examined in relation to trip typology and as well as age, gender and marital status. Here a null hypothesis that tourists’ average shopping expenditure remains equal irrespective to their affiliation to type of experience is tested at the significance level (α=.05).

One way ANOVA test returned a p value of .000 (see Table-I). This implies that the null hypothesis is rejected and trip typologies are found to be significantly related with the amount of tourists’ shopping expenditure.

The test result shows that ‘Nature and parks’ tourists as well as ‘Active outdoor’ tourists incur smaller amount on shopping while ‘Rural and cultural’ tourists and ‘Relaxation with family’ tourists incur the maximum amount on shopping. In order to explore the groups showing significant differences, we conducted the levene’s test of homogeneity


of variances. The levene’s statistics table of homogeneity derived the p value as .229 and hence Bonferroni’s multiple table was adopted for further investigation. This multiple comparison table (annexure-i) indicates the existence of significant differences across tourist groups. The differences among tourists of different trip typology in relation with expenditure incurred on shopping are apparent (see Table-II). The mean values reproduced in the descriptive Table-II show that ‘Rural and cultural’ tourists are the high spending category tourists on shopping (mean-6.56) followed by ‘Relax with family members’ tourists (mean 6.27); ‘Nature and park’ tourists (mean 3.22) and ‘Active outdoor’ tourists (mean 2.95). The multiple comparison table (see Annexure-i) exhibits the pair of groups with significant differences. Accordingly, differences in the extents of money spent are apparent between ‘Rural and cultural’ tourists and ‘Nature and park’; between ‘Rural and cultural’ tourists and ‘Active outdoor’ tourists; between ‘Relax with family member’ tourists and ‘Nature and park’ tourists; and between ‘Relax with family member’ and ‘Active outdoor’ tourists.

B. gender and shopping expenditure

Gender-wise classification of the sample shows 224 male and 183 female tourists. The independent sample t-test conducted to test the influence of gender on shopping expenditure, results of which are reproduced in the Table-III. It shows the association of gender with shopping expenditure The Independent sample t-test returned a p value of .008 at α= 0.05 indicating the null hypothesis that the average expenditure on shopping between male and female tourists is same has been rejected comfortably. The group statistics

table (see annexure-ii) shows the mean value of male as 3.2 as against 3.8 of female tourists. Thus, female tourists scored higher mean (though marginal, but significant at α=.05) than the male counterparts. This result is consistent with other such studies involving gender of tourists and their souvenir purchasing behaviour (e.g., Kim and Littrell, 2001; Suh and McAvoy, 2005).

C. marital status and shopping expenditure

The profile of sample classified on the basis of their marital status includes 232 married tourists while 175 tourists surveyed are single. The analysis of the responses shows that the influence of marital status on shopping expenditure is not significant. The independent samples test conducted derived the p value of .125 at 95% levels of confidence. Although the data reproduced in the Table-IV shows that the mean value of married tourists (3.6) is more than the mean value of unmarried tourists (3.2) but the difference is not significant as indicated by the t-test (see Table-IV). The result of the current study about association of marital study with regard to expenditure on shopping is inconsistent with previous studies. As seen that married women has the highest involvement level in making shopping expenditure (Zalatan, 1998). Kim and Littrell (2001) discovered the existence of association between marital status and shopping intentions, this characteristic was not found to prevail in predicting shopping expenditure of tourists in current study. Thus, taken the marital status as independent variable, domestic tourists cannot be segmented for amount spent on shopping.

Table I: Shopping and Trip Typologies

ANOVAShopping Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 1064.833 3 354.944 101.332 .000Within Groups 1411.620 403 3.503Total 2476.452 406

Table II: Descriptive values

Trip typologies N Mean S.D.95% confidence internal for meanLower Upper

Rural entertainment 756.56

1.981 6.10 7.02

Nature and parks 137 3.22 1.881 2.90 3.54Active outdoor 114 2.95 1.739 2.62 3.27Relaxed with family members 81 6.27 1.930 5.84 6.70Total 407 4.37 2.470 4.13 4.61


ConClusion

This study was designed to contribute scholarly and applied understanding by destination marketers of what influences domestic tourists when they intends to shop while travelling. The first objective intended to find out whether there is association of trip typologies with the amount spent on shopping. The analysis of primary data shows that the extent of money spent on shopping significantly differs across various segments of tourists. Relation exists between certain categories of trip typology and shopping expenditure. ‘Rural and cultural’ tourists spend maximum amount on shopping. They are the tourists visiting the region to have a look on the life style of local people and their cultural belief who are mainly tribes. The next highest spenders are ‘relaxed with family members’ tourists’. On the contrary, ‘nature and parks’ tourists as well as ‘active outdoor’ tourists spend comparatively smaller amount on shopping while on tour to tourism sites of Northeast India. Further, spending behaviour of tourists in shopping is significantly gender sensitive. Female tourists incur more than their male counterparts. The findings of the current study confirm the reports of previous studies about the existence of relationship between gender and expenditure on shopping.

limiTaTion of The sTudy

The current study results are not free from limitations. The data used in this study were collected in 2011 and hence questionable. There may be change in behaviours of tourists during a period of 3years (i.e., 2011-2014) gap. This necessitates that caution should be used in any generalization

of the findings to other areas, populations and activities. Further, the data were collected from domestic tourists of India and hence the involvement of tourists from other countries may not hold same findings.

managerial impliCaTion

Destination marketers and local vendors while concentrating on decision-making process have to consider the actual vacation activities in which particular types of tourists get involved and types of tourists visiting. Trip typology profile and gender provide more linkage with expenditure on shopping and this can be used as a useful underlying factor to influence travelers to shop. Destination managers can target the ‘Rural and cultural’ and ‘Relaxed with families’ tourists as they incur highest amount on shopping. Besides, retailers may orient their products offerings attractive to the female tourists coming to enjoy rural and cultural resources as well as leisure purposes.

sCope for fuTure sTudy

As majority of the tourists visiting the regions is ‘Nature and parks’ tourists but they spend less on shopping. Future study may concentrate on exploring the reasons behind such behaviour and thus may provide ways to configure products they intend to buy. A limitation of this study is that the data were not collected on specific shopping items, as a whole data were collected. In future research, tourists’ expenditure on shopping can be measured on specific items. Finally, in the current study, seven states are taken together as one

Table III: Shopping and Gender

Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means

Shopping F Sig. t df Sig. (2 tailed)

Mean Difference

Std. Error Difference

95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

Lower UpperEqual variances assumed .000 .986 -2.660 405 .008 -.6297 .23672 -1.09506 -.16436Equal variances not assumed -2.667 392.45 .008 -.6297 .23614 -1.09396 -.16436

Table IV: Shopping and Marital Status

Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df Sig. (2 tailed)

Mean Difference

Std. Error Difference

95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

ShoppingEqual variances assumed

.799 .372 1.538 405 .125 .3680 .23923 Lower Upper

-.10233 .83824

Equal variances not assumed 1.545 380.925 .123 .3680 .23814 -.10029 .83620


region; in future research, each state may be considered individually to measure tourists’ expenditure on shopping.

referenCes

Alegre, J., & Cladera, M. (2012).“Tourist characteristics that influence shopping participation and expenditures. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 6(3), 223-237.

Anderson,W. (2010). Determinants of all inclusive travel ex-penditure. Tourism Review, 65(3), 4-15.

Anderson, L., & Littrell, M. (1996). Group profiles of wom-en as tourists and purchases of souvenirs. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 25(11), 28-57.

Anderson, L., & Littrell, M. (1995). Souvenir purchase be-haviour of women tourists. Annals of Tourism search, 22(2), 328-348.

Brinda, J., Disenga, M., & Osti, L. (2013). “The effect of authenticity on visitors’ expenditure at cultural events. Current Issue in Tourism, 16(3), 266-285.

Brookman, F. (1998). Tourist Programmes hot ticket for malls. Shopping Centers Today, 19(9), 33-36.

Damonte, L., Collings, M., & Meghee, C. (2013). Segmenting tourists by direct tourism expenditures at new festivals. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 7(1), 51-57.

Dey, B., & Sarma, M. K. (2006). Tourists typologies and seg-mentation variables with regard to eco-tourists. Tourism Management, 8, 31-39.

Getz, D., Joncas, D., & Kelly, M. (1994). Tourist shopping villages in the Calvary region. Journal of Tourism Studies, 5(1), 2-15.

Gursoy, D., & Gavear, E. (2003). International leisure tour-ists’ involvement profile. Annals of Tourism Research, 30(4), 906-926.

Hobson, J. S. (1996). Leisure shopping and Tourism: A case of the South Korean market to Australia. Tourizam, 44(12), 228-244.

Jansen-Verbeke, M. (1998). The synergism between shop-ping and tourism”, In Theobald, W.F. (ed.) ‘Global Tourism: The Next Decade’. (2nd ed). Butterworth-Heineman, Oxford, pp.428-446

Jansen-Verbeke, M. (1991). Leisure shopping: A magic concept for the tourism industry? Tourism Management, 12(1), 9-14.

Kent, W., Shock P. J., & Snow, R. E. (1983). Shopping: tour-isms unsung hero (ine). Journal of Tourism Research, 21(4), 27-31.

Keown, C. F. (1989). A model of tourists’ propensity to buy, the case of Japanese visitors to Hawaii. Journal of Tourism Research, 26(3), 31-34.

Kim, S., & Littrel, M. A. (2001). Souvenir buying intentions for self versus others. Annals of Tourism Research, 28(3), 638-657.

Kincade, D., & Woodard, G. ( 2001). Shopping for souve-nir clothing. Pacific Tourism Review: An interdisciplinary Journal, 5(¾), 159-165.

Kinley., T., Forney., J., & Kim., Y. (2012). Travel motiva-tion as a determinant of shopping venue. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 6(3), 266-278.

Law, R. & Au, N. (2000). Relationship modeling in Tourism shopping: A decision rules induction approach. Tourism Management, 21(3), 241-249.

Lehto, L., Cai, L., & O’leary, J. (2004). Tourist shopping preferences and expenditure behaviors: The case of the Taiwanese Outbound Market. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 10, 320-332.

Li, K. (1999). Tourist spent RM 2.5bn on shopping in Malaysia last year. Business Times, 2, pp.02

Litrrell, M. A., Baizermam, S., Kean, R., Gahring, S., Niemeyer, S., Reilly, R., & Stout, J. A. (1994). Souvenirs and tourism styles. Journal of Travel Research, 33(1), 3-11.

Littrell, M. A., Paige., R., & Sang, K. (2004). Senior Travellers: Tourism activities and shopping behaviours. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 10(4), 348-362.

Littrell, M. A., Baizerman, S., Kean, R., Gahring, S., Niemeyer, S., Reilly, R., & Stout, J. A. (1994). Souvenirs and tourism styles. Joural of Travel Research, 31(1), 3-11.

Llave., E. (2005). Special Report: Tourism Industry Report. Business World, 5(0), 1-5.

Manente, M. (2000). Tourism consumption and interre-gional economic impacts in Italy, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12(7), 417-423.

Meng, F., & Xu, Y. (2012). Tourism shopping behav-ior: planned, impulsive, or experiential? International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 6(3), 250-265

Mok, C., & Iverson, T. J. (2000). Expenditure-based segmen-tation: Taiwanese tourists to Guam. Tourism Management, 2(3), 299-305.

Moscardo, G. (2004). Shopping as destination attraction: An empirical examination of the role of shopping in tourists’ destination choice and experience. Journal of vacation marketing, 10(4), 294-307.

Oh, J. Y., Cheng, C., Lehto, X., & O’Leary, J. (2004). Predictors’ shopping behaviour: examination of Socio-demographic characteristics and trip typologies. Journal of vacation Marketing, 10(4), 308-319.


Snepenger, D. J., Murphy, L. O., & Gregg, R. E. (2003). Tourists’ and residents use of a shopping space. Annals of Tourism Research, 30(3), 567-580.

Suh, Y. K. & McAvoy, L. (2005). Preferences and trip ex-penditures-a conjoint analysis of visitors to Seoul, Korea. Tourism Management, 26, 325-333.

Telfer, D. J., & Hashimoto, A. (2000). Nagara Ice wine Tourism; Japanese Souvenir Purchases at Inniskillin Valley. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 2(4), 343-356.

Timothy, D. J., & Butler, R. W. (1995). Cross-border shop-ping: A North American perspective. Annals of Tourism Research, 22(1), 16-34.

Yu, H., & Littrell, M. A. (2003). Product and process orien-tations to tourism shopping. Journal of Travel Research, 42(2), 140-150.

Yuan., J., Fowler., D., Goh., B., & Lauderdale., M. (2013). Mexican cross-border shoppers’ motivations to the USA. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 7(4), 394-410.

Zalatan, A. (1998). Wives’ involvement in tourism decision processes. Annals of Tourism Research, 25(4), 890-903.

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF NEW AGE EMPLOYMENT IN TOUR OPERATIONS AND

ALLIED AREAS

Shyju P. J.*, Rinzing Lama**

Abstract In this study, the authors makes an attempt to understand the aspirations of the new generation employees in tour operation business and allied areas. It is being attempted with the presumption that the takeover of information technology seeded the concept of micro enterprises in tourism which functions with the business model of low investment and good turnover. The focus was in identifying employee-specific factors of encouraging and discouraging in nature in the fast growing tourism sector, especially job attrition and the dynamics of human resource management practices. Factor Analysis, independent sample t-test, multiple regression have been used to establish various relationships. The findings of the study are considered to be relevant since it quantitatively establish the dynamics of employment in tourism in India.

Keywords: Job Attrition, Employment, Job Satisfaction, Human Resource Management

INTRODUCTION

Tourism is an invisible export for any nation in terms of the economic benefits generated from it. Revenue earned from tourism sector often encourages firms to invest in different areas of tourism business. The future of tourism industry depends on a number of factors such as tourism potential of an area, its marketability, coordination of various stake holders and the presence of service providers with quality offerings. Human resource play a vital role for any nation; in terms of tourism, the efficiency of the human resource decides the quality of offering and the skills of employees often termed as assets. Ensuring the prompt service delivery, keeping the benchmarks in standards impacts tourism industry in any country. UNWTO reports hints that 296 million job opportunities will be created by tourism by the end of 2019 (ILO, 2011).

Tourism industry in India is in a growing stage. Tourism has been an interesting topic to administrators and all efforts have been taken up to promote tourism in India. Convergence of electronic/online business and traditional travel business posed some serious challenges to the travel and tourism sector. In tourism industry ‘Tour Operation Business’ generate sizable amount of foreign exchange earnings from inbound operations. Outbound market is attracted by the newly rich and the elites alike. As per tourism statistics

of Ministry of Tourism (2014), 13 million people travel abroad from India. which is almost double of foreign tourist arrivals to Idnia. Domestic Tour Operation market is grown substantially well and it provides good turn over to small tour operating companies.

But in a short span of time companies realized that changing the existing pattern of traditional business to online business mode not only compliment their present revenue, but also introduce new horizons of business relations across the globe thereby making sure that their presence in the virtual world. This switching also made possible by the rapid expansion of information technology in all sphere of tourism industry. The result of the new face of tourism business made possible by the entry of young professionals in tourism, most of them are qualified from universities or institutes offering tourism education at various levels.

Looking at the bright side of tourism industry and its growth several institutes and universities introduced several academic programmes to impart tourism and hospitality education. But the level of commitment required for job, challenges as multitasking nature of job, need of high degree of efficiency and good interpersonal relations pose real time challenges to candidates to continue the profession or switch to other jobs.

* Assistant Professor (Tourism), Faculty of Arts, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Email: [email protected], [email protected]

** Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. Email: [email protected].


An Empirical Study of New Age Employment in Tour Operations and Allied Areas 21

Background of the Study

The IT enabled tourism industry offered new opportunities for young professionals such as Web designers, content editing, website updation, networking etc. in the technical front, and query handling, tour itinerary designing, costing, etc. in operations. Human resource requirements of the industry have multiplied in the last few years. Most of the tour operating companies face problem from lack of availability of qualified, trained and experienced employees.

The new generation employees of tourism business adapt themselves to changing environment of tourism operation business and allied areas quickly by being part of the team. Integration of the young employees with technology (software use in tour operation business, query handling, website updation), management team decide business policy and people in operations area work on logistics and tourist movements at the site. Experience gained in this field help every employee to utilize the opportunities to climb up the organization hierarchy in due course of time or establish their own business entity. Opportunities in tourism and travel trade have been widely utilized by the mobile apps, but it also directed a challenging environment to the business giants or the conventional business teams to synchronize their business model with the mobile technology.

A report published by Australian Government in 2010 (Australian Tourism Labour Force), found that nearly half of all tourism businesses surveyed indicated they are experiencing a recruitment, retention and/or skills deficiency. In Indian context, University Grants Commission (UGC) initiated diploma programmes and vocational courses in tourism and hospitality in universities and colleges to address skill deficiency and manpower issues. The main intention of starting such programmes was aimed to bridge the gap of qualified professionals in tourism. Several students, who qualified Diploma, Degree and Post Graduate programmes now work in tour operation business and allied business segments. But, sources from tourism industry acknowledge that deficiency of skills, lack of commitment by employees and high attrition rates are unsolved issues in tourism. Since jobs at entry level in these organisations are under paid, many executives leave their job and search for better options.

Looking at the employee side main problems faced by the fresh graduate tourism professionals who comes from small towns, is communication skills especially in English. Those who join the trade, initially struggle with the business communication requirements, which put them under stressful conditions. Another factor is professional grooming and raising standards to the requirements of tourism industry. The casual approaches in classrooms in grooming adversely affect candidates to grab attractive offers or hike in pay packages comparing to those students who come from metro cities. After realizing the facts and difficulty in getting a

desired job, the candidates change themselves to match with the requirements of tourism trade.

The market requirements and seasonality factor also affect the travel trade. In Indian context, the heavy rush in inbound season starts by August and ends by March every year. During this period employees work over time in many organizations which have good inbound tour operation business. Many religious festivals also celebrated during this period of the year. Availing leave is not easy for employees working in inbound tour operation business. Hence the frustration of not getting holidays or spends time with family members and friends during festival are a major concern raised by many young employees. This emotional burden is felt high in the beginning of the career and it is also found that this is sorted out the long run while they add their experiences.

The economic slowdown worldwide, Greek financial crisis, de valuation of Yuan and other market related issues affect new employment opportunities and the increments of the employees. Merging and acquisition of companies also lead to trim the employee strength of the acquired organisation according to the policy of the organization. The complexity of tourism business phenomenon, dynamic changes in the global business environment result in tour operation and allied business units in a number of ways. It is important to realize the attitude of new age employees working in tourism industry. The study is also significant to all organizations’ in tourism business as the findings of the study would be useful to understand the thought process of new age employees and job attrition levels. This study deals with primarily tour operations business (inbound/outbound/domestic) and allied areas (Travel documentation/transportation/travel insurance/ground handling agents/airport services/adventure tour operators/MICE).

Review of Literature

There are several studies conducted worldwide on employee job attrition in tourism and hospitality. Majority of these studies are related to hospitality industry, which is one of the largest employers in this sector. Reasons of high job attrition are many, but work environment and job satisfaction are two major reason found in many researches. Looking at the literature available, the following areas are already addressed by researchers from different countries. Major issues discussed include turn over in hospitality, emotional labour, employee pay issues, employee expectations, mobility issues, labour dynamics, working environment, types of turnover, quality of curriculam and training methods of institutes offering academic programmes in tourism and hospitality.

Locke (1976) defined job satisfaction as an emotional response to work resulted from the attitude possessed by employees towards work and the evaluation of organisations’


on work and work experiences. Mobley (1977) believed that job dissatisfaction can lead to career change thinking and has evaluated the advantages when searching for another job.

Three major issues related to employee turnover are employee related, organization related and the tourism industry related (Birdir, 2002). According to Gustafson (2002), studies are not given much attention to the consequences of employee turnover or serious researches have not been conducted in this area. Most of the studies are limited to hospitality industry as it employs a large number of people from unskilled level to highly skilled levels. The following reasons found as major factors of job attrition; low job satisfaction, low salary packages, absence of career development, emotional labour and stress, long working hours, hierarchy, seasonality, unsatisfactory working relations in the organization (Hom and Griffeth, 1995; Meier, 1991; Woods and Macaulay, 1989), emotional exhaustion was fond to predict organisational commitment, turnover intentions, and job performance (Cropanzano, Rupp and Z. S. Byrne, 2003).

Torrington et al. (2005) described employees views such as felt to be fair, rights, relativities, recognition, composition are the major factors concerned with employee pay issues. According to Ayres (2006) the traditional work philosophy has been a job for life, with employees spending their entire careers in one industry and in many cases with just one employer. This approach has been changed in the new millennium and the young generation looks for a job which gives the expected salary, coupled with other factors such as scope for job flexibility, career growth etc. While the opportunities increased and the human resources management practices changed, most of the employees look just other than pay packages to choose their work environment.

Morton (2002), Oliver (2006) conducted studies in this direction and found that ‘Generation Y’ workers are seen to have much higher expectations of a job than previous generations, including high expectations of pay, conditions, promotion and advancement. Solnet and Hood (2008) proposed a framework involving multiple variables to gain a more extensive understanding of the generation Y employee. The framework outlines the following variables resulting in understanding the aspirations of the youth and how it influence the overall work environment. The variables include external influences, organizational influences, generation Y work values, HRM strategies, generation Y work attitudes, generation Y behaviors and organizational outcomes. The need of addressing a number of issues addressed by employers starting from recruitment, training, induction and retention are analysed by Richardson and Thomas (2012). The study shows that changing global work environment and concerned to Generation Y seeking balanced life.

Ayers (2006) related career as an important reason of employee turnover. Mobility is identified as a factor of new career construct and mentoring was found to be a management and motivational tool. Career is defined as a combination of human ability, ambition and the opportunities available to the individual. In a report on human resource development published in Montenegro (2007), emphasized the role of human resources development as an integral part of the master plan for sustainable tourism development. It underlines the need of change required in vocational education to meet out the demand for future. A study by Tourism Industry Association (2006) recommends that to achieve a balanced growth in the industry, it is important to focus on developing skills of people and developing a suitable workforce. This will help in delivering quality experience to visitors or guests. The labour dynamics is attributed to the effectiveness of staff retention strategies. Considering the nature of tourism as a people centric industry and its dynamic environment, employees always have an opportunity to expose to new experiences, new people and new cultures (Chalkiti & Sigala, 2009).

According to a study by International Labour Organisation on job attrition in tourism, it is found that the turnover rate in tourism and hospitality sector is 25 percent at managerial position, while 70 percent hospitality graduates leave the industry within six years (ILO, 2010). The Australian Tourism Labour Force Report explained the need of improving skills of the employees and expressed concern of the impact on tourism and hospitality industry. Ministry of Tourism conducted a study on the human resource requirement in tourism industry in 2012. The study reported that the total employment forecast in travel and tourism sector expected is 1,19,033 by 2021-22 and the annual demand expected at non managerial level is 13523 (annual demand for employees).

Staffing issues should be addressed very carefully in order to ensure service quality, customer satisfaction and improve productivity in hospitality organisations (AppawAgbola and Agbola, 2012). Various issues prevailing in tourism and hospitality industry created a wrong perception of employment conditions and it led to pessimistic views on human resource management practice (Usha, 2013). Chia-Ju Lu et.al (2013) examined the effects of emotional labor and job satisfaction.

