A Report of the Training at Great India Tour Company, Trivandrum

(Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of
Master of Tourism Administration.)

By:

Mr. Rejeesh Ignatius

(Reg. No. 10RSCM8008)

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this Report of the Internship Training at Great India Tour Company, Trivandrum has been prepared by me during the year 2011-2012 under the guidance of Asst.Manager Sales in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Tourism Administration (MTA) for the academic year 2011-2012. I also declare that, this is my original work and has not been submitted at any time to any other Institution or University for the award of any other Degree or Diploma.

Place: Trivandrum
Date:17-09-2011 Mr.Rejeesh Ignatius Reg. No. 10RSCM8008

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all I thank God Almighty for his grace and blessings at each and every stage of the project. It gives me immense pleasure to thank all those who supported me for the completion of this project. I am greatly indebted to Chairman and Managing Director of the Great India Tour Company, Trivandrum, for their encouragement, guidance and assistance in availing this opportunity of practical training. I express my extreme gratitude to all staffs in GITC, for allowing me to do my summer project in the company. It has been a very useful time and I was able to understand the real time scenario of what we are learning in the campus. I would like to express my respectful thanks to my organizational guide Asst.Manager Sales, for all the support and guidance given. It was his guidance and approachability that helped me to complete this project. I show my extreme gratitude to all other help me in this project.

CONTENT
INTRODUCTION COMPANY PROFILE LEARNING EXPERIENCE CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION

From the very early historical period travel has had a fascination for mankind. Much of the travel in the beginning was largely unconscious and a simple affair. People travelled by foot over paths, open fields as also forest. Movements across the landscape were a tough adventure requiring great skills and endurance. There were no travel procedures and formalities as there were no frontiers. All human activity focused upon day to day survival. In Neolithic age that several innovations were made which change the nature of travel. Around 4000BC sailing vessels were built in Egypt. It was also during this period that animals were domesticated and trained to carry and transport community members, tools and agriculture supplies. The urge to explore new lands and to seek new knowledge in ancient and distant lands was yet another motive of travelers in subsequent periods. Homer`s great work Odyssey records the wanderlust of the ancient Greeks and Romans. There are innumerable references to great explorers who spent many formidable years of their lives in search of knowledge. The reappearance of tourism in Europe follows the Italian renaissance and the development of a full scale urban system and network of roads. By the end of the fifteenth century Italy itself became the object of attention. At this time Italy was Europes economic and cultural leader. The development of grand tourism followed a shift in the focus of culture and economic and political power. The wealthy and educated of states who position of dominance in the world was comparatively new visited countries that had passed their peak of prestige u were still venerated for historical cultural reasons. Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, cheese and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited". Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2008, there were over 922 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 1.9% as compared to 2007.

As a result of the late-2000s recession, international travel demand suffered a strong slowdown beginning in June 2008, with growth in international tourism arrivals worldwide falling to 2% during the boreal summer months.Tourism is vital for many countries, such as Egypt, Greece, Lebanon, Spain and Thailand, and many island nations, such as The Bahamas, Fiji, Maldives and the Seychelles, due to the large intake of money for businesses with their goods and services and the opportunity for employment in the service industries associated with tourism. These service industries include transportation services, such as airlines, cruise ships and taxis, hospitality services, such as accommodations, including hotels and resorts, and entertainment venues, such as amusement parks, casinos, shopping malls, various music venues and the theatre. Theo bald suggested that etymologically, the word "tour" is derived from the Latin 'tornare' and the Greek 'tornos,' meaning 'a lathe or circle; the movement around a central point or axis.' This meaning changed in modern English to represent 'one's turn.' The suffix -ism is defined as 'an action or process; typical behavior or quality' whereas the suffix denotes one that performs a given action. When the word tour and the suffixes and are combined, they suggest the action of movement around a circle. One can argue that a circle represents a starting point, which ultimately returns back to its beginning. Therefore, like a circle, a tour represents a journey that is a round trip, i.e., the act of leaving and then returning to the original starting point, and therefore, one who takes such a journey can be called a tourist. The concept of pleasure travel as it existed in the west can be associated with roman empire. Roman probably were the first pleasure travelers. Travel received a great stimulus from the good communication system and security of the roman empire. The romans were able to travel over a hundred miles in a day using relays of horses. Spas and seaside resort which developed during this period may be associated with pleasure travel. Medical bath and seaside resorts which later were name as spas were popular with the Romans.

The Renaissance marked the next important stage in the history of travel.

The

reappearance of tourism in Europe follows the Italian renaissance and the development of a full scale urban system and network of roads. By the end of fifteenth century Italy itself became the object of attention. The development of grand tourism followed as shift in the focus of culture and of economic and political power.

The wealthy and educated of states whose position of dominance in the world was comparatively new visited countries that had passed their peak of prestige but were still venerated for historical and cultural reasons. The introduction of annual holiday in Europe was yet another important a landmark which enabled many people to undertake travel in large numbers during the eighteenth century. The annual holidays was the forerunner to the paid holidays which late on was responsible for an extraordinary growth of tourism during the twentieth century. The term holiday derives from holiday day associated with religious observances. In the present day parlance it is used generally in a secular sense meaning a respite from the routine of daily work day life and a time for leisure, recreation and amusement.

