A DISSERTATION ON

“TOURISM MARKETING PRACTICES IN

BIHAR; CASES OF BIHAR TOURISM”
SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT
THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MARKETING)
IN
Submitted by:
Pankaj Kumar Gupta
ROLL NO-18MBA043
SESSION-2018-2020

Under the Guidance of

Mr. Rajesh Ranjan (Asst. Professor)
FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

NARAYAN ACADEMY OF MANAGERIAL EXCELLENCE,

GOPAL NARAYAN SINGH UNIVERSITY,
JAMUHAR (SASARAM)
 Dissertation Project
On

“TOURISM MARKETING PRACTICES IN

BIHAR; CASES OF BIHAR TOURISM”

Submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirement

for two year (F/T)
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA)
Programme (2018-20) of Gopal Narayan Singh University

Under the Guidance of submitted by

Mr. Rajesh Ranjan Pankaj Kumar Gupta
Assistant Professor Roll No-18MBA043

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

NARAYAN ACADEMY OF MANAGERIAL EXCELLENCE,
GOPAL NARAYAN SINGH UNIVERSITY,
ROHTAS

JULY 2020
 Declaration

This is to certify that the dissertation entitled “TOURISM MARKETING

PRACTICES IN BIHAR; CASES OF BIHAR TOURISM” is a piece of original
bona-fide research done by me, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
award of the degree of master of business administration 2018-20 at narayan
academy of managerial excellence, gopal narayan singh university, jamuhar
(sasaram). This work has not been submitted in part or full to any other Institute or
University, in India or abroad, for any degree or diploma. My indebtedness to other
works has been duly acknowledged at the relevant places.

(Pankaj Kumar Gupta)

 Acknowledgements

I wish to sincerely thank all those who have contributed in one way or
another to this study. Words can only inadequately express my deep gratitude to my
guide, Mr. Rajesh Ranjan (Asst. Professor), for her meticulous care, kindness and
generosity. Her fruitful comments and insightful suggestions have been a crucial
formative influence on the present study. He has supported me in every possible way
since the beginning of my research. His critical and careful reading of my writing
has saved me from a lot of errors. Without his guidance and encouragement, my
research would have never come out in the present form. I have seen in his an
unpretentious and devoted scholar. Furthermore, it has been a memorable and
enjoyable experience for me to work with him..
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Alok Kumar, the Dean of the
college, for his incessant inspiration, expert guidance, invaluable suggestions, and,
above all, his moral support.
Finally, I sincerely acknowledge the courtesy of the authorities of libraries:
GNS University’s for their cooperation needed by permitting me access data and
relevant materials while carrying out the present research

Pankaj Kumar Gupta

Contents

Executive Summary.....................................................................................................1
Introduction..................................................................................................................3
Objectives of the Research...........................................................................................7
Scope Of The Study.....................................................................................................8
Literature Review.........................................................................................................9
Objectives of the Research.........................................................................................18
Research Methodology..............................................................................................19
Research Design.....................................................................................................19
Instrument for data collection................................................................................19
Methods of data collection Primary data collction................................................19
Sample Size............................................................................................................20
Observations And Analysis........................................................................................22
Conclusion/ Recommendations..................................................................................40
\References.................................................................................................................54
 Executive Summary

Bihar is famous for religious and cultural heritage sites. Bihar draws its name
from the word „vihara‟ or monastery, and was the early home of Buddhism.
Steeped in history and religion, Bihar is the birthplace of the great Emperor
Ashoka and Lord Mahavir. All major religions of India have left their mark here
and this has made Bihar a great religious melting pot. It is that great land where
once Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya under the sacred Bodhi tree.
Bodh Gaya is now a World Heritage Site and is attracting the Buddhist tourists
from across the world. Pawapuri being the Nirwan Sthal of Bhagwan Mahavira
attracts people following the Jain religion. Patna Sahib- birth place of Guru
Govind Singh, Xth Guru of Sikhs attracts tourists. It also has the Ashoka‟s
installed pillar with Lion capital that has braved more than two millennia raising its
head in all its splendors. Historical importance of Bihar has been established again
with the discovery of „biggest ever Buddha stupa‟ at Kesariya by the
Archeological Survey of India.

The states‟ wealth of religious and historical monuments has, in one way or
another, defined tourism in the state. However, the tourism sector‟s contribution to
the state‟s development priorities and strategies has so far been relatively limited.
A review of the sector‟s competitive strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats (SWOT Analysis) indicates that it has considerable growth potential.

Bihar‟s great competitive strength from tourism point of view is its ancient and
yet living civilization that gave rise to two of world‟s great religions namely
Buddhism and Jainism. Bihar was the nerve centre of religious activities of Hindu,
Buddhist, Jain, Sikh and Islam. Endowed with a rich cultural and religious
heritage, Bihar was a seat of power of the vast and powerful Magadh Empire,
whose might had checked further onslaught of Alexander the Great. This is a land
of ancient universities of Nalanda and Vikramshila, the seat of higher learning,
which spread knowledge far and wide through its students coming from different
countries of the world. The remnants of these two ancient universities, the
antiques and artefacts are already attracting tourists. Bihar has in fact been
attracting domestic and foreign tourist from the ancient times. The Travelogues of
the Chinese travelers Huen Tsang and Fa-Hien describe historical splendor of
Bihar, which offers much to tourists irrespective of their age and class. Bihar‟s
contact with other civilizations is reflected in the rich cultural diversity of its
1
people, traditions, customs, religious practices and festivals, architecture and art
and craft. A trip to the state offers revelations in history, architecture, yoga, eco-
tourism, fairs and festivals, art and crafts besides a unique cuisine.

The main competitive constraints faced by the tourism sector in Bihar have been
the poor quality of the environments surrounding many of state‟s main tourist
sites, the security scenario in the state that affects the perception of Bihar as a safe
and secure destination, the quality of facilities and services at tourist attraction
places, the quantity and quality of transportation service and related infrastructure,
limited availability of tourist information in-source markets and at destination,
insufficient marketing of Bihar in its domestic and international markets, limited
and poor facilities and services especially in rural areas and limited financing of
attractive projects by the private sector.

The key competitive opportunities before Bihar are: 1) develop its strength as a
major religious destination attracting tourists of diverse religious beliefs; 2)
promote the Buddhist circuit to attract Buddhists from a number of countries; 3)
leverage its rich cultural history to increase its share of the huge international
travel market; 4) harness the huge potential of promoting rural tourism revolving
around its rich tradition of art, craft and handloom and 5) leverage its strength in
yoga to develop well-being centres to attract a sizeable number of international
and domestic tourists.

The main internal threats to the development of the tourism sector have been the
inability to fully resolve the constraints identified above. These are security, safety,
absence of trained manpower, inadequate connectivity, accommodation and other
basic infrastructure like roads, electricity etc., and failure to market the tourist
destinations in the state. External threats are not addressing the competition from
other states like Bihar, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. The Tourism Policy 2009
proposes to concentrate on addressing the identified threats and harnessing the
opportunities by adopting and implementing appropriate plans to handle the threats
and overcome our weaknesses with the objective of increasing the tourist inflow
into the state significantly. The study is an effort to find out whether the state has
been able to tap its full tourist potential or not. It also studies the marketing policy
adopted by the state government. Are the promotional efforts undertaken by the
state supply driven or are customer centric? It also studies the perception of the
2
varius stakeholders to the various government policies. The study is basically an
exploratory study aimed at exploring the inititiativs for tourism promotion. Finally,
the author draws certain conclusions based on the analysis of primary data collected
by the author and gives her suggestions.

