Theises Urabn Entertainment Center

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DESIGN DESSERTATION

PRACHI SHAH

PRACHI SUDHIR SHAH

5TH YR.B.ARCH

A LANDMARK RECREATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT QUARTER


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[A LANDMARK RECREATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT QUARTER

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Recreational and entrtainment quarter can be defined as family-oriented entertainmentdestinations. These centers combine shopping and recreation with entertainment to form anoverall experience. Retail needs entertainment to draw people in and entertainment needs retailto support the overall operation.

The goal of a UEC for a city or developer is, perhaps, to create tax revenue, or to sell food, ormerchandise, but for the visitor the overriding concept is to have fun. Entertainment is the drawand a large part of what creates the unique experience of the entre. A UEC has to be created asa centre with the right balance of retail and entertainment. If the centre contained too muchretail it read to the visitor as an ordinary shopping mall, conversely, if there were too manyentertainment options people forget to make purchases. UECs are created on the fundamentalof partnership between retail and entertainment. Combinations of this partnership providevariations of UECs which can be adopted depending on the culture and heritage of the city.

The components that, typically, form a entertainment quarter are as listed below:1. Movie halls

2. Restaurants, cafeterias3. hotel4. Shopping arcade5. parks6. Walk ways7. semi open exhibition gallery8. open air theatre9. convention ground10.water sports and adventure sports11.promenade and squares12.administration

Key Differences Malls, Theme parks and Urban Entertainment Centres

MallsA shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings which contain retail units,with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit. When theshopping mall format was first developed, signing larger department stores was necessary forthe financial stability of the projects, and to draw retail traffic that would result in visits to thesmaller stores in the mall as well. These larger stores are termed anchor store or draw tenant.Anchors generally have their rents heavily discounted, and may even receive cash inducements

from the mall to remain open. In physicalconfiguration, anchor stores are normally located as far from each other as possible toconfiguration, anchor stores are normally located as far from each other as possible to maximizethe amount of traffic from one anchor to another. However, the concept of heavily discountedrents for anchor stores may not hold good today, as the economic profile of the consumer haschanged and therefore, the stores may in turn have pay large sums of money as rent to avail


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retail floor space. Classical forming out of Mall consists of one anchor tenant each at each side.Malls are usually closed buildings with numerous passenger car parking bays.

Amusement /Theme Parks

Amusement park is the generic term for a collection of rides and other entertainmentattractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a large group of people. An amusementpark is more elaborate than a simple city park or playground, usually providing attractions meantto cater to adults,teenagers, and small children. A theme park is a type of amusement park which has been builtaround one or more themes. Today, the terms amusement parks and theme parks are oftenusedinterchangeably. Most amusement parks have a fixed location, as compared to traveling funfairsand carnivals. Often a theme park will have various 'lands' (sections) of the park devoted totelling a particular story. Non-theme amusement park rides will usually have little in terms oftheming or additional design elements while in a theme park all the rides gowith the theme of

the park.


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Recreational and entrtainment quarter are a partnership between retail and entertainment andcreated by variations of detail and entertainment combinations. They are generally compared toshopping malls in almost every respect but scale. UECs are not the stereotypical indoor climatecontrolled centres like malls but incorporate a variety of outdoor plazas, corridors, paths, trails,

courtyards, and interior space.

IdeaIn order to provide better entertainment and shopping facilities to tourists (both domestic andforeign), it was suggested that an integrated system such as an Urban Entertainment Center(UEC) should be developed in major cities. Most cities have reasonable shopping andentertainment. Facilitieslike amusement parks etc. However, there is no integrated centrewhere the visitors can take the advantage of entertainment as well as retail shopping. The

facilities envisaged to be provided to the visitors of the UECs are retail stores,theme/amusement parks, multiplexes, restaurants etc. In addition to these facilities which maybe common to all UECs, city/district specific components may also beadded for e.g.: a UEC in Pune may contain a heritage specific retail store or museum.

Industry OverviewUrban Entertainment Centers have combined both the shopping and recreation withentertainment to offer an overall experience to the visitors. Retail needs theentertainment to draw people in and entertainment needs retail to support the overalloperation. Hence UEC falls on the crossroads of both the entertainment and retailindustry. The entertainment component consists of Multiplexes (Movie halls),parks, etc. as depicted below.


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Retail IndustryThe retail sector in India is highly fragmented and organized retail in the country is emerging at afaster pace. Organized retail is growing at estimated 25% growth year on year in the country. It isset to penetrate tier II and tier III cities of the country. The great Indian retail story, an Ernst &Young report on the retail sector released recently, says the number of malls across the countryis likely to increase with retailers firming up plans to exploit the potential in tier II cities. In a

survey carried out by Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, a real estate consultancy firm, it reports that328 new malls have come up in metros and Tier I, II, III cities in 2010. Around 600 malls wereanticipated to get opened in India by the end of2011.Entertainment IndustryEntertainment industry in India is projected to be one of the major economic driving forces ofthe country.MultiplexesThe entertainment industry in India is growing at a fair clip amongst which multiplex segment istouted to be one of the fastest growing segments. Despite the current slowdown, the numberof multiplexes in India grew by 80-100% in calendar year 2008, contributing to 28-35% of theoverall domestic box-office collections3. There were 73 multiplexes operating in India with 276

screens during the year 2005. Up to 97 percent of urban youth prefer to watch movies inmultiplexes, says a report recently released by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).Thereare only 11 multiplexes for every million people in the country as compared to 117 in USA and 77in France. Multiplexes are one of the anchor tenants in large format malls, as their presenceincreases footfalls by approximately 40-50%.parks


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The size of the Indian Park business is estimated to be around Rs 4000 crore and has grown 6%annually till 2013 . There are over 150 amusement and theme parks in the country. In the next fiveyears, sustained growth of the Indian economy will drive the amusement industry to grow bothvertically (in terms of scale of investment) & horizontally (across the length and breadth of the

country). According to Indian Association of Parks and Industries (IAAPI), TheCumulative investment in this industry in the last eight to ten years was to the tune of Rs.40billion approximately and we expect to grow at 25 percent every year". One of the majoradvantages for the industry is the enormous amount of dormant/underutilized land in India'shinterland segments.

ConceptA pre-feasibility study is to be carried out for developing UECs in major cities. Variations of retailand entertainment combinations may be designed for the development of UECs depending onthe needs of residents and tourists to each city. The parameters for prioritizing the cities are asfollows:

Resident and Tourist Population Economic growth of the city Socio-economic profile (Economic Indicators) Availability of Suitable land Industrialization

ComponentsThe various components could be . Movie halls2. Restaurants, cafeterias3. hotel

4. Shopping arcade5. parks6. Walk ways7. semi open exhibition gallery8. open air theatre9. convention ground10.water sports and adventure sports11.promenade and squares12.administration

The diverse linguistic and religious ethnicities that are native to Karnataka combined

with their long histories have contributed immensely to the varied cultural heritage ofthe state. Due to this reason the UEC could also comprise of heritage complexes toattract more number of visitors.

DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS


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Development consideration:

Selection of site- A suitable site should be selected in the whole city .The factors such aspopulation density, connectivity, site dimensions should be considered for selecting thesite.

Study of legal framework- A thorough study of the legal framework related to thedevelopment is a necessity. The obligations pertaining to the project has to be wellknown, different acts pertaining to this sector has to be understood.

Planning considerations

Study of demographics- Demographics of the city has to be studied in detail to establishany set up. This could include the population, male and female ratio, youth population,linguistic details etc. This helps in understanding the profile of the people in the city.

Socio-economic profile of the city- The socio-economic profile of the city providesinformation about its major occupation, the prevailing economy scenario of the city,major factors influencing economy etc.

Analyzing tourist attractions The number of tourists visiting the city will definitely help

in estimating the footfalls to UEC. Tourists are the major revenue generators for thebusiness entities such as hotels, shopping malls, movie theaters, amusement parks etc.

