development of tourism in rajasthan

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How industry status has raised hopes of tourism revival in rajasthan, stakeholders hope the rs 1,000 crore allocation in the budget will be spent innovatively to transform tourism in the state.

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The grant of industry status for tourism means that power tariff and certain taxes would be at par with other industries, as against the current commercial charges, which are way higher. Hoteliers and restaurateurs in the state had to pay hefty power bills even for minimum load through the difficult Covid lockdown periods as they were subjected to commercial rates.

Gehlot said the tariff concessions will bring a financial burden of Rs 700 crore a year on the state exchequer. He also announced the Rajasthan Rural Tourism Scheme, under which transfer of property would be exempted from stamp duty, besides other sops such as reimbursement of SGST for 10 years and loans up to Rs 25 lakh at 9 per cent interest.

To encourage conversion of heritage properties into hotels, Rajasthan will offer concessional stamp duty on purchase and lease agreement for hotels housed in buildings constructed prior to 1950. The land rates for resorts, camping sites, amusement parks and animal safari parks will be kept same as residential rates in the urban areas and agricultural rates in the rural areas.

The state budget has earmarked Rs 1,000 crore for developing tourism. The figure is based on a tourism development fund of Rs 500 crore for 2022-23 and a similar amount allocated in 2021-22. Of this, Rs 600 crore will be spent on infrastructure, including building toilets at places of tourist interest, and the rest on tourism promotion. However, there is apprehension about whether the money will be spent judiciously. “We want an advisory committee or authority to be formed that supervises how this Rs 1,000 crore will be spent. It must yield concrete results,“ says Mandawa.

Diya Kumari, the BJP MP from Rajsamand, says the funds should not be spent on stereotyped ways of tourism promotion. “It’s a huge amount which, if spent properly, can help transform tourism in Rajasthan. So many properties across the state need basic conservation and development to attract tourists,” she says.

Industry stakeholders expect tourism minister Vishvendra Singh and Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) chairman Dharmendra Singh Rathore to bring in innovative changes to the sector. Hoteliers have, meanwhile, started exploring ways to attract tourists. The focus is on young travellers and creating recreational options for them. Arvind Jain of Resort Sawai Vilas in Ranthambore says that while the state government’s initiatives are welcome, the need is to promote sustainable tourism. “It’s bad to turn Ranthambore into a wedding destination that it is fast becoming. Instead, it should have eco-friendly and heritage-friendly tourism in the backdrop of the Ranthambore Fort and Chambal river,” says Jain.

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Ecotourism in Rajasthan: Prospects and Perspectives

• First Online: 01 January 2013

Cite this chapter

• Shailja Sharma 4 ,
• B. K. Sharma 5 ,
• Seema Kulshreshtha 6 &
• Smriti Johri 7  

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This chapter touches upon the newly emerging concepts of ecotourism and heritage tourism. The state harbors a wealth of mesmerizing palaces and forts, World Heritage sites and hotels, vibrant cultural traditions, and fairs and pilgrimage sites which attract a large number of national and international tourists. In addition, the national parks and tiger reserves, world famous heronry, colorful desert, and wildlife sanctuaries located in diverse habitat draw the attention of wildlifers and nature lovers from around the world. Potential ecotourism sites still in wilderness and unexploited by the rapid pace of civilization have been selected and listed district-wise on the basis of forest areas with rich biodiversity, natural scenic beauty, waterfalls and springs, historical buildings, palaces, forts, and temples. In this chapter, authors have mentioned about the proposed activities and value addition being brought through camping and wide publicity as major strategies for developing these ecotourism sites. The prospects in the Hadoti region of southwestern Rajasthan as a potential ecotourism attraction with birding sites and adventure tourism are also particularly described. To this end, the emphasis of the government has been on community-based ecotourism, encouraging public–private sector participation, and infrastructural development. The major stakeholders of the plan are forest, tourism, and finance departments of the state government, local communities, private sector, NGOs, and academic institutions. Economic benefits to local people and tribal youth, building public support for conservation, and encouraging conservational efforts are some of the key advantages of ecotourism which are described in the text. The authors have looked into the policies and prospects of wildlife tourism in Rajasthan. The issues and problems related to implementation of the Ecotourism Policy by the government along with the formation of an “Ecotourism Advisory Bureau” also find a prominent place in the chapter.

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Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to Mr. Sunil Singhal, Kota, Mr. Devendra Bhardwaj, Ms. Sonali Singh, Udaipur, and Mr. Anish Andheria, Sanctuary Asia, for providing excellent pictures.