3
 Topic Introduction

A routine world where everything is predictable makes life monotonous and boring.
Human beings have always looked for ways and means to break monotony in their
life. This probably has taken man to distant places and, thus, has evolved the concept
of tourism. In general terms, tourism is defined as travel for recreational or leisure
purposes. The World Tourism Organization(WTO) defines tourists as people who
"travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one
consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise
of an activity remunerated from within the place visited”. Tourism has become a
popular global leisure activity. Tourism can be considered as one of the most
remarkable socio-economic phenomena of the twentieth century. From an activity
“enjoyed by only a small group of relatively well-off people” during the first half of
the last century, it gradually became a mass phenomenon during the post-World War
II period, particularly from the 1970s onwards. It now reaches larger and larger
numbers of people throughout the world, and is a source of employment for a
significant segment of the labour force.
Importance of Tourism
Over time, an increasing number of destinations have opened up and invested in
tourism development, turning modern tourism into a key driver for socio- economic
progress, through the creation of jobs and enterprises, infrastructure development,
and the export income earned. Tourism has become one of the major international
trade categories. The overall export income generated by international tourism
including passengers transport reached US$ 1.7 trillion in 2019, or US$ 3 billion a
day. Tourism exports account for as much as 30% of the world’s exports of
commercial services and 6% of overall exports of goods and services. Globally, as
an export category, tourism ranks fourth after fuels, chemicals and automotive
products. For many developing countries it is one of the main income sources and
the number one export category, creating much needed employment and
opportunities for development. The worldwide contribution of tourism to gross
domestic product (GDP) is estimated at some 5%. Tourism’s contribution to
employment tends to be slightly higher and is estimated in the order of 6-7% of the
overall number of jobs (direct and indirect). For advanced, diversified economies,
the contribution of tourism to the GDP ranges from approximately 2% for countries
where tourism is a comparatively small sector, to over 10% for countries where
4
tourism is an important pillar of the economy. For small islands and developing
countries, or specific regional and local destinations where tourism is a key
economic sector, the importance of tourism tends to be even higher.
Incredible India
India has a huge potential for tourism and has been marketing its tourism potential
aggressively during the last one decade. Prior to this, we were following a policy of
tourism (1982) in an environment of closed economy with strict licensing
procedures. The then policy did not emphasize any role for the private sector and
foreign investment was also not envisaged. As a result, there was not much
development of the sector. The National Action Plan for tourism announced in May
1992 had thus set the target to increase India's share in the world tourism market to
1% by 2000 AD but unfortunately this is yet to be achieved.

To be a part of the tourism revolution taking place across the world, India came out
with its National Tourism Policy in 2002. The policy recognized the need to change
its strategies and tools of its machinery of implementation to partake in the global
tourism revolution as with the existing policies India’s share of world tourist traffic
had remained static through out the decade at 0.38%. The policy of the Centre and
the sustained efforts of the various tourism rich states borne some result as by 2008
India’s share in the world tourist arrivals increased to 0.58% and its ranking
increased to 41. As far as the world tourism receipts are concerned, India’s ranking
rose to 23 and its share to1.28%(India Tourism Statistics, 2008).
BIHAR
Bihar is a land purified with a magnificence which brought forth Buddhism, Jainism
and aided in the development of Sikhism and Hinduism. Historical literature
acknowledgesthat it was the focal point of the first republic on the world at Vaishali
and the city of Pataliputra was biggest and most terrific on the planet at the stature of
its wonderfulness. It got its emanation of sacredness with the introduction of Lord
Mahavira here. This was likewise the most loved resting spot of Lord Buddha, and
he lectured his last sermon here, which was later recognized by a lion capital raised
by King Ashoka. Apart from its rich history, the state is blessed with huge Gangetic
planes, bolstered by a portion of the nation's most vital waterway. The point of fact,
it bears the significant weight of history yet bears it with much warmth and
mindfulness. In this way, this state has composite culture, i.e. an amicable mix of
5
craftsmanship, religion, and doctrine. Apart from it, this state holds animportant
position in early India history, as Mahatma Gandhi launched his Satyagraha
movement in opposition to the British rule. Apart from it, it was in Bihar that
Mahatma Gandhi launched his Satyagraha movement in opposition to the British
rule. Bihar has the colossal potential for different tourism exercises, as a matter of
first importance being religious tourism. The historical backdrop of Bihar shows a
rich legacy acquired from a different era and incredible identities. The
archaeological and historical significance of this legacy still studded with landmarks
of its past magnificence. The untamed life, fowls and asylums hold limitless
potential for nature-based ecotourism. The stream Ganga, up and down it’s extend
offers the potential for water-based sports and riverfront exercises. As tourism
industry is fragmented in nature, these sites are not situated within a district or
locality thus government is promoting the tourism and tourists to travel to one sacred
site is pooled with another sacred site which is variously acknowledged as circuit
tourism and multi- destination wise tourism (Figure-1). Major tourist circuits in this
state are:
Buddhist Circuit: Bodhgaya – Rajgir – Nalanda – Patna – Vaishali – Lauriya
Nandangarh –Lauriya Areraj - Kesariya – Vikramsila (Refer Map).
Jain Circuit: Vaishali – Patna – Rajgir – Pawapuri – Nathnagar – Mandar Hill –
Bisram – Masadh – Champanagar – Nalanda.
Ramayan Circuit: Valmikinagar – Pretshila Hill – Ahilya Asthan- Sitamarhi - Kako
– Sitakund – Tar – Singheshwar – Chankigarh– Buxar.
Islamic/Sufi Circuit: Maner Sharif – Fulwari Sharif – Khankah Emadia – Dargah
Sharif – Bihar sharif – Hazrat Jandaha – Hajipur – Serukahi – Kanti – Saran Khas –
Hasanpura – Lakri Dargah – Goraul Sharif – Masurhi –– Tomb of Pir Shah Nufa –
Pir Pahar – Siris – Tomb of Chandan Shahid – Tomb of Hasan Khan Sur.
Nature and Wildlife Circuit: Rajgir Sanctuary – Bhimbandh Sanctuary – Vikramsila
Sanctuary – Udaipur Sanctuary – Kaimur Sanctuary– Gautam Buddha Sanctuary –
Nakti Dam Sanctuary – Gogabill Sanctuary – Valmiki National Park and Sanctuary
– Kanwar Jheel Sanctuary.
Gandhi Circuit: Motihari – Betia - Bhitharwa – Brindaban – Sadaquat Ashram.
Thus this state is witnessing significant growth and increase of tourists foot falls. As
per Ministry of Tourism, 2015 report [(ON367), (ON566) and (17172)], Bihar
positioned seventh among top ten states of India in terms of foreign tourist footfall.
6
Hence one out of six visitors in India is heading towards Bihar. As a result, the state
has turned into a favorite tourist destination for overseas tourists. As demonstrated
by these reports, Bihar is receiving a greater number of voyagers from abroad than
Goa which is a hotspot for untouchables on account of its shorelines.
For the promotion of tourism Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation
(BSTDC) was established in 1981. In the 30 years BSTDC has performed well. But
in the last 10 years the tourism scenario has changed drastically, resulted in the
exponential growth of tourism. State Tourism Policy 2002 and Marketing Strategy
worked well to diversify the image of the state from pilgrimage to leisure
destination. Marketing of white-sand beach of the river Ganga, surface water
activities, Dolphin watch, visiting historical sites, bird watching distinguished the
state. Present study focuses on the trend of tourism development and marketing
strategy of BSTDC. Analysis of tourism growth in 10 years 2001-2010 is done to
show the trend and effectiveness of marketing strategy after implementation of
tourism policy in 2002. Tourism Policy of Bihar was formed in 2002 and revised in
2008.
To propel the growth of the tourism sector, the state government has realized the
need for a strong infrastructure in the form of roads, airports, urban infrastructure.
Due to the significant nature of the investment required and paucity of funds
available with the State Government, private sector participation in infrastructure
projects is essential to fructify the investments. To facilitate the development, the
state government has invited private sector investment in Roads, Power, Tourism,
Urban Infrastructure, and Industrial Infrastructure etc.

