IGNOU BTS TS-01 Solved Assignment January 2012

Course Code: TS-1                                                                                                      Programme: BTS                                                             

 Assignment Code: TS-1/TMA/2012-13

Note: This TMA consists of two parts.

Part I consists of two questions out of which you have to attempt any one. The question carries 25 marks and should be answered in about 700 words.

Part II consists of 8 questions. Attempt any five in about 500 words. Each question carries 15 marks. Send your TMA to the Coordinator of your Study Centre.

PART-I

1. What are the threats and obstacles to tourism in India?                                                                       25

Solution: Tourism in India is the largest service industry, with a contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP and 8.78% of the total employment in India. The tourism industry in India generated about 100 billion US$ in 2008 and that is expected to increase to US$275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate.

The approach of the Travel Trade is  to match a range of  choices with  a range of products by  a number of producers operating from a variety of destinations. Anything that interrupts this relationship is a threat or obstacle to the business of tourism. However, tourists and residents do not view the threat tolfrom tourism or the obstacles that emerge as a result of its development in such a one sided manner. On the one hand we have the relationship between the Tourism Industry and the  consumer while  on  the other,  we  have  the  political,  economic, sociological, anthropological  and  cultural  encounters between tourists,  their destinations and residents. These encounters can  also be a threat or  an  obstacle to  tourism.  Generally, threats and obstacles are perceived only at the destination and not at the point of origin. To understand the true meaning of a threat or an obstacle to tourism, we have to locate the conflict. This is not

simple.  Conflict can be physical, psychological, cultural or ideological and, therefore, will be

both specific (between two people, two nationalities or two regions) or generic (between the

West and the East). Therefore, the threat to tourism is located at the point of origin as well as

the destination. For example, India's Tourism Year 1991 was not successful because we were

unable to promote India as a safe destination. This was because America and West European

countries issued travel advisories to warn their natiohals not to travel to India in the light of the

anti-reservation in the northern parts.  Now we in India do not issue travel advisories against

America when there are race riots in Los Angeles or tourist murders in Florida. This is because

we see India only  as a tourist receiving country and not a market for world tourists. The

perception of our government is determined by viewing India as a destination only.

In defining threats and o b s w l e s  to tourism, we have to go deeper into the nature of tourism

and see the different levels at which they operate rather than only at the surface level of the

operation of tourism.

Obstacles to Tourism in India

1. Undesirable Social and Cultural Change: Tourism sometimes led to the destruction of the social fabric of a community. The more tourists coming into a place, the more the perceived risk of that place losing its identity. A good example is Goa. From the late 60's to the early 80's when the Hippy culture was at its height, Goa was a haven for such hippies. Here they came in thousands and changed the whole culture of the state leading to a rise in the use of drugs, prostitution and human trafficking. This had a ripple effect on the country.

2. Increase Tension and Hostility: Tourism can increase tension, hostility, and suspicion between the tourists and the local communities when there is no respect and understanding for each other’s culture and way of life. This may further lead to violence and other crimes committed against the tourists. The recent crime committed against Russian tourist in Goa is a case in point.

3. Creating a Sense of Antipathy: Tourism brought little benefit to the local community. In most all-inclusive package tours more than 80% of travelers’ fees go to the airlines, hotels and other international companies, not to local businessmen and workers. Moreover, large hotel chain restaurants often import food to satisfy foreign visitors and rarely employ local staff for senior management positions, preventing local farmers and workers from reaping the benefit of their presence. This has often created a sense of antipathy towards the tourists and the government.

4. Adverse Effects on Environment and Ecology: One of the most important adverse effects of tourism on the environment is increased pressure on the carrying capacity of the ecosystem in each tourist locality. Increased transport and construction activities led to large scale deforestation and destabilisation of natural landforms, while increased tourist flow led to increase in solid waste dumping as well as depletion of water and fuel resources. Flow of tourists to ecologically sensitive areas resulted in destruction of rare and endangered species due to trampling, killing, disturbance of breeding habitats. Noise pollution from vehicles and public address systems, water pollution, vehicular emissions, untreated sewage, etc. also have direct effects on bio-diversity, ambient environment and general profile of tourist spots.