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Department of International Business and Management, Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, Booth Street, West Manchester, M15 6PB, UK

Shailja Sharma

Department of Zoology, R.L. Saharia Government P.G. College, Kaladera (Jaipur), Rajasthan, India

B. K. Sharma

Department of Zoology, Government Shakambhar P.G. College, Sambhar Lake (Jaipur), Rajasthan, India

Seema Kulshreshtha

Department of Zoology, JDB Government Girls College, Kota, Rajasthan, India

Smriti Johri

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Asad R Rahmani

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Sharma, S., Sharma, B.K., Kulshreshtha, S., Johri, S. (2013). Ecotourism in Rajasthan: Prospects and Perspectives. In: Sharma, B., Kulshreshtha, S., Rahmani, A. (eds) Faunal Heritage of Rajasthan, India. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01345-9_18

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Tourism in Rajasthan: Challenges & Proposals

• September 6, 2022
• 11 min read
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• By Vikram Singh Dhodhaliya(Editor-in-Chief)
• Rajasthan Tourism
• Tourism in Rajasthan: Challeng ...

Tourism in Rajasthan: Challenges & Proposals

Abstract : Rajasthan State is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in India and has a prominent place on the world tourist map. It has varied tourist attractions for both domestic & international tourists. Rajasthan, which is a premier tourist destination, attracts tourists for its historical forts, palaces, art and culture. In the world scenario also, tourism has emerged as the biggest industry and possesses great employment potential. The boost in tourist arrivals has resulted in the swift growth of the tourism sector in Rajasthan. The growth of the tourism sector has resulted in employment generation, foreign exchange earnings, development of infrastructure facilities, capital investment, socio-economic growth, increase in the contribution to GDP and so on. This paper is an effort to understand the perspective of tourism in the economic development of Rajasthan and identify the factors influencing the growth of tourism. It also identifies the challenges and opportunities of tourism development in Rajasthan

Introduction:

The tourism industry in Rajasthan is a very important economic  activity, which has a direct and indirect impact on the economic, social and cultural life of the people. This industry has many benefits to the state in terms of foreign exchange earnings, employment generation, increase standard of living, regional development, promotion of international understanding, conservation of local arts and crafts etc. The State Government has already realized the potential of this industry for economic development in the state and has adopted various measures to promote tourism in the state. The popular slogan, “Padharo Mhare Desh”, means Rajasthan invites and welcomes tourists. The Government of Rajasthan and the private sector both are engaged in the development of the tourism industry. The Department of Tourism in Rajasthan mainly relates to exploring new places, planning and developing new areas, advertisement and motivational activities to enhance the tourism industry; similarly, the private sector generates employment by investment in already developed and new potential areas. All these activities increase the income level of society and help in economic growth and development. But it has been observed that the potential of the tourism industry in Rajasthan has not been fully utilized as it was expected to be. Before discussing the problems, it would be worth to glimpse at the growth of tourism in Rajasthan.

Over the last two decades, Rajasthan has emerged as one of the the leading state in India and the state was the third preference of tourists after Goa and Kerala as travelled destinations in India.Rajasthan is a natural choice for international and domestic tourists. The rate of growth of domestic tourism is expected to be 7% while that of foreign tourists, is likely to be 5% as per the studies conducted by “TCS Projections” up to the year 2020. At present, the state economy-industry sector contributes 32.5% agriculture sector and 22.5%. The service sector is 45% while tourism contributes 15%.

The objectives of the present study are as follows:

• To identify the hurdles and problems in the development of tourism in Rajasthan.
• To suggest measures to overcome the problems and hurdles in the way of proper development of tourism in Rajasthan and to suggest further measures for development.
• To evaluate the role of government agencies in the development of tourism in Rajasthan.
• Tourism potential has not been fully utilized in the state of Rajasthan.
• State government and government agencies have not played an effective role in exploiting the tourism potential of the State.

Poor Conveyance System:

The poor conveyance system is a crucial problem in the development of tourism in Rajasthan. Though the famous tourist destinations are having well connectivity, there are so many spots of tourist importance where adequate and proper conveyance facilities are not available. Most of them are unidentified due to this reason. Besides, in urban and semi-urban areas the traffic system is not proper or even in miserable condition. Most of the roads are not well maintained.

  Inadequate Advertisement :

Inadequate advertisement and weak publicity of many important tourist destinations are the major problems. Tourists are not well-informed about attractions of a particular destination, accommodation facilities available and other services of their interest; all these adversely affect the tourism and revenue in Rajasthan. Now State Government is serious in this regard and a systematic advertisement system has been adopted.

