CHAPTER-X

ROLE OF TRAVEL AGENCIES AND TOUR OPERATORS IN TOURISM

DEVELOPMENT IN KOLKATA

Introduction

The term travel agent, travel councilor, travel consultant, tour operator, handling agent, tour

conductor & pure wholesaler are used interchangeably throughout the travel industry. A travel

agency is a business that sells travel related products and services to end-user customer on behalf

of third party travel suppliers like airlines, hotels, cruise line etc. So they engage in marketing

and delivering travel products and services from travel vendors to ultimate tourists.

The British Company Cox and Kings is sometimes said to be the oldest travel agents in the

World, but this rests upon services that the original bank (estd.1758) supplied to its wealthy

clients. The modern travel agent first appeared in the second half of nineteenth century. In 1841,

Thomas Cook of Printers and Temperents Association in London chartered a train and sold

tickets of 25 cents each for a round trip of 22 miles. Gradually he established a chain of agencies

in association with the Midland Railways. Other agencies made their appearance. They became

more common place since the development of commercial aviation from 1920s. The role of

travel agencies has shifted somewhat since then. Earlier most of them serviced individual

travelers. But the post war boom in mass market package holidays resulted in travel agencies

catering to a working class clientele booking cheap holidays.

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Since it is the travel agency who packages and processes all components of a tourism product, it

:ums the attractions, accessibility and amenities of a country into saleable products. Hence it is

known as the ‘Image builder of a country’.

The term Tour Operator is reserved for those agencies considered to be the most professional

having skills, knowledge, expertise, foresight and ideas. They can be wholesalers or retailers

depending upon market size and organizational structure. Most of them grow out of successful

travel agencies and specializes in planning and selling prepaid and preplanned vacations to the

customer.

Types of Travel Agents:

According to their scale of operation, travel agents may be of following types

1. Independents - These are generally local travel agents and they do not form die part of a

nation-wide chain. They usually have one retail unit. The Airline Reporting Corporation

(ARC) classifies those businessmen as retail travel agents who quote fares and rates, makes

reservation, arranges, travel documents and acts on behalf of tourism vendors. While they

cannot provide a wide choice to their customers, they develop a niche market. Sometimes

they may develop specific target groups to sell customized holiday packages. Gainwell

leisure and travel, Altair travel services are such agencies in Kolkata

2. National Multiples - These are nation-wide chains with branches in the different regions of

the country. They design packages and sell them to the customers either directly, or through

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 retail units, thus acting as marketing intermediaries. They can offer discounts and other

benefits by the virtue of their size and cater the mass market.

3. Regional Multiples - These agencies have a number of branches in one region - basically

performing the same functions at the National multiples but on a smaller scale. They enjoy

close ties with their customers.

4. Business Travel Agents - In the era of globalisation, travel - both national and international,

for business purposes have become common.While most travel agencies handle both

vacation tourists and business tourists, some travel agencies may specialize in business

travel only. These travelers are on a well planned schedule, attending exhibitions,

conferences, meetings and trade fairs and often squeezing in a boat of sightseeing. The

business travel agents arrange for all this. Of course, incase of certain companies, the

volume of business travel may be so high that they have a separate in-house travel

department to cater to the business needs of their employees.

According to their functions we can identify a second scheme of classification. This is as follows

1. Inbound tour operators - These tour operators handle incoming foreign tourists

directly by providing various ground services such as transfers, transportation,

accommodation, entertainment, sightseeing, shopping, currency, documentation,

insurance services etc. They often collaborate with foreign tour operators. They contribute

valuable foreign exchange earnings.

2. Outbound tour operators - These operators specialize in designing and marketing

multinational tours. They generally sell package tour of foreign countries to the

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 people of his own country, but may sometimes create customized tour packages.

3. Ground operators - These operators provide various services and arrangements at

particular destination. They are also called reception operators, destination

management companies or handling agents.

Functions of Travel Agents :

The Travel Agents and Tour Operators act as intermediaries between the vendors and the end

consumers. They handle vacation travel and business travel. Their diverse functions may be

described as follows:-

1. In the modern world, selling package tours have become a foremost function of

the travel agents. The travel agencies design predefined packages and sell them to the

customers. The tourists may be ill-informed or simply too busy to design his own tour. In

fact, certain agencies have developed a holiday supermarket concept where customers select

tours from brochures on a rack and book them from a counter.

