Paper Presentation

On

Planning, Policies,
Promotion of Travel
and Tourism in India
 Planning, Policies, Promotion of Travel and Tourism in India

ABSTRACT
The Travel and Tourism industry holds tremendous potential for India's economy. It can provide
impetus to other industries, create millions of new jobs and generate enough wealth to help
pay off the international debt. That is why we have included Tourism amongst the Core Sectors
of the Indian Economy. The Indian tourism sector is seen generating $42.8 billion by 2017, a 42
percent surge from 2007, according to an industry research note by auditing and consulting firm
Deloitte Touche. Despite the challenges being faced in terms of a slowing economy, sluggish
demand and security concerns, the country was fighting back and tourism developments were
taking place, it said."Although there will inevitably be some short- to medium-term setbacks,
the long-term outlook remains positive," it said."Despite the deepening world economic crisis,
India's economy remains in decent shape and is still experiencing some of the strongest growth
rates in the world," the Deloitte report said.

Despite the numerous problems, tourism industry was the second-largest foreign exchange
earner for India. Realising the potential in India, international and domestic hotel chains were
rushing to cash in on it. According to the global authority for hotel real estate, Lodging
Econometrics, there were 73,793 hotel rooms in the pipeline of which 11,207 were due to open
in 2009 and 22,522 in 2010, it said.

International tourists account for a little over 5 million visitors, while domestic market is seen at
more than 500 million. Limited infrastructure pose a constraint to the free flow of tourists, but
the Indian government is addressing the issue through upgradation of existing airports and
building new ones.

Medical tourism was poised for rapid development in the future and India is busy developing
first-class facilities to attract this multi-billion dollar niche market. The government has already
relaxed the criteria to receive a visa for medical tourism.

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 Planning, Policies, Promotion of Travel and Tourism in India

It is also considering other incentives such as offering air travel and accommodation for foreign
tourists who visit India for the third time. It may also pick up the bill for tour operators
promoting domestic and medical tourism and is mulling income tax exemption for hoteliers if
they invest 50 percent of profits into infrastructure.

Tourist arrivals in the country slowed throughout 2008, after rising 13 percent year-on-year
from 2005-2007, due to a slowdown in the main source markets for India, the U.S. and U.K.,
which account for more than 15 percent of all inbound tourists.

Going Forward- Destination India

India is now chalking up one of its strongest growth charts in a long time. As the Indian
economy continues to open up in an effort to integrate with the world economy, benefits of
doing business with and in India are increasing. With the results, hundreds of thousands of jobs
are moving to the Indian shores from the West. This brings in its wake transit travelers, business
travelers, business meets and holiday seekers.

This is resulting in greater room occupancies and average room revenues (ARRs) in the country.
ARRs have moved up from Rs. 3200-3400 last year to Rs 4000-4200 this year. Room occupancy
rates have shot up from 75-80% in 2002 to over 90% now. Infact, in Bangalore it is now
estimated at 100%.

This paper throws light into various tourism policies and the promotional activities which will
change the face of the Indian tourism.

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 Planning, Policies, Promotion of Travel and Tourism in India

INTRODUCTION TO TOURISM

Tourism is big business. It is one of the world's largest industries and in many regions the single
largest source of investment and employment. While it does not have the same 'smokestack'
image as the manufacturing industry, it is by no means environmentally benign, generating
significant levels of pollution and consuming considerable amounts of natural resources. Europe
is the world’s favourite tourist destination and so faces considerable challenges in making its
tourist industry more environmentally friendly. One of the biggest beneficiaries of a more
sustainable tourism industry will be the industry itself — fewer people will want to visit a region
where mass tourism has blighted the countryside and polluted the beaches.

Tourism Planning in India

Tourism planning in India started quite late with the first tourism policy being announced by the
Government of India in November, 1982 after tourism was recognized as an industry by the
Planning Commission of India in June, 1982.