Insufficient Accommodation:

In the last few years, domestic, as well as foreign tourists, are attracted to Rajasthan, but the accommodation facilities are not increasing accordingly. Seasonal pressure of tourists also cause price hike ; this situation adversely affect the budget of tourists, and they are forced to cut their stay in Rajasthan. Now Government of Rajasthan has taken a policy decision to promote the hotel industry and many relaxation and incentives have been announced for the hotel industry.

Non Availability of Tourists Reception Centers:

Whenever a tourist comes to visit Rajasthan he wants someone to guide him properly, but in place of proper guidance, he is often misguided by strangers because there is not the facility of Tourists Reception Center. Though the Government of Rajasthan has established TRCs at important tourist destinations, these TRCs are facing the problems of understaffing. Sometimes the TRCs personnel does not have proper information about touristic attractions.

Insufficient Communications Facility:

The present time is known as Information and Communication Technology time, but in Rajasthan, ICT facilities are in poor condition. Most of the area is out of this service. Tourists, especially foreigners, find difficulty calling their natives or accessing a site. It has been found that many times they leave their tour without completing it due to poor communication facilities.

Seasonal Business:

Rajasthan is a deserted land, most of the area is under the desert. The hot and dry climate does not suit tourists. They visit the land in winter. Thus, the problem of seasonal business arises. Hoteliers curtail the staff due to the down season. The staff and the persons who are directly and indirectly associated with the tourism industry face part-time unemployment problems. They have to depend on other sources of earnings. The seasonal business cause losses to the government as well as others.

Price Discrimination:

Keeping in view the higher earnings, especially from foreign tourists, the State Government charges high tariffs from foreign tourists. We can see this price discrimination in many places, for instance, while visiting heritages, national parks, zoos or even using cameras, foreign tourists are charged higher rates. This practice should be banned because it hears them, and we should not forget that we have invited them.

Problems of the Officials of RTDC:

Shortage of funds and facilities, instability of tourism policies, lack of training for human resource development, lack of coordination, lack of professionalism in policies formulations, shortage of professional in RTDC, poor innovativeness in marketing, Lack of personnel at TRCs and hotel units, impediment from local people, insufficient communication with travel agencies, non-cooperation of travel agents and absence of performance evaluation etc. are some of the major problems associated with RTDC.

Proposal for Tourism in Rajasthan :

Rajasthan is a natural choice for international and domestic tourists. The rate of growth of domestic tourism is expected to be 7% while that of foreign tourists, is likely to be 5% as per the studies conducted by “TCS Projections” up to the year 2020.

At present, in the state, economy-The industry sector contributes 32.5% agriculture sector and 22.5%. The service sector is 45% while tourism contributes 15%. Several industry drivers such as government initiatives, diverse product offerings, growing economy, Increasing disposable income levels and marketing initiatives along with key trends such as an increasing number of women and senior citizen tourists, multiple short trips and weekend holidays, and innovation of innovative tourism concepts and tour packages are playing a pivotal role in shaping the Indian tourism sector. The number of tourists is increasing day by day in Rajasthan. A key attributable reason for the success of tourism in the State is the increasing investments in the tourism sector. The Government of Rajasthan allotted Rs. 167 crores for the tourism sector for the financial year 2017-18. In the budget 2018-19, the State government has given a relaxation of 50% on stamp duty while purchasing tourism property. At Mahi Project in Banswara district, the government has announced to expend 10 crore rupees for the development of 100 islands and Rs.2crore in other districts for the development of historical and cultural places which are important from the point of view of tourism. Besides, Rs.33 crore, 25 lacs on conservation of the 19 monuments. The State Government has allotted Rs 7 crore for the development of Mangarh Dham.

The entertainment and tourism units which were getting the benefit of tax rebates under entertainment tax and luxury tax before GST, such units will get GST-based benefits. Lastly, tourism is known as the smokeless industry. Rajasthan has been endowed by nature, historical and cultural heritages, young and hardworking generation. The State Government has taken the tourism sector under priority all these indicate that though there are many problems and hurdles in the development of the tourism sector, the prospects are very high. The Government of Rajasthan and RTDC have the primary responsibility for tourism development, but the RTDC himself is suffering from the problem of a shortage of staff. Many RTDC units are in losses. Their working and operations are not proper. Now it is the duty of the government to fulfil staff, improve infrastructure, aggressive advertisement policy, effective marketing strategy, relaxation in taxes, and control over malpractices then certainly it will attract foreign as well as a domestic tourists to the State and the tourism industry in Rajasthan will be greatly flourished.