Industrialization of the city- This factor is as important, if not more, to other planningconsideration as the level of industrialization of any city will increase the disposableincome among the population and in turn will be important to ascertain the componentsof the UEC.

Factors Impacting Prioritization of CityThe factors considered for the prioritization of a city from the identified 14 cities areas indicated in the figure below:


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Population & Tourism In addition to the city population, the tourist populationis also taken into account as the demand for UEC is majorly influenced by thetourist population. The tourists are those who visit the city especially forentertainment and other leisure activities.

Economic growth The economic well-being of the city is to be noted to predictthe future potential through mere extrapolation of the growth rate.

Industrial set up The industries located in the vicinity of the city are responsiblefor the growth in disposable income of the city residents.

Land availability The availability of land is also a major concern as the higherrate of growth of urban population has negative effect on this factor.

Connectivity - The connectivity of the city with the other cities in the state and

major cities in the country is essential so as to attract more crowds towards UEC.Similarly the city should also have an air connectivity to attract more foreigntourists.

The urban structure provides the foundations for detailed design of the constituentelements. It creates a coherent framework, which forms the basis of the design of


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Fit art to the place:Public Art can make a major contribution to giving a place character and identity, bringingpeople into and through places. An extra layer of quality can be obtained for a smallproportion of the total project budget.

For a large scheme, there are usually great benefits in preparing a public art strategy. Thisidentifies locations and types of work and provides a framework for commissioning artistsand seeking funding. Cardiff BayDevelopment Corporation, for instance, has a five per cent public art levy on all projects intheir area, although one or two percent is a more usual requirement.

Turn the corner:

Corner sites are visually prominent, have two frontages and can potentially offer moreentrances to different parts of the building. They therefore provide special opportunities for

mixing uses. Houses on corners need to face two ways; many standard building types usedby housing developers are rarely able to do this. More tailored designs will be required ornew types devised. Corners are best emphasized by incorporating prominent entrancesand/or windows at the apex, expressing the height by, for instance, using a mansion blockof apartments, or incorporating a special use into the mix.


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Keep it rich - from near and a far:

The number and composition of elements on the buildings faade, and the contrasting

relationships between them - as viewed from near and afar - determine visual quality andinterest. Great urban architecture requires that at every scale, from a range of viewingdistances, a buildings surface appears rich in detail. The key is to emphasize vertical rhythmin particular and avoid exposing blank walls.Cladding systems tend to pose difficulties in evoking a human scale. If their use isunavoidable, then emphasize doors and windows and surface textures on the lower floorsand in the immediate landscape.

Connections:

Towns exist for interaction. They depend upon movement systems - roads, streets,footpaths and public transport routes; also the service utilities (water, gas, electricity, etc.)which make urban life possible. These connections allow towns to work and link to thewider world. None of these movement systems exist in isolation. As well as being the meansby which we get around and buildings are serviced, they are a crucial component of urban

character. Just as much as architecture or landscape they help determine whether places aregood or bad. So whatever their function, connections need to be thought of as an integralpart of the urban fabric.


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Why the Connections are Important?

The success of a town or new development depends on how well the connections work. Themeasure of their success is not just their functional performance, but how they contribute to

the quality and character of the urban area:Linking upNew developments need to be clearly linked to existing routes. The more direct links thereare, the more successful will be the integration of new and old.

Movement choicesConnections should give people the maximum choice in how to make their journeys, with apresumption in favor of walking, cycling and public transport.

A sense of place

Making connections is an essential part of creating a sense of place. This means that roads,streets and the routes for utilities should be designed in response to the local context.

Safe routes for allMaximizing choice in how people move around means creating routes all of which are felt tobe safe. Segregated routes for people on foot and cycles are not always the best solution.

The parking problemParking needs as much thought as connections. Indeed a poor parking strategy can wreck ascheme.

Better traffic managementDesign the layout of buildings and spaces to help control the flow and density of traffic.Signs and add-on traffic calming

Streets for everyoneIn any development the design of streets should start by asking what will happen on thisstreet? The street should be designed to suit the activities that we would like to see carriedout on it. For example, if the street is lined with shops it should be designed to enablepeople to get to the shops, cross the road, have a chat and linger in front of shop windows,

or have a beer in the sun. The re-integration of traffic and other activities is best done bycreating a network of spaces rather than a hierarchy of roads. The arrangement of spaceswill take full account of the movement framework for the area, including the analysis ofvehicle movements. Inevitably there will be some main roads, either within the developmentor nearby. These are the main routes for vehicle movement, but should be designed: To minimize their negative effects on the area through which they pass; To allow their safe, pleasant and convenient use by pedestrians and cyclists.


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Create a skylineThe skyline created by the roofs of buildings not only adds visual interest, but also conveysparticular activities (churches or civic centers for instance) and concentrations of uses (such

as clusters of office buildings indicating the business centre). Sloping land offers specialopportunities for the roofscape to emphasize natural forms and make a place of realdistinction.

Point and line:

A clear network of routes or paths allows an easily useable series of connections betweenplaces, creating a favorable image in the memory. Views and vistas aligned with key

buildings are particularly useful to the visitor. The most memorable routes are often thosewith a varied sequence of long and short views, terminated with landmarks. Street cross-sections designed to reflect the relative importance and use of routes will help users tomove around with confidence.

Welcome people with an entrance:


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The most important transport interchanges or nodes serve as gateways to a town or citycentre. Main junctions, roundabouts, footpaths, car parks, rail and bus stations are all arrivalpoints. Emphasizing their prominence is important to clarify where the centre begins

(usually marked by a change of use and by building height) and prevent the indistinguishableblurring of centre and edge.Create rhythms in the urban structure, with thematic quieter areas giving way to occasionalfocal points. This can be done by marking key focal points and gateways with landmarks,squares or other distinctive landscaping or by pulling back the building line

Upgrade Now:Capture the Family Entertainment Market


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Cinema's FunScape and Carmike's Hollywood Connection FECs. The FEC industry has grown toinclude several thousand centers with new ones opening every week. If you don't have onein your town now, it is likely you will in the near future.These FECs are giving roller rink owners a run for the money and carving out a big slice ofthe market pie. What is left for roller rink owners? Are crumbs the best you can hope for?Not if you choose your options wisely. You can:

Do nothing and watch your business whither and possibly die. React to competitors after they come to your market. Become a proactive market leader by expanding and upgrading to an FEC now.

The option you choose - and doing nothing is a choice - determines your future.

A closer look at FECs

weECs work like shopping malls in which the department stores act as anchors, generatingtraffic for the specialty shops. Like a mall, an FEC has two or more anchor attractions and avariety of secondary impulse attractions. Major participatory attractions like bowling, soft-contained-play, lazer tag, go-karts, roller skating, miniature golf and children's rides pull inguests for the impulse items of video and redemption games and food and beverages. Thescale and mix of attractions create a critical mass and synergy; the FEC's drawing power isgreater than the sum of its individual parts.

This strategy works like a one-two punch. While the major attractions are the initial draw, itis the impulse items and birthday parties that generate the bulk of income. The majorattractions have timeless appeal, while the games can be updated.

FECs vary greatly in size and mix of attractions. What some people call FECs are really justskating centers with a face-lift. One anchor attraction and a couple of video games do notmake an FEC, and that approach will not get you the dramatic expansion of businesscommon to true FECs. While your skating center gives you a great start, it is only one pieceof a successful formula.

What you get for your investment in upgrading

If you use your roller rink as the foundation to upgrade to an FEC, you can set yourself up fora whopping increase in business. Here are the specific benefits that a FEC offers roller rinkowners:


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FECs can expand your market area. The critical mass and mix of attractions meansthat your customers will be willing to drive farther to visit.