According to Peshave and Gujarati (2013), the most important factors affecting attrition are low salaries & long working hours. The workforce is like an intellectual property, both in terms of skills and money (Gupta, 2013). Tourism business involves customers with diverse cultural background, emotional temperaments and social characteristics. (Al-Khasawneh, 2013). According to Al-Battat & Som (2013), when an employee faces dissatisfaction from poor working environment considers leaving his job. In addition to the


work environment, if the employee is competent enough with opportunities, recognizes the performance, the employee turnover can be reduced (Banarjee, 2014). Shaikh and Syed (2013) highlighted the quality of teaching and the curriculam content as major causes of under employability of students who pursue tourism management and hospitality courses. Reports published by Australian Tourism Labour Force Report (2011), Ministry of Tourism (2012), International Labour Organisation Report (2010) have been useful to understand the labour dynamics in tourism industry.

All these studies have been focused on different causes of job attrition in tourism, but fewer researches have been taken place in Indian context. Though researches have been conducted at various academic institutions, results are neither shared among the public domain nor available for serious discussions. The present study is focused on job attrition factors, tourism industry dynamics and complexity in human resource management in tour operation business and other related areas.

Research Problem

Tourism has emerged as the one of the largest source of employment in private sector. Skilled staff requirement is much higher in hospitality, travel trade and tour operations respectively. Growth in tourism industry also resulted in a tremendous increase in the demand for qualified and skilled staff to work in 24 hours, 7 days basis throughout the year. The biggest problem of tourism industry in India is seasonality factors. But these issues are being managed through diversifying the market by introducing Domestic and MICE tourism market. The swift pace of changes in tourism industry, presence of numerous players, service providers and the specialist operators have opened up new arenas of career development and entrepreneurship as well. Hence for the past five years, for the qualified candidates it was not difficult to get job in tourism sector, but the initial offering and the work nature have been major issues for many newly joined employees. Looking at these ground realities and the perspectives developed in the minds of the young employees, there is a gross attitudinal change in work orientation, attitude towards tourism jobs, or opening own business firm which also decides the job attrition rates.

It is found that many students pass out from reputed institutes (the newly recruited through campus placement drives or direct recruitment) change their field gradually. The job attrition rates are high at the lower levels comparing to the middle management or top management positions (Malhotra, 2014). Interactions with the students who pursue tourism have brought up issues such as the uncertainty over private jobs, salary and increments, employee relations,

long term career developments etc. Hence switching of jobs, changing the field of work, shifting the work place etc. are always stress factors in the minds of students.

RESEARCh QUESTIONS

∑ There is a belief in young employees that longer stay in one organization won’t help to get better financial benefits or career progress. This belief is widely accepted by the young executives, but the depthness of this issue need to be discussed.

∑ Another observation is that the flat pyramid structure of tour operation business and allied areas restrict experienced and qualified staff to reach the top positions in short span of time. Ambitions to get higher positions tempt employees to choose jobs in smaller organisations. Enquiry of this matter is essential to identify job attrition factors.

∑ It is also observed that some executives continue their job in the same field of their choice and some change their field. It is important to identify the reasons of change of track from tourism business to other areas in order to understand the complexity of human resource management in tourism.

∑ During the initial time of joining of the fresh/young executives, work and pay are the two important factors candidates look for. Career planning lays the foundation for future career development of the young employees. To know the job attrition factors, it is important to find out the relationship between career plan of employees and job attrition factors.

∑ Switching of jobs is not an outcome of one days thinking. It depends on a number of factors which are employee related, organizational, and the tourism industry related. Study is required to find the correlation of advice of senior staff, internal motivations of employees and lack of orientation among the employees results in continuous switching of jobs.

Objectives

1. To examine the opinion of employees on the attractiveness of jobs in tour operation business and allied areas.

2. To analyse the reasons of high job attrition and identify the predicting factors.

3. To suggest a possible model that explains the dynamics and complexity of human resource management in tour operation business and allied areas.


hypotheses

1. Male and female employees differ on job attrition factors and the tourism industry dynamics.

2. High job attrition is attributed to dynamics and complexity of human resources management in tour operation business and allied areas.

Sampling, Instrument and Methods

The study was designed in explorative way. After discussing with the experts and colleagues working in tourism, a closed end questionnaire was designed. After testing it, it was linked with an online survey platform and mailed to the email address of employees working in tour operation business and allied areas. Email links were shared in social networking sites and also sent to 180 employees working in various organizations in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow and Varanasi. 114 completed questionnaires were received within the study period which was useful for completion of the study. The questionnaire included several questions that determine the nature of job while joining, nature of tourism employment etc. The target employees were young employees with an age group of 20 years to 40 years. The study is conducted among the employees in tourism business environment. The rationale is tourism industry provides employment opportunities in numerous ways, and comparing to hospitality sector, it is given less priority and attention. Employees working in tourism sector with fi ve years or less experience is termed here are as new generation employees.

Analysis

Analysis was conducted using SPSS 20. The fi rst part of the analysis deals profi ling of respondents. (a)

Table 1: Respondents Profi le

Age Group Male Female Total Percentage20-25 30 13 43 38%26-30 38 16 54 47%31-35 11 3 14 12%36-40 2 1 3 3%

Total 81 (71%) 33 (29%) 114 (100%) 100%

The age group of the respondents varies from 20 to 40 years, but majority of the respondents were in the age group of 26-30 years i.e. 47% (both male and female) followed by 20-25 years 38% (both male and female) respectively.

Figure 1: Work Experience in Tourism Industry

The survey result shows that 30.7% were of 5 years or above experience, 23.68% ,were belong to less than year 14.05% were with an experience of 3-4 years. Respondents with 2-3

Table 2: Pattern of Career Beginning

GenderCareer beginning

TotalAirport representative Executive Domestic Executive IBT Sales Trainee Skilled

Male 8 10 27 19 11 6 81,(71%)Female 0 6 11 6 8 2 33,(29%)

8 (7%) 16 (14%) 38 (33%) 25 (22%) 19 (17%) 8 (7%) 114 ((100%)

Table- 3: Continuity in the Organization since Beginning of Career

CategoryWorking with same organization since joining

TotalYes No

Male 23 38 61(53%)

Female 6 13 19(17%)

Skipped from answering 34(30%)

Total 29 (25%) 51(45%) 114


years were 10.53%.

The above table illustrates that 33% respondents (male and female) joined their first job as executive in inbound operations, followed by 22% respondents in sales, 17% respondents as management trainee and 14% as executive inbound operations. The variety of job offered to a fresh graduate in tourism sector is therefore understood as mentioned above.

The nature of job includes handling Business to Business (B2B), Business to Customers (B2C), and both. This indicates that the initial task of any newly recruited employee also include communicating their channel partners in addition to handling other jobs. This further is clarified that most of the jobs in tourism industry involves multi-tasking.

Table No. 3 reveals that 25% respondents continue their job since beginning of their job, 45% changed their jobs, 30% skipped from answering this question.

The current job profile of the employees is mentioned below. The above table shows the trend of switching of areas by the employees from the initial jobs to the job of their own choice

and interest.

A cross tabulation of gender vs. present job shows (Table No. 7) some interesting facts. 9% respondents are working in top management positions, 24% work in mid management positions, 18% at senior executive level and 32% work at executive level. Absence of women employees on top management positions in tour operations business indicates slow career progression in tour operation business.

This further indicates that the all respondents are clear with the reasons to choose a new job. Experience gained during the current job also reflects in the responses. 17 statements were prepared to understand various factors determining job attrition and the dynamics of human resource management in tourism industry. Respondents have mixed opinion on the statement ‘Taking risk or handling conflict forced to quit the past job’, and fully disagreed with statements ‘Distance to workplace form home to find a new job’, ‘I can’t work with any private company not more than a year’, ‘I just do private job because getting govt. job is difficult’ and I recommend my friends to not to stay with any company long time.

Table- 4: Current Job Profile

Present Job –area % DistributionTour Operations-IBT 28.57Tour Operations -OBT 15.18Sales 14.29Hospitality 1.79Aviation 4.46Business Development 5.36MICE 6.25Customer Relations 2.68None of these 21.42Total 114

Table- 5: Current Position

GenderCurrent position

Total (%)Executives Sr. exec Mid mgt Top mgt Others Non-response

Male 25 12 20 11 9 4 71 Female 11 8 7 0 5 2 29Total 36 20 27 11 14 6 114

Table- 6: Factor Loading

ComponentInitial Eigenvalues

Total % of Variance Cumulative %1 7.399 43.522 43.5222 1.975 11.620 55.1413 1.124 6.610 61.752


(b) Factor Analysis

A 17 items of Job Attrition Scale (JAS) were subjected to principal component Analysis. The statements were designed in 5-point Likert Scale given with answers ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. Reliability test shows that the Cronbach Alpha value for overall scale is .921 which is considered as a good measure (Nunnaly, 1978).

In order to identify the key deciding factors of job attrition an Explanatory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy is .881, (Approx. Chi Square 1061.898, df 136 and Bartletts test of sphericity is significant (P<.05)), which qualifies the variables to conduct factor analysis. The Principal Component Analysis extracted three factors explains 61.75% of total variance with eigenvalues exceeding 1.

The result of factor analysis shows that three domain areas are identified in terms of job attrition. This include attrition factors explains variance of 43.52%, futuristic thoughts factors explains variance of 11.62% and general

facts explains 6.61% and the cumulative score is 61.75%. This means that variables come under futuristic thoughts of employees influence significantly the decision to stay back with a company or leave the job. Other factors have low influence on decision of job switching but have an impact in the overall decision to job attrition levels in tour operations and allied areas.

Independent sample t test has been conducted to test the hypothesis 1. The Levene’s test shows the p value as .068, which indicates that the variances for the two groups (male and female) are the same and the assumption of equal variance has not been violated. The two tailed test shows that there is no significant difference between the two groups, i.e. the means of male and female respondents on job attrition factors, as the t value -.553, p=.582, df=112 (Male: Mean = 46.36, S.D=16.64., Female: Mean=48.21, S.D=15.28) and the hypothesis (1) is rejected.

This further proves that the job attrition factors in tourism observed in the study are felt by both male and female employees and there is no significant difference on the said

Table- 7: Factor Analysis

Sl.No Factors Factor Loading Eigen Values Explained Variance

01

Attrition FactorsProfile and attraction of the offer Poor incrementsChanging jobs will help in realizing organization levels and improve learning HR Manager knows retaining employees are difficultTaking risk and handling conflict are reason to quitCan’t work in any private company not more than a yearDo job because getting govt. job is not easyJobs in tourism are less attractive in terms of salary and promotionPriority is job satisfaction Suggest friends not to stay with any company for long

.556

.758

.679

.755

.582

.629

.590

.625

.680

.630

7.399 43.522

02

Futuristic ThoughtsGood pay package Good employee relationshipCareer developmentLearning of changing job won’t helpI have a career plan

.618

.750

.811

.651

.682

1.975 11.62

03

General factsDistance from home is another issue Can’t work more than a year in one organisationDo job because no govt, job is availableTourism jobs are less attractiveRecommend friends not to stay with any company for long timeLack of orientation

.559

.526

.636

.593

.538

.796

1.124 6.610

Total Variance Explained 61.752


factors. To analyse the predictability of independent variables on dependent variable multiple regression Analysis was conducted. The independent variables consist of futuristic thoughts factors, discouraging factors, general factors were used as indictors of job attrition. The independent variable under observation is Human Resource Manager is aware of the high levels of job attrition factors and the dynamics of human resource management in tour operation business and allied area.

Table-9 explains the result of hierarchical multiple regression. The result of correlation exhibits a high correlation between the dependent variable and independent variables. The observation of Beta value is a measure of how strongly each predictor variable influences the independent

variable (Pallant, 2010). Following variables are found with high Beta value and P<.05 found significant to the model; poor increments in existing jobs, changing jobs will help in realizing levels of organization and improvement in learning, can’t work more than a year, do job because no government job is available, lack of orientation to leave the first job are found to be significant. The results of regression analysis results suggest that the above said variables have a significant impact on the dependent variable, i.e. high job attrition is attributed to its dynamics and complexity of human resource management in tour operation business and allied trade. The test results show that hypothesis (2) is not rejected.

The Anova Table indicates that the model as a whole is significant. (F(16,98)=53.43, p<.005)).

Table 8: Independent Sample t-test

Factor Levene’s Test for equality of variance t-test for equality of varianceF Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Equal variances assumed3.406 .068 .553 112 .582

Equal variances not assumed .573 64.27 .569

Table 9: Regression Analysis (Coefficients)

ModelUnstandardized

CoefficientsStandardized Coefficients t-value Sig.

Beta Std. Error Beta

1

Profile and attraction -.032 .093 -.032 -.348 .728Employee relationship .177 .137 .173 1.294 .199Poor increments .417 .116 .406 3.590 .001Career development -.049 .119 -.039 -.410 .683Realising levels of organisations and learning improvement .399 .088 .396 4.515 .000Changing job wont helps .007 .100 .007 .071 .944Risk and conflict reason to quit -.006 .102 -.007 -.061 .952Distance from home -.071 .083 -.093 -.858 .393I cant work more than a year .396 .150 .568 2.633 .010I have a career plan .105 .116 .092 .906 .367I do job because no other govt. job -.286 .125 -.385 -2.283 .025Jobs less attractive .185 .105 .211 1.768 .080Job satisfaction first priority -.032 .116 -.024 -.273 .786Not to stay with any company .150 .132 .231 1.142 .256Lack of orientation left first job -.316 .135 -.410 -2.348 .021Good pay pack -.128 .195 -.123 -.654 .515

Table 10: ANOVA Table

Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

1Regression 807.432 16 50.465 53.426 .000Residual 92.568 98 .945Total 900.000 114


The model summary (Table 12) explains 89.7% (Adjusted R Square.88) of the overall variance of the identified independent variables on dependent variable. The model of the present study explains that job attrition in tourism is predicted by poor increments in existing job, switching jobs will help to learn the levels of organisations and improve learning, belief of employees that working with an organization won’t benefit them, doing job under pressure as the employees don’t have other jobs, and the lack of orientation while joining the first job.

DISCUSSIONS

The study reveals a number of interesting facts on new generation employees’ impression on jobs in tour operation and allied sectors. The male dominance in the study area (Tour Operations and other basic services) hints that less women prefer jobs in this field. After a short stint in the beginning of the career, women switch to other jobs. In the beginning of the career, most of the employees join as executives or management trainees in Outbound/Inbound/Domestic/Sales/Business Development departments in Tour Operations business.

In a span of two to three years the employees identify their preference areas and move to the right field which they feel comfortable to work. This also hints that job attrition is very high in tour operation business and allied areas. Several reasons found significant to accept a new offer, but in general the pay packages, good increments, scope for career development etc. always tempt the employees to look for new jobs. The study shows that frequency of changing jobs is in a downward trend. Once the employees get experience in jobs, and find their right job and try to stick with the same organisation. This indicates that job attrition is higher at the lower levels of organizations and the tendency of switching jobs is high among the young executives.

The study also shows that employees find their choice of job after getting an experience of two to three years. The current job profile of employees indicates that the range of jobs expanded from the time of their joining to number of other areas. Majority of the employees work in tour operations (IBT and OBT), but some of the respondents are in sales, business development, MICE, hospitality etc. After getting minimum experience in tourism, sizable number of

employees changes their profession from tourism as they find it is less impressive due to several reasons.

Observation of current designation of the respondents shows that male respondents reached top management levels, whereas the female respondents reached up to mid management levels. It shows the steady career progression of the male employees who are in tour operation business and allied areas. This also shows the skewed ratio of females in tour operation business in India. Informal interviews with women candidates revealed that tourism profession is yet to earn a respectable position in the family circle or the society.

Out of seventeen variables (JAS) tested through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), the identified factors were categorised according to factor loading in to three groups. These factors are labeled as attrition factors, futuristic thoughts and general facts. The first factor consists of variables which indicate the main factors of job attrition. The second factor consists of variables which are futuristic aspects. The third factor labeled as general fact which is common in nature and everyone knows it. The factor analysis has been useful to identify the major areas of job attrition in tour operation business.

The difference in opinion of male and female employees on selected job attrition factors that explain the complexity and dynamics of tourism industry is analysed through Independent sample t test and it rejected the hypothesis (1). There is no difference on opinion between male and female employees on job attritions factors and the complexity of human resource management in tour operation business.

Regression analysis tested the predicting variables on job attrition factors. It mainly identified the attrition factors act as a decision making factor to leave the current job which further proves the hypothesis (2). The Anova test validates the strength of the proposed model. It is found the overall fitness of the model which explains the predictor variables on job attrition and the dynamics of human resource management in tourism. The existing model just explains predicting variables, but more studies are required to design a functional model on job attrition in tour operation business. The study proposes a frame work on job attrition factors and dynamics of human resource management in tour operation business and allied area. It explains how an employee weighs different options and finally takes the decision to join a new company.

Table- 11: Model Summary

Model R R2 Adjusted R2 Std. Error

of the Estimate

Change StatisticsDurbin-WatsonR2 Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F

Change1 .947 .897 .880 .972 .897 53.426 16 98 .000 .962


The above model suggests that the employees have different options, but they weigh the opportunities before taking fi nal decision of a job offer. F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5 here indicate the options available which include good increments (overall package), Opportunities for career growth, Organisations’ reputation or candidate’s belief to serve the organization longer time, proper orientation received during the time of recruitment/training and induction. The new generation employees search for jobs while they are working in the same organization. After comparing with the existing conditions and the attractiveness of the job (attrition factors) they leave their present job once the job offer is confi rmed.

CONCLUSION

Like other service sectors, tourism also showing growth trend in India. High job attrition will lead to high cost in human resources investments. Learning the employees’ attitude on their job satisfaction, orientation on continuing the same job and the factors decide the switching of jobs lead to new insights in tour operation business and allied areas. Though the study focused on tour operations and allied trade, the fi ndings can be generalized to all related sectors as well. According to the Market Pulse report published by Ministry of Tourism (2012), Government of India on -Manpower requirement in Hotel Industry, Tour Operator,

and Travel Sector manpower requirement is going to be a serious problem for the tourism industry in India. Training institutes or universities never include serious discussions on job attrition and serious researches are lacking in job attrition and consequences of it. In order to address the problem of job attrition, it is also important for travel trade to check these issues and realize the facts. The complexity of human resources management and dynamics of tourism industry to be considered by every organization while designing their human resource policy.

Tourism industry offers attractive business options to those who are enterprising and willing to take risk. Students passing from tourism institutes venture in to own business plans. The sprouting of several small business units or micro enterprises (Individually own /Partnership) in tourism further indicate the opportunities brought by tourism. Three or four friends initiate the tourism business unit and they together handle all tasks. The peer group, or business networks helps them to get business through B2B and later sell it to ground operators after making necessary negotiations. Some employees also run their own business along with their present job (through the network developed during the past year/s) through which they earn additional revenue. The long term existence of such entities depends on the amount of control and initiatives, and investment by the business partners. The total investment in human resources in terms

Figure 2, Model showing Job Attrition Factors and Dynamics of Human Resource Management in Tour Operation Business and allied area

Employee

F 1

F 2

F 3

F 4

F 5

Screening factors

O

O

O

O

O

1,2

1,3

2,3,4 3,4,5

1,3,5

(F= Factors deciding leaving job, O=Job offers, Weighing options = Combinations available F1, F2, F3, F4 and F5)


of training, skill upgradation, exposure visits etc. adds the cost to the net investment which can be returned only when the employees stay with the organization longer time.

Another noticeable feature is new generation business models follow low cost, high income pattern. The dependence of information technology helps the industry to work in low cost models, but the dependence of human resources in tourism industry remains same. It is found that such low investment business flourish in inbound tourism market, domestic tourism and small scale events though the total turnover would be not that high. Another issue is the risk for an established organization is when merging of two organization takes place, a section of employees remains undecided to stay back and later they launch their own business unit. This leads to loose experienced hands and at the same time losing business connections and high value clients. It can be concluded that the new generation employees in tourism have the real challenge of experimenting their business skills and surviving the threat factors which shows the complexity of tourism business itself.

Limitations of the study

The study is restricted to employees of tour operating companies and allied trade over three months. The researcher has limited control over data collection. Availability of time to complete the survey, access to the internet connection and its speed, quality time spent by the employees to complete the questionnaire were not under control of the researcher. The generalization of the findings and acceptability of the framework proposed in the study are subject to revisions. Several researches are required to suggest a final model to the job attrition factors.

Future Research Implications

This study opens to a number of future research options such as Generation Y employees and growth of tourism industry India, Skill deficiency of Generation Y employees, relationship between job satisfaction and job attrition, Impact of merging and acquisition on employees etc.

REFERENCES

Al-Khasawneh, A. (2013). Effect of Organizational cli-mate on job turnover of employees at tourism hotels in Petra region of Jordan. American Journal of Social and Management Sciences, 4(2), 54-62.

Al Battat, A. R., & Som, A. P. M. (2013). Employee dis-satisfaction and turnover crises in the Malaysian hospi-tality industry. International Journal of Business and Management, 8, 5.

Appaw-Agbola, E., & Agbola, A. (2012). Staffing issues among small tourism organizations in Ghana: A study of selected small hotels in the Volta region. World Review of Business Research 2(5), 36-47

Australian Government. (2011). Australian Tourism Labour Force Report Labour Profile –Part 1, Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, Commonwealth of Australia.

Ayres, H. (2006). Career development in tourism and lei-sure: An exploratory study of the influence of mobil-ity and mentoring. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 13(2), 113-123

Banerjee, A. (2014). Human resource development in tour-ism industry in India: A case study of Jet Airways India Ltd. Journal of Tourism: A Contemporary Perspective, 1(1), 1-6.

Birdir, K. (2002), General manager turnover and root causes. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 14(1), 43-47.

Chalkiti, K., & Sigala, M. (2009). Staff turnover in the Greek tourism industry: A comparison between insular and peninsular regions. DOI 10.1108/09596111011035945 335-359

Dhanoa, R. (2014). Status of Tourism and Hospitality Education in India. SSIJMAR, 3 (1), 90-94

GOI. (2012). Ministry of Tourism.Goldin. (2010). The economic case for tourism, UNWTO/

South Africa International Summit on Tourism, Sport and Mega-events,; D. Bolwell, W. Weinz: Reducing poverty through tourism (Geneva, ILO, Working Paper No. 266, 2008); from www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/sectors/tourism/emp.htm. accessed on 28.06.2015

Gupta, N. (2013). A study of employee retention with special reference to Indian tourism Industry. European Academic Research, 1(6). Retrieved from http://euacademic.org/up-loadarticle/67.pdf, accessed on 25.05.2015

Gustafson, C. (2002). Employee turnover: A study of private clubs in the USA. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 14(3), 106-113

Hom, P. W., & Griffeth, R. W. (1995). Employee turnover. South-Western College, Cincinnati, OH. Retrieved from

http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators/ accessed 9 July 2015.

ILO Report. (2010). Developments and challenges in the hospitality and tourism sector, Issues paper for discussion at the Global Dialogue Forum for the Hotels, Catering, Tourism Sector. Geneva

Kumar, M. (2014). Hospitality Education in India, Present Status, Challenges and opportunities. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 3(2), 1-5, Retrieved from http://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/ar-


ticle_10_vol._3_2_july_14.pdf accessed on 15.05.2015Locke, E. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction.