The report Indian Tourism Industry Analysis by RNCOS provides an insight into the Indian tourism market. It evaluates the past, present and future scenario of the Indian tourism market and discuses the key factors which are making India a potential tourism destination. With focuses on different parameters of tourism industry, including inbound tourism, outbound tourism, expenditure by inbound tourists, medical tourism, and hotel industry, the report gives a thorough analysis on the tourism industry in India.

DEFINTION
The International Union of Official Travel Organization (IUOTO) , now called World Tourism Organization (WTO) , has defined tourist as a temporary visitor staying for at least 24hours in a country visited when the purpose of a journey can be classified under one of the following headings:- leisure-recreation, holiday, health , study, religion and sports; or business, family, mission meetings. Travelers staying less than 24hours according to WTO are excursionists. The United Nations accepted the above definition of a tourist provided by IUOTO in their Conference on International travel and tourism in 1963.

Hunziker and Krapf, in 1941, defined tourism as people who travel "the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, insofar as they do not lead to permanent residence and are not connected with any earning activity."In 1976, the Tourism Society of England's definition was: "Tourism is the temporary, short-term movement of people to destination outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during the stay at each destination. It includes movements for all purposes."In 1981, the International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism defined tourism in terms of particular activities selected by choice and undertaken outside the home.

Domestic tourism, which involves residents of the given country travelling only within this country. Inbound tourism, involving non-residents traveling in the given country. Outbound tourism, involving residents traveling in another country. The World Tourism Organization reports the following ten countries as the most visited from 2006 to 2009 by the number of international travelers. When compared to 2006, Ukraine entered the top ten list, surpassing Russia, Austria and Mexico, and in 2008, surpassed Germany. In 2008, the U.S. displaced Spain from the second place. Most of the top visited countries continue to be on the European continent.

Future of Tourism Industry in India

Tourism is a growing industry in India. Hoteliering as well as tourism account for the major foreign earnings for our nation. The declining value of the rupee and a good image of India as an exotic tourist destination have boosted the tourism and hotel industry in India during the late nineties. It is very surprising to note that small countries like Indonesia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand have been able to do very well on the tourism front. India is the ancient cultural cradle of the world. It has fascinating tourist destinations like the Taj Mahal, The Khajuraho temples, the marble mountains, The Gateway of India, the Red fort and the Qutub Minar, The Ajmer Palace, The Bharatpur, Bird Sanctuary, The city of Canals and many more. We Indians are also not aware of the beauty of our country. Our ancient cities, palaces, lakes, temples, gardens, minarets, mosques, and lakes mountains delightful experiences for all the travelers as well as visitors. The foreign tourist longs for a tryst with India and loves to visit each and every corner of this vast country

Our tourism exchange earnings are less than $1.5 billion and account of 0.5 percent of the total tourism traffic of the world. On the other hand, the tourism earnings of Singapore are $34 billion. The same figures are $6.5 billion for Malaysia. The facts do not point towards a healthy trend. We have not to depend merely upon the dollars rupee parity but also, we have to generate enough of interest about the Indian subcontinent in the minds of the tourists so that they continue to come here and enjoy being here.

The problem of Kashmir has not been solved. Ten years before many tourists were kidnapped and a few of them were killed by the Kashmiri militants. Although the situation is

under control, yet the army has to keep strict vigil over the sea. Therefore, the inflow of tourists is less. The situation is much better now and many Indians and foreigners visited Kashmir

Central India, The North Eastern states, Calcutta, Mumbai, New Delhi, Khajuraho, and Goa are the most popular tourist destinations. Rajasthan is paradise for the foreigners and this state provides a wide range of cultural and ethnic diversities to the visitors. The foreign tourists are appalled at the state of Indian catering services, roads, guides services, hotels motels, and transportation services and above all, the degrading environment of the Indian subcontinent. We would have to provide four star amenities to the tourists at the prices of three state standards. If we do not follow this norm, we would lose tourists to the United States of America, Seychelles, Mauritius, Singapore, Thailand, Hong kong, and Japan. These countries offer entertainment, good quality rooms, and transportation, liquor, as well as food, at the most competitive prices. They follow international tourism norms in terms of catering, hospitality, and hygiene. We do not follow any norms and this leads to aversion on the part of the tourists from India.

It is fortunate to note that hotel management and tourism have become serious subjects as well as vocations. The government as well as the private institutions has launched many courses in tourism as well as hotel management. The professionals in tourism and travel are required by tour operators as well as airlines. The sea cruisers and airlines also need hospitality staff and chefs are required around the world. Hotel professionals are also in great demand. This would boost the hotel industry as well as the economy.

The services of tourist guides, catering, roads, air travel, sanitation, transportation, and telecommunications would have to be operated on professional grounds. The international agency is doing well to promote and regulate air travel around the world. The Government of India is also doing its best. The participation of the private firms has also increased. However, a lot needs to be done in this crucial area. We can earn a lot through tourism as well as hotel industries. Our

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outlook and approach would have to be professionalized if we want to achieve concrete results in this fastest growing industry.