FECs increase market penetration. The FEC's mix appeals to a broader range of agesand customer types. This increases your market penetration; defined as the

percentage of residents within the market area who are customers. FECs increase the per-capita spending of your customers. Because there is more to

do, people stay longer and spend more money than they would if their only option isskating.

FECs increase the frequency of visits. Roller rinks that upgrade to an FEC reapdramatic gains in market area and penetration. Even more significant to rinks is theincrease in frequency of visits. The diverse offerings mean that the experience ismore interesting for customers, an interest that skating by itself may not generate.

Together, these benefits prepare you to face the future. New competitors will find you haveincreased customer loyalty by providing better value.

What does it take to upgrade?

Committing to an upgrade is the easy part. To do it right, you have to understand thestrategy behind the upgrade. The first phase of work, concept development, is critical toyour success. Mistakes at this stage can be disastrous.

Success requires that you address six important elements during concept development:

1. Market research

2. Facility scale, mix, and operating capacity3. Layout4. Theming5. Economics6. Operations and management

To make the most of the synergy and to increase spending per visit, the skating centershould be integrated into the mix of FEC attractions, not left as a separate adjoiningcomponent. There is no generic formula that will work for your upgrade. Every market area,every group of customers is different. You ignore those differences at your own peril.

The mix, size, design, service level and pricing must be targeted to the specific customergroups within your market area, and your existing customer base has to be factored into theformula. In addition, all competition, not just other roller rinks, has to be examined closely.With the right mix and design, your rink can be the start of something really big.

First step - Know the skaters


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You want to keep your existing customers after the upgrade. The challenge is to expandyour customer base using these folks as the foundation. Market and customer researchallows you to do that by tailoring every aspect of your upgrade to delight current skaters,and all those others who would show up if only. . .

Market research includes both primary qualitative and quantitative research of your currentskaters. The research should include analysis of your customer database information andboth written questionnaires and interviews. The written questionnaires should be designednot only to gather statistical information (age, income, profession, and family composition),but should also cover an evaluation of various aspects of your business.

Open-ended questions allow customers to reveal their likes and dislikes, and uncover thingsyou can do to delight them. Since people are naturally reluctant to complain (most daysanyway), you can get the same information by asking them to suggest ways to improve theirexperience at your center.

The questionnaire is mailed to a random sample of skaters' homes. It usually takes mailing800 to 1,000 questionnaires to get enough responses to be statistically useful. Customersare usually willing to help if they believe it will contribute to change. On one of ourcompany's assignments, we mailed a four-page questionnaire and got a 65 percent rate ofreturn.

In-person interviews, both one-on-one and in small groups, can uncover improvements thatwill make a real difference to your guests, a benefit that questionnaires rarely can provide. Ifthe budget warrants the cost, professionally, moderated focus groups are ideal.

Not surprisingly, people are more candid when talking to someone neutral. Let's face it, asthe business owner, you cannot be neutral, or what is more important, you cannot beperceived as neutral. That means you are the last person who should be mailingquestionnaires or conducting interviews. The only way to get the results you need is to workthrough an independent third party.

Once the questionnaires are returned, tabulating the results can get tricky. They must beexamined carefully to assure that they represent a true cross-section and significant sampleof skaters. If not, the responses can be weighted. The responses should be tabulated as awhole, as well as within different skater segments to find important insights. The resultsneed to be properly interpreted. Consumers will often say one thing, but behave differently.The results also need to be interpreted within the framework of what actually works in anFEC. This job should be done by someone with broad FEC industry experience and skilled inmarket research techniques.

Next, find out where your customers live or work


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Now that you know whom you serve, it is time to figure out where they live or work - yourexisting market area, which encompasses about 85 percent of your current customers.

How do you find out your market area? Usually, you would grab a map and protractor, and

draw a circle ten miles out. Sure is simple, right? The bad news is that it bears no relationshipto the real world. Customers are influenced by where the competition is located,accessibility by car or other transportation, travel patterns, and physical and psychologicalbarriers. A real market area (see figure 1) looks like an amoebae.

Finding the real market area takes plotting the homes or work places of a random sample ofseveral hundred skaters. The next step is to see how the existing market area could beexpanded. Maps that show increases in drive time by 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes are laid overthe existing map. Differences are evaluated to find out whether they are an attribute tocompetition (or the lack of it), travel patterns, natural or psychological barriers, and thesocioeconomic/lifestyle composition of residents.

Expanding your market area.

Knowing what you have now gives you a good idea what the future might hold. Yourpotential market area includes areas and residents your center is not serving. Attractingthose potential customers requires more than simple demographics or guesswork.

Market research is important here because otherwise you rely on perceptions - whetheryour own, your manager's or those of your designer. As we have seen so often, thoseperceptions are usually dead wrong as you, your manager or your designer are not your

customer.

To learn more, people usually go to demographic data. But, that just tells you themeasurable characteristics of the population in your trade area, including age, income, andfamily size. If you stop there, you miss a method that works a whole lot better.

You see, demographic data puts your customers into a clump and gives you the average.This composite profile disguises the true makeup and behavior of a family with middle-agedparents earning $50,000 per year which will vary depending on whether they live in a townoutside Aspen, a suburb of Kansas City, or a high-rise in Chicago. Demographics do notreveal those differences.

Socio-economic/lifestyles, on the other hand, draw an accurate, detailed picture of yourmarket area. Socio-economic/lifestyles break the population into 62 household groups basedupon their socio-economics and lifestyles - consumer behavior, values, and tastes.


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You will not believe what this method can get you. Want to know your market penetrationrate - the percentage of residents in your market who skate? Comparing existing skaters'socio-economic/lifestyle composition with the socio-economic/lifestyle data for yourpotential market area tells you who your current skaters are and what segments of the

market you are not capturing. Then, combined with analysis of your competition, the idealmix of attractions, theme and facility design can be developed to make your center a winnerinto the next millennium. You are now ready to increase visits and expenditures of yourexisting customers and bring in new ones because you are giving people what they want,not what you want to give them. A market-driven approach to concept development andfacility design can make you a winner.

The rewards of delighting your customer

Pleasing guests depends on everything they experience at your center, and market researchtells you what you need to do when you upgrade your skating center to an FEC to makethem happy - better than that, to wow and delight them.

Your center will be only as good as the process that reveals your customers' needs, wants,tastes, and expectations. A market-driven process tells you what your customers reallywant. Give people what they want and you can count on their loyalty and enthusiasm.

Skating gives you a strong base from which to start. Now is the time for rink owners to tapinto the memories of baby boomers, who enjoyed skating when they were young and justneed a little encouragement to introduce their own children to the activity. Birthday andprivate parties are already an important part of rink business; upgrading to an FEC assures

that your center can offer the level of entertainment that the modern customer expects.With a broader appeal, party business can be dramatically increased.

Excellence makes the difference between eating well and chewing crumbs from a dwindlingslice of the youth market pie. With the market and consumer research methodologies anddata available, it makes sense to use the best tools on something as important as yourbusiness

Enclavisation of tourism: Special Tourism Zones in India


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This article argues that the Indian government's planned new policy of setting up SpecialTourism Zones (STZs) along the lines of the country's Special Economic Zones (SEZs) willpromote the 'enclavisation of tourism', converting lands, landscapes and common propertyinto exclusive islands of leisure. This is a model of tourism development that has been

fought and rejected by many communities around the world.

EQUATIONS

IN their insightful book Seductions of Place, editors Alan Lew and Carolyn Cartier provide auseful interpretation on 'touristic landscapes'1 which could be our starting point tounderstand enclavisation in tourism.'Tourism as a phenomenon and set of processes has increasingly become embedded,whether intentionally or unintentionally, in the relationship between modernity and place, inhow places are created and how they are experienced.'