PART-II

1. What is the relevance of a map for a tourist professional? Prepare a detailed itinerary of any popular tourist circuit.15

Solution: As mention above, Answer any 5 Question

===================================================================

2. What is a Tourism product? Describe the features of a Tourism product.                                         15

Solution: As mention above, Answer any 5 Question

====================================================================

3. What is Media? Discuss various types of Media with examples.                                                          15

Solution: In general, "media" refers to various means of communication. For example, television, radio, and the newspaper are different types of media. The term can also be used as a collective noun for the press or news reporting agencies. In the computer world, "media" is also used as a collective noun, but refers to different types of data storage options.

Daily newspapers

The 1600-plus daily newspapers - "dailies" - in the United States provide an estimated 113 million individuals with their primary source of news every day. Dailies appear in morning and/or evening editions seven days a week. Daily newspapers cover national, state, and local education initiatives; elementary and secondary school education; and other related topics from many different angles - from writing a profile on a state education leader to covering a local school board meeting. 

Magazines

Magazines generally offer more comprehensive, in‑depth coverage of a subject than newspapers. Consequently, they also demand longer lead‑times. Getting covered in a magazine usually requires advance planning and a proactive media strategy. Many magazines have editorial calendars, which provide information about special issues or features planned for the year. To find out what a magazine has planned, request an editorial calendar from the magazine's advertising department at the beginning of each year. Become familiar with the regular features that appear in every issue and think about where and how a story about your community college's efforts to provide a quality education for all students might fit into their format. The editors are always looking for information that will be newsworthy when the magazine is published.

Television

A medium that permits the use of the printed world, spoken word, pictures in motion, color, music, animation and sound effects all blend into one message, possesses immeasurable potency. Television has become a dominant force, the primary source of news and entertainment and a powerful soapbox from which citizens protests can be communicated to the nation and the world. This medium has greatly altered national election campaigns and has diminished the role of the political parties. Events made large by TV shape public opinion worldwide.

Radio

The influence of radio broadcasters in the daily lives of Americans is often grossly underestimated and occasionally altogether overlooked by even the most experienced media strategists. Radio is often described as the "captive electronic medium" because it reaches people while they are doing other things - in their cars, on the way to and from work, in their homes and offices, even while they exercise with a Walkman. Radio programming offers a variety of formats for communicating to a number of distinct audiences. The most common radio-station formats and their primary/target audiences are:

Yellow Pages:

There are several forms of Yellow Pages that you can use to promote and advertise your business. Aside from the traditional Yellow Pages supplied by phone companies, you can also check out specialized directories targeted to specific markets (e.g. Hispanic Yellow Pages, Blacks, etc.); interactive or consumer search databases; Audiotex or talking yellow pages; Internet directories containing national, local and regional listings; and other services classified as Yellow Pages

Social media

Social media includes web-based and mobile technologies used to turn communication into interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content."[1] Social media is media for social interaction as a superset beyond social communication. Enabled by ubiquitously accessible and scalable communication techniques, social media has substantially changed the way organizations, communities, and individuals communicate

Internet Media

The Internet Media group aims to build seamless yet efficient media systems through breakthroughs in fundamental theory and innovations in system technology. We address the problem of media content, format adaptation, and the generic scalability issues of computing systems in terms of bandwidth, processing capability, screen resolution, memory, and battery power.

=================================================================

4. What do you understand by writing for tourism? Mention the difference between earlier travel writing and writing in today’s context.                                                                                                                      15

Solution: As mention above, Answer any 5 Question

===================================================================

5. What is promotion? How do brochures help in tourism promotion?                                                   15

Solution: 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 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 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.

