TOURISM DEMAND NO. 28 POLICY NOTE 2005 - 2006 INTRODUCTION Tourism in today's world is no more a luxury or mere sight seeing. Even the most common man can attain the status of a tourist. This has been made possible by the recent advances in transportation and information technology, which has enabled tourists to reach even the remotest parts of the earth by spending much less. Similarly the emphasis is gradually shifting from sight seeing to experiencing different cultures, life styles and environments. Thanks to the importance of innovativeness in tourism product development and marketing, tourism today has become more of a knowledge based industry. The Tourism industry has provided new career opportunities in hospitality, leisure and surface transport. In the 21st century the tourism industry is poised for massive growth. The tourist scene has undergone a sea-change. There is economic angle to this burgeoning tourism sector; while it gainfully employs thousands of people, the exchequer gets several crores of rupees in foreign exchange year after year. One great advantage of the tourism industry is that it gives birth to lots of secondary and tertiary activities. The Tourism industry is classified into outbound, in bound and domestic. 2) TOURISM - WORLD SCENARIO According to a recent research, conducted by Europe's leading travel magazine " Conde Nast Traveller" the top 3 tourist destinations of the world are Italy, Australia and France. India has been ranked 9th by this study report. Countries like Singapore get every year a far greater number of tourists than their population. Among the various nations in the world each nation has its own unique tourist spots. Every one has heard about oil bath, sun bath etc. But, for sand bath, tourists flock to Ibusuki, a beach resort in South Japan. Here, tourists dig themselves into the sand with only their heads protruding out. The hot water springs below the sand give warmth to the body, which the tourists enjoy. The Tourism industry is growing at a very fast rate. As a result, Chinese people are expected to realize their dream of space tourism in 20 years from now with China conducting research into the commercialization of space technology. The three and a half minutes spent in space above California, US heralds the start of space Tourism. Sojourns in space could be but a decade away for thousands of wealthy tourists. 3) TOURISM - THE NATIONAL SCENARIO During 2003-2004, India witnessed an unprecedented growth in foreign tourists arrivals. In the year 2002, the number of foreign tourists arrivals was 23.8 lakhs. But in the year 2004 (upto November) this figure has gone upto 29.8 lakhs. In an attempt to achieve rapid growth in tourist arrivals to India, the Government of India has recently launched a campaign called "Athithi Devo Bava" which means guests are like Gods. Inspite of stiff competition among the nations, the New Delhi-Agra-Jaipur golden triangle is still a hot favourite for international tourists. The Tourism industry is showing all signs of transforming from a lack-lustre entity into a market and revenue driven one. There is a demand that ASEAN and Indian tourist packages should be integrated so that tourists coming from Europe should go over to ASEAN destinations after covering Indian tourist attractions. Similarly international tourists visiting ASEAN countries can come over to Indian destinations. In a survey conducted by travel and leisure magazine, two Indian hotels at Jaipur and Agra find a place in world's 100 best hotels. The Ananda resort in the Himalayas has been rated as the world's number one spa by the popular travel and tourism magazine " Conde Nast Traveller". With the airfares looking downwards, there is bound to be a boom in tourism sector. Tourism has provided employment to over 2 crores persons in India. The foreign tourists visiting India in a year is around 30 lakhs which is less than 0.5% of the world tourist traffic. India is a wonderful package with everything from ancient temple and medieval castles to verdant forests. The Confederation of Indian Industry has prepared a vision paper for 2020, which envisages employment of 50 million persons in travel and tourism industry and an increase in the share of this industry to 7% of GDP. Tourism has a very strong linkage with socio-economic progress of the country, a multiplier effect on the economy. India's cultural heritage and eco-tourism potential are the major consumer preferences of the international tourists, visiting India. The overall fund allotment for the Tourism Industry in the 10th Five year plan was Rs.2900 crores as against Rs.750.00 crores in the 9th Five year plan period. Historical monuments are a big source of attraction to tourists visiting India. ASI manages over 3500 monuments in India. Globally India is known for modernity, historical legacy, cultural diversity, natural splendour, wildlife, spiritualism, Yoga and Ayurveda. According to estimates made by industry stakeholders, the tourism sector in Asia over the next 10 years is projected to grow at a higher rate than most other regions and the world average as a whole. It is felt that India should capitalise on this great window of opportunity by evolving a tourist friendly tax regime in the region. Tourism and taxes always go hand in hand. According to an estimate, a reduction in taxes to 10% of a Tourist's expenditure basket can boost the country's GDP by Rs.123.00 billion and additional tax revenues of Rs.460 million and 6,70,000 additional jobs in the economy. 