Journal of Tourism & Hospitality
Open Access

Abstract

Sustainable Tourism Development: An Empirical Survey of Tour Operators in India

Mamhoori A

Tourism is the fastest developing industry in the world in terms of many items such as employment generation and addition to national income. It generated US$7.6 trillion (10% of global GDP) and 277 million jobs (1 in 11 jobs) for the global economy in 2014. The travel and tourism sector is also the third largest generator of foreign exchange earnings in the world. After having reached a historic milestone of International tourist arrivals also surged, reaching nearly 1.14 billion and visitor spending more than matched that growth. Visitors from emerging economies now represent a 46% share of these international arrivals (up from 38% in 2000). Proving the growth and increased opportunities for travel from those in these new markets. Tourism has maintained its momentum of growth and is expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2020. Increased footfall of tourists and the explosive growth of the industry over the past decade have produced significant impacts on natural resources, consumption patterns, pollution and social systems. This has reiterated the need for a more responsible planning and management of the industry in order to minimize its negative impacts and maximize its potential for a sustained development. Sustainable development of tourism, thus, is fast becoming an indispensable aspect of tourism strategy worldwide. The proposed study, thus, is an attempt to explore the status of sustainable tourism development in Indian context. While emphasis has been on all stakeholders contributions in promoting sustainable tourism, focus has been on the role of Tour Operators- the main service providers in the tourism supply chain. An empirical survey has been undertaken to study the perception of Tour Operators towards various dimensions of sustainable tourism in India. Finally, a model for the development of sustainable tourism is proposed from service provider’s (tour operators) perspective based on the findings of the research.