The statement embodies the reality of how processes in the modern world have created thedemand for tourism and leisure products that are fundamentally transforming the placespeople live in. Modernity and the economic processes that are supporting this demand arealso simultaneously dictating the form and pace of such tourism developments. Globally, theprocess of enclavisation in tourism has been a result of the need to create exclusive centresof tourism. Enclaves are also often viewed as safe investments, which would ensure asteady, continuous and reliable flow of income from tourism through all seasons. However,enclavisation exploits local resources but gives back little benefit to the local economy.

Brief history of enclavisation of tourism around the world

A historical analysis of enclavisation in tourism takes us back to the mid-1960s when, postWorld War II, the process of decolonisation was gaining strength globally. The economicrevival of erstwhile colonial powers in Western Europe and the emergence of new economicpowers like the US and Japan created a class of people with high disposable incomes thatsimultaneously generated high demand for leisure and holidays. In this scenario, countriesacross Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America that had formerly been colonies andhad now gained their political but not their economic freedom became ideal locations forcreating tourism enclaves to specially satisfy the leisure needs of Western tourists.The historical link that erstwhile colonial powers had with their former colonies could havebeen a possible cultural impetus for creation of tourism enclavisation. This process was

abetted by liberal loans by international financial institutions like the World Bank and IMF tonewly independent countries for creating such enclaves, on the argument that tourismgrowth would create jobs and bring in much-needed investment into these nascenteconomies. Thus, the first tourism enclaves of the world were built in Kenya, Egypt, Gambia,Caribbean islands like Jamaica, Barbados, the Dominican Republic and St Lucia, Mexico,Indonesia, Tunisia, Morocco and Tanzania to cater to tourists from Britain, France, theNetherlands, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Japan - their former colonial powers.


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It did not take long for the first signs of trouble to appear of how such tourism enclaveswere impacting the lives of people in these newly created destinations. The intense resourceusage by tourism establishments, the resultant environmental pollution, widened incomeinequalities and socio-cultural effects are some of the adverse impacts that emerged and

have been associated with tourism enclaves around the world. Economically, these enclaveswere exploitative of the region's natural and labour resources but ended up being non-remunerative as communities waited endlessly for some part of what tourists spent on theirholidays to 'trickle down' to them.Nothing symbolises the impact of enclavisation in tourism better than the case of theinfamous Zona Hotelera in Cancun, Mexico - an artificial creation that transformed a sleepysettlement of fisherfolk and coconut farmers into a banker's dream of 30,000 rooms.Between 1971 and 1993, Mexico was granted seven loans for large-scale tourism projectstotalling $457.5 million. In 1973, FONATUR - the national trust fund for tourism development -was set up to oversee the development of large-scale tourism projects across the country

and to aggressively seek foreign and domestic investors as well as secure developmentloans from international institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)and World Bank.In the recent past, these experiences have helped highlight the adverse impacts ofenclavisation in tourism. But sadly, even with this enlightenment, enclavisation has notstopped but has only assumed new forms and found new locations. But what is important toconsider from the historical experience is that the process of enclavisation in tourism needsa strong economic impetus and a conducive social climate or impetus that demands suchleisure products.

India's earlier experiences

The concept of identifying specific exclusive areas/zones for intensive tourism developmentis not new in India. It was first introduced in the National Tourism Policy of 1992 throughSpecial Tourism Areas (STAs). When the STA policy was proposed in 1992, some of theidentified locations were Bekal (Kerala), Sindhudurg (Maharashtra), Diu, Kancheepuram andMahabalipuram (both Tamil Nadu). The proposal never took off, probably due to a lack ofthe necessary economic impetus from the central and state governments. But in someidentified areas like Bekal and Sindhudurg where the government went all out to implementthe policy, communities resisted vociferously. Despite the fact that the government's STApolicy did not have the intended impact, tourism enclaves nonetheless began developing

spontaneously and organically in places like Goa and Kovalam in Kerala. In these cases,enclavisation was a result of the socio-cultural identity that was given to these places asfree-for-all tourist destinations, economic incentives that were given to boost tourism andespecially private investment and a rising domestic and international tourist segment.It is important to learn from the experiences of local communities in these locations.Let us take the case of Bekal in Kerala and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra. The long-termobjective of the government in converting the entire Konkan coastal belt into a tourism hub


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was reflected in the choice of places like Bekal and Sindhudurg that border the Konkancoast, with Goa being right in the centre. Large-scale infrastructure projects like the KonkanRailway and Mangalore Airport were seen to facilitate the movement of tourist traffic.In Bekal, a total area of 1,000 acres with an 11km stretch of beach was acquired through a

'single window clearance' mechanism, with an initial investment of Rs 1,000 crores (1 crore =10 million) for development of the STA. The plan was to construct an International TouristVillage in Bekal - a resort of international standard that was to cater to the needs of foreigntourists with facilities like adventure sports, golf courses and tennis courts2. For the projectto become a reality, 30,000 farming and fishing families covering four fishing panchayatswould have been rendered homeless and would have lost their traditional livelihood3. A writappeal petition was filed in the Kerala High Court in 1995 highlighting that the project wasbeing planned and pushed ahead with the greatest of secrecy; it would violate coastal zoneregulations, had not complied with the necessary Environmental Impact Assessment andsuperseded the rights of the panchayats. Following sustained struggles by the affected

communities on the ground supported by larger campaigns against this project, it was finallywithdrawn.In Sindhudurg, a stretch of land of 84 km in length and 1km in width, situated on the southKonkan coastal belt, was earmarked by the central government for the development of anSTA. Large acres of agricultural land were acquired by the government for the constructionof five-star hotels, resorts and the proposed Oros Airport. The tourism development modelin the region was to cater specifically to the needs of foreign tourists with the sole intentionof bringing in foreign exchange. The image of Sindhudurg as a 'foreign tourist destination'has not only made it completely inaccessible to domestic tourists due to its ultra-expensivenature but also has gradually adulterated its socio-cultural ethos. Tourism activities havecaused the displacement of locals from areas like Mithabao, Tarkali, Shiroda and Malwan,

giving rise to anti-tourism protests and demonstrations in many places.In both the cases, the project failed to understand the ethos and concerns of the localcommunity with respect to issues related to livelihood, the environmental degradation tothe region and cultural erosion. The only motive behind the project was generating greaterrevenue and creating a tourist hub along the lines of Goa.But what makes the current development of tourism through SEZs and STZs (see below)much more inimical than any previous government policy is the combination of theeconomic incentives that the SEZ policy has outlined, the already unregulated andimbalanced structure of India's tourism economy, and the changing socio-cultural processeswithin urban India that are making specific demands on leisure and tourism products.

Enter the SEZs and STZs

While the country was already witnessing vibrant and widespread protests against the SEZAct 2005, the National Tourism Advisory Council (NTAC), a think-tank under the Ministry ofTourism (MoT) meant to advise it on policy issues, floated in November 2006 the proposal of


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establishing Special Tourism Zones (STZs) along the lines of Special Economic Zones (SEZs)to boost tourism and increase investment, employment and infrastructure in the country4.The NTAC's proposal to the MoT suggested the following5:STZs are to be located in tourist destinations, cities, along the coastline

The government should provide single window clearance for setting up of these zones100% tax exemption for a period of 10 years

Each STZ should be able to provide 2,000 to 3,000 hotel roomsFacilities for shopping, entertainmentExemption from import duty on capital goodsWithdrawal of luxury tax, lower value-added tax, etc.