In 2009, Malaysia made it into the top 10 most visited countries' list. Malaysia secured the ninth position, just below Turkey and Germany. In 2008, Malaysia was in 11th position. Both Turkey and Germany climbed one rank in arrivals, occupying seventh and eighth positions respectively, while France continued to lead the ranks in terms of tourist arrivals. The World Tourism Organization reports the following countries as the top ten tourism earners for the year 2009. It is noticeable that most of them are on the European continent, but the United States continues to be the top earner. The World Tourism Organization reports the following countries as the top ten biggest spenders on international tourism for the year 2009. For the fifth year in a row, German tourists continue as the top spenders. Wealthy people have always travelled to distant parts of the world, to see great buildings, works of art, learn new languages, and experience new cultures and to taste different cuisines. Long ago, at the time of the Roman Republic, places such as Baize were popular coastal resorts for the rich. The word tourism was used by 1811 and tourist by 1840. In 1936, the League of Nations defined foreign tourist as "someone traveling abroad for at least twenty-four hours". Its successor, the United Nations, amended this definition in 1945, by including a maximum stay of six months.

Leisure travel was associated with the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom the first European country to promote leisure time to the increasing industrial population. Initially, this applied to the owners of the machinery of production, the economic oligarchy, the factory owners and the traders. These comprised the new middle class. Cox & Kings was the first official travel company to be formed in 1758. Many leisure-oriented tourists travel to the tropics, both in the summer and winter. Places of such nature often visited are: Bali in Indonesia, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Malaysia, the various Polynesian tropical islands, Queensland in Australia, Thailand, and Florida and Hawaii in the United States.Mass tourism could only have
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developed with the improvements in technology, allowing the transport of large numbers of people in a short space of time to places of leisure interest, so that greater numbers of people could begin to enjoy the benefits of leisure time. In the United States, the first seaside resorts in the European style were at Atlantic City, New Jersey and Long Island, New York. In Continental Europe, early resorts included: Ostend, popularized by the people of Brussels; Boulogne-sur-Mer and Deauville for the Parisians; and Heiligendamm, founded in 1797, as the first seaside resort on the Baltic Sea. Adjectival tourism refers to the numerous niche or specialty travel forms of tourism that have emerged over the years, each with its own adjective. Many of these have come into common use by the tourism industry and academics. Others are emerging concepts that may or may not gain popular usage.

There has been an up market trend in the tourism over the last few decades, especially in Europe, where international travel for short breaks is common. Tourists have high levels of disposable income, considerable leisure time, are well educated, and have sophisticated tastes. There is now a demand for a better quality products, which has resulted in a fragmenting of the mass market for beach vacations; people want more specialized versions, quieter resorts, familyoriented holidays or niche market-targeted destination hotels.

The developments in technology and transport infrastructure, such as jumbo jets, low-cost airlines and more accessible airports have made many types of tourism more affordable. WHO estimates that up to 500,000 people are on planes at any time. There have also been changes in lifestyle, such as retiree-age people who sustain year round tourism. This is facilitated by internet sales of tourism products. Some sites have now started to offer dynamic packaging, in which an inclusive price is quoted for a tailor-made package requested by the customer upon impulse. There have been a few setbacks in tourism, such as the September 11 attacks and terrorist threats to tourist destinations, such as in Bali and several European cities. Also, on December 26, 2004, a tsunami, caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, hit the Asian countries on the

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Indian Ocean, including the Maldives. Thousands of lives were lost and many tourists died. This, together with the vast clean-up operation in place, has stopped or severely hampered tourism to the area. The terms tourism and travel are sometimes used interchangeably. In this context, travel has a similar definition to tourism, but implies a more purposeful journey. The terms tourism and tourist are sometimes used pejoratively, to imply a shallow interest in the cultures or locations visited by tourists."Sustainable tourism is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems."

Sustainable development implies "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strives to be low impact and small scale. It helps educate the traveler; provides funds for conservation; directly benefits the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and fosters respect for different cultures and for human rights.

Recession tourism is a travel trend, which evolved by way of the world economic crisis. Identified by American entrepreneur Matt Landau, recession tourism is defined by low-cost, highvalue experiences taking place of once-popular generic retreats. Various recession tourism hotspots have seen business boom during the recession thanks to comparatively low costs of living and a slow world job market suggesting travelers are elongating trips where their money travels further. arrivals fell by 8% during the first four months of 2009, and the decline was exacerbated in some regions due to the outbreak of the influenza AH1N1 virus.On 15 April 2010, the European Union (EU) declared traveling for tourism to be an inalienable human right. Antonio Tajani, European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, stated that "Travelling for tourism today is a right. The way we spend our holidays is a formidable indicator of our quality of life." The EU plans to introduce legislation to assist its citizens in their traveling
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needs and have a system fully operational by 2013. India has tremendous potential to become a major global tourist destination and Indian tourism industry is exploiting this potential to the hilt. Travel and tourism industry is the second highest foreign exchange earner for India, and the government has given travel & tourism organizations export house status. Travel & tourism industry's contribution to Indian industry is immense. Tourism is one of the main foreign exchange earners and contributes to the economy indirectly through its linkages with other sectors like horticulture, agriculture, poultry, handicrafts and construction.