=====================================================================

6. Define Infrastructure. Mention the relationship between infrastructure and tourism.                     15

Solution: Infrastructure such as accommodation, restaurants, built attractions, tours and transport are primarily developed by the private sector. Private investors are unwilling to invest in tourism facilities, however, without good airport and road infrastructure and the availability of affordable basic services such as power, water, sewerage, electricity and telecommunications, which together make tourism investments economically viable.

Tourism WA facilitates infrastructure development through the preparation of Tourism Development Priorities, which identify key infrastructure projects for tourism destinations across the state. Tourism WA liaises with other government agencies such as Main Roads WA, the Department of Planning and local government authorities to ensure tourism infrastructure projects are given priority in capital works programs.

===================================================================

7. How are natural resources affected by mass tourism? Explain with examples.

Solution: Mass Tourism has a massive impact on India. Here are some Economic, Social and Environmental Affects of Tourism:

Economics Affect:

Good locations attract elderly (specifically retired) tourists to buy weekend houses or permanent houses in the area, this makes the houses in the area more sought after and raises the prices to something which local residents cannot afford.The exclusivity of the location, and potentially items sold there, raises the prices of simple day to day goods.Authorities in charge of the tourist location, such as the National Park Authority in National Parks, control the shops, land and services in the area. So if something doesn't meet their requirements then you must comply. This may eliminate agriculture or force people to relocate. Whereas areas without tourism aren't bound by such authorities.Crops or animals may be destroyed or disturbed in countryside areas which may affect the income of the farmer.In certain times of the year, for example the winter seasons in ski resorts, seasonal workers are required. These usually come from outside of the area so any money earnt by the worker is taken outside of the community (Money lost essentially).Tourists require many services, such as shops, hotels, restaurants, etc. Therefore more services are needed from the council which takes money to set up.

The extra traffic caused by tourists may slow down the delivery of materials, for example, limestone from quarries.

Social Affects of Tourism :

Tourism in certain areas can destroy the culture of the tourist location, old traditions may be lost or certain skills may be forgotten due to modernization, for example, residents forgetting how to farm.Congested roads become a nuisance for local residents who only want to travel short distances.There are long queues at shops as tourists fill the shops.Constant noise from traffic and tourists disturb local residents, destroying their peace and quiet.

The exclusivity of the area makes it difficult to buy day to day items.

Environmental Affects of Tourism:

Tourists also cause many problems for the local environment; in Alpine ski slopes, slopes have become barren and filled with litter from overuse.

Tourists also use cars or coaches to travel to these locations and within the area. This increases the amount of pollution in the air.

Certain key features of the area may be damaged or affected, for example; dry stone walls in the Castleton area become loose and fall apart from tourists sitting on them.

===========================================================                                   15

8. Differentiate between Guide & Escort. Explain the role of Guide in Tourism Development.                

Solution: Tour guides are referred as tourist guides in some country. A tour guide is a person who guides the visitors in the language of their choice. He leads a group of people around the museum, town, and important venue. Guides are representative of the cities for which they are qualified and they interpret the culture and heritage of the area. Guide helps travelers to understand the culture of the region and the way of life its inhabitants.

On one hand their role is to promote the cultural and natural heritage and on other hand making the visitors aware of its importance. Guide provides full information about the features and history of the location. As the importance of places is known by the guide, he will educate and narrates you all the local stories, history and culture as and when the location comes. The importance is placed on the guide's knowledge; he will try his best to explain you in language you know. While traveling to next location guide entertain you, and gives you relevant information about the place where you will land up next. On visiting any historical place, a guide with complete knowledge of that place is required. So that he narrate the history of that place in detail. If you move without a guide you will not come to know anything about the place and you will not understand what you are seeing and what does it means.

Guide answers all your questions and you can gain lot of knowledge from him. Many times it happens that we ignore small things, but always a small thing contains a big story, so only guide can educate us about the place. Before going for a trip you can ask your friends and relatives about the place who have been there. But to get the whole insight information it is better to appoint a guide. A guide helps you to know about the climatic condition, culture, language, specialty of the place and also helps us to buy the famous thing available there.