7
Objectives of the Research

 To study of the state of Tourism in Bihar and to study the impact of the
various Tourism Policies on the growth of the sector and to give
suggestions on the way ahead.
 To study the perception, understanding and concerns of the various
stakeholders.
 To understand the marketing strategy adopted in the state to promote
tourism and to understand and find out whether the strategy is in line with
the need of the hour. It will also find out whether, promotion and branding
issues are properly taken care of.

8
 Scope Of The Study

It is expected that the research would help in better understanding of the growth of
the tourism sector of Bihar. It would help in identifying the gaps in the
implementation of the Government’s policies and also bring out the requirements as
felt by the various stakeholders. It may provide a sound board to the authorities. The
marketing potential of the state as a tourist destination was explored and the study
would provide an analysis of the marketing strategy. This would make it possible to
understand what appeals and is favorable to the growth of the sector. As part of the
study, an effort has been made to find out how tangibles and intangibles have to be
marketed and how the promotional and branding strategies can make a difference.
The author has also attempted to give suggestions to bridge the various gaps in
implementation.

9
 Literature Review
Tourism
Various authors have defined tourism. While Mathieson and Wall (1982) created a
good working definition of tourism as "the temporary movement of people to
destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities
undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater
to their needs." Macintosh and Goeldner (1986) have defined tourism is "the sum of
the phenomena and relationships arising from the interaction of tourists, business
suppliers, host governments and host communities in the process of attracting and
hosting these tourists and other visitors." But the widely used definition is the one
given by the World Tourism Organization. Tourism is defined by the World
Tourism Organisation (WTO) as comprising the activities of persons travelling to
and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one
consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes. The WTO further
explains that “Tourism” refers to all activities of visitors including both “tourists
(overnight visitors)” and “same-day visitors”.

Tourist Destination
Many new destinations have emerged alongside the traditional ones of Western
Europe and North America. A tourist destination is an amalgam of tourist products,
services and public goods consumed under the same brand name, thus offering the
consumer an integrated experience (Buhalis, 2000; Leiper, 1995). Rather than
describing it in terms of a well-defined geographical area such as a country, island
or town (Davison and Maitland, 1997; Hall, 2000), contemporary definitions view a
destination as a blend of consumers’ space and tourism products providing a
holistic experience which is subjectively interpreted according to the consumer’s

10
travel i inerary, cultural background, purpose of visit, past experience, etc. (Fuchs
and Weiermair, 2003).

11
Tourism in India
Tourism in India is important for the country's economy and is growing
rapidly. The World Travel and Tourism Council calculated that tourism generated
₹16.91 lakh crore (US$240 billion) or 9.2% of India's GDP in 2018 and supported
42.673 million jobs, 8.1% of its total employment.The sector is predicted to grow
at an annual rate of 6.9% to ₹32.05 lakh crore (US$450 billion) by 2028 (9.9% of
GDP). In October 2015, India's medical tourism sector was estimated to be worth
US$3 billion, and it is projected to grow to US$7–8 billion by 2020. In 2014,
184,298 foreign patients traveled to India to seek medical treatment.

Over 10 million foreign tourists arrived in India in 2017 compared to 8.89

million in 2016, representing a growth of 15.6%. Domestic tourist visits to all
states and union territories numbered 1,036.35 million in 2012, an increase of
16.5% from 2011. In 2014, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh were the
most popular states for tourists. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Agra and Jaipur were
the five most visited cities of India by foreign tourists during the year 2015.
Worldwide, Delhi is ranked 28th by the number of foreign tourist arrivals, while
Mumbai is ranked 30th, Chennai 43rd, Agra 45th, Jaipur 52nd and Kolkata 90th.

The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 ranked India 34th
out of 140 countries overall. India improved its ranking by 6 places over the 2017
report which was the greatest improvement among the top 25% of countries
ranked. The report ranks the price competitiveness of India's tourism sector 13th
out of 140 countries. It mentions that India has quite good air transport
infrastructure (ranked 33rd), particularly given the country's stage of development,
and reasonable ground and port infrastructure (ranked 28th). The country also
scores high on natural resources (ranked 14th), and cultural resources and business
travel (ranked 8th).However, some other aspects of its tourism infrastructure
remain somewhat underdeveloped.The nation has many hotel rooms per capita by
international comparison and low ATM penetration.The World Tourism
Organization reported that India's receipts from tourism during 2012 ranked 16th
in the world, and 7th among Asian and Pacific countries.

The Ministry of Tourism designs national policies for the development and
promotion of tourism. In the process, the Ministry consults and collaborates with
other stakeholders in the sector including various central ministries/agencies, state
governments, union territories and private sector representatives. Concerted efforts
12
 are being made to promote niche tourism products such as rural, cruise, medical
and eco-tourism.The Ministry of Tourism maintains the Incredible India campaign
focused on promoting the tourism in India.

Foreign tourist arrivals and foreign exchange earnings

Foreign tourist arrivals in Foreign exchange earnings from tourism in India
India (1997–2018
(1997–2018) Earnings (US$ % Earnings (₹ %
Year
Arrivals % million) change crores) change
Year
(millions) change1997 2,889 2.0 10,511 4.6
1997 2.37 3.8 1998 2,948 2.0 12,150 15.6
1998 2.36 −0.7 1999 3,009 2.1 12,951 6.6
1999 2.48 5.2 2000 3,460 15 15,626 20.7
2000 2.65 6.7 2001 3,198 −7.6 15,083 −3.5
2001 2.54 −4.2 2002 3,103 −3.0 15,064 −0.1
2002 2.38 −6.0 2003 4,463 43.8 20,729 37.6
2003 2.73 14.3 2004 6,170 38.2 27,944 34.8
2004 3.46 26.8 2005 7,493 21.4 33,123 18.5
2005 3.92 13.3 2006 8,634 15.2 39,025 17.8
2006 4.45 13.5 2007 10,729 24.3 44,360 13.7
2007 5.08 14.3 2008 11,832 10.3 51,294 15.6
2008 5.28 4.0 2009 11,136 −5.9 53,700 4.7
2009 5.17 −2.2 2010 14,193 27.5 64,889 20.8
2010 5.78 11.8 2011 16,564
Source 16.7 77,591 19.6
2011 6.31for foreign
countries 9.2tourist
2012 17,737in
arrivals 7.1 94,487 21.8
2012in6.58
India 4.3 2013 18,445 4.0 107,671 14
2013 6.97 5.9 2014 20,236 9.7 123,320 14.5
2014 7.68
Rank Country 10.2 2015Number
21,071Share in %
4.1 135,193 8.8
12015 8.03 Bangladesh4.5 2016 22,92321.37
2,256,675 9.1 154,146 14.3
22016 8.80 United States
9.7 2017 27,31013.80
1,456,678 19.1 177,874 15.4
32017 10.04 14.0 2018
 United Kingdom 28,5859.75
1,029,758 4.7 194,882 9.6
42018 10.56
 Sri Lanka5.2 353,684 3.35
5  Canada 351,040 3.32
6  Australia 346,486 3.28 Foreign tourist arrivals by source
country
7  Malaysia 319,172 3.02
8  China 281,768 2.67
9  Germany 274,087 2.60
10  Russia 262,309 2.4813
Total of top 10 6,931,657 65.65
Other countries 3,626,272 34.35
Grand total 10,557,929 100
Foreign and domestic tourist visits by State