Travel & tourism industry's contribution to Indian industry is immense. Tourism is one of the main foreign exchange earners and contributes to the economy indirectly through its linkages with other sectors like horticulture, agriculture, poultry, handicrafts and construction. Tourism industry also provides employment to millions of people in India both directly and indirectly through its linkage with other sectors of the economy. According to an estimate total direct employment in the tourism sector is around 20 million.Travel & tourism industry in India is marked by considerable government presence. Each state has a tourism corporation, which runs a chain of hotels/ rest houses and operates package tours, while the central government runs the India Tourism Development Corporation.

Apart from this, government has taken several other measures for the promotion of tourism. A multi-pronged approach has been adopted, which includes new mechanism for speedy implementation of tourism projects, development of integrated tourism circuits and rural destinations, special capacity building in the unorganized hospitality sector and new marketing strategy. The outlook for travel industry in India looks extremely bright. India as a tourism destination is the toast of the world at the moment. Conde Nast ranked India amongst the top 10 tourist destinations. JBIC ranked her as the fifth most attractive investment destination. Besides, India is probably the only country that offers various categories of tourism. These include history tourism, adventure tourism, medical tourism (ayurveda and other forms of Indian medications),

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eco tourism, cultural tourism, rural tourism, religious/pilgrimage tourism, spiritual tourism, and beach tourism etc

Review of literature

The article by Matarrita-Cascante in Community agency and sustainable tourism development deals about sustainable tourism research has called for the promotion of communitybased tourism as a means of achieving sustainable development goals. Such community-based development has been noted as essential for sustainable practices because of its capacity to benefit local populations while reducing tourism's negative consequences. This study examines local social interactional elements necessary for the achievement of sustainable tourism practices. Using a case study methodology, this article examines the interactional elements by which residents of La Fortuna, Costa Rica, engaged in sustainable tourism practices. The study was based on the theoretical notion of the community field. It used key informant interviews and participant observation. The study shows how economic, social and environmentally sustainable practices were made possible through community agency, the construction of local relationships that increase the adaptive capacity of people within a common locality. Article by Al-hagla and Khalid in Sustainable urban development in historical areas

using the tourist trail approach: A case study of the Cultural Heritage and Urban Development (CHUD) project in Saida, Lebanon. Cultural assets are vital aspects for any urban development process. Their importance increases considerably in historical areas, where the richness of cultural heritage has the ability to motivate cultural tourism. This paper emphasizes the sustainable development of urban historical areas based on their potential as cultural tourism sites. It argues that to guarantee the sustainability of any development intervention in these areas, a master planning process must be undertaken to balance all of the aspects of development. It tackles the interconnectedness of these aspects as an approach to their simultaneous development. As a focus of study, this paper raises a question about the ability of a heritage trailan area of direct

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interactions between parties sharing in urban development in historic areas to achieve the sustainability goals of the involved areas.

This is an article on Back to the past: a sub- segment of Generation Ys perceptions of authority from the Journal of Sustainable Tourism. This study challenges that by focusing on a distinct market segment based on age and life experience: Generation Y, drawing out an a prioribased sub-segment of Generation Y's perspectives of authenticity. It investigates if authenticity ideologies influence decisions to become a heritage tourist. Additionally, it determines other factors that predict differences between a heritage tourist and a non-heritage tourist. The study unveils interesting findings. With the exception of the objectivist and negotiation stance, other authenticity ideologies fail to inspire this generation to be heritage tourists. Intervention factors such as party size and ethnicity prove to be better predictors of heritage preference.

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Dimensions of Tourism
All tourism activities are related to one or more of the following dimensions of tourist Attractions:Attractions are the primary motivations for travelling. They may be a primary destination such as Disney World or secondary destinations which are interesting places to visit on the way to your primary destination. Natural Resources:Natural resources are the combination of physical features. The challenge to managing natural resources based tourism is to preserve the natural resource from the impact of the tourist's. Culture:Culture is a way of life which is observed through the peoples religion, history, government and traditions. Ethnicity:Ethnicity means to visit family and friends.

Entertainment:Entertainment means tourism developments of all sizes from Disney World, Universal Studios, to local community Special Events and Festivals

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 X-treme Tourism:Tourism based on high adventure activities. Facilities:-

When tourists arrive at attractions they require facilities to provide services. Lodging:Represent a variety of services from campgrounds, hotels, motels and five star resorts.

Food & Beverage:Not only provide basic sustenance for tourists but an important factor in the overall tourism experience.

Support Services:Usually are represented by small retail businesses providing souvenirs and personal services. Shopping is an integral part of the travel experience. Tourists seek unique and novel items which represent the area and cultures they visit. Infrastructure:-

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Infrastructure means the basic services on which tourism depends. These systems include water and sewer systems, communication networks, medical facilities, electricity, police and fire protection and roads.