4) TOURISM - THE SCENARIO IN THE STATE In recent years, tourism has become a priority sector in the State. This is reflected in higher budget allocations, growing partnership efforts between the public and private sectors, increased tourist arrivals, vibrant and vigorous promotion efforts, etc. The emphasis is to make Tourism a mass movement and a prime mover for promoting entrepreneurship, poverty reduction and economic development. Tamilnadu, placed strategically an Asia's growth axis, is certainly India's Asian gateway. Provision of well integrated and world class infrastructure and amenities at tourist spots would continue to receive attention during the ensuing year. Tamilnadu is proud to attain the number one status in use of Information Technology in promotion of tourism. The online reservation with payment gateway facility for TTDC 's package tours and hotels was launched by the Hon'ble Chief Minister on 2-7-2004. TTDC is the first State Tourism Corporation to have launched such a facility. Upto February 2005, 2000 bookings were made online from the following: Foreign Countries Indian States/ Union Territories Spain Kerala United States Maharashtra Australia Karnataka Finland Utter Pradesh Norway Andhra Pradesh Canada West Bengal Italy Gujarat Japan New Delhi Germany Pondicherry Netherlands Goa The planning and development of tourism infrastructure, its subsequent operation and marketing will focus on environmental, social, cultural and economic sustainability criteria. 5) TOURIST WEALTH OF TAMILNADU: Tamilnadu is an Enchanting state where modern technology and contemporary vitality co-exist with tradition and old architecture. It is a year round destination. The tourist wealth of the State can be broadly grouped under the following heads: a) Hill Resorts in the State consist of mountain ranges, pastoral landscape, exotic plants and shrubs and grassy hillocks. Notable hill resorts are Udhagamandalam, Kodaikanal and Yercaud. The small roads that swirl around the estates and hillocks provide refreshing experiences. Udhagamandalam known as the queen of hills is all set to add more feathers to its Cap. The Nilgiris mountain railway, which was inaugurated in 1899 is likely to get world heritage status. Similarly the rose garden at Udhagamandalam is likely to be declared as the "Garden of Excellence" by the International Rose Federation. b) Beach Resorts: Tamilnadu has 1076 KM long spectacular coastline which is one seventh of the country's total coastline. Tamilnadu 's coastline has sugar white bays and sun drenched beaches. Marina beach is the second longest in the world. c) Waterfalls in the State like Hogenakkal, Courtallam, Thirparappu, Kumbakarai, Papanasam etc present are some spectacle and breathtaking experience. d) Wildlife sanctuaries Mudumalai, Anamalai, Mundanthurai, Kalakkadu are the important wild life sanctuaries which transform magically from the tropical wet evergreen to the dry deciduous and thorn forests. e) Zoological Parks The Aringnar Anna Zoological park at Vandalur, Chennai draws huge crowds and one can see a variety of wildlife in their natural habitat. f) Bird Sanctuaries The clacking and squawking of birds in the bird sanctuaries are melodious. Notable Bird sanctuaries are as follows:- Place District Vedanthangal Kancheepuram Pulicat Tiruvallur Koonthankulam Tirunelveli Karaivetti Perambalur Kodiakkarai (Point Calimere) Nagapattinam g) Botanical/Horticultural Gardens at places like Ooty and Coonoor are immaculately maintained to provide visual feast. h) Temples, Churches, Mosques in the State are exquisite and extravagant, delicate and distinct. Yet at the same time they are integrally linked with each other. They display the ingenuity and artistic skill of sculptors. The history of some of the temples and monuments date back to even 1000 years. i) Heritage Monuments like those at Mamallapuram and Gangaikonda- cholapuram have unique and inspiring architecture. They are marvels of engineering skills of the bygone era. j) Mangroves: The mangroves at Pichavaram in Cuddalore District are one of the largest mangroves in the world. Mangroves are also found in Muthupet in Thiruvarur District. It is now believed that mangroves acted as a good deterrent in arresting the force of Tsunami, which struck the coastal areas of Tamilnadu on 26.12.2004. k) Lakes: The Pulicat Lake in Tiruvallur District is the second largest saltwater lagoon in India (after Chilika Lake in Orissa). 6) TYPES OF TOURISM IN TAMILNADU There are various facets to tourism in Tamilnadu.