Opportunities for the Tourism Industry in Rajasthan

Tourism in Rajasthan is one of the fast-growing industries. There are many tourism products in the state which attract tourists such as forts and palaces, shopping, safari tours, wildlife sanctuary parks, heritage and pilgrimage places, lakes in Rajasthan and many more. There are many popular tourist destinations in the state which attract tourists from India and abroad including historic cities (Jaipur, Udaipur, Bikaner), wildlife centuries (Sariska Ranthambore, Keoladeo) and desert locations (Jodhpur, Jaisalmer). Jaipur and other cities of Rajasthan have developed some unique selling propositions to attract domestic and foreign tourists. Some of the hotels of Rajasthan are providing traditional food in a very traditional style. The state runs the “Palace on Wheels, ‘Heritage on Wheels and the luxury train ‘Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, which is a famous attraction for foreign tourists. The government can promote medical tourism by providing super speciality medical facilities at a cheaper rate the government can also develop infrastructural facilities for promoting camp tourism and eco-friendly nature tourism. If efforts are made by RTDC to promote tourism, by means of adopting a better marketing strategy, and providing services at a cheaper and reasonable rate compared to that being provided by the other countries, then definitely the inflows of foreign tourists will go up from the present level. If this is achieved, then the tourism industry in Rajasthan will be greatly benefitted. Thus, it can be said that the tourism industry in Rajasthan is a very important economic activity, which has a direct and indirect impact on the economic, social and cultural life of the people.

Tourism is a triadic composition of social, natural and the cultural phenomenon, which is emerging as the world’s largest employment generating industry. Tourism in Rajasthan offer many unique products such as forts and palaces, heritage hotels, colorful fairs and festivals, local art and handicrafts. The total number of foreign tourist arrivals in the state has increased. It showed an increasing trend except few years during the study period. No doubt tourism industry in Rajasthan suffers some social and environmental problems. Though it is true that the state government is giving concentration both on the development of the tourism and activities related to tourism industry in Rajasthan.

• Manisha Sharma

Tourism in Rajasthan: Problems and Prospects

• Seema Choudhary1 , Dr.S. B. Yadav 2

              Role of Tourism in Economic Development of Rajasthan

• Vikram Singh Dhodhliya

            Rajasthan Rural Tourism

• Websites National Government / State Government htpp:// www. Incredibleindia.org.; tourism.gov.in; com  htpp:// www.rtdc.in;rajasthantourism.gov.in

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Role of Tourism in Economic Development of Rajasthan

International Journal of Research ISSN NO: 2236-6124

Seema Choudhary1 , Dr.S. B. Yadav2 1 Assistant professor , Government College Degana, [email protected] 2 Associate Professor, B.S.R. Govt. Arts college, Alwar , [email protected]

Abstract: Rajasthan State is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in India and has a prominent place on the world tourist map. It has varied tourist attraction for both domestic & international tourists. Rajasthan, which is a premier tourist destination attracts tourist for its historical forts, palaces, art and culture. In world scenario also, tourism has emerged as a biggest industry and posses great employment potential. The boost in the tourist arrivals have resulted in the swift growth of tourism sector in Rajasthan. The growth of tourism sector has resulted in employment generation, foreign exchange earnings, development of infrastructure facilities, capital investment, socio-economic growth, increasing in the contribution to GDP and so on. This paper is an effort to understand the perspective of tourism in economic development of Rajasthan and identify the factors influencing the growth of tourism. It also identifies the challenges and opportunities of tourism development in Rajasthan.

Keywords: Rajasthan, Tourism, Economic development, Challenges, Opportunities.

Introduction: Rajasthan being situated in the Northwest part of India, is a land of majestic Aravali Hills, crowned with sand dunes of Jaisalmer and Bikaner , Scenic and serene beauty and warrior princes – the land of regal creatures bird watcher and many more .Rajasthan is also called Rajputana, the land of kings because of the fact that it has been ruled by kings, mostly Rajputas, historically for a very long time during pre-Muslim era. Substantial part of the state is deserted because of prominent presence the Thar Desert. Because of the two reasons, the most famous tourism attractions in Rajasthan are either the forts, palaces or the deserted parts and the associated activities like safari in jeep and on animals in the deserts etc. Delhi , Agra and Jaipur form a tourist circuit called the Golden Triangle . The most visited places in Rajasthan are but not limited to, Jaipur, Udaipur , Jaisalmer, Jodhpur , Ajmer , Pushkar , Bikaner, Neemrana and Mount Abu . Apart from the famous forts, palaces, havelis , desert, Aravalli (hill) Range etc., Rajasthan also has to offer to its tourists the world famous Keoladeo National Park of Bharatpur, Sariska Tiger Reserve of Alwar, Ranthambore National Park of Sawai Madhopur , and Desert National Park of Jaisalmer. The state government of Rajasthan introduces many new tourism products such as eco-tourism, a canal cruise in river Chamble, camel and horse safaris, camp tourism, new package tours at reasonable rates, special tax rebates and exemptions for the tourism sector. Tourism occupies a prominent place in the state’s agenda as a crucial engine for income and employment. Tourism also promotes communal harmony and national unity. Seeing the significance of tourism in the economic development, the Government has taken various policy measures for establishing tourism as a "People's Industry". Though, commercialisation of tourism is necessary in Rajasthan, it is also well understood that tourism promotes culture. The state Government in the recent past has made efforts for the maximum benefit from tourism sector. Public and private sector have been jointly promoting the tourism in the state and have made productive efforts to exploit the vast potential of tourism sector.