In July, 1986 the Planning Commission of India set up the National Committee on Tourism in
order to formulate plans for this sector. The government's initiatives of incorporating a planned
tourism sector in India went a long way in boosting Indian tourism.

In May, 1992 the National Action Plan for tourism was announced. The objectives of this
landmark plan for tourism planning in India were:

 To improve the economy category domestic tourism

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 To develop the tourist areas socially and economically

 To preserve the environment and the national heritage

 To encourage international tourism
 To improve in world tourism India's share
 To increase opportunities for employment in this sector

India tourism planning increased with the seventh five year plan India (1985-1989). The various
polices advocated by the seventh plan for tourism planning in India are:

 To promote aggressively domestic tourism

 It laid stress on creating more beach resorts
 To conduct conferences, trekking, conventions, and winter sports so that various options
are available to the foreign tourists

These polices of the seventh five year plan gave a boost to the tourism planning India. To
further encourage tourism planning in India, the eighth five year plan (1992- 1997) mentioned
that the private sector should increase its participation in the sector. The various polices
advocated by the eighth plan for tourism planning in India are:

 To develop the tourists places

 To develop winter sports, beach resort, and wildlife tourism
 To restore the projects of national heritage
 To provide in tourists centers economy class accommodation

Tourism planning in India has increased by leaps and bounds in the last few years and the
government and Department of Tourism needs to make continuous efforts to ensure that
tourism planning in India takes the tourism sector of the country to greater heights on a
sustainable basis.

National Tourism Policy of India

The Preamble

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Tourism emerged as the largest global industry of the 20th century and is projected to grow even
faster in the 21st century. India has immense possibilities of growth in the tourism sector with
vast cultural and religious heritage, varied natural attractions, but a comparatively small role in
the world tourism scene. A New Tourism Policy, which builds on the strength of the national
Tourism Policy of 1982, but which envisages new initiatives towards making tourism the catalyst
in employment generation, environmental re-generation, development of remote areas and
development of women and other disadvantaged groups in the country, besides promoting
social integration is, therefore, vital to our economy. It would lead to larger foreign exchange
earnings and create conditions for more Foreign Direct Investment.

The Mission

Our mission is to promote sustainable tourism as a means of economic growth and social
integration and to promote the image of India abroad as a country with a glorious past, a
vibrant present and a bright future. Policies to achieve this will be evolved around six broad
areas such as Welcome (Swagat), Information (Suchana), Facilitation (Suvidha), Safety
(Suraksha), Cooperation (Sahyog) and Infrastructure Development (Samrachana). Conservation
of heritage, natural environments, etc. and development and promotion of tourist products
would also be given importance.

Objectives

The objectives of tourism development are to foster understanding between people, to create
employment opportunities and bring about socio-economic benefits to the community, particularly in
the interior and remote areas and to strive towards balanced and sustainable development and
preserve, enrich and promote India’s cultural heritage. One of the major objectives is the preservation
and protection of natural resources and environment to achieve sustainable development.

Given the low cost of employment creation in the tourism sector and the low level of exploitation of
India’s tourism potential, the new tourism policy seeks to expand foreign tourist arrivals and facilitate
domestic tourism in a manner that is sustainable by ensuring that possible adverse effects such as
cultural pollution and degradation of environment are minimized.

The New Tourism Policy also aims at making the stay of foreign tourists in India, a memorable and
pleasant one with reliable services at predictable costs, so that they are encouraged to undertake
repeated visits to India, as friends. This would be in tune with India's traditional philosophy of giving
the highest honour to a guest (Atithi debo bhava).

Tourism A Multi-Dimensional Activity

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(a) The Government will aim to achieve necessary linkages and synergies in the policies and programs
of all concerned Departments/agencies by establishing effective co-ordination mechanisms at Central,
State and District levels. The focus of national policy, therefore, will also be to develop tourism as a
common endeavour of all the agencies vitally concerned with it at the Central and State levels, public
sector undertakings and the private sector.