2. Every step of booking tickets, on trains, aero planes or ships, arranging for transfer and car

hire is the next job of the travel agency. A well planned co-ordination with the ground

operator is needed to ensure smooth transactions.

3. In the event of cancellation of trains Or flights, delays, loss of baggage etc., the

travel agency represents the client and it is their responsibility to juggle around

the tour schedule to make up for the delay and to claim compensation.

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 4. Organizing sightseeing tours, excursions and shopping trips is another function of the

travel agent. In this regard they must inform the tourists of the various entry fees and

design the tour according to their specifications.

5. In case of agencies dealing with foreign tourists, it is their responsibility to arrange

foreign exchange. Some large agencies maintain their own money changers on ground.

6. The travel agent offers a wide choice of accommodation to the tourists like hotels,

motels, resorts etc. They arrange for bookings and reservations. This often includes

arrangements for food as well.

7. Travel agents are primarily information agents. It is their responsibility to supply the

customers with complete information regarding transport, transfers, accommodation ,

sightseeing, meals shopping as well as any regional specialties. For this reasons, large

tour operators carry out marketing research on customer perception, needs, wants and

choice. So they can more confidently predict the resorts which would best satisfy their

needs .If a tour operator wants to keep up with time and stay ahead of his competitors,

new holiday opportunities must be explored.

8. The travel agency also arranges for necessary documentation and insurance. For example

it is necessary to take the Yellow Fever Vaccine while visiting countries of Africa and

South America from India, otherwise re-entry into the country is restricted. The travel

agency must inform the tourist of the regulation and arrange for the Vaccination with

proper documentation.

-Several travel agencies have developed niche markets by offering some special services. They

may be classed as specialist tour operators. They can be of six types:-

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 1. Those aimed at specific groups like excursion trips of schools and colleges, senior

citizens etc.

2. Those who specialize in a particular destination.

3. Those which take people to exclusive and exotic places like heritage parks etc.

4. Those who provide special accommodation like a caravan, a tree house, a tent in the

desert etc.

5. Those who provide specific transport like the Nile cruise, the journey on Palace on

wheels etc.

6. Finally there are the specialist interest operators. They may take their customers to bird

watching, or white water rafting or tribal festivals etc.

In to-days world of globalization, the customers are often too busy to plan a tour or even decide

on a particular type of destination. It is the job of the travel agency to carry out market research

and design inclusive tours. They offer discounts, often by holding large reserves of pre-booked

tickets or hotel rooms. They provide hands on help during transfer and sight seeing and offer

specialist knowledge. They also provide the most high quality cost effective holiday package

with wide variety. Basically, the travel agency offers convenience. It is a one-stop shop for a

complete holiday package. As such, it must be able to anticipate the needs of the traveler and

subtly urge him to buy a particular package. This acumen to assess the need of the traveler and to

satisfy it is the greatest asset of any travel agent.

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Role of Travel Agency in the development of Tourism in Kolkata

Travel agencies, as has been discussed before, play a critical role as intermediaries between the

original suppliers of tourism commodity and the final customers, i.e the tourists. As they are the

‘image builders’ of a destination, the role of travel agencies become highly significant. Foreign

travelers especially are heavily dependant on travel agencies for their travels in developing

countries like India. So, the perception of the travel agencies is likely to play an important role in

the development of tourism of any destination.

A survey of twenty five travel agencies of Kolkata revealed the relatively small part that they

play in developing tourism in this region. The respondents included such multinational giants like

Thomas cook, Cox and Kings and Sita as well as several national and local operators. It needs to

be emphasized that inbound tours comprise a small percentage of the business of all of these

agencies. The main concentration is almost always on outbound tours. Often these agencies

receive visitors from their liaison with other agencies of the source regions. This is applicable

only to foreign tourists. Hence the role of these agencies in promoting domestic inbound tourism

is less significant.

The increasing dependence of the constantly busy modem urbanite on travel operators to

organize their tour schedule is clearly borne out by the huge proportionate increase in the number

of travel agencies in the new millennium. My survey revealed that as many as 72% of the

responding travel agencies were founded after the year 2000 while 24% were founded between

1990 and 1999. Only 4% were founded in the 1980s and none (of the respondents) before. The

figures bring out an overwhelming increase of 68% between two decades. The increasing

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importance of travel and tourism and its role in the economy thus becomes apparent. The tourist

irade in Kolkata must be flourishing to encourage the opening of so many travel agencies in the

city since 2000. While inbound tour remains small in proportion, the absolute figures must be

increasing so that it allows so many agencies to survive in the market.