In M. D. Dunnette (Ed. ). Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1297–1349

Lu, C., Shih, Y. Y., & Chen Y. L. (2013). Effects of emo-tional labor and job satisfaction on organizational citizen-ship behaviors: A case study on business hotel chains. The International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 5(4) 165.

Meier, J. D. (1991). Solutions to the hospitality industry’s labor shortage. FIU Hospitality Review, Fall, pp. 78-85

Ministry of Tourism. (2012). Study to Assess the Requirement of Manpower in Hospitality and Travel Trade Sector, 4-212

Ministry of Tourism and Environment. (2007). Human Resources Development Strategy for the Tourism Sector in Montenegro, 5-6

Mobley, W. (1977). Employee turnover, Causes, Consequences, and Control.: Reading MA: Addison – Wesley

Morton, D. L. (2002). Targeting generation Y. Public Relations Quarterly, 47(2), 46-48.

Nunnally, J. O. (1978). Psychometric theory. New York: Mc Graw- Hill

Oliver, D. (2006). An expectation of continued success: The work attitudes of generation Y. Labour and Industry, 17(1), 61-84

Pallant, J. (2010). SPSS Survival Manual. MC Graw Hill England: Berkshire

Patel, R. (2012). Indias Tourism Industry-Progress and Emerging Issues. APJEM, 1(5), 1-10 accessed on 01.08.2015 from http://prj.co.in/setup/business/paper29.pdf accessed on28.04.2015

Peshave, M., & Gujarathi, R. (2013). A study of factors in-fluencing increasing attrition rate in hotels of Pune, its impact on the organization and measures undertaken by the hotels to curb the attrition rate. Journal of Hospitality Application & Research, 8(1), 40-55

Cropanzano, R., Rupp, D. E., & Byrne, Z. S. (2003). The rela-tionship of emotional exhaustion to work attitudes, job performance, and organizational citizenship be-haviors. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 160-169. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.88.1.160

Richardson, S., & Thomas, N. (2012). Utilising gen-eration Y: United States hospitality and tourism stu-dents. Perceptions of careers in the industry. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 19, 1-13.

Ronra, B., & Chaisawa, M. (2011). Factors affecting em-ployee turnover and job satisfaction: A case study of Amari Hotels and Resorts. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/52601912/ on 16.08.2015

Shaikh, F. M., & Syed, A. A. S. (2013). The HR challenges in tourism industry in Pakistan a case study of Gorakh hill-Dadu-Dindh Retrieved from http://www.revistades-tatistica.ro/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/RRS_02_2013_a3_en.pdf accessed on 01.08.2015

Solnet, D., & Hood, A. (2008). Generation Y as hospital-ity employees: Framing a research agenda. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 15(1), 59-68.

Su, H., Lee, L., & Fan, C. (2011). Turnover determinants of new employees in International Hotels. Journal of Service Science and Management, 4, 158-164 doi:10.4236/jssm.2011.42019

Thakur S. K. (2014). Tourism Education in India Need Quality People, 3(2), 5-10. Retrieved from http://theglo-baljournals.com/gra/file.php?val=February_2014_1393072254_5d473_85.pdf accessed on 18.04.2015

Torrington, D., Hall, L., & Taylor, S. (2005). Human Resource Management (6th ed.). Prentice Hall.

Tourism & Transport Forum of Australia. (2006). Labour turnover and costs in the Australian accommodation in-dustry. Retrieved from www.ttf.org.au/research/pdf/2006/TTF_Hotel_ Turnover_Report.pdf.

Tourism & Hospitality Workforce Strategy (2006). Tourism Industry Association. Retrieved from https://www.tianz.org.nz/content/library/TourismHospWkbkLR.pdf on 04.06.2015

Trade Union Congress. (2003). Alcohol and Work: A Potent Cocktail, TUC. In Dennis Nickson, Human Resource Management for the Tourism and Hospitality Industries, BH, 2007, Elsevier, Oxford.

Usha.p. (2013). Human resources practices in tourism and hospitality industries in selected countries. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing & Management Review, 2(5), 1-16

Woods, R. H., & Macaulay, J. F. (1989). Rx for turnover: Retention programs that work. The Cornell Hotel. Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 30(1), 79-90.

Human ResouRce PRactices in tHe non-staR categoRy Hotels in KolKata

P. R. Sandilyan*, Sutheeshana Babu S.**

Abstract In this empirical study, the authors made an attempt to examine the challenges faced by the human resource managers and employees as well as the benefits extended to the employees in the non-star hotel segment in the city of Kolkata It was also endeavoured to ascertain the standards maintained by these hotels specifically the hygiene, safety, work environment and to mandatory legal and regulatory compliances. The results show that while these hotels were profitable and enjoyed a healthy market, the human resource practices were unhealthy and discriminatory in nature. Employees were neither provided with minimum wages and benefits nor have the establishments shown any interest in adhering to the mandatory compliances. This could largely be attributed to predominance of largely unskilled or inadequately qualified employees and a large pool of outsourced manpower.

Keywords: Non Star Hotels, Human Resources, Standards

BacKgRound

The accommodation1 sector in India has developed greatly in recent times with a number of multinational chains and brands vying for a share of the market. The development of hotels has been phenomenal in most of the country. However the eastern region of India remains far behind compared to the rest of the country. Mumbai alone boasts of a larger list of approved hotels compared to the entire state of West Bengal. This work focuses on the non-star2 category approved accommodation segment of Kolkata. This segment comprises of the largest number of hotels in the city and provides accommodation to a huge number of travelers and businessmen. Interestingly most of the hotels go fully occupied throughout the year and also enable the owners to generate high revenue from room sales as well as from food and beverage sales.

This work is an insight into the operations of these hotels with emphasis on the human resources that are engaged here. Effort is made to get information from internal as well as external sources to appreciate the status of the force employed in these properties and bring out recommendations to the employers as well as employees on what could be the best possible way to improve for the future. (Sandilyan, et al., 2013). In continuation to the pilot study conducted

1 Consists of hotels, lodges, guest houses and other facilities that provide lodging on rentals.

2 Includes hotels providing basic facilities to customers.

by (Sandilyan, et al., 2013) on eight hotels, this work is an expansion with approximately 20% of the total hotels of the category. In this work 20 hotels of the non-star category have been examined on the human resource practices and strategies. The research questions and objectives remain very much in line with the earlier work.

Human ResouRce management PRactices in HosPitality industRy

Hospitality industry is known to be diverse and spread globally and reflects the outlook of the region being studied. It also has a number of small individual stakeholders as well as a number of big multinational stakeholders. The studies highlight the role played by human resources in the delivery of product and services. According to many the chief features may be categorized under low wages, lack of career planning, high levels of attrition, unsocial hours and work shifts, unstructured human resource policies, gender bias and male dominations at higher levels and absence of constructive trade unions (Keep, et al., 1999).

Other researchers also reported about the high rate of employee turnover in Hospitality industry as one of the prime challenges that the industry needs to address (Walsh, et al., 2007) (Boella, 1996) (Bratton, et al., 1999). In various forms of press and also in academic literature, tourism and hospitality services work has been largely characterized

* Professor, NSHM School of Hotel Management, Durgapur, West Bengal, India. Email: [email protected] ** Nodal Officer, National Institute of Water Sports, Panjim, Goa, India. Email:[email protected]


Human Resource Practices in the Non-Star Category hotels in Kolkata 33

as “low skills”. These operations focus on low levels of education, low wages and have a high dependence on seasonality. They are constantly plagued with high turnover of labor and related concerns predominantly in developed countries (Westwood, 2002) (Baum, 1996) (Burns, 1997).

Human resources are unique and valuable because they are different in their abilities and thus in their contribution to the organization. Human resources are inimitable as it is difficult in duplicating the skills and knowledge of a person. Human resources are a rare commodity and are not easy to replace as it is not possible to find replacements of the same capacity, skill and expertise (DeSaa- Perez, et al., 2002).

In the contemporary work place it is becoming increasingly important to match the organizational commitment of the employees with appropriate teams and team work. (Adebanjo, et al., 2001). Before the middle of the 20th century the human resources were treated as one of the many factors of the production process that was meant to be exploited and terminated at the convenience of the employer. Issues related to human rights, intellectual ability was ignored. After behavioral social scientists came out with their ideas and research results new dimensions were introduced into the practice of human resource management where men or manpower was recognized as a resource that needs to be handled with care (Starr, et al., 1977).

An issue that affects almost all aspects of people’s life is work-family conflict. This can affect their mental and physical health, their families and their work places. The implication of work family conflict propagates a need to move towards commitment-oriented work practices from control-oriented work practices. It is necessary to frame human resource strategies that bring in high commitment work practices (Bhatnagar, 2005). Employees need to depend on themselves and take charge of their development to maintain and enhance their employability. In today’s scenario they must not depend totally on their employers. Career development directly influences job satisfaction and commitment. Organizations expect employees to assume greater responsibility for both themselves and the firm (Puah, et al., 2006). Similarly, it is suggested that employees who have advanced are likely to put more effort in their work. The policies of the company are crucial in providing opportunities for career growth. Increased commitment across all stages of career would benefit the organization. Enhanced commitment at the entry level is important for minimizing turnover and in mid and late career stages for reducing absenteeism and improved performance(Cohen, 1991).

In developed and developing nations the proportions of dual earner families has risen and has increased the number of female labor force. Further, a growing number of aged dependence has brought a larger number of employees who have family responsibilities (Hall, et al., 2005). The idea of

flexible timings and working conditions has been supported by researchers and identified the need for organizations to accommodate such employees. Employees maintain high levels of commitment despite facing work life conflict provided they perceive that the procedures of planning and implementing decision in the organization is fair (Siegel, et al., 2005). The time an employee spends at work can be an outcome to measure his commitment and work interference with family may be an indicator to denote devotion to work (Lee, et al., 1999).

In a study on upscale restaurants of Kolkata and other cities of West Bengal, it was found organizations using unskilled and inefficient employees as cheap labor (Dey et at., 2011). These restaurants did not have any career planning for entry level employees or any incentive scheme to improve performance and service quality. Similarly, dissatisfaction with regard to the rewards and remuneration amongst junior employees in hotels of West Bengal is also persistent (Sandilyan et. al 2011). Other dimensions worth noting here are: a). There was no gender bias for employment as well as growth in this sector; b). To promote loyalty and commitment towards the organization, the employers need to highlight the values and success stories of long serving employees making visible to all their career progression and benefits of loyalty; c). It is imperative for the organizations to plan for career growth as well as training and development of employees.

In a study on hospitality organizations of West Bengal it was found that education had an influence on the level of employment as well as the opportunity of growth available (Dey, et al., 2011). Since, most of the employees were on contract they were not pleased with the welfare activities and benefits. Poor human resource practices that were prevalent resulted in declined economic and other associated benefits and this decline led to the decline of the industrial growth (Bansal, et al., 2012). However, good human resource practices would lead to higher job satisfaction and commitment from employees which have an effect on customer satisfaction, as found in their study on the selected restaurants (Dey, et al., 2012).

study oBjectives

This study has been focused on the following objectives: a. To examine the financial viability of the non-star

category hotels. b. To examine the major human resource challenges in

small scale hotel segment and to advance probable suggestions to address.

c. To assess the expectations of the employees working in the sector and to suggest the mechanisms needed to maintain their satisfaction levels.


d. To assess the policies and practices found in the sector and suggest probable measures for its sustainable growth.

While addressing the above, following specific questions are being addressed: a). What are major challenges the human resource managers face in recruitment and retention of manpower in this market segment? b). Are the policies and practices being adopted ade1quate to sustain for future manpower needs?

data RequiRement and metHodology

Secondary sources such as published articles, both in global and Indian contexts, were used to formulate a clear perspective on the subject matter and to frame specific points for inquiry. The published statistical data were also gathered from relevant sources and examined. However, most parts of the data requirements were met through primary data source viz. structured questionnaire-based survey that was administered separately for the employees, HR managers and the employers. A total of 73 variables were covered and those categorized under the themes such as monitory benefits, welfare practices, manpower development practices, rewards and recognition and workplace facilities. Specifically, the questionnaire administered to the employees had five aspects of human resource practices namely a). Monetary benefits (MB), b). Welfare practices (WP), c). Manpower development practices (MDP), d).rewards and incentives (REW), e). Work place facilities (WPF).

About 10% of the total employees of each hotel were randomly selected and appropriate representation of each

hotel was taken for the study from the selected hotels. The employees were from various categories namely managers, supervisors, junior-level and outsourced. Further, the researchers visited the hotels to gauge first hand knowledge of the working conditions and facilities offered to the employees in these hotels.

Results and analysis

Profiling of the Hotels

A total of 20 non-star hotels located in the city of Kolkata were covered in this study and those were categorized in to three categories based on the number of rooms. The purpose was to gather insights on whether the physical capacity/size of the hotel has impacts on the occupancy rate, revenue structure and employment structure.The result suggests that about one-third of the employees were either matriculates (31.2%) or post-matric (33.5%) followed by the graduates (28.8%) whereas professional degree/diploma holders were just about 6.5%.

The analysis of the education and job profile stands to suggest that only better qualified persons were serving at the managerial level jobs but more than half of the supervisory level jobs were occupied by those holding Plus-2 level qualifications. Striking, hardly any female employees found working in the non-star hotels covered for this study in Kolkata.

Further, hotel units with more number of rooms enjoyed higher occupancy rates and a healthy revenue structure thereof (Table-2). It was also interesting to note that hotels

Table-1: Education and Job Profile

QualificationJob Profile (%)

Managerial Supervisory Support service OutsourcedUp to 10th Nil 4.4 35.7 87.5Plus-2 Nil 52.9 38.1 12.5General graduate and above 70 35.3 26.2 NilProfessional degree/ diploma 30 7.4 Nil NilTotal (N= 170) 20 68 42 40

Table 2: Occupancy and Revenue Structure of Non-Star Hotels

Hotel category No. of hotels Av. room occupancy (%) Av. daily revenue/ room (Rs)Up to 29 rooms 5 90 191530-50 rooms 10 95 1891Above 50 rooms 5 98 2441


having more number of rooms recorded higher occupancy rates as compared to those with lesser rooms.

When the employee/room ratio was examined, it was found to be around 1.33 persons per room. But, examination of the average remuneration per employee reveals that hotels with more room capacity had comparatively less expenditure per employee and vice versa (Table-3). When the employee structure was further analysed, three-fourth of the hotels were found to have a mix of regular (68.9%) and outsourced workforce (31.1%), whereas amongst the remaining, only regular employees could be seen. Outsourcing being cost-effective, hotels found to have only regular employees can be seen incurred more cost on account of maintenance of the employees (Table-4).

Another notable aspect was a lower employee/room ratio in those hotels where only regular employees could be found. In such hotels, average salary was also comparatively higher, which in a way could also explain lower employee/room ratio. As regards to cost of employees against total monthly revenue of the hotels, it was found to be higher at 18.3% in those hotels having only regular employees whereas it was around 12% where outsourcing were also practiced.

Attempt was also made to ascertain the feedback of the employees on the overall working environment and their level of satisfaction. Specific to the wages paid, nearly half of the respondents found it to be not competitive whereas for 33%, it was fulfilling their expectations. The later groups were not skilled and appropriately educated but an income opportunity like this was adequate. As regard to the rating of working environment, it was reported as largely good (35.3%) or satisfactory (34.1%) whereas only 11.2% found it to be very bad and such respondents happened to better educated or professionally qualified.

analysis of employment condition and Human Resource Practices

The feedback gathered from the employees on a total of 70 questionscovering demographic information, monetary benefits (MB- 05 nos.), welfare practices (WP- 09 nos.), manpower development practices (MDP- 10 nos.), rewards and incentives (REW-09 nos.), work place facilities (WPF-08 nos.) and remaining on the level of job satisfaction (JS), work life balance (WLB) were gathered to analyse the prevalence of human resource practices, results of which are discussed below.

Reliability analysis

The reliability of the questionnaire was analyzed using Cronbach’s alpha by Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The Cronbach’s alpha score of 0.847 signifies high reliability of the instrument used (Nunnally, 1978). Further the correlation between the average of responses on the five broad parameters namely MB, WP, MDP, REW and WPF was done with JS and the results are furnished in Table-5. The correlation results clearly show that job satisfaction is strongly dependent on monetary benefits and welfare practices. Prevailing manpower development practices also has significant bearing on job satisfaction. However, in the non-star segments, rewards and recognition and work place facilities do not have much influence on job satisfaction perhaps due to scant or lack of availability of such practices. This in a way provides to suggest that the manpower development practices (MDP) prevailing in the non-star hotel segments are very poor in nature and therefore, it may not attract enough qualified manpower.

Table 3: Employee Ratio/room and Average Remuneration/ Employee

Hotel Employee/ room ratio Av.Remuneration/ employee (Rs)Up to 29 rooms 1.3 705230-50 rooms 1.4 5720Above 50 rooms 1.3 5398

Table 4: Nature of Employment and Cost Structure of the Hotels

Number of hotels (%)- Total: 20

Regular em-ployees (%)

Outsourced employees (%)

Number of em-ployees/ room

Av. monthly sal-ary/ employee

Cost of regular employees*

Cost of outsourced employees*

25 100 0 1.2 9206 18.3 0

75 68.9 31.1 1.4 5345 8.9 3.03

* As a percentage to total monthly revenue


conclusion

Major findings emerged from this investigation was more or less in conformity with the existing propositions on the subject. For, the financial viability of the non-star hotels was found to be encouraging on account of reasonably higher level of occupancy and that contributed towards financial stability also. The unitsin general were operating with a low employee/room ratio and that perhaps facilitated higher profit margins though it failed to attract professionally qualified manpower. The major reasons for this were the poor manpower development practices, non-appealing nature of wages and perks, the working condition and overall environment. To save on cost, employees were also hired on outsourcing basis for certain departments like the security and they happened to be less educated or unskilled.

There is adequate potential for the sector’s growth but the strategies and practices in existence are found to be discouraging to explore the possibilities that it offers. One of the core concerns is found to benear lack of appropriate human resource practices in most hotels where neither a dedicated human resources department nor a manager was in existence. Similarly, most of the employees are also seen either less educated or unskilled or both, whereas, hardly any women were found employed.

The working conditions are not of required standards and the guidelines on safety and hygiene were not complied with. Contrarily, most managers and employees were not aware of international guidelines and standards like HACCP, ISO etc. The kitchens and equipments were maintained in unhygienic condition whereasthe routine sanitization practices are given a miss. Both the pay and perks were found discouragingly low whereas the employees were expected to work beyond mandatory working hours without any proper compensation.However, to materialize the sector’s immense potential, the owners must be prepared to employ qualified people and manage various hotel functions including the human resources. It is imperative that the manpower must be approached as an asset and not liability or cost that is to be managed as a resource.

Characteristically, most hotels were single units and family owned, wherein, the members of the family assumed the role of managing the operations; often conducting themselves whimsically. The empowerment practices like training and development, retention, motivation etc. were totally alien to the workforce. Perhaps due to these, unlike in other countries, qualified and professional manpower hardly chose to work in this segment in spite the fact that this segment holds considerable potential and create various development opportunities.

Given the above, it is necessary for the hotel owners to understand their responsibility towards the employees and the society at large by ensuring that all legal requirements in conducting the business are adhered to. Needlessly the quality, safety and hygiene standards call for improvement but the additional costs towards this should be treated as investment since improved standards and practices are going to add value incrementally. In addition, it is also suggestive to introduce some forms of reward system so as to motivate the workforce and achieve better productivity as well as to reduce attrition, which is a major challenge for the hospitality sector. The legal and regulatory agencies are also to act more proactively in ensuring that the essential laws and regulations are complied with by the hotels. Violations in any form need to be restrained since it not only contravene the statutory framework but it could also affect the very image of the destination.

RefeRences

Adebanjo, D., & Kehoe, D. (2001). An evaluation of fac-tors inflencing teamwork and customer focus. Managing Service Quality, 11, 49-56.

Agarwala, T. (2002). Human resource management: The emerging trends. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 315-331.

Armstrong, M. (1992). Human resource management strat-egy & action. London : Kogan Page. pp. 15-16.

Ball, B. (1997). Career management competences - The in-dividual perspective. Career Development International, 2, 74-79.

Table-5: Correlation of Human Resource Strategies with Job Satisfaction

Human resource strategies Job satisfaction (Pearson’s correlation)Average of monetary benefits (MB) .626**Average of welfare practices (WP) .592**Average of manpower development practices (MDP) .380Average of rewards and recognition (REW) .015Average of work place facilities (WPF) .064

** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2- tailed)


Bansal, S. P., Gangotia, A., & Sharma, S. (2012). Evaluating the gap in tourism education vis-a-vis industry needs. Indian Journal of Applied Hospitality and Tourism Research, 4, 89-102.

Baum, T. (1996). Unskilled work and the hospitality indus-try: myth or reality? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 15(3), 207-209.

Bhatnagar, J. (2005). The power of phychological empow-erment as an antecident to organizational commitment in Indian managers. Human Resource Development International, 8, 419-433.

Boella, M. J. (1996). Human resource management in the hospitality industry. UK : Stanley Thornes.

Bonn M. A., & Forbringer L. R. (1992). Reducing turn-over in the hospitality industry: An overview of recruit-ment, selection and retention. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 11(1), 47-63.

Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (1999). Human resource manage-ment. UK : Macmillan Business.

Burns, P. M. (1997). Hard-skills, soft-skills: undervaluing hospitality’s ‘service with a smile’. Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research, 3(3), 239-248.

Cantrell, N., & Sarabakhsh, M. (1991). Correlates of non-institutional food service turnover. FIU Hospitality Review, 52-59.

Cohen, A. (1991). Career stage as a moderator of the re-lationships between organizational commitment and its outcome: A meta-analysis. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 64, 253-268.

DeMicco, F. J., & Giridharan, J. (1987). Managing employ-ee turnover in the hospitality industry. FIU Hospitality Review, 26-32.

Denvir, A., & McMahon, F. (1992). Labour turnover in London hotels and the cost effectiveness of preventa-tive measures. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 11(2), 143-154.

DeSaa- Perez, P., & Garcia- Falcon, J. A. (2002). Resource based view of HRM and organisational capabilities devel-opment. International Journal of HRM, 13(1), 123-140.

Dessler, G. (2006). A framework for human resource man-agement (4th ed.).. New Jersey : Pearson Prentice Hall.

Dey, A., Sandilyan, P. R., & Mukherjee, M. (2012). Human resource management and service quality management - Linkages. Zenith International Journal of Business eco-nomics and Management research, 4(2), 201-217.

Dey Amitabh [et al.] (2011). Effects of Incentives on ser-vice quality and employee performance: A study of select up-scale restaurants in West Bengal. Indian Journal of Applied Hospitality and Tourism research, 3, 23-39.

Drucker, P. (1998). The coming of the new organization. Harvard Business Review.

Dyke, T. V., & Strick, S. (1990). Recruitment, selection and retention of managers in the hotel and restaurant industry. FIU Hospitality Review, 1-9.

Guthime, J. (2002). Correlates and consequenses of high involvement work practices: The Role of Competitive Strategy. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 183-197.

Hall, L., &Liddicoat, L. (2005). Challenges to developing effective family friendly work practices: findings from New Zealand. Research and Practice in Human Resource Management, 13(1), 1-17.

Johnson, J., Griffeth R. W., & Griffin, M. (2000). Factors discriminination functional and dysfunctional sales force turnover. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 15(6), 399-415.

Keep, E., & Mathew K. (1999). Skills task force research group:paper 6: The leisure sector. London : Department for education and employment.

