Education Tourism- Rotary panel-Shalini Urs

MYRA School of Business

Dr. Shalini UrsMYRA School of Business

&International School of Information

Management

Education Tourism:Positioning Mysore as a knowledge city


‘Cities of the future’ by PwC

“We need new perspectives on cities, their dreams, knowledge, creativity and motivation in order to find new ways to develop strategic city management. Therefore PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) will develop a new arena for dialogue with leaders in cities as a tool for strategic development and knowledge sharing, resulting in added value for people in cities, organisations or companies.”


What are the components of your city brand (strategic assets) and what makes you different from other cities?Creating a corporate identity and brand in the city. The big cities of today and tomorrow operate in a constant condition of competition. They compete for positioning and attractiveness through strategic city branding.

Strate

gic

question:


Tell a unique story about your city

1.“Strategy is playing a different game to your competitors” (Michael Porter )

2.Every city needs to find ways to be unique, and to develop an interesting profile that puts it in pole position.

3.Stand out from the crowd to maximize the attention it receives.

4.To do this it needs to create values that set it apart from its competitors.


Strategic responses required for effective leadership.

The constituent elements of the city asset groups, or capitals, that form the basis for developing a strategic agenda that will take a city forward.

People, knowledge, natural resources, technical infrastructure, finances, democratic and political aspects and cultural values that a city embodies


City of Oslo – The blue and green city

“City of Oslo towards 2020 is simultaneously the environmental city, the cultural city and the knowledge city.

The knowledge city is about taking advantage of and developing the lead we already have on the competition as one of the best educated people in Europe.


Barcelona – City of knowledge

“The vision of Barcelona in 2015 is that of a city characterized by the following:An economy based on the development of a value-added and innovative culture

An education system that canguarantee proper training for our human resources


Why are cities important ?

1.The United Nations HABITAT report 2004 predicted that by 2030 around 60% of the world’s population will live in a city and by 2050, two thirds of the population will be in cities

2.Collaboration and partnerships between different stakeholders is a way forward


Developing a strategic city compass (Knowledge City)


What is the way forward for City Planners ?

1. Political stamina and government engagement;2. Organized Intelligence and Security3. Diversity4. Rich cultural life5. Scientific environment and knowledge tradition; and6. Favourable geographical position and infrastructure for

transport and communication.7. An intelligent city needs to have sustainability factors8. For the Knowledge City one of the most important aspects for

the future of city is meeting places. An intelligent municipality needs to create the context where knowledge workers can exchange their ideas and engage their creativity.


9. Knowledge centres – universities and other educational institutions

10.Approach to the future – openness11.Approach to “different” people - inclusiveness;12.Global connections – networks and diversity;13.Interactivity – between the city and corporate society;14.Speed of communication – feedback between leadership

in the city organisation and citizens;15.Adaptability – degree of innovation and development;

and16.Attractiveness to people, companies and money (not

least venture capital).


How do we create a city’s USP ?

1. Historical events – fundamental to the culture and story of the city

2. Physical landmarks – buildings and architecture3. Cultural institutions and sport teams, including events

and exhibitions4. Nature, environment and climate5. Demographic structure6. Traditions and civic culture, attitude, spirit and mindset


Unique Story about Mysore

1.Many pioneering, unique, and innovative stories to tella. Royal Heritage ( Palaces , Museums…libraries)

( Mysore City Library is 96 years old)b. Crafts and Industries ( Sandalwood, Mysore

Silk, …)c. City Planning (MUDA Established in January

1904)d. Women’s education ( First Girls School in the

country)


USP stories a. Music (Ex. Veene Sheshanna)b. Mysore style painting , Ganjifa art , and morec. Zood. Irrigation and Water Supply system

(Shivanasamudra hydroelectric project was initiated in 1899 , the first such major attempt in India)

e. Inclusive Approach ( Reservation System first introduced )

f. AIR ( All India Radio)g. State Bank of Mysore( Celebrating centenary this

year)


Mysore USP

1.Democracy (the first Representative Assembly of British India, with 144 members, was formed in 1881)

2.Geographical Indicators ( More than 10 –highest for an Indian city)1. Mysore Silk2. Mysore Pak3. Mysore Jasmin4. Ganjifa Cards5. Mysore betel leaf

6. Mysore Agarabathi7. Mysore Rosewood inlay 8. Mysore Sandalwood oil9. Mysore Sandal soap10.Mysore Traditional

Painting11.Mysore Masala Dosa


Educational Tourism

Educational tourism is one of the fastest growing areas of the travel and tourism and one that is too often overlooked by tourism professionals and marketers is “educational tourism.” Educational tourism then comes in a wide variety of formats, yet despite the differences all forms of educational tourism have a number of points in common – it is for education When people travel to different places for education – formal and lifelong


Forms of Educational Tourism

1.When people /students travel to different cities for formal education and training

2.Conferences and Meetings 3.Study Abroad programmes4.Student Exchange Programmes 5.School/college trips 6.Skill Enhancement Vacations (Ex. Yoga)7.Educational cruises. 8.Travel is education

Often we forget that educational tourism is based around people on vacation.


Economics of Educational Tourism 1. International education is vital to

strengthening economies and societies both in the United States and around the world (US Department of Education)

2. US has 764,495 international students and of these India contributes 100,270

3. International students contributed over $22.7 billion to the U.S. economy in 2011(US Department of Commerce)


India and Education Tourism

1. Number of Indian students going abroad for higher education – 200,000 ( UNESCO Institute of Statistics 2013)

2. Indian students going abroad for their higher studies cost the country a foreign exchange (forex) outflow of $10 billion annually

3. Number of Foreign students studying in India – 20,000 4. University of Mysore has 1124 foreign students ( 2nd highest in

India)( Nearly 6 %) ( next to Pune )5. We need to explore the potential of educational tourism

creating the City USP


The Knowledge City Index:A Framework for Evaluating

Knowledge City Regions in Developing Societies

International School of Information ManagementUniversity of Mysore

India


“A balance between culture and development”

Our Approach

Identify parameters essential for

Knowledge City(From developing

society angle)

Arrive at a framework

(Knowledge City Index - KCI)

Iterativelyrefine the

KCI framework

Analyze Mysore’s Standing in terms of KCI and MAKCi

Is the framework exhaustive?

No

Yes

Evaluate Mysore’s position as a

Knowledge City


Our Model of a Knowledge City

The Knowledge City Index

(KCI)

Education

Innovationand Research

NetworkInfrastructure

Culture, Heritageand Tradition

Tourism

Economy

Civic Administrationand Infrastructure


1. Mysore’s KCI mainly boosted by Tourism, culture and heritage indicators2. Not much research / innovation activities

i.e. not much knowledge created3. Mysore lags behind in terms of basic infrastructure

Conclusions


We have a story to tell, but that is not enough

We have a unique story to tell, but …1.Have we done enough to create a unique

experience ?2.Mysore Palace is not enough, we need to

create the Mysore Experience3.It is all about experience and not just

sightseeing 4.Remember the IPod story ( uniqueness is in

the experience )


Thank You