Share of top 10 states of India in number of

foreign tourist visits in 2017
Share
Rank State/Union Territory Number
in %
1 Maharashtra 5,078,514 18.9
2 Tamil Nadu 4,860,455 18.1
3 Uttar Pradesh 3,104,062 13.3
4 Delhi 2,379,169 10.2
5 Bihar 1,489,500 6.4
6 West Bengal 1,475,311 6.3
7 Kerala 977,479 4.2
8 Bihar 923,737 4.0
9 Karnataka 636,502 2.7
10 Goa 541,480 2.3
Total of top 10 states 20,620,863 88.4
14
Others 2,705,300 11.6
Total 23,326,163 100

Share of top 10 states of India in number of domestic tourist visits in 2017

Rank State/Union Territory Number Share in %
1 Tamil Nadu 345,061,140 20.9
2 Uttar Pradesh 233,977,619 14.2
3 Karnataka 179,980,191 10.9
4 Andhra Pradesh 165,433,898 10.0
5 Maharashtra 119,191,539 7.2
6 Telangana 85,266,596 5.2
7 Madhya Pradesh 78,038,522 4.7
8 West Bengal 79,687,645 4.8
9 Gujarat 48,343,121 2.9
10 Bihar 45,916,573 2.8
Total of top 10 states 1,380,896,844 83.6
Others 271,588,513 16.4
Total 1,652,485,357 100

Tourism In Bihar

STATISTICS OF DISTRICT WISE TOURIST VISIT TO THE STATE OF

BIHAR PROVISIONAL,2019

SL.
NO PLACE TOURIST TOTAL
.
DOMESTIC 5813897
1 PATNA
FOREIGN 11468
DOMESTIC 3741250
2 GAYA
FOREIGN 344934
DOMESTIC 1370709
3 BODHGAYA
FOREIGN 253788
DOMESTIC 1782277
4 RAJGIR
FOREIGN 177643
DOMESTIC 1069913
5 NALANDA
FOREIGN 170778
15
 DOMESTIC 549706
6 RAXAUL
FOREIGN 573
DOMESTIC 261998
7 MUNGER
FOREIGN 322
DOMESTIC 888301
8 VAISHALI
FOREIGN 92740
DOMESTIC 1125904
9 MUZAFFARPUR
FOREIGN 98
DOMESTIC 558114
10 BHAGALPUR
FOREIGN 411
DOMESTIC 314046
11 BANKA DIST.
FOREIGN 0
SONEPUR DOMESTIC 4038613
12
MELA FOREIGN 327
SHRAWANI DOMESTIC 4443319
13 MELA (17 July-15
FOREIGN 0
Aug,2019)
PITRAPAKSHA DOMESTIC 33463
MELA (PUNPUN)
14
(12 Sept- 28 Sept, FOREIGN 17000
2019)
PITRAPAKSHA MELA DOMESTIC 611113
15
(GAYA) FOREIGN 2982
DOMESTIC 7387415
16 OTHER
FOREIGN 20077
DOMESTIC 33990038
TOTAL
FOREIGN 1093141
GRAND TOTAL 35083179

16
National Tourism Policy, 2002
A NationaI Policy on Tourism highlighting the importance of the sector and the
objectives of tourism development in the country was presented in the Parliament
in 1982. The policy did not emphasize the role of private sector, and foreign
investment was not envisaged. The policyaIso did not lay adequate emphasis on
domestic tourism and the need for product development. As such, the Ministry of
Tourism had prepared a draft National Tourism Development Policy,2002with the
objective of positioning tourism as a major engine of economic growth and to
harness its direct and multiplier effects for employment and poverty eradication in
an environmentally sustainable manner. It was felt that at the institutional level, a
framework would have to· be evolved that is Government-led, private sector
driven and community-welfare oriented. Sustainability was envisaged to serve as
the guiding star for the new Policy. The development and management strategies
was to be so worked out as to ensure that tourism largely acts as a smokeless
industry and its ecological footprints remain as soft as possible. No one engaged,
directly or indirectly, in the tourism industry, is to be allowed to secure short-term
gains by resorting to what has been called the darker side of tourism. Neither over-
exploitation of natural resources should be permitted nor the carrying capacity of
the tourist- sites ignored. Special thrust was to be imparted to rural tourism and
tourism in small settlements, where sizeable assets of our cultural and natural
wealth exist. It was also envisaged in the policy that a section of the State police
should be earmarked to act as tourrist police and special training should be
imparted to it. Broadly the policy attempted to: -

 Position tourism as a major engine of economic growth;

 Harness the direct and multiplier effects of tourism for employment

generation, economic development and providing impetus to rural

17
 tourism;
 Focus on domestic tourism as a major driver of tourism growth.
 Position India as a global brand to take advantage of the burgeoning

global travel trade and the vast untapped potential of India as a

destination;
 Acknowledges the critical role of private sector with government
working
as a pro-active facilitator and catalyst;
 Create and develop integrated tourism circuits based on India's

unique civilization, heritage, and culture in partnership with states,

private sector and other agencies;

 Ensure that the tourist to India gets physically invigorated, mentally
rejuvenated, culturally enriched, spiritually elevated and "feel India
from within".
BIHAR TOURISM POLICY-2009
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES Key
Objectives
 Position tourism as state priority
 Focus on domestic tourism as a major driver of tourism growth.
 Promote Bihar for cultural, religious and „wellness‟ tourism
 Improve the efficiency of the industry, for enhanced social and
economic benefit, and consequential increased economic
benefits, including increased employment generation.
 Ensure the participation of all the stake holders in society, including the
travel trade and tourism industry.
 Create world class infrastructure
 Provide quality services to all domestic & international consumers
and stake holders.
 Improving connectivity of important tourist sites.

18
 Research Methodology

Research Design

A research design is a plan, structure and strategy of investigtion so

conceived as to obtain answers to research questions or problems. The plan is the
complete scheme or program of the research. It includes an outline of what the
investigator will do from writing their hypothesis and their operational imlications
to the final analysis of data (Kerlinger, 1986). A research design is a procedural
plan that is
adopted by the researcher to answer questions validly, objectively,
accurately and economically (Sellitz).

Based on the objective of the research, an exploratory qualitative research

has been conducted by the researcher. An exploratory research is one in which the
research is done with the objective to explore a particular area. It is also termed as
formulative research studies. Major emphasis is on the discovery of ideas and
insights. The research design has to be flexible enough to provide opportunity for
considering different aspects of a problem under study. Qualitative research, is
concerned with qualitative phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating to or involving
quality or kind. Qualitative research is concerned with qualitative phenomenon
involving quality. It is non-numerical, descriptive, applies reasoning and uses
words. Its aim is to get the meaning, feeling and describe the situation.