Transportation:-

This is the critical component to tourism, the ability to get from Point A to Point B and back, or to Point C, D, and E. The variables of Time, how long it takes to get to a specific destination, and Money, how much it costs to get to your destination. Tourism developments are dependent on the ease of access and types of transportation available. Hospitality:-

The community's attitude which permeates every tourism location that makes the tourist feels welcome and safe. It is the result of the interaction between the tourist and the local population

Types of Tourism
Adventure tourism
As a kind of tourism in India, adventure tourism has recently grown in India. This involves exploration of remote areas and exotic locales and engaging in various activities. For adventure tourism in India, tourists prefer to go for trekking to places like Ladakh, Sikkim, and Himalaya. Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are popular for the skiing facilities they offer. Whitewater rafting is also catching on in India and tourists flock to places such as Uttranchal, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh for this adrenalin-packed activity. Wildlife tourism

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India has a rich forest cover which has some beautiful and exotic species of wildlife some of which that are even endangered and very rare. This has boosted wildlife tourism in India. The places where a foreign tourist can go for wildlife tourism in India are the Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary, Keoladeo Ghana National Park, and Corbett National Park. Medical tourism Tourists from all over the world have been thronging India to avail themselves of cost-effective but superior quality healthcare in terms of surgical procedures and general medical attention. There are several medical institutes in the country that cater to foreign patients and impart topquality healthcare at a fraction of what it would have cost in developed nations such as USA and UK. It is expected that medical tourism in India will hold a value around US$ 2 billion by 2012. The city of Chennai attracts around 45% of medical tourists from foreign countries.

Pilgrimage tourism
India is famous for its temples and that is the reason that among the different kinds of tourism in India, pilgrimage tourism is increasing most rapidly. The various places for tourists to visit in India for pilgrimage are Vaishno Devi, Golden temple, Char Dham, and Mathura Vrindavan.

Eco tourism
Among the types of tourism in India, ecotourism have grown recently. Ecotourism entails the sustainable preservation of a naturally endowed area or region. This is becoming more and more significant for the ecological development of all regions that have tourist value. For ecotourism in India, tourists can go to places such as Kaziranga National Park, Gir National Park, and Kanha National Park.

Cultural tourism

India is known for its rich cultural heritage and an element of mysticism, which is why tourists come to India to experience it for themselves. The various fairs and festivals that tourists can visit in India are the Pushkar fair, Taj Mahotsav, and Suraj Kund mela.

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 Winter Tourism Winter sports contribute to winter tourism. Many water sports holiday packages are available at places in many countries apart from Ski and Snow festival tours organized annually. Skiing is extremely popular in the mountainous areas. Ski festivals have variety of events like ski and sled competitions, ski and snow board lessons, performances and recreational activities. Majority of the event participants are from countries with a warm climate.

Mass tourism Mass travel is possible with improvements in technology allowing the transport of large numbers of people in a short period of time to places of leisure interest. Through this, greater numbers of people enjoy the benefits of leisure time. The increase in the speed of Railways, the better Sea travel
Niche Tourism

Physical activity or sports-oriented niche tourism includes adventure tourism such as the mountaineering and hiking (tramping), the backpacker tourism, the sport travel for golf and scuba diving or see a sports event and extreme tourism for people interested in risky activities.
Scientific tourism

The Chukotka Peninsular is often visited by scientists, both Russian and foreign, working in different spheres of science. The Okrug is a popular place for research expeditions and conferences devoted to issues of constant and stable development of the territory. Reindeer-breeders camps in the Schmidt and Yioultin Districts where traditional way of life is preserved and coastal settlements of sea-hunters always attract ethnographers and linguists studying people of the Extreme North.Most of more than 500 archeological sights of the Okrug are still very little studied.Ornithologists often come to Chukotka, as more than 220 bird species

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live here. Routine research work is performed by ichthyologist and other researchers of biological resources of the sea.

Extreme tourism

The Chukotka Peninsular is mainly a mountainous area with low and medium mountain relief.So in summer it suits for hitchhiking and bicycle mountaineering of different degrees of complexity. In winter on its bold peak slopes Alpine-skiing and snowboarding tracks can be routed.Severe climate conditions, landscape variety and detachment from civilization are perfect requisit

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Company profile

Great India Tour Company

History
A.T.E Group began its journey way back in 1976 with a quest to discover a simple philosophy of making travel as hassle free as having ones own wings. Tiday as a group, we soar far and high with diversified interests in all areas of Travel, Holidays, Hotels, Spa, Tourism Consultancy, Health Care Management, Information Technology, Leisure Consultancy, Advertising and Event Management. In more than two and half decades of uncompromising service to our customers we have been able to grow into a group of International repute. Our presence has spread to all major metros and cities of India as well as to international locations with services that are focused to provide the best to the discerning traveller. The Great India Tour Company(GITC) was later formed to offer specialized and professional services ensuring cost effectiveness and quality in the global tourism industry. The core team comprising the best talents adds value to GITCs tourism legacy.

Significance of Great India Tour Company

Maximising customer satisfaction

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 A complete tour with an honest price

Maximum sightseeing with minimum travelling time

Stay at conveniently located hotels

Services of tour manager

Travel insurance and other related services

Providing current scenario of travel or trends

Identifying and designing packages

Products for different categories of customers

Honest price with high quality and service

Mission of Great India Tour Company

Their core mission is to provide comprehensive holiday experiences with best quality of service and true value for money.