Khatri, N. (1999). Emerging issues in Strategic HRM in Singapore. International Journal of Manpower, 20(8), 516-529.

Lee, C., & Hui, C. (1999). Antecedents and outcomes of work-family interface. Research and Practice in Human Resource Management, 7(1), 31-51.

Nickson, D. (2007). Human resource management for the hospitality and tourism industries. Amsterdam : Elsevier.

Pine, J., & Gilmore, J. (1999). The experience ecomony: Work is theatre and every business stage. Boston : Harvard Business School Press.

Price, A. (2007). Human resource management in a business context. London : Thomson Learning.

Puah, P., & Ananthram, S. (2006). Exploring the antecedents and outcomes of career development initiatives: Empirical evidence from Singaporian employees. Research and Practice in Human Rsource Management, 14, 112-142.

Sandilyan P, R [et al.] (2011). Employee perception of work environment and welfare activities of the organization: A study of select hospitality organizations in West Bengal. Indian Journal of Applied Hospitality and Tourism Research, 3, 59-77.

Sandilyan, P. R., Biswakarma, S. K., & Dey, A. (2013). Human Resource Management challenges in non star cat-egory hotels (FHRAI Listed) of Kolkata. Survey, 53(1/2), 125-137.

Siegel P, A [et al.] (2005). The moderating influence of procedural fairness on the relationship between work life conflict and organisational commitment. Journal of Applied Phychology, 90, 13-24.

Sommerville, K. L. (2007). Hospitality Employee Management and Supervision, concepts and practical ap-plications, 208-210. - New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons.


Starr K. M., & Denosowicz R. L. (1977). Decision making: An overview. Columbia Journal of World Business, 3, 5-8.

Sutherland, J. (2000). Job-to-job turnover and job-to-non-employment movement. Personnel Review, 31(6), 710-721.

Walsh, K., & Taylor, M. S. (2007). Developing in-house careers and retaining management talent. What hospital-ity professionals want from their jobs. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 48(2), 163-182.

Westwood, A. (2002). Is new work good work? - London : The Work Foundation.

Woods, H. (2006). Robert managing hospitality human re-sources: Educational Institute. American Hotel & Lodging Association, 4, 99-100.

Human ResouRce Development in touRism sectoR: a case stuDy of oRissa touRism Development

coRpoRation ltD. (otDc)

Banalata Rath*

Abstract Skilled, knowledgeable, and competent people are the key resource of any industry, be it manufacturing or a service sector. Higher degree and quality of performance of tasks always require higher degree of skills and knowledge. Human potential in every employee is vast and it can be further enhanced by various interventions like training, job rotation, feedback and counseling, organizational action, etc. that make the organization dynamic and growth oriented. People who are not able to contribute to the organization fully due to reasons beyond their control can also give the best if they are taken care of with more attractive working conditions and better organizational climate. Many services depend on direct personal interaction between customers and firm’s employees. Professionalism has become the buzzword in service industries and the corporate world now-a-days is fast realizing the importance of Human Resource Development in the new paradigm of business. This research paper is an attempt to evaluate the state of human resource development as is existent in the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd, a State – owned public sector undertaking of Orissa operating to provide the desired facilities and services to the tourists visiting the State. While analyzing various HRD aspects of OTDC, focus has been laid on employee training practice and performance appraisal system of the Corporation and suggestions have been given based on findings of the survey conducted for this research.

Keywords: Personnel, Performance Rating, Redeployment, Motivation, Morale

intRoDuction

Orissa is second to none in terms of its tourism treasure, though the figure of tourist arrival in the State and its tourism receipts hardly substantiate this statement for which many reasons can be attributed. The land possesses a vast array of tourist products ranging from a long coastline spreading over a lush area of 250 miles with relatively virgin and unexplored beaches to exquisite temples and extraordinary monuments; prolific arts and crafts; fascinating fairs and festivals; and tribal destinations that are stunningly attractive and sufficient to capture the senses of any tourist. The Dept. Of Tourism, Govt. Of Orissa along with the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation and other industry stake holders, is making all efforts to market them with the tag-line “Scenic, Serene, Sublime Orissa; the soul of incredible India”. Orissa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (OTDC), a public sector unit and the functional wing of the Department of Tourism, Govt. of Orissa, offers a complete package of services to tourists in a spirit of healthy competition with the private sector. The adjustment to new operating conditions characterized by higher demand in terms of quality and volume of tourism services requires some human resources development activities, such as HR planning; appraisal and

staff performance evaluation; employee training, effective staff communication; reward of initiative and excellence, and empowerment of staff.

This research paper attempts to: ∑ Examine the way the Human Resource Development

(HRD) function is structured in the OTDC, ∑ Highlight the current HRD practices in the organisation

in relation to various HRD systems, ∑ Measure employees’ perception towards the HRD

practices, especially training, and performance appraisal system, prevalent in the organisation,

∑ Suggest for feasible improvements in the field of HRD in OTDC based on findings.

Role of HRD in touRism inDustRy

Human Resource Development helps the organization in stabilizing itself, growing, diversifying, renewing the set up to become more effective, improving its systems and services, changing and becoming more dynamic. HR development issues in tourism have acquired great dimensions in view

* Ex- Dean, Regional College of Management, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Email: [email protected]



of the complex organization and peculiar characteristics of this industry. Some distinctive features of travel and tourism generally influence both how we attain service excellence and the role that HRD plays within it. Tourism as a service requires more human related skills and competencies than the other sectors of the economy as it is mainly based on human relationships and in most cases, machines cannot substitute human labour. This sector is highly dependent upon the quality of staff and their efficiency in terms of services. A small mistake on the part of a tour guide may damage long years’ goodwill of visitors for the travel agency. Unsuccessful handling of guests at the reception counter of a hotel may have long-term impact on the hotel occupancy. Airlines are regularly updating their employees at automation for ticketing and baggage handling to keep pace with the fast changing industry environment.

oRissa touRism Development coRpoRation

OTDC Ltd. was incorporated on 3rd Sept 1979 under the Companies Act, 1956. The company is primarily running hotels on commercial line mostly inherited from the Govt. of Orissa, Dept of Tourism, either on owned basis or on lease basis. It is wholly owned by the Govt. of Orissa and has 23 hotels, 2 transport units, and 1 exclusive restaurant under its management at present with the Head Office located at Bhubaneswar. In addition to these, the Corporation is having its Regional Office at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. All the Units along with Regional Offices directly interact with the tourists to facilitate their comfortable stay and movement inside the State. The major line of business in OTDC is Hoteliering, Tourist Transport both on surface as well as water, income from Supervision Charges and Air Ticketing for domestic as well as international sector. Besides these, the Building & Project Divisions of the Corporation execute project works; both Central & State sponsored projects on cost plus basis.

coRpoRate objectives

1. To develop tourism in the State of Orissa. 2. To take over and acquire from the Govt of Orissa all

assets belonging to it and situated at any place within or outside the State of Orissa and which were being or are being or can be used in any manner what so ever in connection with any activity or enterprise relating to tourism together with the Liabilities , if any, thereof and in particular to take over all tourist homes, tourist bungalows , holiday camps, traveler bungalows, State guest houses, camping and caravan sites, pavilions & dormitories together with the catering establishments attached there to, tourism information bureaus, youth

hostels, convention centers, electric works & water works, and thereafter to run the same with a view to promoting and developing tourism both internal and international in the State.

3. To acquire and maintain all places of tourist interest like parks, beaches, places of beauties and recreational spots in the State of Orissa.

4. To establish and manage transport units, travel and transport counters, import, purchase, lease, sell and run or otherwise operate cars, cabs, buses, coaches, trucks, launches, ropeways, aircraft, helicopters and other models of transport.

5. To provide entertainment by way of cultural shows, dances, music, concerts, cabarets, ballets film shows sports and games, son-et-lumieres and others.

6. To produce, distribute and sell tourist publicity materials; edit, design, print, publish, sell or otherwise deal with books, magazines, periodicals, folders, inserts, guide maps, pamphlets, bills, posters, picture postcards, diaries, calendars, slides, cinematograph films and other materials for the purpose of giving publicity and developing tourism.

Human Resource planning practices in otDc

Human Resource Planning in the corporate sector is essential to forecast future manpower requirements and achieve optimum utilization of available human resources through carefully controlled recruitment, redeployment of additional manpower, and placing right kind of persons in the right places. While planning for human resources in tourism, emphasis is normally laid on the components like budgetary provisions, market demand, total workload, government rules and regulations, labour market situations, economic environment, business policy, etc. Then the future workload is estimated and converted into number and type of manpower required basing on estimation and projection.

OTDC was a small establishment with limited operation at the time of its incorporation in 1979 looking after the management and operation of those assets only i.e. Accommodation and Transport units transferred to the Corporation from the Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of Orissa. Around 200 employees both executives and non-executives were sent on deputation from the Dept. during assets transfer to the Corporation, although regular appointments were made later on with increase in the area of its activity and subsequent expansion in the organization structure. OTDC has a Board of Directors as the apex policy making body with a Chairman who happens to be a political person always, appointed by the Govt. He has under him many other functionaries designated as the Managing Director, General

Human Resource Development in Tourism Sector:A Case Study of Orissa Tourism Development... 41

Manger, Divisional Managers of six functional divisions, Financial Controller (FC), and the Company Secretary (CS) assisted by more than 600 permanent and temporary staff required to implement Corporation’s plans and programmes. The Managing Director post is ex-officio, since the Director, Govt. Dept. of Tourism acts as the MD and remains in dual charges in the event of a vacancy in the Chairman position. A senior OAS officer deputed by the Govt. usually holds the post of GM to ensure smooth functioning of four Divisions such as Accommodation & Catering; Personnel; Tours and Transport; Printing, Publicity & Marketing. The posts of FC & CS were occupied earlier by one person till a contractual appointment was officially made in the post of CS in 2011 to handle the legal and account matters including all personnel problems as per the Companies Act-1956 and anything assigned to him from time to time. The FC and CS both report directly to the MD relating to all matters coming under their respective jurisdiction.

organisation chart of otDc ltd

In the beginning, OTDC was running without a Personnel Department and all personnel matters were being dealt with by the Establishment Section then manned by few employees

without any professional qualification in this field. However, a Personnel Division was created in 1990 headed by a Divisional Manager along with 3 Asst. managers and other staff of the Division to look into all HR related matters including HRD.

In the process of offering services to tourists, OTDC‘s primary concern has been to make them avail of comfortable accommodation and transport facilities at moderate prices. It is worth mentioning here that the Transport and Accommodation units contribute meaningfully to the corporate revenue and account for maximum employment at the executive as well as non-executive level. Four categories of people are found working in the organization such as managerial, supervisory, clerical, and workmen, each category having five different types of employees basing on the modes of their appointment. These are Regular, Departmental, Contractual, NMR and SP (Service Provider) Employees. Though human resource inventory has not been introduced in a systematic way in OTDC, available information on its manpower position reveal it as having a total number of 641 staff engaged in the Head Office and the Field Units – Accommodation and Transport units located at various places of tourist interest in Orissa. Out of the total number of 641 employees, 340 are regular staff, 22


are on deputation from different Depts. of the Government, 29 persons are on contract basis, 26 are NMR employees, and the rest 224 people are engaged through the Service Provider. SP employees are hired by the Corporation through an outside agency namely “MB securities & Investigation Bureau” selected through a process of tender with final approval of the Board. A sizable number of employees at the bottom level jobs are engaged through the Service Provider in OTDC and this practice has been followed here since long, primarily as a cost cutting measure to compensate previous financial losses of the organization. Employment pattern and distribution of manpower in OTDC Ltd. is presented in the table below.

It is found from the survey that there are 82 executive and

559 non-executive staffs having a ratio of 1:7. Regular staff comprise of 6 managerial level personnel, 23 at the supervisory level, 48 clerics, and 263 persons in workmen category. Staff on deputation from the Govt. comprise of 7 managerial level personnel, 3 at supervisory level and 12 in the workmen category. Out of 29 contractual appointments both at the executive and non-executive level, one is in managerial cadre, 26 are supervisory and 2 are clerical staff. Total employment figure of NMR employees in the organization is 25 and all of them are rank and file workers with a numerical distribution of 2 and 23 in clerical and workmen category respectively. Contractual and NMR staffs are normally appointed on a temporary basis, supposed to be regularized after six years of continuous work experience in the organization. Out of 224 SP staff, 16 are working

Table 1: Distribution of Manpower in OTDC Head Office and the Units as on 31.04.2015

Sl No Name of the Unit Regular Deptt Cont NMR SP Total Staff1 Head Office 55 7 20 0 20 1022 Air Ticketing Division 9 0 0 0 5 143 Bhubaneswar 46 1 1 2 12 624 Puri 24 7 0 2 15 485 Cuttack 25 0 1 0 6 326 Barkul 20 2 1 7 13 437 Chandipur 18 0 0 1 7 268 Sambalpur 10 2 0 3 7 229 Rourkela 17 0 0 1 16 3410 Konark 0 1 1 0 0 211 Gopalpur 5 0 0 0 4 912 Rambha 9 1 0 0 7 1713 Taptapani 2 0 0 2 5 914 Nandankanan 7 0 1 0 7 1515 Y.N Konark 19 0 0 0 15 3416 Y.N Satpada 8 1 0 2 13 2417 A.N Lulung 1 0 0 2 2 518 T.U BBSR 21 0 1 0 9 3119 T.U Puri 9 0 0 1 13 2320 A.N Chandbali 3 0 0 1 5 921 Balasore 2 0 0 0 2 422 Dhauli 4 0 0 0 2 623 Paradeep 3 0 1 0 3 724 Dhenkanal 4 0 0 0 7 1125 Panchalingeswar 5 0 0 1 3 926 Chandaneswar 4 0 0 0 11 1527 Kenojhar 4 0 1 0 7 1228 Bhattarika 0 0 0 0 1 129 Chandrabhaga 1 0 0 1 0 230 T.R.C Baripada 1 0 0 1 0 231 Koraput 1 0 1 0 0 2

Total 340 22 29 26 224 641

Source: Official Records of OTDC

Human Resource Development in Tourism Sector:A Case Study of Orissa Tourism Development... 43Ta

ble

2: M

anpo

wer

Pos

ition

of O

TD

C a

s on

31.0

4.20

15 (C

ateg

ory

wis

e)

MA

NA

GE

RIA

LSU

PER

VIS

OR

YC

LE

RIC

AL

WO

RK

MA

NSl

No

Nam

e of

the

Uni

tR

eg.

Dep

tt.

Con

tN

MR

SPTo

tal

Reg

.D

eptt

.C

ont

NM

RSP

Tota

lR

eg.

Dep

tt.

Con

tN

MR

SPTo

tal

Reg

.D

eptt

.C

ont

NM

RSP

1H

ead

Offi

ce3

41

87

318

230

111

1527

343

2A

ir Ti

cket

ing

01

16

511

23

Bhu

bane

swar

11

21

25

21

14

421

94

Puri

11

11

66

156

214

5C

utta

ck0

21

34

419

66

Bar

kul

11

11

21

120

17

117

Cha

ndip

ur1

12

21

12

161

48

Sam

balp

ur0

01

12

92

27

9R

uork

ela

11

11

11

214

115

10K

onar

k0

11

01

11G

opal

pur

11

01

14

312

Ram

bha

01

10

81

713

Tapt

apan

i0

01

11

25

14N

anda

nkan

an0

11

22

57

15Y.

N K

onar

k0

13

41

12

1711

16Y.

N S

atap

ada

01

12

11

71

211

17A

.N L

ulun

g0

01

12

218

T.U

BB

SR0

11

31

418

819

T.U

Pur

i0

11

42

65

110

20A

.N C

hand

abal

i0

11

02

15

21B

alas

ore

00

11

21

22D

haul

i0

11

03

223

Para

deep

01

11

12

324

Dhe

nkan

al0

11

11

22

625

Panc

halin

gesw

ar0

11

20

41

226

Cha

ndan

esw

ar0

11

11

310

27K

eonj

har

01

12

22

35

28B

hatta

rika

00

01

29C

hand

rabh

anga

01

11

13

730

TRC

Bar

ipad

a0

11

20

31K

orap

ut0

11

20

Tota

l6

71

00

1423

326

016

6848

02

233

8526

312

023

176

Sour

ce: O

ffici

al R

ecor

ds o

f OTD

C


as supervisors, 33 as clerks and 175 as workmen. Table -2 presented below contains the details of manpower position of OTDC category wise.

selection and Recruitment

There has been no recruitment of regular staff in OTDC for the last 10 years due to resource crunch, nor any internal promotion made to fill the higher positions since 1992. Earlier, recruitment to all posts whether managerial, supervisory or clerical was done through direct advertisements in the print media by inviting application from the eligible candidates. All applications were then scrutinized to be shortlisted and placed before the Selection Committee for final selection and recruitment. Some other posts were filled up on the basis of deputation from different Departments of the Government. Asst. Directors and Engineers are deputed from the Govt. to act as Divisional Managers and Govt. Tourist Officers as Asst. Managers/Managers of OTDC Accommodation Units. In the engineering divisions of Building & Projects, the Divisional Managers including the AEs & JEs of the Divisions are also deputed employees of the Govt. They draw their salary from the Govt. /parent departments directly without putting much pressure on corporate finances. Some vacancies were being filled up before through internal promotion also basing on incumbent’s merit, ability and work experience in the organization. In the recent past, few contractual appointments have been made through direct advertisement in the media on recommendation and approval of the “Selection Committee” which is constituted as and when required by the Govt. for this purpose, consisting of the Chairman, M.D and C.S for recruitment to executive cadre. The GM, Divisional manager of the concerned Division, and the CS generally form a committee to make selection for base level recruitment in a Division. Workers are normally hired to work on a temporary basis and in due course their services are supposed to be regularized. Some people, on retirement from the Dept. of Tourism, are also invited to join OTDC on a contract basis to render their valuable services to the company’s success. In the recent years, contractual appointment is given to Management Trainees selected through the Committee to be regularized subsequently on the basis of their performance as Asst. Managers/Managers of OTDC Accommodation Units.

Restriction imposed on recruitment and promotion as part of the bureaucratic decision to compensate company’s financial losses in the eighties has resulted in many vacancies. The Tour and Transport Division, Personnel Division, PP & Marketing Division go without a Divisional manager and the FC post also goes unmanned giving way to a number of acting appointments, where the subordinates are placed in higher positions discharging dual responsibilities. HR outsourcing through the Service Provider has long been

in practice in OTDC that has proved very useful ensuring low cost and better performance of employees. As many as 224 employees have been engaged through the Service Provider and they do not draw their salary directly from the Corporation. Monthly salary payment of all SP staff is made to the Agency for disbursement in keeping with the terms and conditions of their appointments laid down by the Agency. MD is empowered by the Company to appoint NMR employees directly for a maximum duration of 45 days subject to extension of the period depending on the requirement and performance of individual employee. A separate attendance register was being maintained for the NMR staff to be submitted by each Division at the end of every month. Attendance report so collected by the Personnel Division was used for calculation of monthly remuneration and payment to those staff. But now-a-days biometric system of maintaining employee attendance record is used for all staff members working in the Corporation.

training and Development

It is said that the most valuable of all capital is that invested in human beings. The quality of human resources affects the quality of tourist services and the competitiveness of the tourism sector, also that the quality of human resources depends on the perceived level of employees’ education and training. Training can lead to higher production, lower mistakes, greater job satisfaction and less employee turnover. On realizing the effectiveness of training, OTDC took initiative for skill up-gradation of its employees as back as in 1987 with funding from DFID. But Intensive employee training effort has been made in the organization since 2007 through the aid and advice of Price Water House Coopers. As revealed from the official sources of OTDC, a small budgetary allocation up to 1 lakh rupees is being earmarked by the Corporate Management for employee training and the State Dept. of Tourism also provides annual financial assistance to OTDC for this purpose.

The Personnel Division discharges the vital function of supporting its staff by inducting them into various training programmes from time to time with the objective of competency enhancement and skill up-gradation of allofficers and staff. Both in-house and external training programmes have been conducted for which some reputed professional institutes of the State like XIMB, IITTM, IHMCT, and the School of Hotel Management (ITER) etc. were identified as the place of training. In-house training programmes are organized sporadically in the Convention Hall of Bhuhubaneswar Panthanivas, an accommodation unit of OTDC adjacent to the Administrative building.There is provision for sponsorship by the organization for outside training of executives as well as non-executives to learn managerial and technical skills including the soft


skills that help improve employee’s job performance and contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the organization.

Training is arranged to cover different aspects – Technical, managerial, behavioral - depending on the rank held by the employee and the nature of his work in the organization.These are short- term training programmes for professional knowledge and on-the-job skills acquisition. Room boys, waiters, cooks and helpers are usually trained in IHMCT, Bhubaneswar for skill acquisition in the areas of housekeeping, F&B services etc. Training is provided to all categories of employee, whether regular, contractual, NMR, or the staff on deputation from the Govt. Besides these, the executives are also sponsored to join “Training the Trainers Programme” conducted outside the State. Official records of OTDC reveal that training opportunity has been provided to 550 people of the organization over a period of 7 years from 1st May 2007 to 31st April 2015.

performance appraisal

Organisations always depend on employees’ performance appraisal reports to take important HR decisions such as giving promotion, increment and incentives; identifying training needs of employees; transfer, punishment, etc. In OTDC, the same traditional but common practice of maintaining CCR (Confidential Character Report) is followed to evaluate performance of the Regular employees only wherein the impressions regarding the performance and general conduct of employees are recorded by their superiors to be submitted at the end of every year for use by the Management. The prescribed CCR format contains some subjective assessment criteria as attendance, discipline, promptness in carrying out instructions, performance in duties, sincerity and integrity, etc. All appraisal formats duly filled in by the Reporting authority (manager) of the Division finally reach the MD, the virtual accepting authority with remarks from the countersigning officer (Divisional Manager) and the reviewing officer (General Manager) through the personnel Division. The Chairman happens to be the appellate authority to hear employee grievances relating to any decision taken on the basis of CCR. Contractual employees have not been brought into the ambit of performance appraisal so far. The executives on deputation are rated through a self-appraisal system of performance evaluation applicable to all Govt employees of the State. The Govt. prescribed format called PAR for Gr. A & B officials available on Govt. website is filled in by these employees and submitted to the MD for his/her remarks and onward movement to the GA Dept of the Govt for consideration of promotion and increment sanction of the appraisee at the Govt. level. CCR of Class IV employees are written by the Manager of the concerned Division alone for which a separate format is used. There is

no potential appraisal; mention in Performance Appraisal is made through recommendations for potential development of employees.

organisation Development

HRD practice in terms of Organisation Development (OD) activities in OTDC is quite progressive. Annual Performance Plan (APP), Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), computerization of accounts, designing, developing and updating organisation’s own website, grievance handling mechanism, etc. are examples of successful OD interventions in the organization. MOUs are signed with the Govt. Depts., especially with the Dept. of Tourism every year as part of corporate governance relating to support needed for infrastructure development, publicity, energy conservation and many other purposes. OTDC enters into MOUs with Tourism Corporations of other States in the areas of reciprocal booking arrangements, familiarisation tours, product promotion, and transfer of knowledge. MOUs are also signed with IRCTC and tourism industry stake holders, i.e. tour operators and travel agents for volume growth in business. Corporate decision making is an executive exercise and all proposals are finally approved by the MD and submitted to the Chairman for information before being executed.