Instrument for data collection

While designing data collection procedure, adequate safeguards against bias and
unreliability were
ensured. Questions were well examined and were unambiguous.

Methods of data collection Primary data collction

As part of the primary data collection, the author conducted stratified random
sampling. The author visited Gaya and Nalamda and also collected information and
responses from Patna.

19
 Sample Size

The following is the size of the sample undertaken for the research:
The response rate was 62.5 %(125) in terms of the tourists and 60%(36) in terms
of
the resort owners etc. Of the 125 tourist’ respondents, 62.4%were male and
37.6%female. Of the responsents, 56.8% were domestic and 43.2% wer foreigners.
The highest number of respondents were in the group 26-30. 35(39.2%) followed
by
36-50 age group(37.6%) and then by 18-25 age group (17.6%), above 50 (4.8%)
and below
6TOURIST DESTINATION TOURISTS RESORT OWNERS/ TOUR
OPERATORS/HOTEL
OWNERS
/TRAVELOPERATOTS
GAYA 100 40
NALANDA 50 10
PATNA 50 10
200 60
TOTAL
18(.8%). The second category consisiting of the private players had 25 %
respondents as tour operators, 50 % hotel owners, 19,5% travel agents and 2.7%
were resort owners and rest house owners each.

Besides this, some 50 officials were contacted by the reseracher with

questionnaires out of which only 15 respnded by replying to the questionnaire or
20
through interviews. The interviews were conducted either by phone or in perosn
mostly at Gaya and Patna.
Secondary Data
The secondary data was collected from the websites, databanks, from the
published and unpublished reports and data sources. Websites of the Ministry of
Tourism, Government of India; Department of Tourism, Government of Bihar and
Database such as Indiastat, magportal etc aided in data collection .

21
.

Data Analysis

The next step is the analysis of data and the observations that flow from it. The researcher has collected
data from three sets of stakeholders. They are

1. The govt officials implementing the policy

2. The Private sector (including resort owners, hotel owners, tour operators, travel
agents and others associated with the trade) – the stakeholders who are working
in the field and benefitting/ otherwise from the policy
3. Tourists – the ultimate users of the product
The size of the sample for the category 2 & 3 is and thirty six and one twenty five
respectively.

Besides this, the secondary data availble from other sources such as the wbsites of
Govt. of India, Bihar government was also used for getting inferences by the
author.

The primary data collected by the author was aimed at getting the perception of
the various stakeholders about the effect of the government’s policy on the growth
of tourism in the state. The perception of the stakeholders is very important as it
gives an overview of what the policies aims at and what the final users feel about
it and the actual situation on the ground. The intention behind any policy initiative
is noble but there might be a gap in what is intended and what happens on the
ground. To take the argument further, the objective of the tourism policy is the
promotion of tourism in the state which will have its multiplier effect on
employment generation and poverty eradication.

To see whether the government has really achieved its prime objective, we need to
know from the two stakeholders directly involved with the policy –its
implementers and its beneficiaries i.e the govt. officials and the private sector.

22
Also, we need to know from the ultimate beneficiaries whether the objectives have
been achieved and this can be assessed from the level of satisfaction of the tourists
and whether they would like to visit the state again or not. This will impact the
further growth of the sector as mouth to mouth publicity is one of the most
important sources of getting more tourists to any destination. To get to this, the
researcher administered a questionnaire to the tourists asking them various
questions. These questions can be broadly grouped into the following categories:
• Demographic Profile related
• Travel & Infrastructure related
• Experience of Bihar

23
 A) Analysis of data related to tourists - Their perception

The primary data collected from the tourists showed the following:

Occupation of traveller

Interpretation
The occupational status of the people visiting the state as collected frm the
primary data suggests that the maximm number of people surveyed are
professionals followed by people in government service, private service,
businessmen etc. The pie diagram given below gives a percentage wise break-up.

24
Travelling partners.

Interpreation
Most of the respondents were either travelling with family or friends. The pie chart
given below shows that 21.6 % respondents were travelling alone rest with either
family or friends. The size of the travelling family was mostly in between 35(with
more than 51 % response) meaning people feel like travelling in a family as said
earlier

25
Purpose of travelling

The major purpose of the respondents’ visit was leisure, recreation

and holiday. The chart given below gives the percentage wise break
up of the purpose of travel.

Interpretation

The maximum number of respondents had stayed in guest house/rest house visitors
bunglow (42.4%) followed by starred hotel (31.2%) and then unstarred(16.8%)
followed by friends & relatives(10.4%) and balance others. The number of night
stay i.e the duration of the stay is found on an average to be 2- 5 days with 78.4 %
% of those surveyed belonging to this category.Coming to the most satisfying and
dissatisfying aspect of their stay, maximum number of tourists put touts(25.6%),
lack of good transport facilities(24%)information about tourits places(18.4%),
traffic , hygiene and sanitation, filth as the major irritants while the experience-
cultural &heritage topped with 65.6% terming it as the most satisfying

26
Facilities rating by customers

Interpretation
The respondents were also asked to rate the individual attributes such as transport
within the centre, accomodation, and reasonablness of accomodation tariff, food
quality, entertainment and shopping facility. The same is given below in the chart.
The majority of the respondents found the food quality excellent (62.4%), room
tariffs reasonable (64%), visitor’s attraction interesting (60.8%) and shopping
facility adequate (68%).

27
Experience of holiday

Interpretation
When asked to rate their over all experience at the tourist centre, about 38.4% rated
their experience between three to four. Asked whether they would like to come
back for a visit to the state 92.8 % said yes, 4.8% no whle 4% said yes provided
certain things such as traffic, transportation, sanitation and hygiene improve. Given
below is the rating:

28
A) Analysis of data related to the private sector -Their perception

The perception of the private sector comprising of the hotel owners,resort owners,
travel and tour operators is very important as they are the ones who are the
benefciaries of the business environment created by the policy. This group was
also administered questionnaires by the researcher. Of the 60 people who were
sent the questionnaire, 36 responded. Again the questions asked can be divided
into the following categories:

 Professional Profile related

 Perception of the policy related to toursim
 Areas needing more attention & suggestion

Of the responses received, 19.44 % were from travel agent, 52.78%from hotel
owners/ resort owners and 25% tour operators. 47.22% of respondents rated thier
business as good in profit folowed by30.56 % as average, 11.11% as very good,
5.56% as booming and 2.78& in loss.

Based on the responses received, the following can be deduced:

1. The awareness about the National Tourism Policy and the Bihar Tourism
Policy was 61.11 % and 69.44 %respectively.
.

29
Pperceptioon towards policies

Interpretation
The percetion of the respondents about the policy varied from 27.78% of
them feeeling it to be clear and giving general directions to 19.44% feeling that it
is comprehensive and stakeholder’s interests are clearly part of the policy .
However, 22.22% of respondents felt hat it is inadequate and unclear and
11.1%thought that it’s just another policy document

30
Rate by customers towards policy

Interpretation
As far as rating of the policy is concerned, it was rated by the maximum number
of people (52.78%) as average followed by 22.78% respondents as good. Majority
of the respondnts (about 69.44%)felt that the government should play a more
active role while 19.44 % felt that it should act as facilitator and 5.56% felt that it
should continue to play the same role as present

31
Potential of government policy

Interpretation
As far as the private sector’s percception about whether the full potential of the
state has been relaized or not, 36.11 % feel still a lot remains to be tapped.25% of
the respondents feel that only partly it has been realized and 16.67 % feel that it
has not been realized at all.Only a small (8.33%) feel that it has been fully utilized.