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Vision of Great India Tour Company To excel as the best Holiday Management Provider in India by setting new heights in excellent service, constantly widening their domain expertise and ensuring customer delight through constant innovation

Departments in Great India Tour Company

Sales and marketing

Reservations

Packaging and designing

Finance and accounting

Tour operations

Sales and marketing

In a marketing approach, more listening to and eventual accommodation of the target market occurs. Two-way communication is emphasized in marketing so learning can take place and product offerings can be improved. A salesperson using the sales concept, on the other hand, sometimes has the ability to individualize components of a sale, but the emphasis is ordinarily upon helping the customer

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determine if they want the product, or a variation on it, that is already being offered by the company.

In the sales approach, not much time is spent learning what the customer's ideal product would be because the salesperson has little say in seeing that their company's product is modified At the heart of the sales concept is the desire to sell a product that the business has made as quickly as possible to fulfil sales volume objectives. When viewed through the marketing concept lens, however, businesses must first and foremost fulfil consumers' wants and needs. The concepts surrounding both selling and marketing also differ. There is a need for both selling and marketing approaches in different situations. One approach is not always right and the other always wrong - it depends upon the particular situation.

Reservations It is one of the vital roles of tour operator, providing wide range of categories of hotel for various customers. It also provides availability about the various hotels in India and abroad. Online hotel reservations are becoming a very popular method for booking hotel rooms. So Travellers can book rooms from home by using online security to protect their privacy and financial information and by using several online travel agents to compare prices and facilities at different hotels. Tour operation A tour operator typically combines tour and travel components to create a holiday. The most common example of a tour operator's product would be a flight on a charter airline plus a transfer from the airport to a hotel and the services of a local representative, all for one price. Niche tour operators may specialize in destinations, e.g. Italy, activities and experiences, e.g. skiing, or a combination. The original raison of tour operating was the difficulty of making arrangements in far-flung places, with problems of language, currency and communication. The advent of the internet has led to a rapid increase in self-packaging of holidays. Tour operators still

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have their competence in arranging tours for those who do not have time to do DIY holidays, and specialize in large group events and meetings such as conferences or seminars Packaging and designing Companies that produce consumer goods spend considerable effort and money on the design of product packaging. Packaging is important because it protects the physical product until it is sold. The product package is also important because it communicates information to the consumer. Information can include the name of the product, information on ingredients, where the product was produced, and the product price. In addition the physical design of the package is used to communicate the benefits the consumer will receive by consuming the product. An attractive package that uses words and images to convey the products benefits helps the consumer to make the purchase decision. In tourism marketing the word packaging takes on a new meaning. Tourism packaging doesnt involve a physical package surrounding a product. Packaging is the process of putting together, or bundling, the core tourist product with additional services desired by tourists. The package is the promoted to tourists, who can then easily purchase their desired travel experience.

Finance and accounting department Field of accounting that treats money as a means of measuring economic performance instead of as a factor of production. It encompasses the entire system of monitoring and control of money as it flows in and out of the firm as assets and liabilities, and revenues and expenses. It is not easy to provide a concise definition of accounting since the word has a broad application within businesses and applications. Accounting is the collection and recording of information on all financial transactions of an entity, reporting the results of those transactions and interpreting those results.

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FLOW CHART OF GREAT INDIA TOUR COMPANY

Chairman and Managing Director

Board of direction

Vice president

Deputy manager business development

sr. manager operation

Deputy manager -finance

Manager-mice

Tour division

Marketing division

Sr.accounts officer

Asst.manager-tours

Asst.manager-sales

Accounts officer

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Sr.executive tours

Asst.manager-sales

Office boy

Executive tours

Executive-marketing

Front office

Learning experience

GITC provide different services like booking tickets, hotel bookings, transportation services, itinerary preparations, destination information and other services. GITC also operates its own billings and invoice procedures. I was given training in the Head Office monsoon GITC in Trivandrum. The 42 days training provided by the company officials was immensely useful. The outstanding educational training gave me a rich insight in to the different functionalities of a Tour and Travel company.

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At GITC, the functions to be performed by each employee was clearly defined. The work culture there was vibrant and homely. I could keenly observe and learn each function performed by different departments in GITC.

Coordinating Domestic and International tours Reservation Product knowledge Attending calls/ Sales calls Destination Packages Preparation of itinerary Marketing and advertising of the product Airline reservations Awareness about tourism trends and customer dealings Booking hotel through search engines Packaging and designing product

Tour operations

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Tour operation is one of the main departments functioning in the GITC. As a trainee I was first put in to the Operation Department of the company. In the Operation Department I was given training in different functionalities of the tour operation and its management.

Attending sales calls and sending mails

GITC receive mails from different branch offices regarding customer enquiries. Based on these enquiries the employees here will work out on the received itinerary and mailed back, adding the needed information for the query. Making quotes for tours as soon as possible for any tour or package. Replying to mails concerning fair revising and changes to tour details. Attending sales calls, was the initial duty of travel agency. We have attended the calls of the travel agency and have to make sufficient feed backs calls. GITC are dealing with B2B, its means business to business. GITC are the consolidators for other travel agency, sales calls enables us to know about other travel agency and that would enable the other travel agency to grow.