The travel agencies surveyed revealed that as many as 48% are local in organization. They are

not a part of any chain. Hence the volume of their business is not large. They are mostly in the

nature of tour operators. However most of them have managed to create a niche market of their

own providing highly personalized service to the tourists visiting the city. Out of the remaining

52% respondents, most are national in organization and only a few are international. These

agencies are more involved in organizing outbound tours but inbound tourism does form a part of

their business. Depending on tire scale of organization, the numbers of employees vary. In fact

^8% of the responding travel agencies have only 3 to 5 employees and 40% have between 6 and

10. In case of national and international agencies, only the number of employees of the Kolkata

branch has been considered. One of the greatest arguments in favour of developing tourism is its

potential for employment generation and travel agencies are a direct area of impat. However in

Kolkata this effect is seen to be very small. Only 4% of the responding travel agencies employed

more than 10 people. If tourism is to fulfill its role of employment generation in the field of travel

agencies, its still requires a huge developmental effort in Kolkata .

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Table X.l Number of employees in selected travel agencies in Kolkata

Number of Percentage of travel

employees agencies

Less than 3 8

3 to 5 48

6 to 10 40

Above 10 4

Source : Primary survey

To further analyze this aspect of the potential for employment generation, the annual turnover of

the agencies were noted. While 20% of the respondents refused to answer any such questions

related to finance, 20% said that their annual turnover is less than Rs 1 crore. 24% of the

respondents said that their annual turnover ranges from Rs 1 crore to Rs 3 crores while another

24% has a turnover of Rs 3crores to Rs 5 crores. Only 8% of the travel agencies have an annual

turnover of Rs 5 crores to Rs 7 crores and only 4% have above Rs 7 crores. It must be

remembered that the above figures are related not to net profit but to the annual turnover.

Considering the fact that such revenue are accrued from organizing tours not only in Kolkata but

all over West Bengal, it follows that the net amount of profit from organizing tours in Kolkata is

not very large. Later analysis will reveal that almost all of this business comes from ticketing. As

such tourism in Kolkata has a long way to go to realize its full potential.

A travel agency performs a number of functions. It buys tickets, organizes schedule, and arranges

for transfers, accommodation and local sightseeing. Often it sells entire package where every last

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ig. X. 1 Number of employees in surveyed travel agencies of Kolkata

ig. X.2 Average annual turnover of selected travel agencies of Kolkata

□ Not disclosed
■ Less than Rs. 1 Crores
□ Rs ICrore to Rs.3 Crores
□ Rs. 3 Crores to Rs. 5 Crores
■ Rs.5 Crores to Rs. 7 Crores
□ Abo\*e Rs. 7 Crores

Source : Primary Survey

 detail is outlined so that the traveler does not have to bother with anything. This all round service

:s very important while catering to overworked urban customers whose primary goal is relaxation

and gaining as much excitement as possible from his tour. So the travel agents of Kolkata were

asked about the various services that they provide their customers. It is seen that ticketing is the

most common service offered. Only 4% does not do any ticketing. 96% of the agencies

purchase air tickets while 92% purchase rail tickets as well. This function has become easy and

popular as internet booking and e-ticketing have become the order of the day. The participation

of the private sector in air transport has given rise to fierce competition and travel agencies have

taken full advantage of it. Only 12% of the travel agencies also engage in purchasing ship tickets.

Whatever may be the increase in tourism in kolkata, it remains likely that ticketing will continue

to remain the most preferred activity of the travel agencies in near future.

Table X.2 Average annual turnover of selected travel agencies

Average annual Percentage of travel

turnover (Rupees) agencies

Not disclosed 20

Less than 1 crore 20

j 1 crore - 3 crores 24

3 crores - 5 crores 24

5 ccrores - 7 crores 8

Above 7 crores 4

Source : Primary survey

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Fig X.4 Distribution of few major Travel Agencies in Kolkata

Index

1 .Altair Travel Servieces 7.TCI

2. Gainwell Leisure and Travels 8.Sita World Travels
3. Tradewings Pvt. Ltd. 9. Mark Travels International
4. Cox & Kings 10. Amerian Express
5. Thomas Cook India Ltd 11 .Everest Travel Service
6. Discovery Travels and Tours 12.Travel online
Table X.3 Services offered by selected travel agencies of Kolkata