32
Rating of marketing effort by government

Interpretation
On the rating of the marketing efforts on a scale of five, none of the respondents
rated it as excellent or very good, 22.22% rated it as good, majority of them
(61.11) rated it as average and 8.33% as poor.

33
 .
Areas require more emphasis

Interpretation
On the areas, which requires greater attention, 19.44%feel infrastructure needs
priority, 8.33% feel marketing efforts for promotion requires greater attention, .
22.22% feel greater involvement of local population is required while13.89%feel
new forms of tourism should be developed. However, the maximm number of
respondents ((30.56%) felt that better support to the private sector is required

34
2. When the respondents were asked which other form of tourism should
be developed in the state, 25% feel that convetion tourism can be
developed, while the majority (63.89%) felt adventure tourism could be
developed. There was no suggestion on any other forms of tourism that
can be developed as requested from the respondents. On another
question, whether the locals are getting benefitted from the tourism
activities, 75% replied in affirmative.
3. On the rating of the infrastructure, while 92 % of the private sector
respondents feel that it is inadeqaute and needs improvement. As
compared to this, 63.2% of the tourists felt it needs improvement, 8.8%
finds it to be inadeqaute, and 26.4% think that it is adequate to make
their stay comfortable.

35
 4. On the places whch could be developed as tourist spots, the
private stakeholders have suggested the following places :
 Jhunjhunu
 Pratapgarh
 Sikar
 Bundi
 Naal(Bikaner)
 Deshnokh(Bikaner)
 Sam -Kudi(Jaisalmer)
 Mandawa
 Ramdeva

36
B) Analysis of data related to the govt officers -Their perception

The response rate as far as the interview request, filling of questionnaire from the
government officers and staff was not very encouraging with only 15 of them
responding to the questionniare or to interview request. Amongst those responded
included police official, RTDC officials, Information officer, DoT officials,
former secretary of Department of Tourism, Govt. of Bihar, district collector of a
prominent tourist spot in Bihar, forest official etc.

There was a unawreness about the policy document as such amongst the senior
officers implemting the policy but not amongst the junior sraff implemting the
policy and officials of other departments such as police etc. While those
implemting the policy at the senior level find it quite comrehensive, there were
voices in the government who think that it is inadequate. However, most of the
respondents agreed that the objectives as laid down in the policy are partly
fulfilled. They also were of the view that the government should act as a facilitator
in creating an enabbling environment for the private sector to grow.

There was also a realization that the political support can really help in giving a
great impetus but as Shri Vinod Zutshi says that it is for the bureucracy to
convince the political leadership about the importance of the issue and this
requires passion in the officers for the cause. Shri Amitabh Kant, the former Joint
Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and the man behind
the “Incredible India” campaign in his intercations with the researcher said that
tourism officials needs to be passionate and should be the brand ambassadors of
their product. He also said that “ you need to convince your political bosses of the
potential and for this you need to be passionate”.

Since, tourism is a multi- sectoral activity, it is difficult to get all the departments
on the same page and this sometimes lead to delay in the projects. This view was

37
also expressed by another officer who said many times it takes so much of time in
finalizing the projects that in the meantime other states or countries (very
competetive sector various actors vying for the attention of tourists.) surge ahead.
Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism,
Government of India also takes the multi sectoral argument by saying that this gets
complicated with the federal structure existent in India as the schmes takes time in
approval at the central level and then the state governments who have to
implement the schemes take their own time as it requires co-ordination from
several deprtments.

Mr. Vinod Zutshi spoke to the researcher on how new areas and experiences need
to be created to make the state a 365 days destination. He talked about the various
initiatives taken during his tenure such as Night Tourism(opening of Amer fort at
Night,Night Bazars,) organizing of Summer Festival, Monsoon Festival, Jhalawar,
Bundi, Kama (Bharatpur)and Tribal Festival(Doongarpur),making tourism an
integral part of the Bihar Day celebrations by organizing ten day events
showcasing the various facets of Bihar. But he also said that there should be
continuity in the policies as then and then only these new festivals can be
recognized and put on the tourism calendar of the state.

On the infrastructure front, there was again unanimity amongst the various
responents that it needs improvement. As per the officals the areas which require
more emphasis from the government are :better connectivity including air
conncetivity with imprortant tourist destinations,development of tourism circuits,
increasing the strength of tourist police and their sensitization to the cause, trained
and skilled manpower to handle diverse situations, marketing efforts etc.The
private sector needs to be assured of a good return by creating a business friendly
environment.

On the branding and marketing efforts of the Bihar governmnet, when the
reseracher spoke to Mr. Amitabh Kant, he said that the Bihar government has not
been able to leverage the India Incredible campaign and carry it forward. He said
that branding is not mere advertising. It requires concerted efforts and a

38
whole lot of marketing research goes into it. Products have to be tailor made to the
consumer’s requirements. You need to have insights into the customer’s mind –
what products he require and how to create an experince around it. This will
require both tangibles and intangibles such as the welcome experiences say at the
emigration or the way the auto/taxi drivers talk or the clenaliness, hygiene around
the places. Mr. Kant says that Bihar is such a unique product and it has the flavour
which Europe is looking for. A marketing strategy based on continous and sound
research, based on which a professional agency can build upon a 360-degree
campaign based on consistent strategy and a host of other activities is what is
required for establishing Brand Bihar. Another RTDC official who is promoting
the luxury trains , RRW and POW says that the government doesn’t have a proper
marketing wing, there are 2-3 officials at Jaipur doing the job. According to him,
professionals who are from the field should manage organizations like RTDC.
There should be continuity at the top and the top officails should have at least 3
years term. The hotels of RTDC should be professionally run and free from
political interferences. Marketing has to move beyond printing of brochures and
literature. Kerala Tourism is one model which some of the officals interviwed
thought is a good model to look at.

On the benefits reaching the locals, some of the officials felt that their greater
involvement could be sought through village tourism and nature tourism.

As government officials implemting the policy, the following were the problems
identified by them in implementation :

 Multiple departmental clearances

 Procedural delays
 Time and cost over runs due to sluggish tendering process

 Time in land acquistion

 Lack of skilled manpower

 Funds Constraints

39
 The following were the reforms suggested by the governmnet officials to tap the
full tourism potential in the state :

 Connectivity (road, air and rail) should be given adequate importance.

 Development of mini airports in areas where influx of foreign tourits is high
 Private participation for building infrastructure
 Civilized and courteus staff
 Ensuring safety and security of tourists
 Giving Tourism a priority status – pro active policy to promote tourism
 Making Bihar a 365 days tourist destination through development of organized
entertianment events in the off peak season.

40
 Conclusion/ Recommendations

Bihar is one state that has huge tourism potential. It is envisged that the sector
would contribute more than 10% to the state’s GDP(Bihar Infrastructure
Agenda,2025).Achieving the envisaged rates of growth for the sector would
require action on a number of fronts, such as improving access to the town,
developing tourism products, improving access to tourist sites within or around the
town, improving support urban infrastructure at tourist locations, and identifying
project opportunities in primary tourism infrastructure. This would also require
effective destination branding exercise. Mere advertisement campaigns won’t help
and would not lead to building of Brand Bihar. This would require a
comprehensive branding exercise built on a clear understanding of the target
market, their requirements and tailor made products and a clear strategy to reach
the target audience with a clear and appealing message.