To call properties to check out the availability of rooms for the required date mentioned by the clients including customer name, number of adults, type of rooms, meal plans etc. Creating cost sheets, whenever a booking is made and advance is collected. The staff member who made the sale needs to prepare a cost sheet to be submitted to the accounts department for audit purposes.

Travel Agency

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Another major department of is the Travel Agency, This section mainly deals with the branch operations. The Travel Agency also maintains a close contact with the numerous travel agencies pan India. Training was imparted in preparing itinerary, writing and sending vouchers, faxing, sending confirmation mails etc.

To make calls to different properties for checking the availability based on the requirement of the client. After the enquiry confirmation mails are send to the client regarding the accommodation. Training was given in the preparation of cost sheet for an itinerary. Cost sheet includes transportation, accommodation, and others.

Booking hotel through search engines

GITC, offer hotel reservation through mails and calls.

Product knowledge Knowing and awareness about the product is another achievement i got in GITC. Its enables us to know and understand about current scenario, culture and tradition of the destination. Product knowledge helps us to know more detail about destination, accommodation and amenities the destination provide. Product knowledge is essential for any travel agency for their growth and its increases customer satisfactions.

Awareness about tourism trends and customer dealings

Tourism industry trends can be ascertained with regard to the following parameters. Market analysts researching in tourism industry trends predict or provide a general layout of the trends with respect to outcomes of tourism which is inbound, e-business in the tourism industry, development and promoting tourism in tribal areas, trends in tourism farming, tourism
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requirements, development of strategies in the context of tourism, tourism markets worldwide, selling or promoting tourist destination etc. Tourism industry is a fast developing sector for the economy worldwide. Statistical data suggests that the tourism industry in the global scenario . Tourism industry trends also suggest that as many as 200 million people are engaged worldwide in the tourism industry. Several other industries which are in some way related to the tourism industry is doing pretty well. With every passing day, with the advent of latest technologies and reaching out to people becoming is a child's play. Importance of bettering relationships with the neighbouring countries, establishing newer networks across the globe has taken the tourism industry.

Sales and Marketing

Sales and Marketing of the product is the main significance of the company or organizations. The first step is to attend sales calls to other travel agencies and than fixing a appointment with the manager and dealing with our offer to the company or travel agency and reaching a conclusion , providing a product details to customer or client or travel agency. Providing reservations and checking availability for hotel rooms and other sight seeing facilities and amenities.

Itinerary preparation Domestic Tour Package

07/Nights/08 Days Places Covered Cochin-Munnar-Thekkady/Periyar-Kumarakom-Kovalam-Trivandrum Day 01: Arrival Cochin-Munnar

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Arrival at Cochin Airport (assistance on arrival) and drive to Munnar(140km-4hours drive), on arrival check into Hotel and relax for the rest of the day. Overnight stay at the hotel will be arranged. Day 02: Munnar After breakfast spend the day with local sightseeing. Situated at the confluence of three mountain streams Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kimdale, Munnar is 1600 Meter above sea level. This majestic hill station was once the summer resort of the British government in South India. Local sightseeing of Munnar includes visit to Mattupetty Dam, Kundal Lake and Echo point. Afternoon proceed to Rajamalai were the rarest species of mountain goat, Nilgiri Thars, can be spotted. Overnight stay is arranged at Munnar. Day 03: Munnar- Thekkady After breakfast checkout from the hotel and drive to Thekkady, on arrival check into the hotel, proceed for the sightseeing tour of Thekkady- one of the worlds most fascinating wild life reserves. The Periyar wild life sanctuary in Thekkady is spread across 777 sq.km of which 360 sq.km is thick ever green forest. Noted for its geomorphology, diversity of wild life and scenic beauty, the sanctuary was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978. Optional activities like Boating at Periyar Lake, Slpice Plantation visit, Bamboo rafting, Trekking and Elephant Ride can be done at an extra cost. Overnight stay is arranged in Thekkady. Day 04: Thekkady-Kumarakom After breakfast check out from the hotel and drive to Kumarakom. Check in to the hotel. Afternoon proceeds for local sightseeing in and around Kumarakom- a tiny backwater is spread over 900 sq.km. Choose a canoe, motor boat or a houseboat and devour the beauty of the backwater paradise at its best. Overnight stay is arranged in Kumarakom Day 05: Kumarakom-Alleppey(Overnight Houseboat) After a refreshing breakfast, check out from the hotel and drive to Alleppey. Set out on an enchanting overnight backwater cruise in traditionally decorated houseboats. While cruising in

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these floating luxury-villas, let your eyes settle for the rare and the unusual skim lpast Chinese fishing nets, bowed-down paddy fields, and local inhanitants engaged in making coir products, rustic homes, and ancient temples and swaying coconut groves, food will be served onboard. Overnight stay will be provided in the houseboat. Day 06: Alleppy-Kovalam After a refreshing breakfast served onboard, check out from the houseboat and drive to Kovalam. Up on arrival, check in to a hotel. This beach town ranked high among international tourists is an ideal destination to feel the tropical sun and to feel contented about the golden suntan. Water enthusiasts have a lot of beach activities to indulge in like-kayaking, swimming, surfing. Occasionally walk into some of the certified massaging centers alongside the beach and pamper yourself with an exotic herbal, body-toning massage. Spend overnight in the hotel.

