Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 PROPOSING TRAVEL PLANS FOR URBAN TOURISM IN KOCHI, KERALA USING GEOGEAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM Shahnaz Basheer, * Dr. Lancelet T.S ** * Research Scholar, Dept. of Geography, School of Earth Sciences, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu **Professor, Dept. of Geography, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, Ernakulam, Kerala ABSTRACT Tourism is an activity of leisure-oriented transitory mobility with both spatial and temporal proportions. It is a necessary part of today’s economy, also reflects the overall development of a society. Tourism comprises the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business, and other purposes (UNWTO). Nowadays the city becomes a destination for many tourists, cities are more smart, developed, and attractive. Urban tourism is about describing multiple tourist activities in which the city is the main destination and a place of interest. The study mainly aims to study and classify urban tourist spots in Kochi city based on its character, analyse the sustainable tourism development from the existing distributions and also to provide awareness of the existence of tourist products and sustainability concept through urban geo green tourism to the visitors and concerned planners in a digital format. A questionnaire survey had been conducted for the study, it brings a new level of tourism in Kochi through their interactions and communications those help in the future for a better stay of tourists in the city. Nevertheless, based on the expressed opinions Kochi remains a very desirable place that meets or exceeds expectations of the overwhelming majority. Urban tourism is an imperious factor of tourism initiative, in the case of Kochi, it is in the earlier stages. Being a practical city should represent greener, cleaner, safer, smarter, and self- sustainable. The major importance of the research is to demonstrate the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) in analysing the sustainable tourism development planning in Kochi. “Learn to love Kochi more than its malls and metro but rather for its backwaters and heritage”. Keywords: Tourism, Urban Tourism, Sustainable Urban Tourism Development, GIS Volume IX, Issue V, MAY/2020 Page No : 5878 Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 1. INTRODUCTION Tourism is an activity of leisure-oriented transitory mobility within the cooperation of spatial and temporal proportions, a necessary part of today’s economy reflects the overall development of a society. Tourism is a passionately geographic sensation and creates an idiosyncratic connection between the local people and the tourists who visit the tourist spot. It has a significant inference for the geographies of destination, development, resource use, and exploitation. Tourism as a force for social change, utilisation and empowerment, including issues of commodification, consumption, and place creation. The geography and tourism are well connected through the uniqueness and spatial location of the place i.e. the distribution and arrangement of tourist destinations and tourism products. Nowadays the city becomes a destination for many tourists because the cities are more smart, developed, and attractive. The tourism act as a privilege to the urban areas. ‘Urban tourism encompasses the activities of international and domestic visitors as well as local residents in urban areas, contextualized by built and natural landscapes, amenities, and infrastructure. Urban tourism is about describing multiple tourist activities in which the city is the main destination and a place of attention. Urban tourist space in the urban area takes the expansion of mobility of societies. So the urban centers are becoming the major center of attractions due to its location, specificities and the updating communication and transportation facilities, etc. From the city, local residents should draw what is best and offer urban tourists with what is utmost attractive, but keep on within the outline of sustainable development. Sustainable tourism is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as ‘tourism that respects both local people and the traveller, cultural heritage and the environment’. So here comes the two way responsibility of who is there (the local people living in a particular area) who are coming there (the tourists). The urban specificities, availability of tourism products, and the sustainable development in the tourism sector makes Kochi as a global destination. Kochi is a sprawling city and is among India’s fastest-growing cities and being a good tourist destination and the quality of city tourism is satisfactory. It remains a very desirable place that meets or exceeds the expectations of the overwhelming majority. The possibilities for and restraints to emerging the area as a tourist destination is not that much easier what we think. However, tourism also consumes urban and natural limited resources, it generates costly waste, requires expensive facilities, produces air and water pollution, and alters the life of the Volume IX, Issue V, MAY/2020 Page No : 5879 Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 residents. Urban-related issues of Kochi are common to any developing cities, such as unplanned and sprawling development, air and water pollution, traffic congestion, poor waste management, and environmental degradation. The horizontal sprawling of the city’s land-use compromises the city center’s compact pattern. Due to unplanned urban development, the absence of traffic management policies and practices, and the lack of integrated transport and land use planning. Adopting a tour package within the accessible distance and limited time will be indeed useful to the different types of tourists visiting the Kochi city. If a person is vising the city for the first time also can make the trip very easier with the help of maps. The one day trip created by the selected tourist spots will be a new experience for the tourist along with the different modes of transportations. The major importance of this research is to prove the use of GIS in analysing sustainable tourism development planning in Kochi. 2. STUDY AREA Kochi is a coastal city and the commercial capital of Kerala that lies southwest coast of India at 9°58′N 76°13′E, with an area of 459.92 sq.km within the district of Ernakulam and is located in the state of Kerala and one of the largest urban agglomeration. Topography describes a detailed description of the physical features of an area including hills, mountains, valleys, rivers. The topography of Kochi is the main physical attraction for the tourists, physiography exerts a great influence upon the extent and direction of tourists to attract into the city. The political boundary of the study area is given in figure 1. Volume IX, Issue V, MAY/2020 Page No : 5880 Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 Figure: 1 Location map of the study area; Source: by the investigator 3. OBJECTIVES The primary aim of the paper is to study and classify urban tourist spots in Kochi on the basis of its character; to analyse the sustainable tourism development from the existing transportation facilities; and to indicate suitable proposals for the promotion of tourism activities. The distinguished classification of tourist spots will help the tourist to choose a particular spot to visit with appropriate transportation and also to choose the mode for transportation. The major importance of the research is to demonstrate the use of GIS in analysing sustainable tourism development planning in Kochi. 4. MATERIALS AND METHODS The important and relevant sets of primary and secondary type of data were used in this study such as Survey of India (SOI) Topographical map with a scale of 1:50,000 and the Linear Imaging Self Scanning Sensor (LISS) IV Indian Remote-Sensing Satellite (IRS) P6 satellite imagery, other collateral maps, and images of the city. The data utilised for the creation of vector maps for reference maps and the analysis purpose in the studies. Moreover, GIS platforms ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 for image analysis and ArcMap10.2 used to create a Volume IX, Issue V, MAY/2020 Page No : 5881 Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 database, image processing of existing land use, transportation networks especially the road networks and water bodies, etc. Secondary data are used for the simple statistical analysis regarding the specificities of the city are obtaining from various authorities. For field surveys and to detect the spatial distribution of tourist destinations in the city used a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) to validate and also update the attribute information of each feature. The attribute information of all the features was compiled. In the meanwhile the research, a questionnaire survey was conducted among the foreign tourists. Reliable sources of literature are used as a base for making the descriptions about the tourist destinations. Figure: 2 Flow chart of methodology 5.1 THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF KOCHI’S MAJOR TOURIST SPOTS Ernakulam district of Kerala is one of the finest destinations for the study of urban sustainable tourism. This district consists of both rural and urban places of attractions. Physical and cultural components of an area, the scenic beauty which is most coordinated in the coastal as well as the highland area of the district. The tourism industry in Kochi plays a significant role in transforming society and the economy, tourism has the perspective to take place the social and cultural development in the city. For the tourist, Kochi offers nature on a tray with an urban environment like sandy beaches of Kochi, blue Lagoons, and backwater by Vembanad Lake. Volume IX, Issue V, MAY/2020 Page No : 5882 Mukt Shabd Journal ISSN NO : 2347-3150 Urban tourist places are numerous and they vary in their different characteristics and location. It is, therefore, worthwhile to classify the tourist spots into categories for a better understanding of their role in the tourism industry.