Services offered Arranged Not arranged

Package tours 56 44

Accommodation 32 68

Sightseeing 28 72

Transfers 24 76

Transport 72 28

Source : Primary survey

Only 24% of the responding travel agencies arrange for transfers. Such transfers would include

fee transporting of the tourist from the airport to fee railway station or bus terminus and vice

versa, or from an entry point to the hotel. Since Kolkata is abundantly supplied with taxicabs

76% of the travel agencies do not arrange for transfers alone. Rather, they prefer to organize

transport for the entire tour within Kolkata. This means hiring tourist vehicles like cars or

coaches with a ride in the metro rail thrown in for experience. 72% of the travel agencies provide

this type of transport to the tourists.

I: is revealed from the survey that only 28% of the travel agencies arrange sightseeing tours for

the tourists. So the majority of the tourists travel in Kolkata by themselves. The reason may be

feat arranging sightseeing tours is not very lucrative in Kolkata. Since the tourists carry out

sightseeing on their own, the need for informative guide books and maps are borne out strongly.

The excellent public transport system of Kolkata helps the tourists to cut costs significantly and

conduct their own sightseeing. Likewise, only 32% of the surveyed agencies arrange for

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accommodation. Tourists therefore are not very dependant on the travel agencies for such

functions as arranging accommodation and sightseeing. However 56% of the travel agencies

undertake to arrange for the entire package including entry, exit, transport, accommodation and

sightseeing. Overall, travel agencies seem to be reaping only, a marginal benefit from the growth

of the tourism industry in the state in general and the city in particular.

'The travel agencies could not furnish me with a list of accurate number of tourists whom they

serviced in the last few years. Instead average annual number of tourists visiting Kolkata through

the agency was listed. It is seen that 36% of the travel agencies receive one hundred to two

hundred tourists on an average over a year while another 36% receive two hundred to three

hundred tourists on an average over a year. Only 20% of the agencies receive an annual average

of three hundred to five hundred tourists while none receives above five hundred. The figures

indicate the travel agencies of Kolkata do only a moderate business of incoming tourism.

However in this estimate, one important point needs to be borne in mind. Kolkata is the leading

metropolis in eastern and north eastern India and hence receives considerable volume of business

tourists. But this figure may not be reflected in the business of the travel agencies because most

leading companies have their own in house travel department to arrange for business travels of

their executives and may also arrange for mass holiday packages for other employees. Leaving

aside this issue, if we examine the figures volunteered by travel agencies, tourism in Kolkata is

functioning only with moderate efficiency. The travel agencies further said that 92% of their

business concerns leisure travel and only 48% concerns business travel. The last figure is rather

disappointing given the fact that Kolkata is a commercial center first and a tourist attraction

second. The existence of in house travel departmnent in most major companies explains the low

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volume of business tourism handled by the travel agencies. The West Bengal Government aims

at building up Kolkata as a convention city of international standard. The guidelines for

constructing such convention centers have been clearly laid down in the Tourism poliy and even

the land has been earmarked. The idea of floating convention center has also found great favour.

In view of all these the volume of business is expected to increase providing a much needed

opportunity to the travel agencies.

Table X.4 Average annual number of tourists received by selected travel agencies of Kolkata

Average amiual Percentage of travel

number of tourists agencies

Less than 100 8

100 to 200 36

200 to 300 36

300 to 500 20

Above 500 0

Source : Primary survey

Closely related to the volume of tourist traffic handled by the travel agencies is the number of

incoming tours arranged by the agency during a year and the average group size. The majority of

surveyed travel agencies amounting to 56% responded that they arrange on an average 5 to 10

tours in a year. Only 28% of the travel agencies arrange 10 to 15 tours in a year and 16% arrange

less than 5 tours. As has been discussed earlier ticketing has taken up a disproportionate amount

of investment of the travel agencies because it is easy and the profit has no time lag, hence the

agencies are showing less interest in actually organizing and marketing toms. So the number of

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~ours organized is tending to be low to moderate. The average group size for 88% of the travel

agencies is less than twenty. The rest 12% of the travel agencies receive groups of 20 to 30

people and none exceed this number. Calculating from this, the total volume of tourist trade

seems only moderate. We should remember that kolkata as the primary metropolis is supposed to

act as the gateway to eastern and north-eastern India. If tourism trade is only moderate here, it

does not bode well for the rest of the region.