Exclusive tourism zones for non-resident Indians (NRIs) or elite world tourist zones for high-end global tourists.It is thought that with these incentives, private investors would come flocking to STZs,resulting in improved infrastructure (i.e. improved even beyond the infrastructure in existing

SEZs), increased economic activities (i.e. providing an enabling environment like hotels,amusement parks, entertainment facilities and shopping malls for business to thrive) andcreation of jobs for the 'dependent communities' in the STZ area.A recently released report of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), 'Bharat Nirman Plus:Unlocking Rural India's Growth Potential', prepared by McKinsey & Company for CII (whichwas presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in June 2007), talks about a series ofactions and steps to unlock the potential of rural India. Among others, it proposes that thecentral government should establish a National Special Tourism Zones Authority thatidentifies areas as Special Tourism Zones and enacts a policy to facilitate their establishmentand reform. Further, it suggests a series of policy reforms in five key areas, namely power,water, agriculture, wastelands, and tourism, at the central and state level, and it urges

panchayats and local community organisations to capture opportunities created by thecentral and state governments.6 Cashing in on this policy initiative and the blitzkriegapproval that the Commerce Ministry has been giving to SEZs, the last 18 months have seenmany state governments initiating plans to either set up specific STZs or develop tourismwithin SEZs (see box).

SEZs and tourism

In fact, given the high potential for tourism-related activities in all SEZs and not only STZs,there will be a substantial compounded effect on local communities. This is because

according to the SEZ Act and the Special Economic Zone Rules 2006 (to be henceforthreferred as Rule), only 25% (as per the new proposal in the case of IT services or SEZ forspecial products the limit is 35%) of the total area in any SEZ need be statutorily used fordeveloping and setting up industrial/manufacturing units for the designated purpose forwhich the SEZ was created. The rest of the land can be used for developing infrastructure,where 'infrastructure' according to the same Rule includes 'social amenities' like roads,housing, hospitals, hotels, leisure, and recreation and entertainment facilities. The tourism


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industry has already begun to make full use of this opportunity and is in the process ofbuilding tourism projects, resorts and other establishments within already-existing orupcoming SEZs7. The leisure and entertainment tourism likely to be promoted within STZsand SEZs is not of a nature where communities will benefit or can participate.

The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd has signed a pact with the Haryanagovernment to develop India's largest SEZ in over 25,000 acres at a cost of Rs 400 billion(nearly $9 billion). It will come up near National Highway 8 in Gurgaon - a satellite townshipoff the capital of Haryana - and would extend to Jhajar district adjacent to the proposedKundli-Manesar-Palwal expressway. About 5% of the area is being earmarked for leisure andrecreation. A possible tie-up with Disney, Time Warner or Universal could be undertaken. Agolf course will also be set up in this special zone.8 Hospitality and leisure destinations,educational institutions, offshore banking and insurance, and medical tourism figure high onthe priority list of the special zone, according to officials.The Bangalore city-based Century Building Industries Pvt Ltd has charted out a plan to set up

an SEZ for facilitating the establishment of educational, health and hospitality infrastructure.The SEZ would also have a foreign investor as partner. The SEZ, planned on a 2,500-acrepiece of land, will come up near the proposed Bangalore International Airport, offDevanahalli Road. According to a representative of the company, the Century group wasalso engaged in developing hotels, with a new 75-room three-star hotel planned in the city.9In Bangalore the Karnataka government is spending Rs 20,000 crores for setting up six SEZsand many prominent corporates and developers have decided to invest in SEZs in Bangalore.To enhance the investment environment in the city, the government plans to increaseconnectivity by road, rail and air. The road projects across Bangalore and its outskirts includea four-lane stretch of 74-km Kundapur-Suratkal; the 85-km Bangalore-Mulbagal road; the six-lane road between K R Puram and Hoskote; a four-lane 157-km Nelamangala-Hassan road;

and a 131-km peripheral ring road, critical to decongesting the city. Moreover, with moreinvestment into the city, there has been a dearth of lodging facilities in the hospitalitysector. Therefore, approximately 7.0 million square feet of commercial space was likely tohave been absorbed in the 2005-06 fiscal year in this sector and Bangalore is expected tohave 27 new hotels, serviced apartments and mixed-use developments with approximately6,100 rooms in various segments over the next few years.10

The new tourism enclaves

The fundamental feature, and flaw, of the SEZ policy is that it seeks to create enclaves of

investment, growth and prosperity. Therefore 'enclavisation' is inherent in the SEZ policyand this applies as well to STZs and any tourism development that takes place within SEZs.But to get a more comprehensive picture of the enclavisation of tourism that will take placethrough this policy, let us examine some characteristic features and commonalities of thesetourism proposals:They all require high investment and are infrastructure-heavy, making high demands on air,

road connectivity and natural resources like land, water and power.


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All such STZs are adopting 'urban imaging strategies' to seduce the tourist. Urban imagingprocesses include the development of a critical mass of visitor attractions and facilities,including new buildings/flagship centres/shopping malls, stadia, sports complexes,convention centres and the hosting of hallmark events. Urban imaging strategies are

therefore conscious efforts by places to seduce. In particular, not only do they seek todevelop something which is attractive, but in doing so they aim to package specificrepresentations of a particular way of life or lifestyle of consumption. The tourismproducts/facilities coming up in these STZs exemplify this feature through the creation ofmassive accommodation complexes, shopping malls, convention halls, amusement parks,ski-villages, golf courses, and replicas of 'Disneylands' and 'Venices' that are culturallyincongruous and environmentally damaging11.They are located in suburbs, small townships or rural stretches that are near guaranteed

sources of tourists, i.e., big cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, or are already part of astandard tourist itinerary (as in the case of Himachal and Kerala).

These characteristics indicate that STZs are coming up to cater to a very specific segment ofpeople, namely business travellers and domestic tourists mainly from big metros. Thelocation and the nature of products being developed all point in this direction. It is thereforeclear that the impetus for developing tourism through STZs and in SEZs comes from theeconomic processes that the country is witnessing, which include the increasing visitation byforeign business representatives and the burgeoning disposable incomes of the middle classin big metros that are creating a demand for easy and accessible leisure options.As the objective of such tourism development is only to cater to the leisure needs of specificsegments of the population, and as the model is thoroughly enclavised, there is little benefitthat such tourism will bring to local communities. On the contrary, the costs of such a formof tourism are indeed going to be high.

Impacts of tourism development through STZs and SEZs

Valorising of the region as a 'tourism destination' - In each of these STZ proposals, the intentof valorising and branding the developed area as a tourism zone is clear. Thus, for example,the primary identity of Gorai, Manali, and all of the villages being swallowed up in the DelhiCommonwealth Games Village is to be as 'tourism zones'.Land grab by STZs and induced displacement - It is now well accepted that tourism has also

contributed to the process of land-induced displacement in India. STZs propose to providetourism developers with land at subsidised rates on lease for 15 years as per the SEZ model.

While it might seem that the land requirements for tourism activities are not high, this is nottrue. The tourism and entertainment SEZ in Gorai-Manori is acquiring 1,000 hectares, theDelhi Commonwealth Games Village STZ requires 250 acres and the Haryana government'splanned Tourism Economic Zone in Gurgaon to build 'Disneyland' is going to grab hugetracts of land as well although no official figure on the size of this project has yet beenquoted. Further, STZs are coming up in coastal and hilly stretches where communities aredependent on natural resources like the coast and forests for livelihoods.