Types of tourism in Rajasthan : a) Adventure tourism: It includes visiting places which have a rich diversity in terms of climate and topography providing opportunities like rock climbing, skiing, rafting and tracking etc.

Volume 7, Issue VIII, August/2018 Page No:543 International Journal of Research ISSN NO: 2236-6124

b) Desert tourism: The wealth of their heritage, the people who inhabit them and the magic of their panoramas make deserts very attractive areas for tourism. c) Eco tourism: It is a dimension of tourism related to tourism which promotes activities that do not disturb the environment. It includes travelling to areas to understand the culture and history of the environment simultaneously ensuring that the ecological balance is not altered or disturbed. d) Cultural tourism: It is concerned with communities who have diverse customs and practices that attract tourists. e) Spiritual tourism: spiritual Tourism refers to places where people travel due to their beliefs and faith. Tourists visit such destinations in search of religion and spirituality. f) Heritage tourism: It is a branch of tourism that attracts tourists due to cultural diversity and glorious past of that place.

Objectives of the paper To examine the factors influencing the growth of tourism. To examine the contribution of tourism in Rajasthan economy. To identify the challenges and opportunities of tourism development in Rajasthan.

Research Methodology

The information in the study is collected from secondary sources that are from various online sources, websites, articles, Reports, Books related to tourism in Rajasthan.

Review of Literature

Brian et. al. (1993) in his study Social Impacts of Tourism has concluded that the people dependent on tourism can clearly identify the differences between economic benefits and social costs but even this awareness does not stop the further development of tourism.

Peggy.T, in her study (1994) Assessing socio-cultural impacts: the case of Singapore highlights both positive and negative impacts of tourism. This study examines how far these effects are tilting perceptions of tourism from an acceptable to an unacceptable manner and suggest the ways to reduce negative impacts.

Nazma (2008) in her study “Socio-cultural impacts of Tourism on the rural areas within the world Heritage sites”, has suggested various approaches to protect the local culture from degradation. And also this study focuses on the ways to manage the impacts of socio-cultural change.

Bartwal (2008) in his article discusses that despite numerous efforts through " Incredible India " campaign, India is lacking tourist‟s figures. India is not able to flock a large number of visitors in its beaches, mountains and desert sands but does not talk about the methods to improve the present branding of Incredible India. There are many emerging dimensions in Indian tourism states and the various issues faced by Indian tourism industry, like infrastructure, lack of hygiene, high tariffs etc.

Volume 7, Issue VIII, August/2018 Page No:544 International Journal of Research ISSN NO: 2236-6124

Factors Affecting Tourism Studies reveal that following are the broad categories of factors that affect tourism.

1. Environmental factors Two main environmental factors that have led to the growth of tourism:

Good climate: Good climate is one of the most important features of attraction for any tourist place. Pleasant climate with warmth and ample of sunshine attracts tourists who come from the temperate and colder regions. In Rajasthan the desert environment in the Western parts of the state is also a major attraction for visitors, particularly for foreign tourist. Rajasthan has emerged as one of the leading state in India and Rajasthan was the third preference of tourist after Goa and Kerala as travel destination in India.

Beautiful scenery: Tourism booms at picnic spots with beautiful sceneries. For example, sunrise and sunset points, long sea beaches, fresh water lakes, waterfalls, etc., often attract large numbers of tourists. There are number of lakes in Rajasthan which are popular for their pilgrimage place and tourist place for its natural surroundings and beauty which attracts tourists to visits these lakes. The famous lakes in Rajasthan are Pushkar Lake, Pichola Lake, Lake Fetch Sagar, Rajasamand Lake at Udaipur and Nakki Lake at Mount Abu.

2. Socio-economic factors

Accessibility: All tourist centers must be easily accessible by various modes of transportation like roads, railways, air and water. To enjoy natures beautiful sites seeing traveling by roads and railways are a better option. In Rajasthan major destinations are already on the rail map. At present, there are many famous trains run by Indian Railway with joint effort of RTDC to provide easy and cheapest convenience by rail to domestic and foreign tourists. The major luxury trains which attract tourists are the Palace on Wheels , the Fairy Queen, the Royal Orient and the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels. For easy conveyance of tourist the state will encourage air taxi service and helicopter service by air taxi operators within the state.