In order to popularize tourism a precisely targeted marketing policy is necessary. For this purpose

the source countries of tourists need to be identified. According to the travel agencies which were

surveyed 26% of all the tourists come from Bangladesh. The reason is not far to seek. Every year

hundreds of Bangladeshis cross the border and come to Kolkata in search of advanced medical

treatment. Some of them take this opportunity to do some sightseeing probably because of the

strong underlying cultural bond.

21.9% of the tourists originate from U.K and 2.7% from other countries of Europe. Historical

bonds account for this. United States of America also contributes a sizeable 15.1% tourists -

their interest being in both nature and culture. 6.8% of tourists come from U.A.E, Dubai and the

middle-east. With the huge migration of Indian workers to these countries, the mutual bond has

strengthened and tourism has increased. Similarly, 6.8% of the tourists come from Nepal and

Bhutan and mostly for business purposes.

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 X.5 Services Offered by selected travel agencies of Kolkata
Services ottered by travel
agencies

X.6 Average annual number of tourists received by selected travel agencies of

X.7 Purpose of travel of tourists catered to by selected travel agencies of Kolkata

Q BUSINESS
■ LEISURE

Source : Primary Data

 . X.8 Average number of incoming tours arranged by selected travel agencies of
Ikata

X.9 Average group size catered to by travel agencies of Kolkata

Percentage of travel agencies

LESS THAN 20 20 TO 30 30 TO 50
Average group size

X 10 Type of tourist spots preferred by tourists catered to by selected travel agencies

o.kata

□ SEA
B HILL

□ FOREST

□ HISTORICAL / CULTURAL /
RELIGIOUS
■ NOT APPLICABLE

Source : Primary data

Apart from these, small proportion of tourists also comes from South Eastern Asia, Japan and

Australia. All These source regions should be carefully nurtured to fully realize the tourism

potential.

The travel agencies tried to isolate the basic problems and difficulties which are inhibiting the

growth of tourism industry of West Bengal in general and Kolkata in particular. 48% of the

agencies were vociferous in identifying the most detrimental factor - local politics. The

atmosphere of unrest, political change and turmoil has created such an atmosphere of insecurity

that tourists do not feel safe. It is the failure of the entire political machinery that it has been

unable to provide a safe, secure and stable environment which is inviting to the tourists. Instead

the frequent “Bandhs” and the tendency to block major roads in protest against any issue under

die sun plays havoc with the. carefully constructed schedule of the tourists. Both foreign and

domestic tourists invest lot of time and money in their tours. If the tour is thrown off schedule

due to political whims, it creates a negative image. This becomes ingrained after a period of time

and tourism suffers serious blow. “Rail Roko”, “ chakka jam”, “aborodh” - i.e. the various means

of disabling the transport system sends an extremely discouraging message to the tourists. Added

to these is the recent spate of strikes among the pilots of some major airlines which left tourists

stranded. In such a situation, travel agencies have to bear at least a part of the extra cost and the

entire hassle in arranging alternatives. It creates an additional burden of risk. Naturally the

agencies regard political disturbance as the major hindrance to their business.

24% of the travel agencies sited poor infrastructure and 8% mentioned poor maintenance.

Transport as well as reasonably priced good accommodation is both compromised in our state. A

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 . X.l 1 Countries of origin of the tourists catered to by selected travel agencies of
4kata

□ OTHERS
■ EUROPE
□ AUSTRALIA
□ JAPAN
•

□ NEPAL / BHUTAN
v
tourists

■ S.E.ASIA
vV i •

□ UAE
•

□ BANGLADESH
O UK
□ USA

X. 12 Problems of development of tourism in Kolkata as opined by selected travel

icies of Kolkata

□ Fblitics
■ Fbor investment
□ Poor infrastructure
□ Natural factors
■ Negative impression
□ Poor maintenance
□ Others

X 13 Problems faced by travel agencies of Kolkata

□ No suggestions
■ None
□ Seasonal nature of activity
□ Competition
■ Increase in cost
□ Supply problem

Source : Primary data

high volume of tourist traffic cannot be matched with the current level of supply. Added to this is

:he poor investment on the part of the government in every sphere. The economy of the state is

not at a very thriving stage. The limited funds are often used for the more urgent needs and

tourism infrastructure is neglected. It is a painstaking and long - drawn process to build up a

tourist friendly atmosphere but the travel agencies complain that there is not even an willingness

to build up a tourist friendly reputation. Hence 8% of the travel agencies named a negative image

and impression as the greatest stumbling block to developing tourism in Kolkata and West

Bengal. Added to Dominique Lapieres description of a city of filth crowd and pestilence, Kolkata

now has to deal with a reputation of a city of political instability, change and eccentricity. Travel

agencies rightly mourn that it is becoming more and more difficult to market this city as a tourist-

haven.