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The displacement that these tourism projects would induce would be in the form of not onlydirect physical displacement in the takeover of land by the projects but also indirectly theloss of access to natural resources that such projects would bring along. A report of theNational Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), dated February 2007, has indicated that

the much-hyped SEZs in and around Bangalore, which are aimed at triggering economicdevelopment, will come as a nightmare to thousands of poor Dalit families in Karnataka.Jogan Shankar, Director of the Babasaheb Ambedkar Research Institute, says that the SEZswould result in a sizeable number of Dalits in Karnataka losing their agricultural lands, whichhad been given to them by the government some time ago to provide them with social andeconomic security under a welfare scheme.Employment - What meaningful high-end and skill-based employment can local communities

currently living in tourism areas hope for in shopping malls, amusement parks, spas andluxury business hotels? In an industry that is already biased against localcommunity/unskilled labour, STZs will only increase the division without integrating capacity-

building measures. Generally, it is observed that the employment opportunities have alsobeen limited to low-end jobs like housekeeping and support services like cleaning,gardening, security and the occasional guide services, except in cases where developershave taken special effort to build the capacity of the local communities on skills andlanguage12.There is growing evidence that labour laws and regulations are being significantly diluted bymany state governments to benefit 'unhampered and even unaccountable' SEZ growth inthe country. This too has relevance for tourism, as there are significant issues of labourrights and protection like contract labour, wages, working hours, gender disparity anddiscrimination, child labour (which is particularly high in hotels and the restaurant sector)and even sexual exploitation that arise in tourism and need formal redress within labour

laws. If STZs are to be a leading model for tourism development, there is even less possibilityof these issues being addressed. STZs, in fact, are likely to shrink the space for the organisedworking class. The fate of the large sections of informal and unorganised labour in thetourism industry is thus likely to become even more pitiable.Environmental impacts - The location, size and components within STZs are high cause for

concern when it comes to the environmental fallout from these projects. Further, as per theSEZ Act, none of the sections lays down that environmental regulations are applicable onthe units within an SEZ. Rather, the wordings in Section 49 and the SEZ rules categoricallystate that SEZ areas are outside the purview of the environmental regulations of thecountry. There are no provisions for monitoring the cumulative environmental impacts of all

units coming under one SEZ or periodic review of the ecological effects of functioning ofthese industries in such zones. Further, large-scale services-related activities like tourismlead to excessive use of water, increased deforestation and environmental pollution in theseareas without any regulatory blanket.With respect to STZs, the matter is even more serious, with the recent Environment ImpactAssessment (EIA) Notification 2006 excluding tourism projects from the requirement of EIAclearances. Thus, the democratic spaces available to communities to decide on tourism


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development or voice their dissent/consent to projects under the available EnvironmentalClearance Regulations are not applicable to tourism industries. This change would bring awider range of projects that are not directly tourism-based but related to it, like shoppingmalls, entertainment facilities and amusement parks, within the bracket of tourism to avail

of this exemption.Institutional hegemony and bypassing democratic processes - One of the most critical

aspects of the SEZ policy and cause for serious contention has been the institutionalarrangements the Act has made and state governments have set in place to expedite theprocess of setting up SEZs. The SEZ Act and its implementation are raising serious concernsabout the phenomenon of centralisation of power. It is clear that local institutions are goingto be bypassed by the proposed 'single window clearance' mechanism, which is beingstressed for all tourism infrastructure developments. Tourism benefits local communitiesonly if the activities undertaken are suited to their abilities, skills and priorities and take intoaccount regional specificities of ecology, culture and society. The transfer of power from

local Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs, the units of governance at the village level) toTourism Development Authorities in such zones, as is happening in tourism-intensive areaslike Kerala and Hampi, Chilka Lake, and Kevadia (Gujarat), has huge implication for localcommunities' participation in decision-making on issues such as control of natural resourceslike water and land (on which the tourism industry is highly dependent).Of further concern is the issue of substituting and prioritising tourism development plansover the general development plans in any area that is identified to have tourism potential.The Kerala Conservation and Preservation of Tourism Areas Act 2005 is a case in point as itgives overriding powers to supra committees to declare areas as special tourism zones,usurping the existing constitutional powers of local bodies to prioritise, plan and regulatedevelopmental activities. The recommendation by the Working Group on Tourism, in its

report to the Planning Commission on the country's XI Five Year Plan, to replicate such anAct in other states points to the growing tendency to centralise such decisions.

Campaign efforts to oppose STZs and SEZs in India

At the national level, the STZ proposal has been seriously contested by civil society aroundthe country urging the MoT, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourismand Culture and State Tourism Departments to seriously reconsider this proposal. Undermounting pressure, the Minister of Tourism, in a statement in Parliament and letter to theChairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee from on Transport, Tourism and Culture,

stated that STZs had only come up as a matter of recommendation the NTAC and that theMinistry was yet to take any decision with regard to STZs. However, that by no meansimplied that the matter has been settled. The recent ventures by state governments are aclear indication that STZs have not been abandoned but are instead being pushed andpromoted by the state governments in different forms.At the local level, in Gorai, for example, the local community has voiced serious oppositionto the establishment of the SEZ. The Gorai Bachao Sangharsh Samiti Committee has been


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spreading awareness among the local community on the potential implications of thetourism SEZ in the region. Residents are concerned that Gorai's mangroves and beaches willbe destroyed once tourists start arriving. Gorai village residents, all fourth-generationfishermen or farmers, second this view13. In Himachal, the ski village project has been

opposed by the local community. They fear that the ski village would pollute the localculture and sacred spots on hilltops which belonged to the deities, and that the traditionallifestyle of villagers in the locality would be affected by the project that would attract largenumbers of tourists from abroad. The Jan Jagran Manch (JJM), Kullu, which is opposing theproject along with the local community, has stepped up its campaign against the project andhas threatened to file a public interest litigation against the project in the High Court.According to the locals who have opposed the project since it was floated way back in 2005,the project would spell disaster in the area as hotels and chalets would be sold to outsidersthat would ruin the fragile ecology.14

Conclusions

As has been the case with how tourism enclaves started off historically, in India the settingup of STZs is the result of the strong economic impetus being given to the industry and theneed that the modern professional life of a certain portion of the country's working classhas created for leisure. This is coupled with the availability of disposable incomes that can beexpended on leisure options and the economic incentives for investment that the SEZ policyhas provided.The very intent behind the creation of STZs as an easy leisure outlet for a certain segment ofthe population, when weighed against the costs that these enclaves are bound to have onidentity, culture, ethos, environment, and livelihoods and political rights of the communities

living in these areas, is the primary and strongest reason for opposing them.The identity and raison d'tre of a place cannot revolve around tourism, communities cannotbe converted to hosts, and tourism cannot be allowed to dictate the overall developmentprocess in any area. It can only be one of the factors in the development and economicprocess and cannot be given such overriding powers. Any such policy move calls for anintense public consultation and debate with the local people and their representatives.


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Draft: National Tourism Policy of India

The Preamble

Tourism emerged as the largest global industry of the 20th century and is projected to groweven faster in the 21st century. India has immense possibilities of growth in the tourismsector with vast cultural and religious heritage, varied natural attractions, but acomparatively small role in the world tourism scene. A New Tourism Policy, which builds onthe strength of the national Tourism Policy of 1982, but which envisages new initiativestowards making tourism the catalyst in employment generation, environmental re-

generation, development of remote areas and development of women and otherdisadvantaged groups in the country, besides promoting social integration is, therefore, vitalto our economy. It would lead to larger foreign exchange earnings and create conditions formore Foreign Direct Investment.

The Mission

Our mission is to promote sustainable tourism as a means of economic growth and socialintegration and to promote the image of India abroad as a country with a glorious past, avibrant present and a bright future. Policies to achieve this will be evolved around six broad

areas such as Welcome (Swagat), Information (Suchana), Facilitation (Suvidha), Safety(Suraksha), Cooperation (Sahyog) and Infrastructure Development (Samrachana).Conservation of heritage, natural environments, etc. and development and promotion oftourist products would also be given importance.

Objectives


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The objectives of tourism development are to foster understanding between people, to createemployment opportunities and bring about socio-economic benefits to the community,particularly in the interior and remote areas and to strive towards balanced and sustainabledevelopment and preserve, enrich and promote Indias cultural heritage. One of the major

objectives is the preservation and protection of natural resources and environment to achievesustainable development.

Given the low cost of employment creation in the tourism sector and the low level of exploitationof Indias tourism potential, the new tourism policy seeks to expand foreign tourist arrivals andfacilitate domestic tourism in a manner that is sustainable by ensuring that possible adverseeffects such as cultural pollution and degradation of environment are minimised.