(b) It will be the policy of government to encourage people’s participation in tourism development
including Panchayati Raj institutions, local bodies, Co-operatives, non-governmental organisations and
enterprising local youth to create public awareness and to achieve a wider spread of tourist facilities.
However, focused attention will be given for the integrated development of identified centres with
well directed public participation.

(c) Public and Private Sector Partnership: A constructive and mutually beneficial partnership between
the public and the private sectors through all feasible means is an absolute necessity for the sustained
growth of tourism. It is, therefore, the policy of the Government to encourage emergence of such a
partnership. This will be achieved by creating a Tourism Development Authority consisting of senior
officials of the Government and tourism experts and professionals from the private sector.

(d) Role of the Government: Tourism is a multi-sectoral activity and the industry is affected by many
other sectors of the national economy. The State has to, therefore, ensure intergovernmental linkages
and co-ordination. It also has to play a pivotal role in tourism management and promotion. The
specific role of the Government will be to :

 Provide basic infrastructural facilities including local planning and zoning arrangements.
 Plan tourism development as a part of the overall area development strategy.
 Create nucleus infrastructure in the initial stages of development to demonstrate the potential
of the area.
 Provide the required support facilities and incentives to both domestic and foreign investors to
encourage private investment in the tourism sector.
 Rationalize taxation and land policies in the tourism sector in all the States and Union
Territories and in respect of land owned by Government agencies like Railways.
 Introduce regulatory measures to ensure social, cultural and environmental sustainability as
well as safety and security of tourists.
 Ensure that the type and scale of tourism development is compatible with the environment
and socio-cultural milieu of the area.
 Ensure that the local community is fully involved and the benefits of tourism accrue to them.
 Facilitate availability of trained manpower particularly from amongst the local population
jointly with the industry.
 Undertake research, prepare master plans, and facilitate formulation of marketing strategies.
 Organize overseas promotion and marketing jointly with the industry.
 Initiate specific measures to ensure safety and security of tourists and efficient facilitation

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services.
 Facilitate the growth of a dynamic tourism sector.

(e) Role of Private Sector : Tourism has emerged as the largest export industry globally and all
over the globe private sector has played the lead role in this growth. The private sector has to
consider investment in tourism from a long term perspective and create the required facilities
including accommodation, time share, restaurants, entertainment facilities, shopping
complexes, etc. in areas identified for tourism development. Non-core activities in all airports,
major stations and interstate bus terminus such as cleanliness and maintenance, luggage
transportation, vehicles parking facilities, etc. should be opened up to private operators to
increase efficiency and profitability.

The specific role of the Private Sector will be to :

 Build and manage the required tourist facilities in all places of tourist interest.
 Assume collective responsibility for laying down industry standards, ethics and fair
practices.
 Ensure preservation and protection of tourist attractions and give lead in green
practices.

 Sponsor maintenance of monuments, museums and parks and provision of public

conveniences and facilities.
 Involve the local community in tourism projects and ensure that the benefits of tourism
accrue to them in right measure.
 Undertake industry training and man-power development to achieve excellence in
quality of services.
 Participate in the preparation of investment guidelines and marketing strategies and
assist in database creation and research.
 Facilitate safety and security of tourists
 Endeavour to promote tourism on a sustained and long term perspective.
 Collaborate with Govt. in the promotion and marketing of destinations.

(f) Role of voluntary efforts: Voluntary agencies and volunteers have to contribute their
expertise and understanding of local ethos to supplement the efforts of other sectors to provide
the human touch to tourism and foster local initiatives. All such efforts shall be encouraged.

Tourism Development Fund and Resources for Development

It would be the policy of the Government to facilitate larger flow of funds to tourism
infrastructure and to create a Tourism Development Fund to bridge critical infrastructural gaps.

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Priority would be given for development of tourist infrastructure in selected areas of tourist
importance and for those products which are considered to be in demand in the existing and
future markets so that limited resources are put to the best use.