Research method and Data analysis:

Survey method has been used to collect opinions of corporation’s employees on a random sampling basis through written questionnaire and personal interviews on various dimensions of human resource development function and efforts of the organization. Respondents have been chosen to represent different categories of personnel such as the managerial, supervisory, and workmen. The questionnaire had statements rated on a five-point scale to extract employees’ perception regarding the utility and effectiveness of the training programmes as a performance booster, method of performance appraisal and its purpose. Initially 150 questionnaires were administered out of which 100 returned. So the survey was conducted with a sample size of 100 representing 16 % of the population. Documentary research method is also adopted to collect data from OTDC Statute, Corporation’s official records and Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) that constitute reliable sources of evidence relating to the subject under study.

Analysis of Variance and Duncan’s Multiple Range test have been conducted on the dataset with two dependent variables using SPSS package to ascertain significance of response variation, and homogeneity of the groups formed on the basis of some demographic factors as shown in Table- 3.1.


Outputs of the ANOVA Table: 3.1 given above indicate that respondents’ perception towards ‘Employee Training’ for the age and designation factors differ significantly and ‘F’ values in both the cases are found to be 6.128 and 9.976 respectively, significant at 5% level. In order to determine the locations of mean differences within the groups, Duncan’s Post-hoc test was done. Results of the Duncan test

Table: 3.2 reveal significance of variation between the age group of 41-45 and above 45. Similarly, in respect of the designation group, although the managerial and workmen category do not differ from each other, they are found to differ significantly from the supervisors in their response to the existing employee training practices in OTDC.

Table 3.1: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) on the Responses Towards ‘Employee Training’ in Respect of Different Identified Factors

Factors Sources of Variation Sum of Squares Degree of Freedom Mean Sum of Squares F

AgeBetween Age 7.231 3 2.410 6.128*Within Age 37.759 96 .393Total 44.990 99

Designation

Between Designation 7.675 2 3.838 9.976*Within Designation

37.315 97 .385

Total 44.990 99

GenderBetween Gender .168 1 .168 .368 NSWithin Gender 44.822 98 .457Total 44.990 99

Monthly IncomeBetween Income 1.583 2 .791 1.768NSWithin Income 43.407 97 .447Total 44.990 99

QualificationBetween Qualification .684 2 .342 .749 NSWithin Qualification 44.306 97 .457Total 44.990 99

Marital StatusBetween Marital Status .017 1 .017 .037 NSWithin Marital Status 44.973 98 .459Total 44.990 99

* Significant at 5% level (P<0.05) NS - Not Significant

Table -3. 2: Duncan’s Post-Hoc Test for Average Response on ‘Employee Training’ in Respect of Different Identified Factors

Factors Category Average Factors Category Average

Age

31 – 35 2.0625 AB

Income

<20000 1.919536 – 40 1.9250 AB 20001- 30000 2.201941 – 45 2.4327 B 30001-40000 1.9000

Above 45 1.8042 A

DesignationManagerial 1.6750 H

QualificationUnder Grad 2.1667

Supervisory 2.5417 I Graduate 1.9043Workmen 1.9315 H Professional 2.0600

SexMale 1.9741

Marital StatusUnmarried 2.0417

Female 2.0962 Married 1.9867

Superscripts A – D, E-G, H – J, K-M run over the factors Age, Income, Designation, and Qualification respectively. Same superscripts for the average responses within a factor indicate that they are similar and not significantly different from each other (P>0.05). Conversly, different superscripts for the average responses within a factor indicate that they are significantly different from each other (P<0.05).


As is evident from the ANOVA Table: 4.1, ‘Performance Appraisal’ as a major intervening variable has resulted in significant differences among the respondent groups formed on the basis of age, designation, income, qualification, and the ‘F’ statistics in these cases are found to be 8.840, 14.462, 10.793, and 7.785 respectively. Results of the Duncan test Table: 4.2 point to the fact that the age group under category 36-40 differs significantly from the category 41-45, and

above 45. Similarly, age group under category 41-45 varies significantly from the category 31-35 and 36-40. Each designation group is found to differ from the other groups in its perception towards this particular dimension. It is also revealed that respondents with an income level of 20001- 30000 differ significantly from the two other levels, and the undergraduate respondents markedly differ in their views from the graduates and professionals.

Table-4.1: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) on the Responses Towards ‘Performance Appraisal’ in Respect of Different Identified Factors.

Factors Sources of Variation Sum of Squares Degree of Freedom Mean Sum of Squares F

AgeBetween Age 27.519 3 9.173 8.840*Within Age 99.613 96 1.038Total 127.132 99

Designation

Between Designation 29.202 2 14.601 14.462*Within Designation

97.930 97 1.010

Total 127.132 99

GenderBetween Gender 2.292 1 2.292 1.799NSWithin Gender 124.840 98 1.274Total 127.132 99

Monthly IncomeBetween Income 23.142 2 11.571 10.793*Within Income 103.990 97 1.072Total 127.132 99

QualificationBetween Qualification 17.583 2 8.792 7.785*Within Qualification 109.549 97 1.129Total 127.132 99

Marital StatusBetween Marital Status 1.277 1 1.277 .994 NSWithin Marital Status 125.85 98 1.284Total 127.132 99

*-Significant at 5% level (P<0.05) NS-Not Significant

Table 4.2: Duncan’s Post-Hoc Test Foraverage Response on ‘Performance Appraisal’ in Respect of Different Identified Factors

Factors Category Average Factors Category Average

Age

31 – 35 2.7917 AB

Income

< 20000 3.6356 F36 – 40 2.0000 A 20001- 30000 2.5064 E41 – 45 3.9038 C 30001- 40000 3.1889 FAbove 45 3.2472 BC

DesignationManagerial 2.2917 H

QualificationUnder Grad 1.6667 K

Supervisory 3.0556 I Graduate 3.6489 LWorkmen 3.6559 J Professional 3.0200 L

SexMale 3.2162

Marital StatusUnmarried 3.7222

Female 3.6667 Married 3.2465

Superscripts A – D, H –J run over the factors Age and Designation respectively. Same superscripts for the average responses within a factor indicate that they are similar and not significantly different from each other (P>0.05). Conversely, different superscripts for the average responses within a factor indicate that they are significantly different from each other(P<0.05).


findings and conclusion:

Employees should get the scope to discover what the company needs, then develop the necessary skills to meet these needs as defined by the market place. Basically, the primary tie that binds an employee to the company and vice versa is mutual success resulting in performance that adds value to the organization. Each Individual should always be doing something that contributes significant, positive change at his work place. Based on the exploration and analyses of data collected from both primary and secondary sources, it is found that HRD has not been recognized as an important human resource function in OTDC so far. HRD activities here are convenience based and as a result, various sub-systems of HRD do not get the attention they deserve.Human Resource Planning in OTDC has become a neglected area having no specific HR plans. Human Resource Inventory System is inadequate to assess the demand and supply of required manpower and to determine the manpower gap in the organization.

Training as an essential HRD intervention has been used in OTDC as a maintenance function rather than a strategic one. Budget allocation for training is inadequate. Training needs of individual employees are decided by the concerned Dept. Heads instead of identifying those needs through the method of performance appraisal. However, OTDC is making all efforts now for skill up-gradation of its employees by organizing in-house and external training programmes, even outside the State. As observed from the ANOVA Table- 3.1 and the Dunkan Multiple Range Test conducted to measure the influence of different factors on the dependent variable ‘Employee training’, there is significant variation in case of age, and designation groups, but training practices do not vary as a function for gender, income, marital status and qualification. Respondents of 31-35 and 36-40 age groups reflect homogeneity with regard to the training practices prevalent in OTDC.

The practice of employing deputed Govt. personnel is being followed to establish financial, technical, and administrative coordination between OTDC and the Dept. of Tourism Govt. of Orissa. It has helped reduce the expenditure on salary head. Recruitment of surplus manpower has also been controlled to a large extent.

The appraisal system of OTDC is found to have some major shortcomings. Appraisal criteria are highly subjective for which the reliability and validity of the system is questionable. No targets are fixed for the employees keeping the organisation’s objectives and goals in view which makes it difficult to evaluate individual employee’s accomplishments at the end. Moreover, performance appraisal is conducted here as a routine matter only and the appraisal results are never used to serve the primary purpose of performance appraisal resulting in unproductive exercises

by the executives towards a mechanical compliance of the corporate norms.

It is found from the ANOVA Table 4.1 and the DMRT conducted to measure the influence of different factors on the dependent variable ‘ Performance Appraisal’ that gender and marital status are two insignificant factors for the dependent variable ‘Performance Appraisal’ and the differences among the group means may not be due to chance only. The respondents of 36-40 and 41-45 age groups differ significantly and marked differences also exist among the three designation groups in this regard. However, homogeneity is reflected among the respondents with less than 20000 income per month and 30000-40000 category as well as among the graduates and professionals with almost similar responses towards performance appraisal as practiced in OTDC.

So far as Organisation Development (OD) activity is concerned, a marked change is being observed now in the attitude of employees, in the organization culture, its system and methods due to various OD efforts of the organisation.

suggestions

Business houses often look to carry out new strategies, fuel growth and make changes for long term success. OTDC needs to plan for smooth career advancement to motivate the employees to maintain a high level of performance. It would be nice to see when the management gives some staff members an opportunity to do something different that may provide an interesting challenge for them. Executives may be more empowered in the organization to take decisions independently in organizational interest without the feeling of any apprehension or fear. The following measures, if taken meticulously, would go a long way contributing to better organizational climate and culture, greatest employee satisfaction and motivation and above all, a steady growth of the organization.

∑ OTDC should have a well spelt out personnel policy with service rules containing terms and conditions for each category of personnel employed in the organization.

∑ HR Planning Committee may be constituted to formulate HR plans and HR inventory system be introduced and updated regularly for ready references. HR data bank may be created instead of filing system of maintaining personnel records.

∑ While recruiting, focus is never laid on the quality of intake in OTDC. Being a service sector organization it ought to be characterized by professionalism and people with requisite skills should be recruited. It not only projects the Company as a better employer to attract good talents but also helps in retaining the pool


for a longer period to help the organization grow into a huge profit making concern.

∑ Too many posts have been created in the organization perhaps with the intention to avoid the ORV Act which has resulted in problems in establishing fixed criteria to be followed for selection, recruitment and promotion of employees. These need to be streamlined and sorted out at the top management level.

∑ The Organisation should develop a work culture imbibed with team spirit, openness and risk taking abilities of employees.

∑ An effective evaluation system can inculcate confidence in the employees about the process. The current appraisal method of OTDC cannot eliminate the factors of favouritism and prejudice, thus making the whole process doubtful. Objective elements may be added to the contents of CCR for correct performance rating and reducing employee grievances.

∑ Potential appraisal need to be introduced for optimum utilization of peoples’ skill, knowledge and competency that is considered a key to organizational success.

∑ Performance feedback may be used to identify individual training needs of employees to place them in suitable training packages and bridge up the performance gap.

∑ As revealed from the study, very few female employees are working in the organization compared to their male counterparts having a ratio of 1:30. It is believed that women are better suited to the nature of work in service sectors than men. Striking a gender balance would help improve organizational performance and drive greater operating results.

∑ It is said that the most valuable of all capital is that invested in human beings. Hence, more financial allocation may be made in the annual budget for training and development of employees, a training calendar be designed to make the process more systematic.

∑ There should be an effective system in the Organisation for tracking employee satisfaction.

∑ Acting appointments in the organization should not exceed one year. If at all it exceeds the duration, after three months of discharging responsibility in a higher position the person may be given officiating allowance i.e. the minimum of the salary range of the acting position to be given as an incentive to boost up employee motivation and morale.

Employee competencies need to be sharpened and developed as organizations operate in environments that keep changing, requiring people to have new competencies with the right mixture of initiative and skills. Failure of the organization is commonly attributed to inadequate system and facilities, when the central problem is lack of professionalism. It is, therefore, imperative now for any corporate establishment in the service sector to be as focused in its approach to human resource development as in the areas of product development and marketing, because it needs people with the necessary skills to react to shifting market trends. OTDC can effectively plan for, procure, train and empower its employees for attainment of service excellence in the organization. For that a separate HRD Cell need to be created in the Personnel Division equipped with qualified staffs on a regular basis to carry out human resource development functions more effectively.

RefeRences

Rao, T. V. (1999). Readings in human resource development. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.

Baum, T. (1994). Human resource issues in international tourism. Butterworth-Heinmann, London.

Wayne Mondy, R., & Neo, R. M. (2006). Human Resource Management. Dorling Kindersley India Pvt.Ltd, Delhi.

Business Today. (1996 January). Special Issue.Official Records, OTDC Ltd.

Films and destination Promotion: an exPloratory study

Parvi Bharti*

Abstract Film tourism is quite a new concept; it is also referred to as film-induced or movie-induced tourism. It promotes the tourism advantage induced for any destination or country due to its exposure to public through the film media. This concept is at its nascent stage in the world. Many countries are found to work on this concept after realizing the benefits which can be reaped by their people, society and economy as a whole. Every theory, if advantageous, also tends to present some challenges. This mode of tourism promotion has its own benefits and challenges too for the administration, but, it depends on the government: local and central both, to make use of the concept in the manner befitting most for the locales and the economy. The international or worldwide famous films have been found to do wonders to the inflow of tourist for the country and shooting destinations in specific. Various governments have also started playing a significant role, and contributing by providing assistance to the film producers. In India we’ve had films promoting various destinations in the country itself through our own Bollywood, whereas some films under the international banner also have had some scenes or part of the film shot in the country. It would be of immense benefit to use this concept for the tourism industry of the country, but before that, it is essential to be prepared to deliver the required infrastructure and facilities. The study of this model is quite complex and requires an exhaustive research to understand the benefits (in exact measures) any country can reap for its economy. This paper aims to induce further research in the field and integrate the efforts and research in the field of tourism and management.

Keywords: Film, Tourism, Destination, Economy, Promotion

BaCKGround

Film tourism, also called film-induced or movie-induced tourism, refers to the tourism advantage induced for any destination due to its exposure through the film media. This phenomenon is quite complex and requires an exhaustive study of the benefits any country can reap for its economy. It is a very dynamic concept and lately has been given due recognition in quite a few countries. Efforts are being made to popularize the places, bring awareness about the culture and boost the tourism.

The concept being relatively new has attracted many studies and surveys on the concept, and its implication. Earlier little efforts were made for the promotion of various destinations. Gradually, efforts were made by the government and private firms for the same. Brochures, TV advertisement, Print advertisements, etc are the traditional form of advertising and have a direct impact. Whereas, newspaper articles about a destination, documentaries, movies and television programs also form a very important medium of advertisement though indirectly.

A tourist visiting a destination after getting fascinated by a place featured on television or in a movie is referred to as Film Tourism. This concept also falls under the cultural tourism and invokes tremendous benefits to the entertainment industry and the tourism industry of the country.

It is a very efficient vehicle of advertisement because of its ability to have a long term impact on the viewers. The impact of direct marketing medium, for a place, is only limited to a certain area and time which is not so in case of the advertising through films, which are viewed across boundaries and over undefined time period. It motivates and inspires the people to have a firsthand experience of the place.

The various aspects of this paper involves focus on (a) the benefits and challenges of the concept in context of social and economic facets of the destination, (b) film tourism as a mode of advertisement, (c) study of the impact of film’s exposure on level of tourist inflow for the destination in question, (d) role of government authorities, and (e) India’s film tourism.

Films have unconsciously promoted quite a lot of places around the world. Besides developing a tourist destination

* Assistant Professor, School of Management, IMS Unison University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. Email: [email protected]


Films and Destination Promotion: An Exploratory Study 51

and creating awareness, it also helps in providing information to the viewers about the country, its culture and people.

An efficient promotion of a destination is positively co-related to the success of the film, thus leading to the desired effect of film induced tourism. For this purpose, various factors play a measured role; like the film itself, the caste, story, pre and post release destination marketing, the destination characteristics and its accessibility, and efforts of the government.

literature oVerVieW

Hudson and Ritchie (2006) in their work ‘Promoting Destinations via Film Tourism: An Empirical Identification of Supporting Marketing Initiatives’ have researched on the factors which can be used for the purpose of study of film tourism and their impact on the promotion of the destination. They have identified four marketing activities; namely, proactive efforts to encourage producers, efforts to generate media publicity around the film and its location, marketing activities to promote the film after its production, and some additional marketing activities to leverage the film tourism potential. A model for studying the film marketing opportunities have been developed by them which discusses various destination marketing activities before and after the release of the film, along with factors like Destination Attributes, Film Specific factors, Film Commissions & Government Effort, and Location itself. The research included an online survey amongst 140 DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations) from across the globe, with 85% participants being from USA, UK and Canada, whereas the remaining 15% were from other countries. The use of multiple regression analysis has resulted in inferring that there is a high correlation between the efforts of local government to promote the destination and film tourism.

Kraaijenzank (2009) has studied the impact of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy through the master thesis titled ‘Movie-Induced Tourism: An analytical report on how the Lord of the Rings trilogy has affected tourism in New Zealand’. The focus of the study was to establish the fact that film-induced tourism can be advantageous for any particular destination, provided that the image sent across to the public is consistent with the actual destination image. It is important to understand that the level of authenticity of the destination would be important for the tourists visiting the places. The benefit New Zealand derived of the movie series was that many of the places got known all over the world. The image of the destinations were keep closest to the actual which helped build and maintain the satisfaction level of the tourists. New Zealand witnessed the largest group of tourist from Australia, accounting for almost one-third of the

international tourists. The study revealed that for the country some key markets in future would be Australia, Canada, USA, China, Germany, The Netherlands, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

In another research ‘Film-induced Tourism: Inventing a Vacation to a Location’, Walaiporn yes, she is the author (2009) discusses the benefits of Film Tourism through her paper. Also, the paper highlights the little attention given by industry and academician, calling for further in-depth analysis as this process of promoting tourism can reap long-term benefits for the location. The study discusses, through past researches, the impact of various international films on tourism and the course of action adopted by various DMOs and government across the world. It also studies the various variables suggested through past studies, which influence the tourist’s decision making process. The variables vary from travel stimuli to confidence in travel intermediary, past travel experience, perceived risks and prior destination knowledge. It states that when countries like Korea, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States can reap the benefit through film-tourism marketing strategies, then even the other countries can take clue and deploy strategies to build on their tourism sector.

Noelle O’Connor (2010) had her doctoral thesis on ‘A Film Marketing Action Plan (FMAP) for Film Induced Tourism Destinations’ wherein Yorkshire (UK) was taken as study area. The research studies the impact of film tourism and destination branding on locations featured in popular films and television series. It is not just the films and their locations, but also television series or songs which would contribute a lot towards bringing forth a certain picture of the city or the country where it has been shot. The culture and lifestyle of the people has been shared through many television series also. The release of films on an international level helps create numerous marketing opportunities for the trade and the location. The research was conducted through the mode of secondary data as well as primary data, through a 300 tourist survey and strategic conversations with them. The results showed that the Yorkshire shot television series had little impact on the actual perceptions of the place or location in the minds of the general tourist population. Of the ten television series shot in the city, only four television series had the identification of public, above 50%, whereas the majority tourist was not even aware about the rest of the series being shot. The author had also tried to study the various reasons for visiting a particular destination. It was thus, that the Film Marketing Action Plan (FMAP) model for exploiting the opportunities in the appropriate manner was applied for the benefit of its tourism industry and economy as well (Refer Diagram 1).


oBJeCtiVe & researCH metHodoloGy

This paper aims at exploring the concept of destination promotion via films. This concept has in the last few years gained prominence in various countries for the purpose of attracting tourists; tourism being one of the largest revenue

sectors for the countries. This paper therefore aims to study the various attempts at this notion and its impact on the flow of tourism.

The research undertaken for this article has been based on historical data, as it puts forth an assortment of the contributions made by various researchers across the world. Based on the same, it aims at understanding the concept,

Diagram 1

Source: Hudson and Ritchie (2006)


the trend and opportunities which can be availed by various countries.

soCio-eConomiC BeneFits oF Film tourism

The benefits of film tourism are manifold; not just for the particular destination and its society, but also to the economy of the country as a whole. The best aspect of this mode of advertisement and promotion is that it has a long term effect and the paybacks are reaped over a long period of time, unlike any other mode of advertisement which has instantaneous rewards only.

Another major benefit of the activity is that the exposure is over a vast geographical area; to-say, actually around the world. Any other mode of advertisement, apart from online promotions, is limited to certain geographical area only, but the films are watched all around the world, though subject to its release in various dialects and its availability in various countries.

The positive effect on tourism leads to the enhancement in the provision of working opportunities to the inhabitants of the place. Various shops, adventure activities, photography, tourist guides and similar activities get promoted in the region thereby providing employment. Such economic prospects also help boost the living standard of the populace. The greater exposure and widened economic activities prove to be a good source of income.

In terms of tourism, the growth of any economy is integrated with the benefits obtained by the various places in the country. Many a times, the natural places are unexplored, under-explored or not promoted desirably. It directly helps the country to make a mark on the world map; which is possible through proper advertisement and sponsorship. Film tourism, thus, makes its use and possibilities obvious.

The advantages enjoyed by a destination are passed on to the economy as a whole. It strengthens the economy with the help of inflow of foreign exchange. Makes the country more popular and enhances the image. In this current scenario, the cultural and social environmental exposure made possible through film tourism cannot be reaped through books, literature or any other print media. The books can only help conjure an image in the readers mind, but the visual effect received from a film is incomparable. The visuals make a viewer want to be a part of that place, makes him interested in having the first hand experience and feel the smell, sight and sound of the whereabouts.

Various movies have proven to promote the culture of a particular city or country. It has popularized the historic monuments, the culture and tradition, the environment, the food or lifestyle of a place. Such cultural exchange

shrinks the world and people come closer. They understand, acknowledge and develop a sense of cultural empathy towards the other people. Film tourism has the capacity to share a wide range of cultural meanings and values. Many heritage sites that serve as film locations gain popularity after the release of the film, though proper historic narration and value depends on the film narration. Busby & Klug, in their work stated that without film storylines, a castle or a stately home may not be indistinguishable from each other. Thus, we observe that the social benefits to the society could be magnificent in terms of awareness and promotion of their culture and tradition. Sam (2014) in his research paper on Socio-Economic Impact of Tourism Development in the Forest Community of Nigeria has discussed the aspect of employment opportunities in context of social benefits. The study of 150 respondents, analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation statistical technique, implied that there was a significant relationship between employment opportunity and tourism development in the forest community.

Another report by Mariska Wouters, Socio-economic effects of concession-based tourism in New Zealand’s national parks, throws light on how tourism can bring positive socio-economic effect. Three national parks in the country had been selected to study the impact of tourism. It concluded that the exposure of the local communities in the near-by areas was immense due to the tourism in the selected areas. It had also helped in better service provision for the tourist and therefore increasing the standard of living of the local residents.

Though the benefits are immense, it is necessary to reap them in the right manner. In one of the studies conducted by Kraaijenzank in 2009 the effect of Lord of Rings on the Tourism of New Zealand, was studied to conclude that the film-induced tourism can prove to be effective for a destination as long as the image presented through the film is in tandem and consistent with the actual destination image. It is imperative to understand that if the image in the film is not what the actual destination is then it gives a negative impression on the mind of the tourist which might not prove to be beneficial.

