Tourism Development

Tourism, today, is one of the largest industries in the world. The industry has a great potential for growth in the new millennium. As an industry, tourism is a highly complex phenomenon, as various disciplines are involved in its study. Therefore, it becomes of paramount importance that students as also industry professionals, must not only understand, but also fine-tune their knowledge of this complex subject. The book approaches the subject of tourism from the perspective of social science. Some basic disciplines such as, history, economics, sociology and psychology, environment, accommodation and communication are discussed as these relate to the tourism development. The book, divided in two parts covers different dimensions of the subject. Part I covers dimensions such as historical, economic, organisational and international. Part II examines the service dimensions to assist professionals in understanding and managing the tourism activity. The six chapters in this part deal with planning and development, marketing and communication and key product elements like accommodation and travel organisation sector. Divided in fourteen chapters, the book systematically covers above various dimensions related to the subject of tourism. The book will be of value to both students and professionals pursuing tourism studies at colleges and training institutes affiliated to both Indian and foreign universities.

Author Biography

A.K. Bhatia was a senior official in the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India for more than two decades. As Deputy Director General, he was responsible for the marketing of Indian tourism in different parts of the world. As a field officer, he had several assignments in Indias overseas tourist offices including those at Brussels, Paris and Geneva. He represented the Ministry of Tourism at many international conferences. After obtaining a post-graduate degree from the University of Delhi, he acquired an advanced post-graduate Diploma in Tourism Marketing from the University of Viterbo, Italy. He has written a number of articles in Indian and international tourism journals. His last assignment was as a Director of Education in the Kuoni Academy of Travel, a Swiss multinational enterprise. Prior to this, he had coordinated and taught tourism to graduate and post-graduate students at University of Delhi for several years. Presently he is associated with the Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, Ministry of Tourism and several other institutes imparting training in travel and tourism management.