Based on the literature review and the primary data collected from various
stakeholders, the reseracher has reached to the following conclusions :
1. The potential of Bihar is yet to be tapped fully. This requires, as mentioned above,
a combination of efforts on both policy and marketing side. The basic
infrastructure road, rail and air connectivity needs to be strengthed. There are still
destinations which have a high influx of foreign tourits but air connectivity is still
not established. This leads to a higher travel time and thus reduces period of stay
as we found out that the people staying in Bihar for more than five days was just
16% .
2. Development of organized entertainment facility and niche products that could
attract young population as well as family is another area, which deserves
attention. As majority of the people visiting the state are young professionals in
the age group of 26-35 , we need to cater to their tastes.

41
 A thorough research work needs to be done so as to find out which products can
be develeoped . Also emphasis needs to be placed to create experiences wonderful
enough to make them remember their stay in Bihar for a life time. As could be
seen from the primary data collected, the most satisfying experience for the
majority of the people was the experience (cultural/heritage) they had. We need to
leverage this further and the irritants pinpointed by the tourits (lack of good
transportation, hygiene and sanitation, lack of information, cleanliness, air
connectivity, better infrastructure at the tourist centres) needs to be addresed. As
family and friends were the main source of information about the tourist centres,
this again emphasizes the need for creating experiences.

3. The demographic profile of the country with young population with greater
disposable income, growing middle class , better road infrastructure wishing to
experiment has given an oppurtunity to the state to take the advantage and
promote Tourism in the domestic sector. New products and experiences
developed around this could unlock the doors to this clientele. Bihar’s proximity
to Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi gives lots of scope for development of weekend
tourism. Internet marketing is another area which needs to be the focus of
marketers as this was the second important source of information for the tourists
and also younger population are increasingly using internet as source of
information.

4. Bihar has several varied types of experiences to cater to all tastes. So for those
preferring the heritage experience, can experience the comforts of kings and
queens in heritage hotels and havelis and for those discerning travellors looking
for something different the boutique hotels are there. Adventure tourism is also
one area that needs to be developed as suggsted by the majority of the respondents
as also MICE(Meetings Incentives Conferences and exhibitions)tourism. For this ,
convention centres with world-class facility and infrastructure will need to be

42
 developed. Private sector participation in this endeavour may be sought
.Another possible area could be marriage tourism popularized by celebrities
getting married in the royal fashion in palacs of Udaipur and Jodhpur. The private
sector can explore this furher by offering a similar experience for budget
consumers.

5. Bihar needs to promote its food in a big way. It has potential to be a major hit as
could be gauged from the experinces of the respondents who have ranked it as the
second most satisfying experience. If Jaipur Literary Festival could become such a
super hit within 5-6 years ( big media reports appearing in major International
newspapers about the fest)of its existence so why not a culinary festival.
Bollywood and Hollywood may also be incentivized to “ hire it for location”.

6. The harrasment faced by the tourists at the hands of touts, erring auto and taxi
drivers etc should be put to an end. The local people’s involvement in the trade
has to be sought. While interacting with one of the Khadims at Ajmer Dargah, the
rsearcher came to understand how in the absence of correct information the
tourists coming at the Dargah are fleeced by the hotel owners, auto and taxi
operators and they feel harrased and cheated. The industry needs to be truly made
into a “People’s industry” as envisaged in the Bihar Tourism Policy and by
making it pople oriented and sustainable in nature by reducing the burden on the
environmnet and making it people and environment friendly. Schemes like Athithi
Devo Bhavah can be taken forward and to its logical conclusion.

7. On the question whether the marketing of Bihar Tourism is being done on the
marketing principles, the researcher has come to mixed conclusions. The efforts
by the Bihar Government doessn’t seem to be backed by proper market research. It
is still based on the seller’s strtaegy, the consumer orientation is not to be seen in
full action. The

43
 private players are developing niche products too cater to the consumers but the
state is to be more supportive in its effort. The segmentation of the market and the
positioning of the products/experiences have to be done accordingly.The
government is still continuing with what could be called the 4 P’s of marketing
mix instead 4 Cs. Present here is the analyis:
In the light of the above, the following are some of
suggestions/recommendations of the researcher :

1. Tourism must be given the status of a priority sector – Though tourism industry is
the third largest after agriculture and industry in Bihar contributing about 15 % to
SGDP, the sector doesn’t seem to receive the priority it deserves. The potential of
the multiplier effect of the tourism industry is not being realized in its true light.
While the state government was one of the few states to come out with a State
Tourism Policy in 2009 but there are many gaps between its formulation and
implementation that needs to be filled. The sector , thus , needs to be given the
status of priority status and incentives provided for its development.
2. Continuity in the policies by subsequent governments- The boost and leadership
that the political leadership provides to the sector can do wonders to the growth of
this sector. The active role and support of the top political bosses can make all the
difference. But with the change in the regime, sometimes there is a discontnuity in
the focus that this sector is accorded. As even now, some sees tourism as an elitist
industry thriving on the 5 star hotels and resorts and catering to the higher classes.
Nalanda is today a success story because of the continuity in the policies for
tourism promotion carried by successive government.. The policies needs to be
incremental and progressive and not regressive. A vision for the growth of the
sector in the state for the next 20-25 years needs to work on and the successive
governments should work towards its realization.

44
3. Better connectivity between the various tourist centres in the state
- There is a need for connecting important tourist destinations by air – the most
important cities in this regard would include Gaya, Patna,Nalamda etc, initially.
Airports at these locations need to be set up in a phased manner, as availability of
air services to these cities would result in significant saving in travel time. It is
suggested that some inter-city connection be given so that tourists can commute to
their main destinations. This would require a fleet of small aircraft connecting
these centres. Thus, private operators who could start air taxi operations would
need to be encouraged. Besides this, road and rail connectivity for faster
movement should be encouraged. Highways and expressways under PPP
programme under the National Highways Development programme and by the
state government should be done so that quality roads save travelling time. Gauge
conversion from metre gauge to broad gauge should be taken up with co-operation
of Indian railways ( especially in the Shekawati region whose tourist potential is
yet to be realized).

4. Infrastructure at and around the tourist sites to be develpoed – Most of the

respondents have complained about the state of cleanliness and hygiene, safety
and security, tarnsportation within the centre, lack of information centres,
signages, public toilets, street lightening etc. Getting the tourits to the destinations
is just one part of the story but basic facilities needs to be there to faciitate and
make their stay comfortable. There should be proper landscaping , lighting, public
toilets, and information about the tourist spot available at the location.

5. Making the over all experience of the tourists wonderful so that they became
brand ambassadors of the state- Merely offering a luxurious

45
 stay in the luxurious or heritage hotels, resorts is not enough. For the tourists, the
over alll experience during the stay counts. If due to harrasment by lapkas(touts),
over charging by the auto rikshaw drivers, nagging by beggars, filth near the major
tourist attractions, and lack of adequate safety and security , tourists does not
enjoy their stay and doesn’t enjoy the whole experiece, he / she would not only
come back but also create a negative image for the state which would not be good
for the growth of the sector as publicity by word of mouth is the most effctive
method of promotion.