Foreign Investments and Incentives and Rationalization of Taxes

In view of large investment requirements in the tourism sector and the need for maintaining
high quality standards in services, hotels and tourism related industries will continue to be in
the priority list of industries for foreign investment. Export-house status has been accorded to
Hotels, Travel Agents, Tour Operators and Tourist Transport Operators vide Notification
No.33(RE-98)1997-2002 dated 26.11.98 of the Ministry of Commerce. The status needs to be
extended to all tourism units irrespective of the annual turnover.

In order to off-set the specific constraints of tourism industry and to put in place the required
infrastructure as quickly as possible, particularly in less developed areas, appropriate incentive
schemes would be considered. It would also be the endeavour of the Government to persuade
the State/UT Governments to rationalise taxes, to put a cap of 20% on all taxes taken together
on the accommodation and hospitality units, to allocate suitable land for tourism purposes at
reasonable prices, harmonize movement of tourist transport across State borders, etc.

Adoption of New Technologies

Efforts will be made to adopt the technological advances in the tourism sector to provide better
facilities to tourists and to market the tourism product, to the benefit of all concerned.

Information technology shall be given the pride of place in the efforts to promote Indian
tourism. Every endeavour in this regard would increasingly rely on optimizing the use of e-
commerce/m-commerce, use of internet for dissemination of tourism related information,
increasing use of portals as gateway to accessibility to tourism information, development of
Handy Audio Reach Kit (HARK) Tourist Guidance System at important monuments and heritage
sites, networking of States, setting of tourist information Kiosks, encouragement to information
technology and eco-friendly practices by the private industries and above all keeping abreast
with the global technologies for promoting and facilitating tourism. It shall be ensured that
Information Technology(IT) and Indian Tourism(IT) become synonymous.

The Central Government will set up a Paryatan Bhawan in New Delhi as a modern Tourist
Interpretation Centre to cater to various needs of travelers, foreign as well as domestic and to
offer facilities for air and train reservation, money changing counters and information about all
tourist centres in the country. The Centre will be equipped with e-connectivity and networking

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facility to all state tourist offices. Efforts will be made to have similar state level Paryatan
Bhawans in state Capitals.

The economic and social benefits of tourism and its importance as an instrument of economic
growth have to be fully recognized by all sections of the society. It would, therefore, be the
endeavour of the Government to bridge the information gap through proper statistical
documentation of the impact of tourism and its wide publicity to create awareness so that the
economic and social significance of tourism is well recognized and tourism is given due
attention and national priority

Safety and Security

The safety and security of tourists are of primary importance both from the point of view of
tourism development and the national pride. It will be, therefore, given high priority in the
national strategy for tourism development. Central Government will take up with the State
Government to enact suitable legislation on travel trade/ tourist police for protection and
security of tourists and for providing institutional mechanism to deal with complaints received
from tourists and the industry so as to create a better security perception amongst actual and
potential visitors.

Facilitation Services

Tourists have to pass through several Government agencies so as to meet the requirements
under various laws. These include obtaining visas, undergoing immigration checks, obtaining
permits to visit certain areas, payment of fees for certain facilities, etc. The endeavour of the
Government would be to improve efficiency in providing such facilitation services and make
travel to and within India a pleasant experience. Introduction of issue of Visa on arrival at least
for 15 days at all the airports, computerisation of the system of issue of Visa, streamlining of
luggage handling system at airports improving tourist facilitation services at the airports by
adopting technological solutions are some of the important facilitation services proposed in this
regard.