CHallenGes Posed By Film tourism aCtiVities

The benefits obtained through film tourism are many; but as a package deal, there are some negative effects too. The adverse effects which a city can face due to great popularity can be the negative environmental effect of traffic and congestion, loss of privacy of the local residents of the place, increase in population as traders might move in to such a place to bank on the tourists for their trade, and public safety is also at stake due to increased crime levels at such places.


Some of these ill effects are found generally across all the popular destinations. Destruction of natural environment is an impact which also could be detrimental for the destination.

We have also seen instances when the historic monuments are marred when people scribble or pollute such places of scenic beauty. The role of the local administration becomes very crucial at such places, and especially during the peak season when the number of tourists coming in is very high. Care should be taken to see that the integrity and beauty of the place is maintained intact.

The instance of damage to the natural environment was seen when the film The Beach was shot in Thailand and the consequent film tourism activities resulting in its popularity leading to extensive environmental damage to Phi Phi Lae Island in Southern Thailand. It was like a paradise discovered and everyone wanted to be a part of it. Due to the unexpected immense tourism boom the island suffered massive coral damage and over-fishing in the areas.

Another problem is likely to be faced if the appearance of a place portrayed in the film is actually different than what it is. This can result in loss of tourists’ satisfaction. As mentioned earlier, the studies conducted have proved that if the image of a place presented through the film is not consistent with the actual destination then it leads to a feeling of dissatisfaction. Therefore, it is also important for the administration to coordinate with the producers and maintain the authenticity of the destination so that no wrong impression is created in the minds of the viewer.

Film tourism as ComPared to otHer mediums oF destination Promotion

Films have the capacity to give a prolonged exposure to the place. The films are viewed over a long time period, across the globe by various people; unlike the television advertisements which only have an immediate viewership possible. This is an indirect but immense benefit is terms of marketing. This effect can lasts for about a year, and sometimes even more, as after the film is released and screened in theatres, it is available on the DVDs, through DTH, cable network and on various television channels.

The exposure obtained by a town or country through a film is a kind of advertisement which is viewed by potentially millions of people; thus becoming a huge target audience that cannot be reached through traditional tourism promotions.

There are various film related aspects also which help in promoting the films itself; like (a) Participation of international actors in the film, (b) Film festivals, and

(c) International award shows.

Viewing international actors in local film also lead to viewing of more international films as these actors tend to have a good impact on the audience of the other country. International film festivals also tend to attract people from across the globe, be it the directors, producers, choreographers, actors or anyone else related to the film fraternity. It is a good medium of popularizing any particular destination. Award shows, be it related to films or music, gathers the international audience for umpteen benefits; not just for the local market but also for the national and international performers.

The benefit accruing of films is far more as compared to other promotion medium. ~ Visit of a celebrity or film actor ~ Film Festival, Music Festival or Award show ~ Public Interface of the cast or crew

All these are events which would take place at a particular time, attract guests and tourists but end the benefits to the destination as soon as the event is over. On the contrary, the film are released and viewed across the country and overseas too. Tourism is more of a planned activity by the tourist who carefully chooses his destination. The image of the movie and its location leave a mark in the viewers’ mind (taking that the essence of the location is captured and presented in the best manner). A subsequent discussion about the movie and its shooting captures the attention of the audience. Also, the broadcast of the film on TV channels even after it has been taken off the theaters keep the destination alive in the mind of the viewer. The availability of the CDs & DVDs of the film in the market also ensures a continued exposure of the destination, even though comparatively less, but it cannot be ruled out totally.

Pre-release and Post-release aCtiVities

The trend of Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) has lately come into practice in some countries. Some of the best examples are of the DMOs in Britain, Singapore, New Zealand and Kansas. The DMOs plan and execute the promotion activities; tie up with the producers to know their requirement and assist them with the preparation of the site and its promotion accordingly. The promotion activities are implemented before and after the release, i.e. pre-release and post-release.

The pre-release and post-release activities can include a combination of various activities. Pre-release activities include a tour package to the film shooting sites and nearby locations, or even better, it can include tours planned in coordination with the producers and actors of the film to allow some tourists to meet them. The post-release activities


consists of providing film location guides or film maps to the tourists in the city, planning special family/couple/student’s tours to the destination, having a dedicated website for the city or country places and the films shot there, having the provision of memorabilia related to the films sold at the tourist gift shops or restaurants and more of such activities can add charm.

New Zealand has a tourism website where it had a special dedicated section for the film The Lord of the Rings to enable website visitors to see all the various shooting locations and then plan their visit accordingly. Such promotion tools provide opportunity to market the locations in a unique manner.

∑ h t t p : / / w w w. n e w z e a l a n d . c o m / i n t / f e a t u r e /lord-of-the-rings/

∑ h t t p : / / w w w. n e w z e a l a n d . c o m / i n / a r t i c l e /lord-of-the-rings-roadtrip-guide/

The Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau, in 2004, produced ‘Sideways—The Map’ a guide book to the film locations of Sideways, even before the release of the film. This initiative helped increase the tourism for California, USA as within a few weeks of the release of the film, visitors were eager to see the diners, hotels, and wineries used in the film. This lead to the sales of 10,000 copies of the guide within a short span of the release of the film.

The pre-release initiatives include the DMOs working with the producers and publicist throughout the film production process to ensure a steady flow of message amongst the public about the shooting locations and its key features. Like, during the shooting of The Lord of the Rings, media mentioned it explicitly that it was being shot in New Zealand, thus, providing an early link between the film and the location. The actors also endorsed the location by eulogizing the islands.

Apart from New Zealand, few other destinations also have produced movie maps, like United States, Australia and Korea.

Other marketing strategies include the sales of mementos or artifacts of the shooting locations or of the actors at that particular location.

imPaCt oF internationally aCClaimed Films on tourism

An internationally acclaimed film provides the benefit to a destination what any other mode of marketing cannot provide; the exposure is worldwide and immense. This has been recorded and reflected in the tourism data pronounced by various countries.

It was observed that 28 million visitors visit Britain each year after viewing the country on screen. VisitBritain, the tourist board of Great Britain, makes attempts to invite Indian film producers to use locations in UK for Bollywood films.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy, a series of films based on the novels written by J. R. R. Tolkien, had been nominated for 30 academy awards in total and has received 17 of them. These three films have been voted to be amongst the most popular films ever made. As per the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, published in 2002, The New Zealand Tourism Board, after the first of the trilogy, accessed the cost of a promotional act providing an equivalent exposure and estimated the exposure to be worth over US$41 million. The movie created such hype that it seemed ‘Mordor’ had become a pilgrimage spot, looking at the way the number of visitors shot up. Other areas which gained attention were the Queenstown area and the nearby village Glenorchy.

Such impact has not been seen in just the last few decades, but the same has been witnessed way back in 1960s, when in 1960 a film La Dolce Vita transformed the image of Rome in Italy. Through the film, the image conjured in the minds of the public worldwide, for Rome, was that of a city of sin and pleasure, of elegance and nightclubs, of aristocrats and Latin lovers, of fast cars and stylish intellectuals.

The Crown Hotel at Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, despite being a small one, quite successfully promoted the room used by the actor Hugh Grant in ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’. The hotel was fully booked for at least three years after the film’s release in 1994.

Release of Quantum of Solace, a James Bond film, though shot across six countries, created a noticeable interest in Panama. Some scenes were shot in the Panama City’s Casco Viejo, the old quarter of the place. The place, after a cleanup act by the tourism police, is now safe for the tourists to visit, which was not so earlier. The picturesque dilapidation retains the intimate Latin feel.

The movie Mamma Mia!, shot in Greece, brought a massive tourist boom for the idyllic island of Skopelos. After the film released, the then Mayor announced that there was a sudden increase of interest in the island. Earlier know for its plums pears and pine tree, the island of less than 5000 inhabitants, suddenly got known on the world map. This musical movie made young couples and other people too flock the island and plan their wedding on the island similar to the one in the film. Amongst all this tourism promotion, the only disappointment for the tourists was the church which was used for the wedding in the film; but was actually a set. Rest, the beaches and the idyllic scenery in the film made quite an impact and it came to be known as the Mamma Mia Effect.

The vampire and human love based The Twilight Saga is another in the league to bring about similar effects for places


in USA. The small town of Forks in Washington, which had the first of the series shot there, witnessed a tremendous 1000% increase in lodgings since the movie’s success. Lot of effort had gone into building the Twilight related tourism and they are still going on as the last of the series Breaking Dawn-II is yet to release. The fans and visitors coming can actually get an experience of their lifetime; they can visit the school Edward and Bella went, have a glass of so called Twilight-wine at the restaurant which filed Bella and Edward for their first date, and many such places. The Forks

Chamber of Commerce also flaunts the orange colored truck used in the movie outside its wooden building in the city.

Countries can also work through films to draw attention towards a particular unexplored or lesser known geographical area. Like, France, in 2000 used the film Chocolat to seek attention for the town Burgundy. Films are an excellent medium to make a destination popular, which otherwise struggle to find good reason to be able to develop its tourism industry.

Table 1: Impact of Some International Films on the Tourism of the Shooting Location

Sr. No. Film & year of release Shooting Location\Country Impact on Tourism

1 Dances with Wolves, 1990 Kansas, USA 25% increase in tourism post-release, as compared to 7% of 4 years pre-release

2 Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1994 The Crown Hotel, Amersham, England Hotel was fully booked for atleast three years after release

3 Braveheart, 1995 Scotland Increase was 300% a year of release4 Mission Impossible 2, 2000 Sydney In 2000 the increase was 200%

5 The Beach, 2000 Thailand Marked increase was noted specifically in the youth seg-ment

6 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, 2001 Greece 50% increase over the next 3 years7 Harry Potter, 2001 (first release) UK Increase was more than 50% at all locations

8 The Lord of the Rings, 2001 (first release) New Zealand A continuous increase of 10% every year from 1998 to

2003, specifically in the tourist segment of UK9 Troy, 2004 Turkey Increase was 73% 10 Pride and Prejudice, 2005 Lyme Park, England Increase was 150%11 The Twilight, 2008 (first release) Forks, Washington Increase of 1000% in the lodgings

12 Lost in Thailand, 2012 Thailand Tourist arrivals in Thailand increased by 10 percent in 2013

Some of the non-quantified Impact on tourism has been as follows -

13 The Descendants, 2011 Hawaii

The family-owned restaurant and bar by the name of “Da Nui” got packed and buzzing with talks of George Cloo-ney coz of the film being shot there.The St. Regis Princeville Resort, another filmed location on Kauai, drew lots of customers because of the exposure in the film, as the customers came asking for the rooms where George or the film crew stayed. This shows that the hotel financially benefited first from their long-term guests from the film industry, and then because of the interest of movie lovers.

14 Hangover II, 2011 Thailand

Wansiri Morakul, Director of the Thailand Film Office, a unit of the Department of Tourism, said: “Hangover 2 has helped to promote Thailand and after its success sev-eral foreign filmmakers are more confident about shooting their movies here. This is proof that Thailand is still safe for film productions.”The film not just increased the inflow of tourist, but also the number of television/documentaries/movie projects for the country.

Source: Hudson and Ritchie (2006) and author’s own research


role oF tHe GoVernment and tourism Boards

The government of a country can strategically plan to market its location and grab the world’s attention. It is important for them to understand the requirement of the tourism industry for the destination in question and also promote it accordingly within the film industry. Also, there should be provision of necessary support and incentives by the government accounting the benefits which will arise due to the release of the film.

Like for example, Europe, the leading continent in term of number of international tourist arrivals, spent €600 million in 2007 for their advertising campaigns. Tourism Authority of Thailand alone spent 1.2 billion Baht in total for their advertising campaigns. With international films making the required efforts (though indirect) for the promotion of a film, some additional effort by the tourism agencies or government could synergies the impact.

As mentioned earlier, DMOs have started playing an active role for the same in quite a few countries. The DMOs plan everything from the promotion of a destination to its collaboration with film producers for the appropriate exposure. It depends on the government on how much support and benefits are extended to them to for this purpose.

As stated by Rewtrakunphaiboon (2009), The Singapore Tourism Board launched ‘The Film in Singapore! Scheme’ (FSS) to facilitate international film-makers and broadcasters in the shooting, production and post-production of films and television. As per this scheme, subsidy upto 50% of the cost incurred while filming in the state has been provided. In her paper, she also mentions about The Australian Tourism Commission (ATC) acting dynamically in relationship building with the film industry by collaborating with Disney on ‘Finding Nemo’, being the first DMO to promote a destination through an animated film.

The Swiss Tourist Board pays all the scouting expenses for top Bollywood directors, as Bollywood films shot in Switzerland have proved to stimulate inflow of tourists from India. It is not just one film but a series of them shot over a place over a certain time period that the country has gained so much preference amongst the tourists.

Various other countries have also initiated the promotion themselves through movies. Like in the Bahamas, the film commission with the support of Ministry of Tourism, invested US$16 million on the film ‘After the Sunset’, starring Pierce Brosnan, to ensure maximum exposure for the island. The Bahamas realized the potential of promoting tourism through films after the Beatles filmed “Help!” in 1964 at the islands. Later, it started getting involved with the producers from the very beginning to understand the requirements of the movie and support them appropriately.

BollyWood aBroad

Numerous Bollywood films have been shot abroad and in the past few decades the frequency has been pretty high. Be it Switzerland or Britain, some of the famous films were released from those picturesque places of the world. Though, quite recently, the producers have experimented with countries like France and Italy.

Switzerland has hosted more than 200 Bollywood films, starting in 1964 from Sangam and thereon playing one of the most favored location for the Indian film makers. Some of the tremendous hits include Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Kabhi Khushi Khabhi Gham, Mujhse Dosti Karoge, and many more.

Britain has also been one more favorable destination for the industry. The number of Indian tourists increased from 205,000 to 367,000 in 2006 according to a source. The average expenditure by an Indian tourist was 793 pounds as compared to 710 pounds by an American tourist. This reflects how much a country can benefit through its international tourists and enjoy the inflow of income from other nations. People interested in visiting the popular film shooting locations in the country have been flocking to Britain, boosting its tourism by 2 billion pounds. The Britain’s tourism authorities have introduced a ‘Bollywood map’ which depicts the popular shooting locations of the Indian movies. One very popular movie, based completely on Britain, ‘Bend it like Beckham’, by an Indian-origin director Gurinder Chaddha, raised the profile of Britain in India, South Asia and the Far East. It placed the west London town of Southall on the international tourist map after its release.

The highly acclaimed Kaho Naa Pyar Hai, had a lot of the film shot in New Zealand and also in Thailand. The RA One, highly technologically advanced film, was shot in England, while Don-2 had been filmed in Berlin in Germany. These locations have been quite favorable and famous amongst the producers. Though, Egypt has been explored earlier and so was Prague, Czech Republic and Verona, Italy in the latest Rockstar starring Ranbir Kapoor.

The producers have been found to be bold and experimental with new places around the world to suit their needs, story and the setting required to present the perfect picture. The only important point to be considered by the local authorities is that it is important to maintain maximum originality of the place and not present something else, which could end up disappointing the tourists.

One of the major song sequences in Rajnikant’s film Lingaa (2014) is shot in Scotland and this has the Tourism Board of Scotland very excited about the shoot. They are banking on the Indian superstar Rajnikanth to put it on the “must visit” list of Indian travelers. Sarah Drummond from the Scotland


Tourism Board said, “Set-jetting where people visit their favourite movie locations is a growing trend - we know from research that one in five people are inspired to visit Scotland having seen it on film or on TV so there is a huge market for us to explore. Our screen tourism activities vary depending on the type of film and the link it has to Scotland but at the core of our activity it is about us promoting the destination and encouraging people to visit it.” This growing trend of film tourism has many countries promoting their locations by inviting the directors from across the world.

tourism industry in india in Context oF Film tourism

The promotion of films in India has been dominantly within the country. There have been films based on a city or a state; thus promoting its culture and lifestyle. India being a multicultural country, has promoted this mix through various films. Mumbai, Kashmir, Goa, Kerala, Rajasthan, Punjab and the like find their way in majority of the Indian films.

The movie Dil Se promoted some locations of Kerala, but unfortunately still some of the film locations remain un-promoted. The super-starer movie Pheli, where the protagonist was played by Shahrukh Khan, exhibited the cultures of Rajasthan. The film Delhi 6, shot in the streets of Delhi contributed towards increasing the tourism of the city. Rockstar showed the snow covered hills of Kashmir and the breathtaking mountainous regions of the place. The movie, Kahani, released in 2012, had been shot in Kolkata which shows the century old mode of public transportation and its world famous Durga Puja ceremony. Finding Fanny, released in 2014, has exhibited Goa in the most extensive manner as it went on to cover quite some unexplored areas of the city which are frequented very rarely by the tourists too. The film was released in both Hindi and English and thus was targeted at domestic and foreign audience both.

Foreign or international movies shot in India, though few as of yet, but they have started venturing on the same. It is this opportunity the country needs to bank on and obtain maximum benefit out of it. The 2008 Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire created quite a hype and controversy. The hype was due to the international banner and the film’s release around the world and also the Oscar nomination; but the controversy was created due to the images of the country that was projected in the movie. The film was shot at various locations in Mumbai and at Agra. In 2010, a novel based movie, Eat Pray Love, was filmed at the aashrams in India. Hari Mandir Aashram at Pataudi’s in Haryana was the host for the event. These two movies had been the most popular, though we’ve had various other ventures too.

Octopussy (1983) was the thirteenth in the series of James Bond films, which was extensively shot in Udaipur with

maximum exposure given to the Monsoon Palace. Mighty Heart (2007) based on the search story of Daniel Pearl, the reporter from Wall Street Journal, after his kidnapping in 2002, was shot in Pune and Mumbai. The movie Mission Impossible 4 (2011) got filmed at locations in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

As of yet, almost 22 films of Hollywood productions like the James Bond, Christopher Nolan’ Dark Night Rises, Ang Lee’s 3D fantasy film Life of Pi, Singularity and John Madden’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel have been given permission to shoot in the country. The choice of shooting locations depends on the script of the movie, but other reason is the emergence of a global economic player in the entertainment industry. In 2009-10 there were 10 requests for film shootings in India from foreign crews which increased to 28 in 2010-11, according to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry official.

Some of the films filmed in India released in the year 2012 and 2013 were -

∑ The director of The Dark Knight Rises, the last released film in the batman series, was at Jodhpur for the shooting of his film, which was released on 20 July 2012.

∑ Life of Pi, another film released on 20 December 2012, based on Yann Martel’s booker prize winner directed by Ang Lee began shooting in January 2011, and was filmed in Pondicherry.

∑ Zero Dark 30, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, was shot at various locations of Chandigarh and released on 25 January 2013.

∑ The Lovers, is a film yet to be released (2014) was earlier named, Singularity. It is an epic romance time travel adventure film and a tale of love set across two time periods and continents. It was initially shot in Australia, in the state of Queensland, and then in India, at the topography of Orchha, Chambal and Gwalior in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

The film Skyfall, earlier named Bond 23, tried to obtain permission for shooting the sections of Konkan Railway, which came after quite some hurdles that too conditioned with some restrictions and constraints, which led the production crew to take a decision against shooting in the country.

Table 2: International films shot in India

Year of Release International Films and Shooting Locations in India

1983 Octopussy (Agra & Udaipur)1992 City of Joy (Calcutta)1999 Holy Smoke (Pushkar, Rajasthan & New Delhi)


2004 The Bourne Supremacy (Goa)2006 Outsourced (Mumbai)2007 Mighty Heart (Pune & Mumbai)2007 The Darjeeling Limited (Udaipur & Jodhpur)2007 A Mighty Heart (Pune & Mumbai)2008 Slumdog Millionaire (Mumbai)

2010 Eat Pray Love (Ashram Hari Mandir in Pataudi, Haryana)

2011 Mission Impossible 4 (Mumbai & Bengaluru)

2011 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Jaipur & Udaipur)

2011 Trishna (Rajasthan & Mumbai)2012 The Dark Night Rises (Jodhpur)2012 Life of Pi (Pondicherry)2013 Zero Dark 30 (Chandigarh)

2015 The Lovers (earlier named Singularity; Orchha, Chambal & Gwalior)

Source: Author’s own research

ProsPeCts oF Film tourism in india

The top tourist places in India include Agra, Jaipur, Goa, Kashmir, Old Delhi, Kerala, and many more; but the reasons can be historical and cultural too. Even the majority of films are shot at places which are already popular. Be it domestic or international films, the prospects are many, that too not just for the already popular but also for the undiscovered, unexplored or underexposed destinations of the country. Better and right the promotion methods: better can we expect the inflow of the tourists. Also, the importance of having international tourists for India is manifold. It is not only the natural beauty but also the customs and tradition of the various cultures which get popularized across the world.

Though strategic plans will need to be formulated and implemented to help promote the concept of Film Tourism for the country and subsequently cope up with the tourist inflow which would be expected to increase thus. Efforts will have to start from the grass root level; maintain cleanliness, provide good infrastructural and public facilities across the country and make provisions accordingly to suit an increased traffic in the city. Government will have to provide for the proper administration and provisions for law and order of the city. As stated earlier the administrative authorities will need to provide for the appropriate facilities to support the locales and the production crew too. If the increased tourism brings in better economic opportunities, it also requires resident’s co-operation for a good environment.

The producers would require the locations to suit their needs and requirement, rather than the good presentation and

promotion of the location for the purpose of its promotion. Therefore, the local tourism offices will be required to manage the needs of the producer and right presentation of the location too. The media also paves its way in through print and electronic media. Internet is another powerful tool to help in the effective promotion. A finely presented web domain helps attract fans around the world which no other media channel can do.

The government also provides for a provision of 100% foreign direct investment in the Indian film industry to ensure the market attractiveness and allow easy entry of foreign production houses. This initiative has been effective in calling foreign enterprises such as 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures and Warner Bros. Continued effort on the lines can bring world-wide popularity and fame to the varied culture and natural beauty of the country. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, in April 2013, formed an inter-ministerial committee for promotion and facilitation of film production in India. It had rolled out the single window clearance system for filmmakers who wish to shoot across various locations in the country.

Also, some State Governments too have taken measures to attract foreign and local filmmakers both by offering production and tax incentives. Some of the initiatives are as follows:

∑ The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has announced a Bollywood tourism plan, which will enable Indian and foreign tourists to take guided tours of film studios and sets while being exposed to a first-hand experience of film shooting.

∑ The Gujarat State Government has started a single-window clearance desk to help filmmakers scout locations and provide them with logistic support.

∑ Hindi films that are shot at least 75% in Uttar Pradesh will be eligible for a grant amounting to 25% of their production cost or INR10 million (whichever is less).

∑ The Jammu & Kashmir Government initiated to waive off taxes for filmmakers while they shoot films in the state.

∑ Films that are 75% shot in Rajasthan and have been given U certificates, will get a 100% exemption from Entertainment Tax for one year.

∑ The Himachal Pradesh Government offers 100% exemption from Entertainment Tax to filmmakers shooting their films in the state.

Source: ‘Made in India: Attracting and Incentivizing Film Productions’ Report by Ernst &Young and LA India Film Council

The Goa tourism department has gone ahead to tie up with the Bollywood films that are shot in Goa for the purpose


of targeting the NRIs. The state tourism director said that initiatives to tie up with films depicting beauty of Goa can result in the increased footfalls of the NRIs. Goa tourism department had tied up with the 2014 release of ‘Finding Fanny’ which stars Deepika Padakone and Arjun Kapoor. This film has covered numerous locations of Goa and thus proves to be a great opportunity for the State Tourism Board to bank on.