The New Tourism Policy also aims at making the stay of foreign tourists in India, a memorable andpleasant one with reliable services at predictable costs, so that they are encouraged to undertakerepeated visits to India, as friends. This would be in tune with India's traditional philosophy ofgiving the highest honour to a guest (Atithi debo bhava).

Tourism A Multi-Dimensional Activity

(a) The Government will aim to achieve necessary linkages and synergies in the policies andprograms of all concerned Departments/agencies by establishing effective co-ordinationmechanisms at Central, State and District levels. The focus of national policy, therefore, will alsobe to develop tourism as a common endeavour of all the agencies vitally concerned with it at theCentral and State levels, public sector undertakings and the private sector.(b) It will be the policy of government to encourage peoples participation in tourism

development including Panchayati Raj institutions, local bodies, Co-operatives, non-governmentalorganisations and enterprising local youth to create public awareness and to achieve a widerspread of tourist facilities. However, focused attention will be given for the integrateddevelopment of identified centres with welldirected public participation.(c) Public and Private Sector Partnership: A constructive and mutually beneficial partnershipbetween the public and the private sectors through all feasible means is an absolute necessity forthe sustained growth of tourism. It is, therefore, the policy of the Government to encourageemergence of such a partnership. This will be achieved by creating a Tourism DevelopmentAuthority consisting of senior officials of the Government and tourism experts and professionalsfrom the private sector.

(d) Role of the Government: Tourism is a multi-sectoral activity and the industry is affected bymany other sectors of the national economy. The State has to, therefore, ensureintergovernmental linkages and co-ordination. It also has to play a pivotal role in tourismmanagement and promotion. The specific role of the Government will be to :

i. Provide basic infrastructural facilities including local planning and zoning arrangements.ii. Plan tourism development as a part of the over all area development strategy.


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iii. Create nucleus infrastructure in the initial stages of development to demonstrate thepotential of the area.

iv. Provide the required support facilities and incentives to both domestic and foreigninvestors to encourage private investment in the tourism sector.

v. Rationalise taxation and land policies in the tourism sector in all the States and UnionTerritories and in respect of land owned by Government agencies like Railways.

vi. Introduce regulatory measures to ensure social, cultural and environmental sustainabilityas well as safety and security of tourists.

vii. Ensure that the type and scale of tourism development is compatible with theenvironment and socio-cultural milieu of the area.

viii. Ensure that the local community is fully involved and the benefits of tourism accrue tothem.

ix. Facilitate availability of trained manpower particularly from amongst the local populationjointly with the industry.

x.

Undertake research, prepare master plans, and facilitate formulation of marketingstrategies.xi. Organise overseas promotion and marketing jointly with the industry.xii. Initiate specific measures to ensure safety and security of tourists and efficient facilitation

services.xiii. Facilitate the growth of a dynamic tourism sector.

(e)Role of Private Sector : Tourism has emerged as the largest export industry globally andall over the globe private sector has played the lead role in this growth. The private sectorhas to consider investment in tourism from a long term perspective and create the requiredfacilities including accommodation, time share, restaurants, entertainment facilities,

shopping complexes, etc. in areas identified for tourism development. Non-core activities inall airports, major stations and interstate bus terminus such as cleanliness and maintenance,luggage transportation, vehicles parking facilities, etc. should be opened up to privateoperators to increase efficiency and profitability.

The specific role of the Private Sector will be to :

i. Build and manage the required tourist facilities in all places of tourist interest.ii. Assume collective responsibility for laying down industry standards, ethics and fair

practices.

iii. Ensure preservation and protection of tourist attractions and give lead in greenpractices.iv. Sponsor maintenance of monuments, museums and parks and provision of public

conveniences and facilities.v. Involve the local community in tourism projects and ensure that the benefits of

tourism accrue to them in right measure.vi. Undertake industry training and man-power development to achieve excellence in


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quality of services.vii. Participate in the preparation of investment guidelines and marketing strategies and

assist in database creation and research.viii. Facilitate safety and security of tourists

ix. Endeavour to promote tourism on a sustained and long term perspective.x. Collaborate with Govt. in the promotion and marketing of destinations.

(f) Role of voluntary efforts: Voluntary agencies and volunteers have to contribute theirexpertise and understanding of local ethos to supplement the efforts of other sectors toprovide the human touch to tourism and foster local initiatives. All such efforts shall beencouraged.

Tourism Development Fund and Resources for Development

It would be the policy of the Government to facilitate larger flow of funds to tourisminfrastructure and to create a Tourism Development Fund to bridge critical infrastructuralgaps.

Priority would be given for development of tourist infrastructure in selected areas of touristimportance and for those products which are considered to be in demand in the existing andfuture markets so that limited resources are put to the best use.

Foreign Investments and Incentives and Rationalization of Taxes

i. In view of large investment requirements in the tourism sector and the need for

maintaining high quality standards in services, hotels and tourism related industrieswill continue to be in the priority list of industries for foreign investment. Export-house status has been accorded to Hotels, Travel Agents, Tour Operators and TouristTransport Operators vide Notification No.33(RE-98)1997-2002 dated 26.11.98 of theMinistry of Commerce. The status needs to be extended to all tourism unitsirrespective of the annual turnover.

ii. In order to off-set the specific constraints of tourism industry and to put in place therequired infrastructure as quickly as possible, particularly in less developed areas,appropriate incentive schemes would be considered. It would also be the endeavourof the Government to persuade the State/UT Governments to rationalise taxes, toput a cap of 20% on all taxes taken together on the accommodation and hospitalityunits, to allocate suitable land for tourism purposes at reasonable prices, harmonizemovement of tourist transport across State borders, etc.

Adoption of New Technologies

a. Efforts will be made to adopt the technological advances in the tourism sector to


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provide better facilities to tourists and to market the tourism product, to the benefitof all concerned.

b. Information technology shall be given the pride of place in the efforts to promoteIndian tourism. Evey endeavour in this regard would increasingly rely on optimising

the use of e-commerce/m-commerce, use of internet for disemination of tourismrelated information, increasing use of portals as gateway to accessibility to tourisminformation, development of Handy Audio Reach Kit (HARK) Tourist GuidanceSystem at important monuments and heritage sites, networking of States, setting oftourist information Kiosks, encouoragement to information technology and eco-friendly practices by the private industries and above all keeping abreast with theglobal technologies for promoting and facilitating tourism. It shall be ensured thatInformation Technology(IT) and Indian Tourism(IT) become synonymous.

c. The Central Government will set up a Paryatan Bhawan in New Delhi as a modernTourist Interpretation Centre to cater to various needs of travelers, foreign as well as

domestic and to offer facilities for air and train reservation, money changing countersand information about all tourist centres in the country. The Centre will be equippedwith e-connectivity and networking facility to all state tourist offices. Efforts will bemade to have similar state level Paryatan Bhawans in state Capitals.

The economic and social benefits of tourism and its importance as an instrument ofeconomic growth have to be fully recognised by all sections of the society. It would,therefore, be the endeavour of the Government to bridge the information gap throughproper statistical documentation of the impact of tourism and its wide publicity to createawareness so that the economic and social significance of tourism is well recognised andtourism is given due attention and national priority

Safety and Security

The safety and security of tourists are of primary importance both from the point of view oftourism development and the national pride. It will be, therefore, given high priority in thenational strategy for tourism development. Central Government will take up with the StateGovernment to enact suitable legislation on travel trade/ tourist police for protection andsecurity of tourists and for providing institutional mechanism to deal with complaintsreceived from tourists and the industry so as to create a better security perception amongstactual and potential visitors.

Facilitation Services

Tourists have to pass through several Government agencies so as to meet the requirementsunder various laws. These include obtaining visas, undergoing immigration checks, obtainingpermits to visit certain areas, payment of fees for certain facilities, etc. The endeavour of theGovernment would be to improve efficiency in providing such facilitation services and make


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travel to and within India a pleasant experience. Introduction of issue of Visa on arrival atleast for 15 days at all the airports, computerisation of the system of issue of Visa,streamlining of luggage handling system at airports improving tourist facilitation services atthe airports by adopting technological solutions are some of the important facilitation

services proposed in this regard.