Tourism Economic Zone, Tourist Circuits, Special Tourism Area and Areas of Special Interests

 Tourism Economic Zones will be created with private participation based on the intrinsic
attractions, potential for development and availability of resources in these zones. Air,
road and rail connectivity to these areas will be established to facilitate direct and easy
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access to these zones from international and domestic destinations. Adequate backward
and forward linkages will also be established to ensure flow of benefits to the local
community. The development of such zones will be guided by well conceived Master
Plans and executed by specific Tourism Development Authorities which will be created
by the Government involving senior officers from the Department of Tourism, and other
relevant Ministries/Departments of the Govt. of India, professionals from tourism
industry and representatives of Industry & Trade Associations.
 India with vast cultural and religious heritage and varied natural attractions has immense
potential of growth in the tourism sector. 25 travel circuits and destinations have already
been identified for development through joint efforts of the Central Govt., the State
Governments and the private sector. State Governments of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Orissa
and Maharashtra and Union Territory Administration of Daman & Diu have also declared
Bekal Beach, Puri-Konark, Sindhudurg, Muttakadu-Mamallapuram and Diu as Special
Tourism Area for integrated development. Steps will be taken to work towards the
integrated development of all the tourist circuits of the country with the involvement of
all the infrastructural departments, State Governments and the private sector.
 Areas of Special Interest: Government would initiate and support special programmes
and schemes for the development of tourism in North Eastern States, Himalayan region
and island States/U.Ts with a view to achieve overall economic development of the
regions, and as part of the strategy for removing regional imbalances.

Sustainable Development and Perspective Plans

The principle of sustainable development stipulates that the level of development does not
exceed the carrying capacity of the area. It will be governments’ policy to ensure adherence to
such limits through appropriate planning instruments, guidelines and enabling regulations and
their enforcement. Efforts will be made to diversify the tourism products in such a way that it
supplements the main stream of cultural tourism. Comprehensive perspective plans for
developing sustainable tourism by assessing the existing tourism scenario in each State/Union
Territory with respect to availability of natural resources, heritage and other socio-cultural
assets, quantitative/demographic factors like population, employment, occupation, income
levels etc, services and infrastructure will be developed by initiating immediate action in this
direction.

Conservation and Development

Tourism development needs to be properly guided and regulated to avoid adverse impact on
the natural environment and cultural heritage which constitute the tourist attraction. A
judicious balance needs to be maintained between conservation and development.
Government will continue its policy of trying to maintain balance through planning restrictions
and by educating the people in appreciating their rich heritage and by eliciting their co-

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operation in preserving and protecting it.

Promotion and Marketing

Promotion and marketing is an important component of tourism development and needs to be
undertaken along with product development in conformity with consumer profiles and product
characteristics. The policy of the Government therefore will be to develop and implement cost
effective marketing strategies based on market research and segmentation analysis in each of
the tourist generating countries.

International Co-operation
Tourism is a global industry requiring inputs from various international agencies and
collaborations with other countries. The policy of the Government therefore will be to foster
positive win – win partnership with all the international agencies and other countries.

Professional Excellence
Tourism being a service industry it is necessary to enhance its service efficiency. The new policy
will strive towards excellence by introducing professionalism through training and re-training of
human resources and providing memorable visitor experience to both domestic and
international tourists.

Placing Tourism in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India

Tourism as a separate subject does not find a place in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution
of India even though a number of its components are either in the Union List or in the State List
or in the Concurrent List. Under the new Policy, Tourism will be placed in the Concurrent List as
such a step will provide a Constitutional recognition to the tourism sector and help in
channelizing development of tourism in a systematic manner by enabling the Central
Government to bring in legislation governing the activities of various service providers in the
tourism sector.

Promotion of Tourism in India

In the past decade, tourism has become one of India's fastest growing markets, contributing to
millions of service industry jobs. The Ministry of Tourism launched the Incredible India
campaign in 2002, promoting India as a premier vacation spot. The campaign was successful,
and now India is one of the top destinations for travelers from the U.S. and Canada. In August
2009 outbreaks of swine flu threatened India's late summer tourist season. Many travelers

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canceled trips rather than risk infection. Still, fears have now subsided and tourism seems to be
growing steadily.