Accommodation: Places of tourists' interest must be capable enough to provide good accommodation and catering facilities. A type of accommodation required by tourists depends on their lives-styles, standard of living, capacity to spend money, nature of services expected, etc. Hotels and motels provide an experience of Rajasthan with safety and security to the traveler. Variety of rooms such as suite, AC and non-AC, standard and tents provide rests to traveler. The hotels and motels are standardized for categorization in three to one star and heritage category. These hotels provide facilities of travel counters, shopping arcades, indoor and outdoor games for children and city sightseeing tours which make the stay in RTDC hotel a complete experience.

Volume 7, Issue VIII, August/2018 Page No:545 International Journal of Research ISSN NO: 2236-6124

Amenities : Growth of tourism at a particular place is also influenced crucial factors like; how well the site is maintained for touring activities like skiing, roping, paragliding, rowing, fishing, surfing, safari adventure, etc. The Rajasthan safari tours are fast becoming the preferred options for most tourists, especially the adventurous. The most popular safaris are camel safari, horse safari, elephant ride and jeep safari.

Ancillary services : If a tour destination is equipped by ancillary (supplementary) services like banking and finance, the Internet and telecom connectivity, hospitals, insurance, so on, then such a place succeeds to hold (retain) more tourists for a longer time. This overall helps to boost the local economy to some extend.

3. Historical and cultural factors Many tourists are attracted to places of historical significance and that which have a legacy of rich cultural heritage. People love and enjoy exploring destinations where there are famous ancient monuments, marvelous forts, castles and palaces of earlier kings and queens, etc. The Royal state of Rajasthan offers many grand forts and palaces, which are part of the heritage of India and attract a large number of tourists from all over the world. The Hawa Mahal , City Palace, Amber Fort, Jaigarh Fort , Nahargarh Fort ,Jantar Mantar, Jaisalmer (Sonar) Fort, Mehrangarh Fort , Umaid Bhavan Palace and Juangarh Fort are the major attractions for tourists to enjoy heritage of Rajasthan. The major cultural things in Rajasthan include dancing, singing, drama, devotional music shows and other community festivities which transform their performance into folk dance.

4. Religious factors People often make pilgrims to places of religious importance to seek inner peace, get blessing of their favorite deities and gurus, attain salvation before death, etc. Here, faiths, beliefs and sentiments of people contribute in booming tourism at holy places. Rajasthan is undoubtedly the most charming and colorful state of the country acknowledged for its lively and colorful traditions, arts, heritage and culture. At the same time, Rajasthan is home to a number of religious communities that reside in peace and harmony here. People of various faiths including Hindus, Muslims, Jains and Christians have lived in perfect communal harmony for many centuries. Some of the famous pilgrimage sites in Rajasthan are Dargah Sharif in Ajmer, Dilwara temple in Mount Abu, Jain temples in Ranakpur , Karnimata temple in Deshnoke, Eklingji temple in Udaipur, Shrinathji temple at Nathdwara , Brahma temple in Pushkar and Govind Devji temple at Jaipur.

5. Other factors Sometimes other factors also contribute toward growth of tourism at unexpected places. Research activities and adventures of deep seas and caves, geological studies of hot-water springs and geysers, seismic analysis of active volcanoes, investigation of paranormal-activities in abandoned ghost towns, etc. also contribute in developing tourism on some scale.

Contribution of tourism in Rajasthan Economy Tourism makes a large contribution to the economy of Rajasthan in India. Recent hike in the figures of tourists to Rajasthan in India has proved that tourism is a vital source of income for the state of Rajasthan. One may not forget that many heritage hotels (old forts and palaces) all over Rajasthan are being run successfully for handsome amount of money and the considerable amount of tax being paid to the state government support the local economy and people of Rajasthan which would have not been possible without the tourists visiting to Rajasthan. Local transporters, hotels, shopkeepers, monuments, museums, guide and tour operators are just a few who survive through tourists. If proper efforts are taken, then 30% of the total population of Rajasthan can live from tourism. Rural tourism of Rajasthan could bring enormous wealth to the villages of Rajasthan.