Added to the above factors are some natural factors that prove detrimental to the growth of

tourism. Heat, humidity, pollution, dirt, noisiness, low standard of hygiene and sanitation has all

contributed towards creating an image of a city of squalor. 24% of the travel agencies regarded

these natural factors as a major barrier to the growth of tourism. The heavy rainfall during the

monsoons, the hot sultry weather during most of the year discourages tourists and shortens the

tourist season to the few cooler months of the year. However, Kolkata has gained a rather

unsavoury reputation of being the hotbed of some of the most life, threatening diseases like

malignant malaria, cholera and dengue fever. This is extremely discouraging for tourism.

The natural and the cultural factors act together to create a negative impression of the city. An

analysis of the major tourist spots of Kolkata have shown that they still rely on word-of-the-

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mouth as the major means of publicity. Hence an uncomfortable visit or an unpleasant experience

is not suitable for further growth of tourism. The Travel agencies have to continuously fight with

:his poor impression and to reassure the travelers several times. So, selling a package tour

becomes something of a challenge.

Finally, travel agencies cited certain miscellaneous problems like lack of new destinations, delay

in implementation of government projects, paucity of funds, inadequate accommodation facilities

and few international flights which also cause a fall in the tourist trade. 8% of the travel agencies

identified these miscellaneous problems as the major detrimental factors in the growth of

tourism.

In the above situation, the survival of the travel agencies becomes a struggle. So the travel

agencies were asked to highlight the specific problems faced by them. While 12% of the

respondents failed to identify any specific problems, 8% denied that any problem existed at all.

These travel agencies said that only the normal risks and competition of a business exists and no

particulars problem can be identified. However the rest of the respondents differed from this

point of view. An overwhelming majority amounting to 60% of the respondents pointed out the

intense competition. Considering the total number of tourists visiting Kolkata, the number of

travel agencies is quite high. This has resulted in a highly competitive atmosphere, pushing many

of the smaller travel agencies to the brink of extinction. On the one hand, a healthy competition is

the hallmark of a well-adjusted economy ensuring the best quality of servie to the tourists. It also

leads to designing innovative tour packages at optimum price. However, in competition with the

international giants like Thomas Cook and Sita, the national and particularly the local agencies

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may be forced out of the market. In order to survive, most of these agencies in question have

developed a niche market, either specializing in particular destination or, more often,

concentrating on cache of customers and depending largely on word-of-the-mouth to survive.

The competitiveness of the travel agencies are complicated many times by the hike in prices as

pointed out by 16% of the respondents. While the travel agencies have to offer highly

competitive prices to survive in the market, on the other hand, their margin is being steadily

eroded by the increasing prices. The situation has come more serious in view of current inflation,

hike in oil prices and in items of daily consumption. 24% of the travel agencies added the

deficiencies on the supply side as another problem. Transport, accommodation, infrastructure and

entertainment have all become either expensive or inadequate or substandard. Travel agencies as

intermediaries have to bear the displeasure of the tourists. They have to assuage their fears and

deliver the service regardless of the irregularity of supply. Since word-of-mouth is the base of the

business trade agencies, repeated failure to deliver the promised service may be fatal to them.

Acting as intermediaries, travel agencies need to be backed by a strong supply line to maintain

credibility. So irregularity of supply is a real and pressing problem of the travel agencies.

Finally, 12% of the travel agencies mentioned the seasonal nature of their business as a major

problem. This feature is actually common to all tourism related activities as Tourism itself is

seasonal in nature. In Kolkata the tourist season is not very long, concentrated only in the few

cooler months of the year. This reduces the scope of business of the travel agencies and makes

the competition more acute, imparting both a spatial and a temporal context to it.