Incredible India Campaign

The Indian Ministry of Tourism launched the Incredible India campaign in 2002 to encourage
visitors from around the world to experience India. The concerted marketing effort included
print, radio and television ads. The campaign also included road shows, which were planned for
the UK, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia, Australia and New Zealand. The successful
campaign received attention and praise from travel professionals and is credited with increasing
the number of tourists to the nation within just a few years.

More Lodging Available

While the Incredible India campaign succeeded in bringing tourists to India, a lack of available
lodging had to be addressed before the nation could handle a large increase in visitors. As one
solution to the problem, the Ministry of Tourism has encouraged Indian entrepreneurs to start
hosting tourists in bed and breakfast style guest lodging. These B&Bs offer visitors an authentic
experience with Indian cuisine, culture and people, as well as an increase in the number of
guest rooms available in metropolitan areas.

Transportation and Accessibility

India's crumbling infrastructure is another hurdle to the successful growth of the tourism sector.
The Indian government is allocating funds to improve the infrastructure of the nation, improving
access to rural areas so they become attractive to visitors. One such improvement has been the
installation of heliports, where visitors can easily travel from a major metropolitan area to a
rural area by helicopter.

Heritage & Ecotourism

Many visit India seeking signs of the ancient culture founded there. A popular heritage sight is
the Taj Mahal, which attracts millions of visitors each year. India's Ministry of Tourism attempts

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to implement sustainable practices, promoting the ideals of ecotourism to its partner sites and
tour guides. The Ministry also is integrating the ideals of conservation and preservation of the
local ecology and culture to the greatest extent possible. The Ministry is working to create
unique tourist experiences in rural India that promote local culture and have a low impact on
the environment.

Health and Wellness Tourism

As the birthplace of yoga and Ayurveda, India has a particular appeal to visitors who are
searching for spiritual and physical healing. Since the Beatles visited an Indian ashram in the late
1960s, the popularity of visiting these spiritual yoga centers has grown among Westerners. The
Ministry uses that popularity to highlight these traditions in their campaigns.

The Future of Tourism

Change is no stranger to travel professionals. With daily upgrades in technology opening new
doors for the consumer, and particularly since the face of travel was forever changed on
September 11, 2001, NTA members and travel professionals across the world have been making
changes to their business model, their staffing structures, their buying and selling habits and
more to keep up with rapid market shifts.

A new shift is on the horizon that may cause perhaps the biggest impact on how the business of
travel is conducted. That change — a massive increase in the number of tourists vying for travel
products. Some might say this is a good problem to have, and to a degree they would be
correct. Having more customers doesn’t sound like an issue. However, businesses must be
prepared to receive and properly serve this expanding tourist base.

This will take a look at exactly where this expanding tourist base will be coming from and how
the growth will change the infrastructure of travel as well as the way NTA members do business.
After reviewing the demographics shifts in the world and the impact that will have, the paper
then turns to the overall effects of these changes on the travel industry and attempt to

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formulate answers to several key questions. How will this change the way travel companies do
business? How will it change where and how people travel? What will be the travel icons of the
future … will they be the same as today? How will it change the traveling consumer and the
demands they place on their travel providers?

Whether a business is focused on strictly North American travel or travel worldwide, these shifts
can have an impact. This white paper is designed to get NTA members thinking about the future
they face and making preparations today that will position their businesses for success
tomorrow.

India

India’s growth is rapid as well. It has grown by 6 percent a year and, within three decades, India
is predicted to surpass Germany as the world’s third biggest economy. Both India and China are
hungry for raw materials, including millions of barrels of oil, and both countries are experiencing
a surge of wealth among their populations, creating a new middle-class in their countries and
new consumers for travel products and services.