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Tourism accounts for approximately 15 percent of Rajasthan economy and provides economic benefit like foreign exchange earnings, regional development, infrastructure development and promotion of local handicraft. 1. In Rajasthan tourism accounts for 2.7 percent (5.2 percent after adding indirect - tax) in Gross State Domestic product and 1.9 percent (7.2 percent after adding indirect effect) in state employment. 2. In a labour intensive industry such as tourism the greater proportion of income is likely to be derived from wages and salaries paid to those working in jobs either directly serving the needs of tourists or benefitting indirectly from tourists’ spending 3. Tourism has a significant multiplier effect on the state economy. It increases employment opportunities, generating revenue, developing infrastructure, increasing investment opportunities and revival of traditions and heritage conservation and management. It is estimated that every rupee spent by a tourist changes hands 13 times and that every hotel room generates direct employment to three persons and indirect employment to eight persons. 4. The tourism industry aids and supports the foreign exchange reserves. It benefits our state in generating foreign currency. Every year a large number of tourists visit Rajasthan. They visit places; stay and shop in our state. All this contributes to a significant amount of foreign currency generation. 5. In Rajasthan, tourism is the third largest employer after agriculture and textiles sector. 6. Tourism Industry is more gender neutral as compared to other Industries and women account for 65% of the international tourism workforce. For Rajasthan also tourism sector provides enabling platform for increasing labour force participation rate.

Tourism in Rajasthan: Tourism industry in Rajasthan is a vital breath and considered as an apex industry which gives economic benefits like foreign exchange earnings, regional development, infrastructure development and promotion of local handicrafts. The growth rate of tourism in the state of Rajasthan has shown that tourists arrivals both domestic and foreign in the state of Rajasthan is increasing annually and During year 2017, the number of tourists visited in Rajasthan was 475.27 lakh (459.17 lakh domestic and 16.10 lakh foreign).

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Challenges of Tourism Industry in Rajasthan Despite its many tourists attractions, tourism has not been developed to its full potential in Rajasthan because of the following challenges: . Poor infrastructure: Deficiencies of basic infrastructure which lies at the root of a series of serious problems, related to the development of tourism. In Rajasthan, most infra-structure development has been concentrated around industrial districts while tourist destinations have been neglected in this respect. The maintenance of link roads other than national and state highways is extremely poor. The absence of intra-city air connectivity has been a major bundle. Connectivity has been a road block in attract tourist visiting Delhi -Agra -Jaipur. Accessibility to reach tribal remote areas is so poor that the tourism is not able to reach these areas. . Lack of innovativeness in marketing: Rajasthan is one of the famous tourist destinations in the world but the tourism marketing is not so developed. There is no such promotional marketing activity about Rajasthan tourist attractions so that tourists can be attract towards Rajasthan. There is also no holding of cultural programmes in other state and countries of the world to make people aware about Rajasthan tourism. . Tourism policies instability: The lack of any comprehensive policy for the development of tourism is one of the major factors responsible for the slow growth of tourism sector in Rajasthan. . Marketing lacunae: Lack of aggressive outline and other marketing facilities on tourist places. There is no target oriented marketing is a planned manner is hampered the tourists. . Language problem: language can be one of the hindrances in tourism. Although Hindi is an official language, but in many parts of Rajasthan people do not understand it. . Trained tourist guide: Availability of trained guide will be a problem. The guide plays a very important role in attracting tourists. The guide should have thorough knowledge about the place and he or she should able to generate interest in the mind of tourist to visit the site. The guide can show the album, video film, brochure to give knowledge about the places. . Legislation Problems-Tourism is a part of entertainment so all hotels, motels and cottage having license are paying high taxes to the government. . Lack of cleanliness at various monuments: Apart from roads tourist visiting Rajasthan have stressed the need to provide basic amenities like clean toilet and other facilities. Udaipur is a very beautiful city an exotic local perfect holiday spot but also deals with dirty interiors of city .IN a recent survey Rajasthan's most well know lakes the Jalmahal - Jaisamand and Udaisagar are in the list of most severely polluted water bodies in the country. . Safety Concerns: The state governments presently have no legal provisions to give protection to the visiting tourists. Several incidents of misbehave, molestation and sexual harassment with foreign tourist have been reported in various parts of the state in the recent past. These kinds of incidents create insecurity in the mind of tourist. . Lack of facilities provided by the government: Tourism has been announced as the exports industry, but the facilities provided by the government to RTDC is not similar to the one provided to the other exports oriented units.

Opportunities of Tourism Industry in Rajasthan Tourism in Rajasthan is one of the fast growing industries. There are many tourism products in the state which attracts tourists such as forts and palaces, shopping, safari tours, wildlife sanctuary parks, heritage and pilgrimage places, lakes in Rajasthan and many more. There are many popular tourist destinations in the state which attract tourists from India and abroad that include historic cities (Jaipur, Udaipur, Bikaner), wildlife centuries (Sariska Ranthambore, Keoladeo) and desert locations (Jodhpur, Jaisalmer). Jaipur and other cities of Rajasthan have developed some unique selling proposition to attract domestic and foreign tourists. Some of the hotels of Rajasthan are providing traditional food in a very traditional style.

