.

Analysis of the industry structure and the broad external

environment
Tourism is one of the less exploited but a very fast-growing industry in India. Tourism
contributed to 9.2% of India's GDP in 2018 and 42.673 million jobs, which is 8.1% of its total
employment. India, which is one of the most ancient civilizations and is known worldwide for its
rich heritage and cultures, commands an edge on what we call ‘Heritage Tourism’. While
monuments such as Taj Mahal have acted as show windows to attract tourists, the increased
footfall and sense of adventurism has led to exploration of other avenues. Of late, tourists from
different countries have shown interest in traveling to heritage destinations, and heritage tourism
has increased. Tamil Nadu has been in forefront of attracting tourists and has had maximum
number of domestic and international tourists for several years. The sites such as temples at
Thanjavur, Darasuram, Gangaikondacholapuram, monuments at Mamallapuram and Nilgiris’s
Mountain Train have been declared as a world heritage and are the main source of tourist
attraction.
While the biodiversity, cultural value, pleasant climatic conditions, and flaura and fauna
are the unique selling proposition for heritage tourism, the same also act as limitations in terms
of expansion. We discuss the impact of broad external factors on the chosen industry.