Already, India graduate a combined half million engineers and scientists each year. That is
compared to the 60,000 that graduate each year in the U.S. The McKinsey Global Institute
projects that the total number of young researchers in both nations will rise by 35 percent to
1.6 million by the end of 2008 and the U.S. supply will drop by 11 percent to 760,000. While
many companies have transferred their services to India for lower cost labor, what many don’t
realize is that India is building the next generation of workers. This has created a new consumer
in these two nations that somewhat mirror the American consumer of a few decades ago. Their
newfound wealth has created a thirst for the newest cars, technology and fashion. And, it is only
predicted to grow.

What This Means for Travel

The first and foremost lesson in this demographic picture is to ensure your business is attuned
to where the action will be found. For example, while the Japanese market might be a huge area
for your business today, perhaps by 2020 a new strategy would be necessary to address the

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influx of Chinese and Indian tourists as the Japanese population will be dwindling.
Demographics are often underrated and underused as a tool to plan for future business
opportunities. NTA members can look at this overview of the world’s population and the shifts
that are happening to better plan for future growth and success.

Other questions for travel businesses to consider include: Are you prepared to serve this new
tourist? Do the services your company provides meet the needs of the emerging travelers? As a
simple example, consider a hotel and its meal service hours. If new clients are traveling from
destinations like India, do the hours of service or menu selections need to be shifted or
changed? That example is just scratching the surface. To truly be prepared for the traveler of
2020 and beyond, companies need to start looking at their infrastructure, policies and
procedures now as they relate to who these new consumers will be.

Internal Infrastructure of Travel Companies

Hiring and Marketing Practices

To capitalize on emerging markets, interested companies should be looking at their hiring

practices. For example, assuming the great influx of tourists from every part of India,
companies could now be starting to hire local citizens , or at least contacting colleges and
universities offering internships for these students already here in the India? Most companies
won’t have the resources to “take on the world or India”, so will need to be strategic in which
emerging markets on which they choose to concentrate. To be successful, companies will need a
much greater understanding of cultural differences and preferences. This “new” workforce can
assist in getting companies up to speed much faster.

From a marketing standpoint, the Internet will continue to be the key pivot point. Successful
companies in the expanded marketplace will almost assuredly need a multi-language Web site,
at least in certain markets such as India. For tour operators this will mean they will need to have
a bookable system, not just an informational Web site. Should the new workforce get started on
such projects today in advance of the travel influx? Certainly something to consider as
companies plan for where they will be heading in the future.

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Sustainability

Another internal arena in which companies will need to closely examine is how sustainable, or
green, your company and its business practiced are and are perceived to be. Today’s consumer
is already seeking businesses and providers that are friendly to the environment. And, if you
work with travelers from other areas, they can be even more particular about a company’s eco-
friendly practices.

Do you have a sustainability plan? Are you green certified? Can you promise travelers that by
using your company they are doing positive things for their environment? This will be the topic
of the next Think Tank white paper that will help companies get more in depth with what this
means for the future of their business. But, certainly when considering the future of tourism,
sustainability and eco-friendly business practices are already playing a role that is expected to
do nothing but expand over the coming years.

External Infrastructure of the Travel Product

The Travel Icons of Today and Tomorrow

The internal infrastructure of individual travel companies isn’t the only concern. There is the
overall infrastructure of destinations and our world’s travel icons that will be at risk. There is
only one Taj Mahal, one Grand Canyon, one Great Wall of China. These and other destinations
can only handle so many people per day without major disruptions and potential damage.

Advocacy in an Expanding Marketplace

The strain on infrastructure is not confined to companies or the areas these tourists will be
visiting. Consider our transportation needs in simply getting these people to facilities and
managing their needs while they’re visiting. Are transportation companies, such as airlines,
cruise lines, car rental companies and railroad companies ready for this? In its advocacy efforts,
should lobbying Washington on issues such as the need for a vastly improved rail (high-speed)
system in the India? What about the strain on most airports, highway systems, and seaports?
Today most of them are unprepared for this anticipated growth. Helping prepare them and

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make the necessary changes to handle the influx of travelers can be a role organizations
providing needed assistance.

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