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The state runs the "Palace on Wheels', 'Heritage on Wheels’ and luxury train 'Royal Rajasthan on Wheels', which is a famous attraction for foreign tourists. The government can promote medical tourism by providing super specialty medical facilities at a cheaper rates the government can also develop infrastructural facilities for promoting camp tourism and eco- friendly nature tourism. If efforts are made by RTDC to promote tourism, by means of adopting better marketing strategy, providing services at a cheaper and reasonable rate compared to that being provided by the other countries, then definitely the inflows of foreign tourists will go up from the present level. If this is achieved than the tourism industry in Rajasthan will be greatly benefitted. Thus it can be said that tourism industry in Rajasthan is a very important economic activity, which has direct and indirect impact on economic, social and cultural life of the people.

Tourism is a triadic composition of social, natural and the cultural phenomenon, which is emerging as the world’s largest employment generating industry. Tourism in Rajasthan offer many unique products such as forts and palaces, heritage hotels, colorful fairs and festivals, local art and handicrafts. The total number of foreign tourist arrivals in the state has increased. It showed an increasing trend except few years during the study period. No doubt tourism industry in Rajasthan suffers some social and environmental problems. Though it is true that the state government is giving concentration both on the development of the tourism and activities related to tourism industry in Rajasthan.

1. Bartwal (2008) ,Incredible India losing sheen, McClatchy - Tribune Business News [Washington] 2. Dhamwani T. Laveena ( 2013), Tourism in Rajasthan: Challenges and Opportunities, Indian Journal of Applied Research, Volume : 3, Issue – 11. 3. Nazma, A.T (2008),Socio-cultural Impacts of Tourism on the Rural Areas Within the World Heritage Sites- The case of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, South Asian Journal of Tourism and Heritage, Volume No. 1. 4. King Brian, et, al (1993), Social Impacts of Tourism,Tourism Management, 15(1), pp 53-61. 5. Peggy.T, (1994), Assessing socio-cultural impacts: the case of Singapore, Tourism Management, 15(2). 6. Kapoor,Dr.Bharat and Mr. Parminder Sing Chauhan(2017), Opportunities and Challenges of Rural Tourism in Rajasthan, International Journal of Research in Economics and Social Sciences (IJRESS),Volume 7,Issue 1,PP 1-13. 7. Yadav,Dr. Manju(2017), Rajasthan Tourism: Problems and Government Policies, International Journal of Advanced Research and Development, Volume 2, Issue 3, Page No. 68-72. 8. Rathore,Nisha(2012), Rural Tourism Impact, Challenges and Opportunities,ZENITH International Journal of Business Economics & Management Research, Vol.2, Issue 2. 9. Singh,Dr. Shilpi,Charu Agarwal and Mani Tyagi(2016), Role of Culture and Tradition in Promotion of Tourism,International Journal of Latest Technology in Engineering Management and Applied Science,Volume 5, Issue 2. 10. Kumar,Niraj(2017), Understanding the Socio-Economic Impact of Tourism on Local Communities- A Case Study of Jaisalmer, International Journal of Research,Volume 4,Issue 7. 11. Sharma, Anukrati and Shruti Arora(2015), The Impact of Events on Rajasthan Tourism with 12. Reference to Different Fair & Festivals, International Journal of Economics,Commerce and Research (IJECR),Volume 5,Issue 4,PP 9-22. 13. Mir,Sajad Ahmed(2017), The Impact of Tourism Industry on Gross Domestic Product and Balance of Payments in India, International Journal of Economics and Management Sciences,Volume 7, Issue 1. 14. Rajasthan Economic Review 2017-2018.

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15. Rajasthan Development Report. 16. Tourism Annual Report 2017-2018 - Department of Tourism, Rajasthan. 17. www.rajras.in 18. https://www.google.com 19. https://www.tourism-review.com 20. https://www.tourism-of-india.com 21. https://www.blog.getholidays.com 22. https://www.articles-junction.blogspot.in/2013/7/five-main-factors-influcing-growth-of.html 23. https://www.tourismtravelindia.com 24. https://www.tourism.gov.in 25. https://www.shodganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/55457/15/15 26. https://www.shodganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/55457/12/12 27. https://www.shodganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/33056/9/09 28. http://search.proquest.com/docview/465819247?accountid=136238

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Rajasthan govt plans ropeway to connect Amber, Jaigarh, and Nahargarh forts

Amber fort is the most visited tourist spot in the state attracting 2 million sight-seers in 2023-24, up from around 1 million in 2021-2022, according to the state government.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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