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5-X.14 Suggestions to improve tourism in Kolkata as opined by selected travel agencies

□ Tourism fair
■ Introduction of package tours
□ Popularise local heritage
□ Introducing new destinations
■ Improving infrastructure
□ Increasing cleanliness
■ Better planning
□ More investment
■ Government intervention
□ More publicity
□ No suggestions

■X.15 Suggestions regarding the role of travel agencies in improving tourism in

kata

Source : Primary Data

Since the travel agencies deal on a hands-on basis with both the tourists and the. suppliers of

tourism commodities, they are in a fit position to put forward suggestions to improve the tourist

:rade. 16% of the agencies however could not put forward any concrete suggestion. Apart from

them a large majority (44%) were in favour of launching new destinations. They pointed out that

dusters of small weekend getaway spots would make marketing of Kolkata easier. From this we

can infer that Kolkata does not have much attraction for the tourists unless it is clubbed with few

other spots or it offers some exotic activity. Such activity may include the new Ganga heritage

cruise which will take passengers from Kolkata to Varanasi with halts along the way at historical

spots. Travel agencies welcome this effort.

/

The need for greater and more innovative publicity is almost universally recognized by the

agencies. 12% of the travel agencies pointed out the need for publicity. Another 12% were more

specific and suggested that tourism fairs and festivals are necessary. The Tourism department of

the State Government should take a more pro-active part, organizing more tourism fairs - not

only in Kolkata but also in the various districts to attract more tourists. It is their responsibility to

provide a forum where all the concerned parties of tourism can meet and mingle. This is

necessary to ensure a free flow of information which will improve the quality of the tourism

product. The Government should also participate more in national and international tourism fairs

to promote the tourist destinations of our state.

In fact, from the various suggestions of the travel agencies, the reliance on the government’s

initiative comes out clearly. 8% of the respondents were in favour of direct government

232 r
interference. 8% of of the respondents emphasized on the need of better tourism planning. 4%

oointed out the need for better infrastructure - mostly related to transport and 4% demanded a

huge boost of investment to revive the sector. So we see an overwhelming hope concentrated on

the government action. Even the preservation of heritage as demanded by 8% of the travel

agencies is actually the responsibility of the government.

Table X.5 : Suggestions put forward by travel agencies to improve tourism in Kolkata

Suggestions to improve tourism Percentage of travel agencies

No suggestions 16

More publicity 12

Government intervention 8

More investment 4

Better planning 8

Increasing cleanliness 8

Improving infrastructure 4

Introducing new destinations 44

Popularize local heritage 8

' Introduction of package tours 12

Tourism fair 12

Source : Primary survey

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The analysis of the expectations of travel agencies reveal that the development of tourism is

being regarded almost entirely the responsibility of the government. When asked what role the

travel agencies themselves can play in promoting tourism in Kolkata, the replies still tended to

emphasize the leading role of the government. While 44% of the respondents failed to volunteer

any suggestions, 24% said that agencies should collaborate with the tourism department to bring

about all round development. Another 36% advocated close interaction among the agencies as

well as with the government to develop new tourist packages at competitive rates. 4% even

considered joint ventures with the government to develop new satellite spots around Kolkata.

From the above analysis it is clear that tourism is still at a fledgling stage in our state where it

needs the constant maturing and protection of the government. The 'forces of capitalistic

economy are yet to act in this sector making it innovative and competitive. Thus at present, travel

agencies have only a small supportive role to play in developing tourism in the state. However, it

does remain their responsibility to build up on attractive image and aid the government. The

larger agencies should also consider capital investment in joint venture with the government. An

enthusiastic participation from every involved party is necessary to build up a viable tourism
f

sector in the state.

Reference:

Gill Pushpinder S. (1997); Tourism - Planning and management. Anmol publications Pvt. Ltd.,

New Delhi

Hayward Peter (2004); Leisure and tourism. Heinemann educational publishers, Oxford

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 Rao Nina, Suresh K.T. (2001); Domestic tourism in India, Edited by Ghimire Krishna B., Tbe

native tourist; mass tourism within developing countries, Earthscan publications Ltd., London

Sarkar A.K. (2003); Indian tourism; management, motivation and mobility. Rajat publications,

New Delhi

Seaton A.V., Bennett M.M. (1996); Marketing tourism products; concepts, issues and cases.

International Thomson business press, London

Sethi Praveen (1999); Nature and scope of tourism. Rajat Publications, New Delhi

Sharma Shashi Prabha (2004); Tourism education; principles, theories and practices. Kanishka

Publishers, distributors, New Delhi

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