ConClusion

The concept of Film Tourism requires study and research on a broader scale. An operational model is required to help formulated and evaluate the effect of film Tourism for a destination. It is either at the stage of inception or has been over it in various countries; this had been possible due to the development of DMOs. Also, it has the potential to provide huge benefits from which the society and economy benefits on a whole. Though there are undesirable consequences also; but their effect can be minimized and controlled by proper administration and law-order implementation. This paper calls for empirical studies in this area and further examination of its effect on the tourism.

reFerenCes

Bhat, V. (2011). More number of Hollywood films waiting to be shot in India. Retrieved from http://business-standard.com/india/news/more-numberhollywood-films-waiting-to-be-shot-in-india/458177/

Bollywood drives Indian tourist to Swiss Alps. (2008 August 3).

Retrieved from http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2008-08-03/news/27731873_1_indian-tourists-indi-an-films-swiss-alps

Bollywood fans boost tourism in Britain. (2008 May 1). Retrieved from http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2008-05-01/news/27720983_1_bollywood-map-bollywood-fans-tourism

Britain is the hotspot for Indian tourists. (2008 July 5). Retrieved from http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2008-07-05/news/28439137_1_indian-tourists-indi-an-visitors-tourist-map

Yu-Jen, C., & Shih-Shuo, Y. (2011). The examination of fac-tors influencing residents’ perceptions and attitudes to-ward film induced tourism. African Journal of Business Management, 5(13), 5371-5377

Martin, E. (2004). The golden age of film tourism. Retrieved from http://www.insights.org.uk/articleitem.aspx?title=The+Golden+Age+of+Film+Tourism#summary

Goa Tourism Open to Tie up with Film Industry to Target NRIs, (2014 September 21,). Retrieved from http://www.

ndtv.com/article/diaspora/goa-tourism-open-to-tie-up-with-film-industry-to-target-nris-595665

Goundry, N. Success of Hangover 2 boosts interest in Thailand location filming. Retrieved from http://www.thelocationguide.com/blog/2011/08/success-of-hang-over-2-boosts-interest-in-thailand-location-filming/

Hudson, S., & Ritchie J. R. B. (2006). Promoting destina-tions via film tourism: An empirical identification of sup-porting marketing initiatives. Journal of Travel Research, 44, 387-396

Kraaijenzank, M. (2009). Movie-Induced Tourism: An ana-lytical report on how the Lord of the Rings trilogy has affected tourism in New Zealand”, Master thesis for pro-gram in Tourism, Aalborg University. Retrieved from http://projekter.aau.dk/projekter/files/17988243/Master_Thesis_Spring_2009.pdf

Made in India: Attracting and incentivizing film produc-tions. Ernst & Young LLP & LA India Film Council. Retrieved from http://mpaa-india.org/og-content/uploads/documents/1423834141made_in_india_final.pdf

Noh, J. (2008). Asian Film Finance: Asia opens up. Retrieved from http://www.screendaily.com/asian-film-finance-asia-opens-up/4041170.article

O’Connor, N. (2010). A Film Marketing Action Plan (FMAP) for Film Induced Tourism Destinations. Thesis submission at Dublin Institute of Technology. Retrieved from http://arrow.dit.ie/194EB716-C103-4C2E-9254-398183DF1178/FinalDownload/DownloadId-AECEF714591A6612B27C4EE7E64DEA1A/194EB716-C103-4C2E-9254-398183DF1178/cgi/view-content.cgi?article=1016&context=tourdoc&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.in%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Da%2520film%2520marketing%2520action%2520plan%2520%28fmap%29%2520for%2520film%2520induced%2520tourism%2520destinations%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D1%26ved%3D0CFEQFjAA%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Farrow.dit.ie%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1016%2526context%253Dtourdoc%26ei%3DQ5bJT_ytCITyrQf6yfW5Dg%26usg%3DAFQjCNFObOpTaAilB_q2F5zM4xqQIZtYug#search=%22film%20marketing%20action%20plan%20%28fmap%29%20film%20induced%20tourism%20destinations%22

Rewtrakunphaiboon, Walaiporn, (2009). Film-induced Tourism: Inventing a Vacation to a Location. http://www.bu.ac.th/knowledgecenter/epaper/jan_june2009/pdf/Walaiporn.pdf

Sam, Ime Edet; Akpo, David Mbu, Asuquo, Edung Etim and Etefia, Titus, (2014). Socio

Economic Impact of Tourism Development in the Forest Community of Ikpe Oro, Urue Offong Oruko Local


Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. European Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research. Vol.2 (1), 15-23.

Sinha, Kounteya. Scotland banks on Rajnikanth to spike Indian tourist numbers. October 3, 2014; http://time-sofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Scotland-banks-on-Rajnikanth-to-spike-Indian-tourist-numbers/article-show/44166789.cms

Sofia, Movies That Created A Tourism Boom, September 17 2010; http://www.aswetravel.com/movies-that-created-tourism-boom/

Wouters, Mariska (2011). Socio-economic effects of con-cession-based tourism in New Zealand’s national parks, Department of Conservation, New Zealand; http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/science-and-technical/sfc309en-tire.pdf

Skiing in gulmarg: OppOrtunitieS and ChallengeS

Shahnawaz A. Dar*

Abstract Tourism provides various attractions for tourists in the form of natural spots, built places, sports and games. Skiing is one of the attractions that is basically done in snow slopes of various tourism destinations around the world. Gulmarg in Kashmir is an all season destination providing various attractions and scenic views throughout the year. In summers, it turns into a meadow of flowers and in winters into a white gold destination. Skiing in Gulmarg is one of the most important winter sports. Its natural slopes, powdery snow, easy accessibility, highest and natural ski slopes, etc, provide the conditions of an ideal ski destination for all types of skiers. It is in this connection the study has been done to analyze the flow of visitors and skiers to Gulmarg and to evaluate the related requisite infrastructure there. The various opportunities that are available to Gulmarg to emerge as an international ski destination and the various challenges that are in this regard are studied through this research work. The study is primarily based on primary data although secondary data have also been used to complete the study. The outcome of the study is that Gulmarg can emerge as a leading Ski destination of the world provided it keeps pace with the technology and keeps control on pollution.

Keywords: Skiing, Gulmarg, Slopes, Challenges, Opportunities

intrOduCtiOn

Throughout history, travelling for sport is evident whether it involved journeying to the next village to play a game of football or in recent times (as mountains became an attraction instead of an object of fear) to ski (Matley 1981). De Knop (1987) identified a sport tourist as an individual who participates in sport on holiday and he identified three types of active sport vacations: (1) the pure sport holiday, such as a dive trip (2) taking advantage of sports facilities at a holiday destination, where sport is not the primary purpose of the trip; and (3) the private sporting holiday, where the tourists takes part in non-organised sports activities such as volleyball on the sand or beach cricket.

Skiing would be seen as a pure sport holiday in most cases; however, there is an increasing market for the winter holiday, particularly amongst older groups, where sightseeing, spa and skiing all form equal parts of the same holiday where sports may not be the primary purpose. Schreiber (1976) was one of the first to develop a profile of the active sport tourist and found that “the sport traveller is more affluent, better educated and more active than other travellers”. This has been supported in further studies of the ski market, and it is indeed often the perception of skiing that you need to be affluent both to go skiing and to purchase all the equipment although this is not necessarily the case. Kaae and Lee (1996) conducted a study to compare alpine skiers with cross

country skiers and found that both groups were relatively affluent and well educated in comparison with other tourists. Redmond (1991) suggests that the development of sport tourism has been nurtured by the ascent of a highly specialised global leisure industry flooding the marketplace with high tech sports equipment and he argues that “modern technology has served to create an international sporting playground for the reasonably affluent athletic tourist”.

Over the years there has been a tremendous growth in skiing as a sport and most of the European ski resorts are getting over crowded. The Alps of the good old days are missing as the Ski stations at many places have been turned into ski factories with mile long queues on ski lifts. The snowline has also considerably receded forcing these people to go higher up to glaciers for skiing. This makes Kashmir the future ski area of the world and in many ways better than the European skiing resorts.

Different tourist spots like Pahalgam, Sonmarg etc., offer many opportunities for developing more skiing resorts in Kashmir. Powdery snow of Kashmir provides ideal conditions for having unique and ultimate skiing and snowboarding experience to the adventurists interested in this kind of adventure activity. As the focus of this study is Gulmarg, so the various opportunities available to Gulmarg as an international Ski destination and the challenges ahead in this aspect are the areas of concern of this paper.

* Assistant Professor (Tourism & Travel Management), The Business School, University of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Email:


Skiing in Gulmarg: Opportunities and Challenges 63

Objectives

Gulmarg is a world famous tourist destination. It projects its various faces through the various seasons in a year. In winter, it emerges as the white gold destinations providing mesmerizing views before visitors. The study of Gulmarg regarding Skiing has been done with the following objectives in mind. i. To study the emergence of Gulmarg as a National Ski

destination. ii. To study the state of infrastructure available in Gulmarg

for Skiing. iii. To analyze the flow of visitors to Gulmarg and the

requisite facilities available for accommodating them. iv. To look into the opportunities available to Gulmarg as

an International Ski Destination. v. To highlight the challenges before Gulmarg to emerge

as an International Ski Destination and the suggestions to tackle them.

methodology

The study has been done through an intensive study by the use of both primary and secondary data. Primary data collection was done by having various discussions with locals, tourists and officials and the field surveys were done before during and after the winter tourism activities at Gulmarg. Discussions regarding Skiing in Gulmarg which were done with the stakeholders figured around infrastructure and future development of Skiing in Gulmarg. Various field surveys were conducted to assess the preparedness of government for winter sports particularly Skiing, state of infrastructure for skiing during the winters, involvement of public and private players for skiing in Gulmarg. Numerous interviews were done with locals, service providers, and government officials. Interviews and feedback was taken from skiers, local, domestic and international. Experience and suggestions of foreign skiers were also incorporated in various parts of this study. After completion of primary study, the data was analyzed and evaluated before incorporating it in various parts of this study. Secondary data used for this study comprises of the study material and data given by J&K Tourism Department, J&K Cable Car Corporation, websites of countries having skiing as a major sports attractions, world ski federation, and information from magazines, journals and books on winter sports and Skiing.

hiStOriCal BaCkgrOund Of Skiing

The birth of skiing is commonly associated with the Norwegians. Rock carvings of two skiers have been found

in Norway that dates back to 2000 B.C. Modern Skiing is said to have been started in 1820 by Sondre Nordheim, a Norwegian from Telemark (McLennan, 2000). Later in the century, the first winter mountain holidays started in St. Moritz, Switzerland (Cockerell, 1988), and the British upper classes swiftly made skiing a fashionable winter pursuit. In 1905, Skiing was included in the Olympic Games although not as a recognized event. This inclusion was in response to a growing interest in skiing as a sport, and a desire on the part of destination managers and developers to keep ski sites operational for the winter season. In the process of developing this strategy, the concept of a broader set of physical facilities and a more sustainable market base for skiing is believed to have originated (Williams, 1993).

In 1924, skiing was introduced as a formal event at the Olympics in Chamonix, France. It was highlighted again at the 1932 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. These two occurrences helped to place skiing at the forefront of winter recreational activity on both continents and gave a push to its development as a major contributor to winter-based tourism (Liebers, 1963).

emergenCe Of gulmarg aS a natiOnal Ski deStinatiOn

Skiing at Gulmarg had become very popular during the pre-independence years. The resort used to host two major skiing events, one each during Christmas and Easter. In 1938-39, about 500 skiers are said to have participated in Christmas and Easter ski races. Gulmarg’s atmosphere was identified with European ski resorts of the 1940’s and 50’s - the ‘Alps of good old days’. It has good sunshine as well as good snow. The Ski Club of India was established by Major Metcarp and Major Headow, two British Army Officers, in 1927 at Gulmarg. Mr. B. N. Pestonji was its first Secretary. During those days, the famous British Sports Equipment Firm, the ‘Lilywhites’ introduced some trophies for various ski competitions. One of the ski slopes above Khilanmarg is still called the ‘Lilywhite Slope’. Gulmarg had at that time two hotels and some chalets. There was a Cinema and a Golf Club House with two eighteen hole courses. One could get everything aristocratic and fashionable in the Bazaar of Gulmarg directly imported from all parts of Europe. Families of some of the British Army Officers would come to Gulmarg simply to buy these goods. Marion Doughty in her travelogue, “A foot through Kashmir Valley” makes a special mention of the ‘Gulmarg Tea Dance’ and the preparations she had to undergo at the British Residency in Srinagar for participating in the event. The departure of British in 1947 threw the resort into total oblivion. Skiing completely vanished from Gulmarg.

The establishment of the high Altitude Warfare School of Indian Army revived the activities of winter sports


again. Gulmarg, along with Kovalam were the first ever projects selected by Government of India for integrated tourism development in the country. GOI made out a plan for converting Gulmarg into a Ski Resort of International standards as a result of which a National Ski School was set up and ‘Gulmarg Winter Sports Project’ was launched. Even UNDP had got interested and had donated ski lifts, equipment and assigned an Austrian Expert, Otto Santner, to render advice in the setting up of the resort. Dr. Jens Krause, an Austrian ski teacher was appointed the first Principal of the Ski School who trained the first batch of National Instructors in Gulmarg.

As per the Department of Tourism Government of J&K, a large number of skiers from Hong Kong (the British ex-pats) and Australia used to visit Gulmarg in 70s and 80s. There would always be few hundred foreigners on the slopes. The greatest attraction for them was to have a white Christmas and ski in the Himalayas. They would trek for 4 hours to reach to the top of the mountain, Apharwat and then take half an hour to ski down back into Gulmarg. They have written that the view of the Himalayas and even Karakorum Range including peaks of Nanga Parbat and K-2 while skiing down is unmatched anywhere in the world.

During 1998, Gulmarg hosted the first National Winter Games of India, for which the facilities were enormously improved and upgraded. The resort facilities were further improved and upgraded for the 4th National Winter Games, which were also held here during 2003-2004. Thereafter, every year National Winter Games are held at Gulmarg. Winter Games Federation of India has declared Gulmarg as the ‘Winter Games Capital of India’.

environment for Skiing at gulmarg

Skiing is a charming and exciting sport. The skiing season in Gulmarg usually commences just before Christmas (mid December) and continues till ending March. Different types of skiing events are held in Gulmarg like, Alping, Nordic (Salalom, Giant Salalom, Super, Gaze, Tarbey, Bathalom, Cross Country).

Snow-cover in Gulmarg: Snow of Gulmarg is considered as the best for different types of skiing. It is powdery and that is considered as best snow for varying activities like alpine skiing, cross country skiing, etc, and is preferred by the expert skiers all around the world. Further, good quantity of snow fall is an additional benefit for skiing in Gulmarg which is an attraction for domestic and foreign skiers.

Skiing Slopes of Gulmarg: Gulmarg is well suited for learning skiing. It has some of the best slopes for beginners, intermediate and advanced skiers, almost all serviced by ski lifts and chair lifts. Most of the skiing activities are centered on these slopes, which have ski runs ranging from 200 to

900 metres (Department of Tourism, Government of J&K). Among the numerous slopes are some which are not serviced by ski lifts. These are quieter than those immensely popular with average skiers. Trained skiers take to these slopes and even trek in the snow for several hours to the top of the Apharwat Mountain to make a descent lasting no more than 30 minutes.

Lifts for Skiing: Four drag lifts and one T bar are available in Gulmarg for skiing. These are used by the skiers (domestic and international) and trainees undergoing training in basic, intermediate and advanced skiing courses. Recently a Chair lift upto Kongdoori mountain has also been made functional. In addition, Gulmarg Gondola service is also available for Skiers and tourists.

Gulmarg Gondola: With the setting up of the Gondola Cable Car, Gulmarg has become the highest lift-served ski resort in the world providing a downhill ski run of 5.2 km from a height of about 14,000 ft in the Apharwat range. The Project basically comprises of two phases, Phase- I is from Gulmarg to Kongdoori Mt. and Phase II from Kongdoori Mt. to Apharwat Mt. Phase I takes visitors to an altitude of 3099.60 meters atop Kongdoori mountain and Phase II takes visitors to an altitude of 3979.50 meters atop Apharwat mountain. After the completion of Phase II of the project, the Gulmarg Gondola become one of the highest and largest roapways in Asia having a total aerial distance of 5 kms and the section is going to boost the winter tourism at Gulmarg.

Heli-Skiing: Heli-skiing was introduced in Gulmarg, for the first time in India during mid 1980s in collaboration with the world renowned French skier, Sylvain Saudan of Himalaya Heli-Ski Club of France. For this highly exciting sport, skiers are taken to the top of mountain ridges by helicopters from where they ski down the immense Himalayan slopes. Initially, the program was started at Apharwat in Gulmarg. Subsequently, other sites in the Kashmir Himalayas were also used for the purpose. The program was suspended during the 1990’s but now it is being revived again in collaboration with Sylvain Saudan’s Himalaya Heli Ski Club. Presently Heli skiing service of Gulmarg is run by a private firm located in Gulmarg.

Skiing Equipments: Good quality equipment including skis, boots, sticks, gloves and goggles, are all available on hire from the Government-run ski shop. Private ski shops also provide these skiing equipments on rent. Trained instructors (both government and private) are available at hand for guiding amateur skiers. Modern equipment like Kasse Bohrer Snow Beating Machines (for preparing skiing slopes) and snowmobiles have been imported for skiing purpose.

Recent Developments for Skiing at Gulmarg: The recent efforts of the State Tourism Department in promoting Skiing at Gulmarg is a very welcome step in tapping the extensive


potential we have for the development of Skiing in Gulmarg. Some of the recent developments in this regard are:

∑ State of the art 450 mtr long Drag Ski-lift with carrying capacity of 720 skiers per hour in eastern slopes of Gulmarg. The lift’s naming after the historic Mount Harmukh is highly appreciable.

∑ Heli-Ski Port for development of Heli-Skiing. ∑ Ski Rescue Base with control room and eco-friendly

Bio-digest toilet block at Kongdori. ∑ Repairing of the 30 year old Puma lifts and installing

the lights on all ski-lifts for night skiing. ∑ Tourist Information Centre with modern amenities.

tOuriSt arrivalS in gulmarg

Gulmarg is a famous tourist spot of Kashmir. Tourists visit this place through out the year. In summers, Gulmarg turns into a meadow of varied colors of flowers which attract tourists from far and off. In winters, this white gold destination is a dream spot for every domestic and foreign tourist. It is the only tourist spot of Kashmir which has frequently received tourists even during the days when tourist movement to Kashmir was almost nil.

Table 8.1: Tourist Arrivals in Gulmarg 2006 – 2014

Year Domestic Foreign Local2006 390311 8101 1042472007 330466 20109 2689682008 422756 12991 2879342009 308136 6003 2701232010 319545 6773 2627012011 990460 7282 4252192012 1093140 7481 8550342013 1896295 10964 9438432014 1412472 5976 300220

Source: Tourist Information Office, DOT, J&K, Gulmarg

It can be gathered from the table that the tourist flow to Gulmarg has been steadily increasing. Domestic tourist flow has increased from 3 90 311 in 2006 to 14 12 472 in 2014. In the year 2013, Gulmarg has received the maximum number of domestic tourists i.e., 18 96 295. In case of foreign tourist, who mostly visit Gulmarg in winters for skiing and snowboarding, the figure has increased from 2 109 in 2007 to 9 053 in 2013. Foreign tourist arrivals during 2014 were 5376. Maximum foreign tourist arrivals have been recorded in 2008 with 12 991 foreign tourist arrivals. In case of local

tourists, the flow has increased from 1 04 247 in 2006 to 9 43 843 in 2013. Local tourist arrivals during 2014 were 3 00 220.

Most of the tourists who visit Gulmarg take a ride of Gandola. Gandola in Gulmarg is the highest cable car in the world. Tourist use Gondola either for the purpose of recreation or to reach the top of Apharwat or Kongdoori mountains in order to ski or snowboard downhill. Gondola remains very busy through out the year by local, domestic and international tourists taking ride of this world famous cable car for enjoyment or sports.

Gulmarg Gondola Project comprises of two phases, Phase- I is from Gulmarg to Kongdoori Mt. and Phase II from Kongdoori Mt. to Apharwat Mt. Phase II is mostly used by skiers and snowboarders during the winter period for skiing and snowboarding and hence the below given table giving figures of visitors using second phase during the months of December to March is indicative of the movement of skiers and snowboarders (mostly foreigners) for downhill skiing and snowboarding. Month-wise breakup of the number of visitors who used Gandola during the year 2012 is given below in table 8.2.

Table 8.2: Number of Visitors who used Gondola service in Gulmarg during the year 2012

Month Phase I Phase II Total Phase I & IIJanuary 11016 0 11016February 22468 0 22468March 36938 5523 42461April 68729 9659 78388May 105109 31832 136941June 140397 43247 183644July 83092 26682 109774August 37294 16928 54222September 33609 13585 47194October 57718 19076 76794November 54020 18132 72152December 24470 3968 28438G. Total 674860 188632 863492

Source: J&K Cable Car Corporation, Gulmarg, J&K

From the table 8.2, it is evident that the number of visitors who used Gondola has been maximum during the months of April, May, June and July. The reason for it is that the local visitors visit Gulmarg during these months. During the winter period from December to March visitors to Gulmarg visit Gulmarg for winter tourism activities and mostly comprise of domestic and foreign tourists. Foreign tourists mostly visit Gulmarg during the winter period.


aCCOmmOdatiOn unitS in gulmarg

Different types of accommodation options are available to tourists in Gulmarg ranging from Hotels to Guest Houses. Hotels are divided into three categories A, B and C. There is always shortage of rooms in Gulmarg when it comes to peak season of tourist arrivals. Table 9.1 gives the number of Hotels/Guest Houses along with number of rooms available as given below:

Table 9.1: Different Categories of Hotels/Guest Houses in Gulmarg

S. No. Category No. of Hotels No. of Rooms

Bed Capacity

1 A 13 375 7502 B 11 219 4383 C 01 08 164 Guest Houses - 31 62

Total 25 633 1266

Source: Tourist Information Office, DOT, Gulmarg, J&K

From the above given table, it is evident that the accommodation scenario in Gulmarg is very poor. As per the record of Department of Tourism Government of Jammu and Kashmir, there are only 633 rooms with total bed capacity of 1206 available in A, B and C category hotels in Gulmarg registered with the department till May 2015. Guest houses provide only 31 rooms with total bed capacity of 62 rooms for the purpose of accommodation. JK TDC provides accommodation in Gulmarg through its 15 hutments. Further, there are 8 dormitories and 16 Paying-guest accommodations available for the purpose of accommodation in Gulmarg. There is only one star category accommodation that has been recently opened for tourists in Gulmarg that is The Khyber Himalayan Resort and Spa. Taking all these accommodation establishments into account, the accommodation scenario at Gulmarg can be termed to be very poor because these accommodation establishments can only cater to the demand of only few thousand tourists.