Tourism Economic Zone, Tourist Circuits, Special Tourism Area and Areas of SpecialInterests

1. Tourism Economic Zones will be created with private participation based on theintrinsic attractions, potential for development and availability of resources in thesezones. Air, road and rail connectivity to these areas will be established to facilitatedirect and easy access to these zones from international and domestic destinations.Adequate backward and forward linkages will also be established to ensure flow of

benefits to the local community. The development of such zones will be guided bywell conceived Master Plans and executed by specific Tourism DevelopmentAuthorities which will be created by the Government involving senior officers fromthe Department of Tourism, and other relevant Ministries/Departments of the Govt.of India, professionals from tourism industry and representatives of Industry & TradeAssociations.

2. India with vast cultural and religious heritage and varied natural attractions hasimmensed potential of growth in the tourism sector. 25 travel circuits anddestinations have already been identified for development through joint efforts ofthe Central Govt., the State Governments and the private sector. State Governmentsof Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Maharashtra and Union Territory Administration of

Daman & Diu have also declared Bekal Beach, Puri-Konark, Sindhudurg, Muttakadu-Mamallapuram and Diu as Special Tourism Area for integrated development. Stepswill be taken to work towards the integrated development of all the tourist circuits ofthe country with the involvement of all the infrastructural departments, StateGovernments and the private sector.

3. Areas of Special Interest: Government would initiate and support specialprogrammes and schemes for the development of tourism in North Eastern States,Himalayan region and island States/U.Ts with a view to achieve overall economicdevelopment of the regions, and as part of the strategy for removing regionalimbalances.

Sustainable Development and Perspective Plans

The principle of sustainable development stipulates that the level of development does notexceed the carrying capacity of the area. It will be governments policy to ensure adherenceto such limits through appropriate planning instruments, guidelines and enabling regulationsand their enforcement. Efforts will be made to diversify the tourism products in such a way


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that it supplements the main stream of cultural tourism.Comprehensive perspective plansfor developing sustainable tourism by assessing the existing tourism scenario in eachState/Union Territory with respect to availability of natural resources, heritage and othersocio-cultural assets, quantitative/demographic factors like population, employment,

occupation, income levels etc, services and infrastructure will be developed by initiatingimmediate action in this direction.

Conservation and Development

Tourism development needs to be properly guided and regulated to avoid adverse impacton the natural environment and cultural heritage which constitute the tourist attraction. Ajudicious balance needs to be maintained between conservation and development.Government will continue its policy of trying to maintain balance through planningrestrictions and by educating the people in appreciating their rich heritage and by eliciting

their co-operation in preserving and protecting it.

Promotion and Marketing

Promotion and marketing is an important component of tourism development and needs tobe undertaken along with product development in conformity with consumer profiles andproduct characteristics. The policy of the Government therefore will be to develop andimplement cost effective marketing strategies based on market research and segmentationanalysis in each of the tourist generating countries.

International Co-operation

Tourism is a global industry requiring inputs from various international agencies andcollaborations with other countries. The policy of the Government therefore will be to fosterpositive win win partnership with all the international agencies and other countries.

Professional Excellence

Tourism being a service industry it is necessary to enhance its service efficiency. The newpolicy will strive towards excellence by introducing professionalism through training and re-training of human resources and providing memorable visitor experience to both domestic

and international tourists.

Placing Tourism in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India

Tourism as a separate subject does not find a place in the Seventh Schedule of theConstitution of India even though a number of its components are either in the Union List or


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in the State List or in the Concurrent List. Under the new Policy, Tourism will be placed in theConcurrent List as such a step will provide a Constitutional recognition to the tourism sectorand help in channelising development of tourism in a systematic manner by enabling theCentral Government to bring in legislation governing the activities of various service

providers in the tourism sector.

Action programme

The following is a list of action points emerging from the National Tourism Policy indicatingthe Ministries/Departments/Agencies responsible for implementing these actions.

Action points relating to Suvidha (facilities)

Paryatan Bhawan in Delhi and at State Capitals: Setting up of Paryatan Bhawan in Delhi asone stop tourist reception centre to cater to various needs of travelers, foreign as well asdomestic and offer air and train reservations, money changing counters and informationabout all tourist centres with e-connectivity and networking facilities to all State touristoffices. Construction of similar State level Paryatan Bhawans at State Capitals.(Action Ministry of Tourism and Culture and State Governments)

Augmentation of International Air Seat Capacity:-

Assessing sector wise and season wise air seat capacity, and load factors andaugmentation of capacity in the critical sectors either by the National Airlines or byencouraging Foreign Airlines.

Improvement of accessibility in States and regions of tourist interest. Special interestwould be given to areas having important tourist centres which are not connected bytrains/buses. Promoting arrivals in destination of interest by creating hub and spokeoperations. Giving impetus to Heli Tourism and Helicoper services to areas notserviceable by fixed wing Aircraft.

Construction of airports on Built-Operate-Transfer (BOT) through private sectorparticipation.

(Action Ministry of Civil Aviation)

Rail Services:-


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Increasing the number of tourist trains. Special funds need to be earmarked for thispurpose.

Improving hygienic conditions, environment and passenger facilities in and aroundRailway Stations serving important tourist centres.

Construction of budget hotels at important railway nodes.

(Action Ministry of Railways)

Road Network:-

Providing wayside amenities along with filling stations or otherwise at a distance ofabout 100 kilometres on all the highways connecting important tourist centres.

Providing standard signages on all roads leading to tourist spots.

Ensuring uninterrupted inter-state movement of tourist coaches and vehiclesthrough rationalisation and single point collection of taxes.

(Action Ministry of Surface Transport)

Maintenance of Heritage Sites and Improvement of Tourist Facilities:-

Ensuring proper maintenance and professional site management of important tourist

attractions/monuments under the control of Archaeological Survey of India/StateArchaeology Departments.

Involving local authorities, trusts, etc. in the restoration/ preservation of touristattractions and maintenance of the surroundings.

Providing world class tourist facilities, amenities and land scaping of area aroundimportant monuments in a phased manner.

Identification, documentation and video publishing of all the monuments which aregreat tourist attractions.

(Action Department of Culture and State Governments)

General Improvement of Tourist Facilities

Computerisation of the system of issue of visas by the Embassies/High Commissions.


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Introduction of issue of visas on arrival atleast for 15 days at all the airports.

Distribution of tourist information brochures through Indian Emabssies/HighCommissions.

Streamlining of luggage handling systems at the airports to ensure that the luggageis transported and cleared within about 30 minutes after the arrival of the flights.

Improving tourist facilitation services at the airports by adopting technologicalsolutions and imparting training to functionaries at the cutting edge level likecustoms and immigration officials, taxi drivers, guides, etc.

Introduction of airconditioned taxis with electronic fare metres in all the internationalairports.

Provision of special taxi and coach enclosures extending from arrival halls in all theinternational airports and controlled by security staff so that passengers can queueup easily and pick-up taxis and coaches without hassles.

Mounting Video-Cameras in strategic places inside and outside arrival areas toprevent corruption.

Providing direct access to airport hotels and railway platforms in all the internationalairports.

Augmenting information services at the airports.

Removal of RAP/PAP restrictions from most parts of the country.

Provision of money changing facility in all the tourist centres.

Providing international standard signages at tourist centres, airports, railwaystations, bus stands, etc.

(Action Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation,Ministry of Finance [Department of Banking] and State Governments)

Action Points relating to Soochana (information)

Setting-up a chain of exclusive souvenir shops stocking specially manufactured andbeautifully packed information books and other souvenir items at all the nationallyimportant tourist places in a professional manner.


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