Day 07: Kovalam-Trivandrum-Kovalam Morning set out on a sightseeing tour to Trivandrum. Your itinerary will include places of interests like Padmababhaswami temple, renowned for its towering gopuras and temples arts and paintings. The main pavilion of the temple stands impressive with 400 marvelously granite carved pillars. Your guidd sightseeing tour will cover the rest of the attractions too. Later in the evening travel back to Kovalam for an overnight stay. Day 08: Kovalam-Trivandrum-Departure Transfer Morning, after breakfast check out from the hotel and drive to Trivandum International airport for your flight back home, feeling contented about a wonderful holiday you spent in the Gods Own Country.

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TOTAL TOUR COST FOR TWO PERSONS: Rs.59,850

INCLUSIONS WITH ABOVE COST: Accommodation with mentioned hotels for nights on Bed and Breakfast basis

with rooms in twin sharing basis + 01night in an A/C houseboat with all meals,

Airport/ Hotel Transfers + City Tour + drivers+ Sightseeing by Air-conditioned Indica. All currently applicable taxes including service tax @ 2.58% applicable as per government rules.

COST EXCLUDES: Expenses of personal nature such as drinks, telephone, and laundry bills etc. Tips and porter charges. Any airfare Any boating charges Monument entrances

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 Any additional expenses incurred due to any flight delay or cancellation, weather conditions, political closures, technical faults etc. Any other service/s specified above.

NOTE: All taxes, entrance fees, airfare etc are as on date. Any future hike will be charged extra.

The above rates are valid for the given dates only. The above is only an offer and not confirmation of your bookings. We shall proceed with your booking once we have receive the payment from you and if we are not able to get the original hotels, shall provide equivalent/alternative hotels. Check in/ checkout time with the hotels are 1200 noon and Houseboat is 1200 noon check in and 0900 hrs next day check out

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SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS:

Motivates the employee in the organization, its the main strength in the organization and all employee are friendly and also provide incentives according to target achievement.

Proper utilization of employee skills and knowledge, staffs in Monsoon Holidays are well trained to cope any situation in the market.

Employees are Confident in their job and utilizes their knowledge and skill for the promotion of the company.

Proper job analysis and job evaluation have been taken by management in every month in the organization.

WEAKNESS:
confusion in the organization during pressurized situation. Credit Sales and Foreign Exchange should be commenced. Too many unwanted extra expenses. Advertisement and promotional are very weak more measures should be taken for promotional activities

OPPORTUNITIES:

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Increase in employment generation. search engine which provide hotel rooms booking with in a fraction of seconds, easy and comfortable form of booking

Overall development of employ skills and knowledge.

THREATS:
Allocation of job Providing travel to all sectors of travel Proper advertisement and promotion measures Utilization of employees work experience and knowledge

FINDINGS
All the employees were well trained to provide quality services to the customers.

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 GITC encourages Domestic Tourism as well as international tours. GITC always maintain a good relation with customer The company is highly employee friendly.
Feedback from the customers indicates that the Tour packages provided by GITC, is up to

clients satisfaction.
The working environment in GITC is exceptionally pleasant because the staffs work under

a decentralized system and the belief in co-ordination and cooperation persists. A systematic method is followed by the staff in the companys operation, which reflects in its customer loyalty The construction of the company building is such that it attracts the customers with immediate effect.

Web marketing is another strategy used by GITC for their promotions Monthly meetings are held to fix the target and a review of the target achievement is held at the end of every month.

SUGGESTION

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GITC Trivandrum is a tour operation company mainly focusing on domestic and international tours, GITC have the potential to grow further and retain the tour market, there are some of the suggestions the companies should focus for its own development

GITC should employ more staff for its

growth and development. More staff should

recruited for the job in every department

Marketing and Sales team is very weak, it should compete with other key players in

tourism market. Marketing should be based on particular target.

GITC should focuses on all aspects of travel market Proper advertisement is necessary for promotion of the company. The advertisement

brings the a proper awareness about company

Job analysis and proper job evaluation should be done in every month GITC should take up more Corporate Social responsibility so as to gain more popularity

in the market.
All new recruits staff must be trained well in the field of tourism so as to work efficiently

and provide better services.

Job should be properly allocated in each department of the company

CONCLUSION

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GITC is a tour operation company where I did my internship training located in jayanagar, banglore. The company provides both international as well as domestic tours to all parts of the world. Within a short period of time GITC has been able to generate good amount of profit and create a impact in the industry.

GITC rest assured the customers have the best possible deal to suit their requirements. GITC is constantly introducing innovative events and suggestion to make every conference and event a memorable one.

I was trained in both sales and operation department of the company, which was very useful for my future. I got the opportunity to coordinate two international tours which was a great learning experience for me. under the guidance of manger and staff I have been well trained to deal with customers and to use search engines for reservation of hotel for all over the world Working in GITC was always a great pleasure and good experience

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BIBLIOGRAPHY I collect the all information about the GITC (Great India Tour Company) for making my internship report. The reference & source of informations are as follow: www.gitc.travel/ www.keralatourism.com www.keralatourism.org www.kerala360.com www.ktdc.com www.tourismindia.org www.travelandleisure.com Travel Span

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