6. Role and location of Tourist Reception Centres (TRCs) / Tourist Information

Bureaus (TIBs): Availabilty of correct, timely and easily information is very
important for a tourist. To get the correct information, the tourist would not like to
go to information centres which are far away. Currently, TRCs / TRBs are mostly
located at areas within the town that are not very visible to the tourist entering the
town. These are sometimes located at places where a tourist would not normally
even go. This has been the case in a large number of towns. However, since a TRC
or TIB should be the first point of contact for a tourist entering the town, there is a
need to ensure that these are located at important entry points / strategic locations.
Also, the effectiveness of these TRCS / TIBs was found to vary significantly
across towns. At most centres, these are operating out of a single room, are
inadequately stocked and have poor infrastructure in terms of vehicles, computers,
connectivity through internet, etc. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the
TRCs / TIBs are uniformly effective in terms of being well equipped with
brochures, etc. and manned by knowledgeable personnel. It is also understood that
a pilot project for privatisation and computer networking of TRCs / TIBs is being
considered – this could possibly be replicated across the remaining TRCs / TIBs

46
7. Preservation of heritage and greater involvement of private sector- we have
several examples of heritage sites which are lying unattented and in ruins . The
ASI is not in a position to maintain them due to resource crunch and many of
them doesn’t are even under ASI’s umbrella. At several locations, properties
(such as parks, historical sites, forts, etc.) are not being maintained properly and
even the responsibility for maintenance is not clearly known. Proper
maintenance of key properties is essential in order to ensure that the tourist sites
remain attractive to tourists. Some key parks or sites of historical importance
could possibly be contracted out to the private sector for maintenance, for
which the financial parameters / guidelines and performance criteria may be
worked out. One such succesful example in the state of this type of initiative
has beeen the Jal Mahal project in Jaipur . The Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi is
also another success story worth emulating.
8. Maintenance of tourist spots and properties by Urban Local Body working
with the Tourism Department: An alternative where properties are not being
maintained by the private sector could be that the Urban Local Body is given
the responsibility for maintenance, for which it is monitored by the local
Tourism Department. A possible model could be the formation of a local-level
committee chaired by the District Collector for overseeing maintenance. It is
suggested that some part of the ULB’s budget could be earmarked for
maintenance of the tourist places. Also, a maintenance fund could be created
out of a city development levy on guests staying at hotels. This could be in the
form of a small surcharge added on to the total hotel bill as in done inseveral
countries(the reseracher saw the same in existense in Switzerland during her
visit there). The rates could vary for domestic tourists from within Bihar those
from outside the state but from within India and those from foreign tourits.
9. Policies aimed at improving tourism infrastructure- Steps have been taken to
improve the tourism infrastructure in the state and an investment plan has
been preapred till 2020. Some of the steps in this direction have been taken by
creation of land banks, changes in land policy and icentives through the Bihar
Tourism Unit Policy,2007. These policies should further aim to increase the
tourist accomodation infrastructure and make them available at prices, which
incentivize the players so that the lands for these hotels are not avialble at
exorbitant prices. As the capital costs of the accomodation units has a bearing
on the room tarrifs thus the land price (which accounts for about 40-50% of
the project cost)becomes an important determinant for affordable
52
 accomoodation. The land should be available on long term leases by the land
owning agencies rather than on high reserve prices. It is necessary
10. in the light of the fact that India is competing with other countries in the
region for the foreign tourists. The price competetiveness of Indian hotels is
reduced vis-a Vis competing destinations in the neighbourhood , such as
Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and China. Hotel room tarriffs at the
gateways(Delhi, Mumbai etc) are amongst the top ten highest in the world
(Study to Preapare a roadmap, ADB). Thus, the Bihar tourist destinations such
as Jaipur should try to take the advantage by offering lower tarrifs and by
development of international air connectivity so that foreign tourits come
directly to Bihar instead of coming through Delhi and Mumbai.

53
 \References
Bakshi, SR, Ritu, C (2007). Bihar through the Ages, 1, 2007, Sarup and Sons, New
Delhi, 1: 2 – 5
Carmen, C, Meredith, W (2011). Best Practice Marketing for Regional Tourism
Destinations, J. Travel and Tourism Marketing, Routledge Publication.
28:524–540.
Chin-Tsai, L, Chuan, L (2010) Fuzzy Group Decision Making in Pursuit of a
Competitive Marketing Strategy, Int. J. Infor. Technol. Decision
Making, World Scientific Publishing Company. 9(2): 281–300,
Dimitrios, B (2000). Marketing the Competitive Destination of the Future,
Tourism Management, Special Issue, Science Direct, Elsevier Ibrahim,
O (2009). Report: Aqaba Tourism Marketing Strategy 2010- 201, by
the United States Agency for International Development, Chemonics
International Inc, June
Jagdish, P (2007). Bihar – Dynamics of Development, Mittal Publication, New
Delhi, pp 3-8
Kotler, P (2004). Marketing Management, Pearson Education Inc., New Delhi, p. 9
Krippendorf, J (1987). The Holiday Makers: Understanding the Impact of Leisure
and Travel, translated by Vera Andrassy, Heinemann, London
Morgan (2003). Destination branding and the role of the stakeholders: The case of
New Zealand, J. Vacation Marketing. 9(3): 85-299.
Noel, S, Eric, L, Philipp, B (2009). The Marketing of Hospitality and Leisure
Experiences, J. Hospitality Marketing and Manage. Taylor and
Francis. 18:99–110,
Philip, L, Pearce, Alastair M. Morrison and Gianna M. Moscardo (2003).
Individuals as Tourist Icons: A Developmental and Marketing
Analysis, J. Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, the Haworth Press,
Inc. 10(1/2).
Report (2010). India Tourism Statistics 2010, Ministry of Tourism, Market
Research Division, Government of India
Report (2009) The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report, 2009, published by
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Robyn, S (2008) Tourism Strategy Making: Insights to the Events Tourism
Domain, Tourism Management, Science Direct, Elsevier. 29: 252–262

54
Scott, GD (2004). Marketing Strategies for Last-Minute Travel and Tourism, J.
Travel Tourism Market. 16(4): 7-20, the Haworth Press Shaoming, ZS,
Tamer, C (2002). The GMS: A Brank Conceptualization
of Global Marketing Strategy and its Effect on Firm Performance, J. Market., 66:
40-56, from American Marketing Association
Simon, H, Brent, RJR (2009). Branding a Memorable Destination Experience - The
Case of ‘Brand Canada’, International Journal of Tourism Research,
11, 217–228 John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Tarannum, H (2007). Promotional Strategies of Tourism Industry in Uttaranchal,
State of India, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Jamia Millia Islamia,
http://bstdc.bih.nic.in/Doc/ghodakatora.pdf http://bstdc.bih.nic.in/paper%20clip/m
%20v%20ganga%20vihar.pdf http://www.tourismbihar.org/

55
QUESTIONNAIRE

Question Title
1. Your age is
Less than 24
Between 24 and 39
Between 40 and 55
Over 55

Question Title
2. Are you?
Male
Female

Question Title
3. Nationality

Question Title
4. Where do you currently live (city, country)?

Question Title
5. Are you?
Student
Worker
Retired person
Other

Question Title
6. Facultative: skype address an email if you want to join BRIC in tour during the
following meeting in Italy (free accommodation for 5 selected participants to the
questionnaire and special prices for the others)

Question Title
7. Do you use to travel for?
Leisure
Business
Meeting friends and relatives
56
Other

Question Title
8. What are your main interests in selecting a destination?
Adventure
Night life
Culture
Health
Nature
Religion
Rest
Sport
Visiting friends/relatives
Visiting places seen on TV, or in a movie
Other

Question Title
9. What means of transport do you use while on holiday?
Bicycle
Bus
Car
Caravan
Motorbike
Plane
Train
Limousine
Combination
Other

Question Title
13. Do you prefer to use tourist guide services or tour independently?
Yes
No

57