Due to the lack of accommodation during the peak season, most of the tourists have to either return back to their home or travel back to Srinagar for night staying. This in turn becomes an obstacle for more days spent at Gulmarg as well as turns to be an aspect of bad word of mouth publicity for accommodation scenario in Gulmarg. During summers tented accommodation provides an opportunity for changing the accommodation scenario of Gulmarg but during winters it becomes difficult to accommodate the winter tourism enthusiasts which becomes a reason for many problems.

market Size Of Skiing:

According to the 2014 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism (Laurent Vanat), there are about 80 countries in the world where skiing is offered as a tourist activity. Among these, roughly 70 countries offer open-air ski areas, the balance having only indoor facilities. Even if snow fields are much more numerous, about 2’000 ski resorts have been identified worldwide. Besides the major ski destinations in terms of skier visits, there are a number of other, smaller destinations, where skiing has been an industry for a long time, or is currently developing. The total number of skiers worldwide was estimated based on both the number of skier visits in the various countries as well as on the national rates of participation. The figure is currently estimated to be at 115 million and seems to be growing over the long term.

Market share of worldwide skier visits: The Alps are the biggest ski destination in the world, capturing 45% of skier visits. The second biggest destination is America (mostly North America), accounting for 21% of skier visits worldwide. Asia & Pacific used to have the same market share as America. In the long term, countries such as India and Pakistan may join them and contribute to increasing the weight of Asia in the international spread of skier visits.

International Skier’s flows: The international flow of skiers is primarily concentrated within Europe. The number of skiers using long haul flights to go skiing is rather limited. Ski is mostly based on the domestic markets and the national customer base is very strong in most of the big players.

Future trends in market share: The regions of Eastern Europe and Asia & Pacific provide for 36% of the skiers worldwide, but only produce, at this stage, 23% of skier visits. These regions clearly represent the future growth potential of the market. They may end up reaching the weight equivalent of the other major regions in terms of skiers by the year 2020.

As per the report, in India, “There are two major ski areas in the country. The largest one is Gulmarg, in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of the most famous in this region of Asia. Runs range from 2’600 to 3’200 meters long. The ski area got equipped a few years ago with a 2- section gondola, famous for carrying skiers to an altitude of nearly 4’000 meters above sea level at its top station, a world record. A quad chairlift at the same high-altitude was recently added, also making it the highest in the world. The area offers more than 1’000 meters of vertical drop, with pristine slopes. The village of Gulmarg lies at 2’500 meters above sea level. The ski area is dominated by the 4’124 meter Mount Apharwat. This gives the place a magical feel for skiers. The resort is one of the few places on Earth where there may be 2 continuous weeks of snowfall. Furthermore,


it offers a variety of runs: skiers will enjoy the high slopes of Aparwath, which offer magnificent views of K2 during good weather, or the runs in Kongdori. The best time to come to Gulmarg is from mid-January to mid-February, especially for skiers looking for a balance between a stable snowpack, combined with the powder snow down to Gulmarg, in the valley.”

OppOrtunitieS and ChallengeS:

We have the possibility to set up over a dozen world class ski resorts in our mountain areas. The terrain, snow conditions, slopes and the climate are ideal and in some respects better

than the Alps. Even though there are many challenges confronting us which need to be addressed in right perspective and in time so as to provide global standards of skiing in Gulmarg and give competition to the leading ski destinations of the world. The various opportunities that are available to us for the development of Skiing at Gulmarg and the challenges in this regard are summarized below:

impaCt Of Climate Change On Skiing:

Mountain regions have been identified as especially vulnerable to climate change. The rapid retreat of glaciers, important changes in snowfall amount and frequency and

Opportunities Challengesi) Easy accessibility: Gulmarg is probably the nearest resort of its type and size to a jet airport. No other resort in this part of the world is so easily accessible to the Inter-national tourist traffic. Even in the last century Gulmarg was considered by the British an important ski resort this side of Suez.

i) Poor Roads: Roads leading to and within the Gulmarg are very narrow. There is an urgent need to widen the roads in Gulmarg. Particularly in win-ters during the peak season of skiing, narrow roads pose many hard-ships to reach Gulmarg as well as move within the Gulmarg.

ii) Skiing types:The possibilities for winter sports in Gulmarg are immense. Apart from the normal piste skiing, the off piste domain for Ski-mountaineering, Cross Country skiing, downhill skiing and Biathlon is exhaustive.

ii) Expansion of Ski Area: Expansion of skiing area in Gulmarg is a case of Concern. In case more areas in Gulmarg are opened for different kinds of skiing there measures are to be taken to regulate and manage them properly. Fur-ther, Gulmarg lacks in the availability of well groomed slopes of standard width.

iii) Accommodation: With the upcoming four lane highway, Gulmarg would be less than an hour’s drive hence the accommodation can be easily supplemented by putting up the prospective skiers in Srinagar itself. Building new accom-modation should neither be supported not allowed because that will pose danger to the mountainous area of Gulmarg and will also hinder its es-thetic carrying capacity.

iii) Shortage of Basic Amenities: Shortage of essential commodities during winter, like, water, wood, electricity, kerosene oil, etc, poses many challenges for living in Gulmarg during the harsh weather conditions.

iv) Powdery Snow: The snow in Gulmarg is of Powdery type which lasts for a longer period of winter which is not the case with the snow in European countries. Al-though snow at some European ski resorts is also powdery but it lasts for a very shorter period of time. Further Gulmarg receives a good quantity of snow fall, an estimated 42 feet (550 inch) during winters.

iv) Late snow fall:Due to the increasing pollution and illegal constructions, snow fall in and around the Gulmarg has also effected to a large extent. The result is that snow fall in Gulmarg occurs very late which survives for a shorter period of time.

v) Natural Ski slopes:Most of the ski destinations around the world are having the built slopes but slopes of Gulmarg are natural. These natural slopes of Gulmarg are suitable for different types of skiers ranging from beginners to expert skiers. The slopes of Gulmarg are of different gradient and hence are suit-able for conducting different kinds of ski events. The slopes of Gulmarg pass through lush green forests of Himalayas such is not the case with slopes in Europe.

v) Concern for Carrying Capacity: The slopes in Gulmarg are becoming congested day by day as there is no concern for carrying capacity of the destination. Management of skiers at the slopes is a case of concern.

vi) Skiing in Himalayas from 14300 feet: Skiing in the mighty Himalayas is a unique experience in itself. For-eign skiers love to ski down from some of the world famous Himalayan Mountains. Skiers in Gulmarg can ski down from 14300 feet (Apharwat Mountain) where as skiers in European slopes can ski down at most from 13000 feet (Mount Alps) only. The passes in Gulmarg are situated at a height of 16000 feets which is also ideal for expert skiers and extreme skiing.

vi) Security for Skiers:Skiing from the highest mountains of Gulmarg and off piste/back country skiing requires proper management. Controlling skiing in areas which are dangerous and not under surveillance needs proper mechanism and surveillance.


shifts in biodiversity amount and distribution are some examples that demonstrate the sensitivity of mountain ecosystems (Beniston 2003, IPCC 2007). In recent years many studies have analyzed the impacts of climate change on the ski industry in regions e.g such as Sweden (Moen & Fredman 2007), Japan (Fukushima et al. 2003), Australia (Galloway 1988, Bicknell & McManus 2006), South Korea (Heo & Lee 2008), etc, indicate to a greater or lesser extent that climate change will lead to impacts such as ski season length reductions, loss of skiable areas and drop of visitors both in low altitude and low latitude ski resorts.

A major deterrent to the further development of the ski market comes in the form of growing environmental concerns about human pollution and traffic congestion in the mountains and the intensive use of natural resources by skiers (Hudson, 1995). The continual use of the same runs, together with the pressure to expand skiing areas, has brought skiers and conservationists into conflict. Another major challenge to future development of skiing is global warming. Temperatures in many ski resorts have risen by 1 degree Celsius over the past fifteen years, and with a predicted

continuation of rising global and regional temperatures, skiing destinations will experience less snowfall and shorter skiing seasons.

Climate change has taken its toll on Snow and Skiing activities at Gulmarg also. Snow fall which usually used to start from the month of November now takes place very late in the month of December or January. This late snow fall takes place in the form of watery type snow. Late snow fall is also subject to a different or a bit warmer temperature as a result of which the snow lasts for a shorter period. Snow in the months of November usually lasts for a longer period of time. Change in climate has also taken its toll on the glaciers of Gulmarg. They have started melting and are decreasing at a faster pace.

Different measures needs to be taken for regulating the activities in and around ski areas. All activities of the skiers and visitors should be monitored and fines should be imposed and enforced for any kind of pollution. Transportation should be restricted upto the entry point. Any expansion of the skiable area should be done under the impact analysis

vii) Lifts and Cable Car: As a ski resort, Gulmarg provides many facilities for skiers in terms of lifts. It has some of the best lifts right upto 4000 meters. Gulmarg Gan-dola service provides access to some of the top mountains in the world (Kangdoori and Apharwat). Skiers now in Gulmarg need not to spend hours to reach on the top of these mountains to ski downhill. They can avail the facility of this cable car to reach at the top of these mountains.

vii) Inadequacy of Ski Lifts: There is only one Cable car, one chair lift and some surface lifts for beginners. There is lot of rush at these lifts. Long lines of tourist skiers and training skiers can be seen at the lifts. There is a need to increase the number of lifts in Gulmarg for trainers, expert skiers and tourists.

viii) Ski equipments:Different types of ski equipments like, skies, sticks, ski boots, googles, safety gadgets, snow boards, etc, available on hire both from government and private players.

viii) Old Ski Equipments:Most of the ski equipments available at Gulmarg for hire are very old and outdated. These equipments are changed after a long gap of time which makes these equipments very difficult and dangerous. Lack of technically and technologically sound equipments is an im-mediate area of concern.

ix) Best Accommodation:Night staying accommodation is available in Gulmarg from non-grad-ed to star category hotels. Different kinds of accommodation facility is available in Gulmarg for different categories of tourists and skiers.

ix) New Constructions: New Hotels are coming up in the area around the Gulmarg bowl which puts excess pressure on the ecology and environment of this area. Esthetic carrying capacity is not considered for any kind of construction in Gulmarg. Management is least bothered about it.

x) Heli Skiing:Heli Skiing facility is available in Gulmarg from private operators. Skiers interesting in this adventure are taken to the top of mountains in Gulmarg and they ski downhill under proper surveillance provided by the same operators.

x) Heli Skiing operations:Heli Skiing operations in past have suffered due to lack of proper management and permission to the operators.

xi) Gulmarg Gondola:Gulmarg Gondola become one of the highest and largest roapways in Asia having a total aerial distance of 5 kms. Skiing in Gulmarg is possible from about 14000 feets due to availability of Cable car.

xi) Technological Advancements:Technological advancement will continue to affect many areas of the ski industry. These include bigger and faster ski lifts and even centrally heated cabins. Equipment is improving all the time with shaped skis proving to be a great success, and designs are being developed for computerized bindings. Titanium is now being used to ensure lightweight skis, and advances in lightweight, waterproof and breathable fabrics are improving the performance of ski cloth-ing. There are continuing technological breakthroughs in attempts to make artificial snow in temperatures upto 30 degree centigrade.


studies and permission should be given if it is not putting any undesirable impacts on the environment of the area. Accommodation establishments should follow renewable and green practices in their operations. Skiing activities in Gulmarg needs to be regulated in terms of the carrying capacity of the area and any kind of development in the Gulmarg bowl so as to avoid the adverse impacts of climate change in this part of the world.

COnCluSiOn and SuggeStiOnS:

Gulmarg has been called as the heartland of winter sports in India and has been rated as the seventh best skiing destination of Asia. Diverse and extreme terrain provide a varied and great experience to skiers. We get a good amount of snow on our mountains. Apart from good snow, the most important infrastructure for a potential ski area is the infrastructure related to actual skiing. These would comprise long and good ski slopes of basic, intermediate, and advanced category; machinery for grooming the slopes; mechanical lifts enabling skiers to go to the top of the slopes, and avalanche controllers as well as ski patrollers for rescue. These are mandatory requirements for operating a safe world class ski resort. Some of the other steps that can be taken for making Gulmarg one of the leading ski destinations of the world are: (i) Ski Patrolling: Security is one of the most important

aspects when it comes to skiing particularly Off Piste Skiing and Heli Skiing. Many foreign tourists select Gulmarg for Off Piste Skiing. Expert ski patrolling teams needs to be involved for monitoring these kinds of skiing which is mostly done by crazy foreign skiers. Proper monitoring of the skiing by skiers needs to be done by the use of modern equipments which are used for monitoring in mountains and boarder areas.

(ii) Availability of Modern Equipments: Due to the use of old and outdated ski equipments which are available for hire in Gulmarg had led to many accidents on the groomed ski slopes of Gulmarg. There are many accidents involving fractures, sprains, and twists, etc that are taking place every year. Modern ski equipments with special bindings and ski boots has reduced to a great extents such accidents. So government needs to procure these modern equipments for skiing, surveillance, making slopes, snow beating and lifts.

Proper arrangement of providing medical facilities under the guidance of experienced doctors need to be arranged particularly during the winter months so as to avoid the complications that occurs due to the unavailability of timely treatment at the slopes and in Gulmarg. (iii) Slopes of varied lengths: All ski resorts have a choice

of specially groomed slopes of varying lengths and

difficulty; Green, Orange, Red and Black. Green being most easy for beginners and Black being most difficult for experts. There is tremendous choice for making slopes of different lengths and difficulties but yet not much has been done about this aspect. It would be worth while for the department of tourism to explore the possibilities of creating some ski slopes conforming to the standards set up by the International Ski Federation (FIS).

(iv) Lift services: In order to avoid the rush and long queues of skiers at the slopes for availing lift facility in Gulmarg, the number as well as the frequency of the lifts needs to be increased. The available lifts needs to be remained open throughout the day and for late night skiing also.

(v) Local Involvement: Any type of proposed development at any tourist spot should involve the participation of locals so that the development should not bring any local resentment. Locals should be involved both in decision making and providing services. Involvement of locals in decision make and formulation of any development plan makes the guest-host interaction conducive and does not breed any ill-well by hosts towards the guests.

(vi) Employment Avenues/Local Operators: Skiing in Gulmarg helps in solving the unemployment of the locals particularly the youth of this area. More and more job opportunities needs to be created by capacity building of the local youth in various areas like, ski instructors, equipment sellers, sledge pullers, souvenir vendors, travel agents, transport operators, labourers, etc. They need to be trained for providing quality services and helping the guests by letting them understand the importance of repeated and satisfied guests.

(vii) Use of Technology/Internet: The internet is providing new and powerful ways for resorts and consumers to communicate. As technology advances and internet usage expands, the power and versatility of this medium as marketing and communication tool is sure to grow. Gulmarg needs to provide as effective and attractive website. This web site should be a one stop place for a prospective skier to Gulmarg. It should provide the information about weather, attractions, accessibility, accommodations, amenities, booking facilities, helpline numbers besides an area for queries/complaints and suggestions. In order to keep pace with the advancements in Skiing and snowboarding technological intervention in the need of hour and solution to many problems. The use of lifts, gondola, ropeways, hiring skiing equipments, etc, for the use of skiers and snowboarders should be managed through electronic cards.


(viii) Poor Roads: Accessibility is one of the three most important aspects of success of any tourist destination. Skiers face a lot of inconvenience to reach and then move within the Gulmarg bowl. Roads in Gulmarg are narrow and in very poor condition. Narrow roads which pose a serious problem during winters need to be widened. Besides, proper arrangement of regularly clearing accessible roads to Gulmarg during winters should be among the priorities of the government.

(ix) Shortage of basic amenities: Tourism is a service industry, any bad experience at one point spoils the overall experience of the tourists. Proper arrangement of heating and lighting should me made during winters. For it, enough quantity of firewood, kerosene, LPG, etc, should be made available in advance.

referenCeS

Arora, R. C. (2002). In the Land of Kashmir, Ladakh and Gilgit. Jay Kay Book House, Jammu.

Bandhu, D. (1994). Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh: Tourist Attractions and Tourism. Akashdeep Publishing House, New Delhi, 1994

Barringer, J. R. F. (1991). Modelling present and past snow-line altitude and snowfalls on the Remarkables. Weather and Climate, 11, 43–7.

Farid, A. (2003). Tourism in Kashmir. New Delhi, Rajesh Publications, 55-64

Hudson. (2000). Snow Business. London, Continuum Publishing Group.

Englin, J., & Moeltner, K. (2004). The value of snow-fall to skiers and boarders. Environmental & Resource Economics, Netherlands, 29, 123-136

Brigid, K. (1989). Travels in Kashmir. Delhi, Oxford University Press, 39-47

Loverseed, H. (2000). Winter Sports in North America. Travel and Tourism Intelligence 6, 45-62

Putz, M., Gallati, D., Kytzia, S., Elsasser, H., Lardelli, C., Teich, M., Waltert, F., & Rixen, C. (2011). Winter Tourism, Climate Change and Snowmaking in the Swiss Alps: Tourists Attitudes and Regional Economic Impacts. Mountain Research and Development, 24-44

Moen, J., & Fredman, P. (2007). Effects of climate change on alpine skiing in Sweden. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 15(4), 418-437.

National Ski Areas Association. (2003). ‘Ski Stats’, National Ski Areas Association. Retrieved from www.nsaa.org/nsaa2002/_media.asp?mode=kit&x=1

Rizvi, J. (1999). Trans-Himalayan Caravans. New Delhi, Oxford India Paperbacks

Thorne, P. (2001). Patrick Throne: Skiing the World – Early History of Winter Sports. Retrieved from www.goski.com/experts

Tonge, V. (2006). A Study of the Literature and Current Research into Responsible Tourism and the Sport of Skiing, Skier Motivation and Destination Choice and Ski Resort Destination Management Strategies. Retrieved from www.icrtourism.org.

Wall, G., & Badke, C. (1994). Tourism and climate change: An international perspective. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 2(4), 193-203.

Unbehaun, W., Pröbstl, U., & Haider, W. (2008). Trends in winter sport tourism: challenges for the future. Tourism Review, 63(1), 36-47. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/16605370810861035)

2014 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism - Overview of the key industry figures for ski resorts April 2014 by Laurent Vanat. Retrieved from http://www.isias-ki.org

ADVISORY BOARD

Professor Chris CooperDirector, Christel deHaan Tourism and Travel Research lnstituteUnited Kingdom

Professor Kaye ChonChair Professor & Director- School of Hotel and Tourism ManagmentHong Kong

Professor Brian KingHead of School of Hospitality, Tourism and Marketing, Victoria UniversityAustralia

Professor C. Michael HallUniversity of Canterbury, Christchurch,New Zealand

Dr. T.V. SinghEditor-in-Chief, Tourism Recreation ResearchIndia

Professor Zhang GuangruiDirector, Tourism Research CentreP.R China.

Dr. Fevzi OkumusEditor of International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality ManagementUnited States of America

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-chiefProf. Sandeep Kulshreshtha

EditorDr. Sutheeshna Babu. S

Deputy EditorsDr. Charu Sheela Yadav

Sanjeev Reddy CKN. Subramaniam

Jeet Dogra

l.J. Tourism and Travel (IJT&T) is the bi-annual international journal of lndian lnstitute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM). Objective of this journal is to create value for enterprises and organisations in tourism, travel and related sectors and those committed to support them- policy makers, intervention agencies, researchers and academics, by establishing a platform for learning through sharing from experience, dialogue, creativity and imagination. Every issue of the journal many include contributions based on research, policy issues, conceptual models, reviews, case studies, view points, best practices, book reviews, conference reviews, etc. Contributors from all over are invited to share their ideas, knowledge, and experience through this platform. Authors and audiences may contact the editorial team at:

I.J. Tourism and TravelResearch Unit

Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM)Govindpuri

Gwalior 474011 MP INDIAFax.: +91-751-2344054

E-mail : [email protected]

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the articles carried in T&T do not reflect the opinion of Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management (IITTM) or the editorial team. The information in this journal in believed to be correct, but should not be treated as a substitute for detailed advice in individual situations. It is published without responsibility on part of IITTM and editorial team whether arising out of any negligence, misrepresentation or otherwise for loss occasioned to any person or organisation acting or refraining from acting as a result of any information contained herein. Claims for missing issues can be made within a period of four months of publication. Copyright©2015 Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management International Journal of Tourism and Travel is a bi-annual journal of Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior, 474O11, India. Printed and published by Director, Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior. Chief-editor: Prof. Sandeep Kulshreshtha, Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Gwalior 474011.

AdvertisementsInternational Journal of Tourism and Travel Management will accept advertisements. All advertisements are subject to approval by the Editor-in-chief. For details and rates please contact the IITTM office.

SubmissionsInternational Journal of Tourism and Travel Management publishes in the following categories of contributions- policy issues, research articles, concept papers, reviews and cases studies. Shorter contributions of 1500-3000 words are welcome in special categories of viewpoint, best practices, notes, concerns, book reviews and conference reports.

Keeping in mind the audiences, presentation should be lucid and comprehensible. Authors are requested to make it to the point without using an extravagant or ornate language. Even it the manuscript reports the findings of original research, the methodology should be presented clearly and to the extent possible, in a non-technical manner such that our readers with limited back grounds in research methods and analysis are not discouraged from reading the article. Submissions must not be restricted to mere statement of facts. A lot of importance is attached to the analysis of the issue/concept/ findings and their potential for value addition to existing body of knowledge or practice for Tourism, travel and related activities.

Preferred method of submitting manuscripts is through electronic mail to the editor. Submission should be made in Word .doc or .rtf formats. Do not disclose your identity anywhere in the paper except on the cover page.

Always indicate which category of submission you are making. Editor/ referees can suggest a change of category.While submitting electronically always mention in the subject line: Enterprise/ Author name/ first three words in the title.In case manuscript is submitted through surface mail, submit three copies it must accompany paper on CD in the desired format. Ensure that file is free of viruses. It is generally good to create a folder and one copy each inside and outside the folder.

For detailed guidelines on submission or for submission contact:

Editor

International Journal of Tourism and TravelResearch UnitIndian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM)Govindpuri, Gwalior 4740l 1 (MP) INDIAE-mail: [email protected]

CopyrightIt is a condition of publication that manuscripts submitted to this journal have not been published and will not be simultaneously submitted or published elsewhere. By submitting e manuscript, the authors agree that the copyright for the article is transferred to the publisher, it and when the article is accepted for publication. The copyright covers the exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the article, including reprints, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic or other reproductions of similar nature and translations. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

Intern

ation

al Jou

rnal o

f To

urism

and

Trav

el 2014

ISSN: 0974-2603Vol. 8, No. 1 & 2, 2015


Tourism and Travel

Tourism and Travel

Vo

lum

e 8 Issue 1&

2Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management(An Organization of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India)

Govindpuri, Gwalior - 474 011 (M.P.)

Website: www.iittm.org

In this Issue

ISSN: 0974-2603Vol. 8, No. 1 & 2, 2015


Tourism and Travel

Tourism and Travel

Journal in association with

Ph: 011-28082485, 011-47044510

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.publishingindia.com

Publishing India Group

A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Select Tourism Video Commercials of Incredible India CampaignArun Kumar Poonia, Gajendra Singh Chauhan

Tourists Shopping Behavior and Trip Typology: A Study in an Emerging Destination of IndiaUttam Kr. Baruah, Mrinmoy K. Sarma

An Empirical Study of New Age Employment in Tour Operations and Allied AreasShyju P. J, Rinzing Lama

Human Resource Practices in the Non-Star Category Hotels in KolkataP. R. Sandilyan, Sutheeshana Babu. S

Human Resource Development in Tourism Sector: A Case Study of Orissa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd.Banalata Rath

Films and Destination Promotion: An Exploratory StudyParvi Bharti

Skiing in Gulmarg: Opportunities and ChallengesShahnawaz A. Dar