Classification of Hotels - Based on Size

Classification on the basis of size refers to the number of rooms (bed capacity) and should not be confused with the building height, or the area of the property, or the gross sales etc. The term number of rooms refers to the let-able rooms and does not include those rooms which are convened for other use such as for manager, house keeper, accounts etc. and rooms on the ground floor and basement which are generally used for offices, rentals, support services or other operational facilities leased for businesses and associations.

Usually the distribution is,

(i) a hotel of 25 rooms or less is called a small hotel

(ii) one with 26 to 99 rooms is an average hotel

(iii) from: 100 to 299 it is called as above average

(iv) a hotel of more than 300 rooms is classified as a large hotel.

Types of Rooms

1. SINGLE ROOM (SR) or (-): A room that has one single bed meant to accommodate one person.
2. DOUBLE ROOM (DR) or (+): A room that has one double bed meant to accommodate one or two persons.
3. TWIN ROOM (T) or (=): A room that has two single beds separated from each other and meant to accommodate two persons.
4. TWIN DOUBLE ROOM: A room that has two double beds separated from each other and meant to accommodate four persons. Usually meant for families & also known as family room or double double
5. HOLLYWOOD ROOM: A room that has two single beds separated from each other but with a single head board meant to accommodate two persons.
6. PARLOUR: A sitting or a living room not used as bedroom.
7. STUDIO ROOM: A parlour set up with one studio bed (sofa cum bed).
8. SUITE: It is a parlour set up connected with one or more bedrooms and is of the costliest accommodation in the hotel because the room size is larger then other rooms, offer more privacy to the occupants, more facilities and more amenities are provided. A typical decor or furnishing is done along with the colour scheme. Particular views that the room overlooks provides the name to the suite.
9. JUNIOR SUITE: A large room with a partition separating the living room furnishing with the bedroom.
10. DUPLEX ROOM: A set of rooms not at the same level and connected by an internal stairway. Generally the parlour and one bedroom may be on one floor and the other bedroom on the other floor.
11. EFFICIENCY ROOM: A room that has kitchen facilities attached with it. These rooms are found in motels, resorts, and residential hotels.
12. HOSPITALITY ROOM: It is a parlour with additional facilities used by the hotel guest to entertain his guests, usually charged on hourly basis.
13. INTERCONNECTING ROOM: Two rooms adjacent to each other having an interconnecting door allowing entry from one room to other without having to go out into the corridor.
14. CABANA ROOM: This room is found near the swimming pool. It is attractively furnished, it also has a bar and additional supplies of towels are provided in this room,
15. PENT-HOUSE: A set of rooms situated on the top most floor of the hotel and is one of the costliest accommodations. Patronised by people who would like to stay for longer duration in the hotel. It is provided with kitchen and servants quarters and a separate passage. A small garden is also provided. Part of the room is open to the sky,
16. LANAI ROOM: Room overlooking the view of waterfall or natural scenery.

Hotel Core Areas : Introduction to Tourism, Hospitality & Hotel Industry

There are various departments of a hotel which help in the smooth and efficient operation of the hotel. All these departments work in close liaison for the hotel to operate in a good condition so as to achieve management’s pre-defined goals and objectives.

The major four departments of hotels are:

• Housekeeping Department
• Food and Beverage Service Department
• Food Production or Kitchen Department
• Front Office Department

These four departments are the operational departments of the hotel known as the Core Areas of the Hotel. But not only operational department but secondary department also plays a significant role to ensure general administration of hotel and they are:

• Sales and marketing
• Personal and human resources
• Account and finance
• Security and engineering
• Purchase and store

1. House Keeping Department

The housekeeping department is responsible for management of guest rooms and the cleanliness of all public areas of the hotel. A close liaison between housekeeping and front office is essential so that the information about guest- rooms is kept up to date. In simple words, Housekeeping means up-keeping the house.

2. Food and Beverage Service Department

Food and beverage department are one of the main service oriented and crucial department of the hotel. It renders the services of prepared food items, beverages, and tobacco in a hospitable way to the customer as per their demand.

The food and beverage department put forward the world class service of food and drink. The services that food and beverages provide may be a coffee shop, bars, lounges, speciality restaurants, banqueting, and room service etc.

3. Food Production Department

A kitchen is a well designed closed area with skilful chefs and all necessary equipment, tools and utensils liable for preparing food items as per guest orders followed by standard recipes. It is a skilled food production team which prepares food items as per the guest orders. It prepares food according to the menu and there are two types of menu.

4. Front Office Department

The front office department is the most visible department in a hotel. The focal point of activity within the front office is the reception desk. The reception desk is usually the place in which guest make the first impression of the hotel. It is also the communication centre of the hotel. Since it is the first and last point of guest contact with the hotel the hotel spends a lump sum amount of money to make it look more luxurious and beautiful. We can see in most of the hotel’s front office or the entrance point of the hotel is decorated and made luxurious in every way. It is also the communication centre for the hotel operation. Front office department plays an important role in image building of a hotel.

The reception desk includes front office cashier, information, and registration section. The other section of the front office is telephone operator, reservation and business centre. Every section of the front office has their own functions.

The functions of different front office sections are as follows:

Reservation

A request for accommodation by the guest in a hotel for any particular period is called reservation. Reservationist are the employees responsible for accepting or rejecting the reservations made by the guests from different modes such as telephone, e-mail, fax, letters, etc

Registration

This section of the front office is responsible for the warm and friendly reception of all guest. Staffs working in this section are known as a receptionist. Receptionist are the staff who have a direct contact with the guest, thus they should pose an amiable personality with high-level o grooming at all the times.

Telephone Operator

This is the separate section under front office department which is located on the back side of the hotel. They are connected to the front desk and cannot be seen by the guest. A telephone operator is an employee in this section, responsible for handling all incoming and outgoing guest call and hotel calls. Telephone operator is responsible for posting of all charges incurred by the guests and the hotel employees while making out calls.

Information Section

This is another section under front office department, which is located at the visible part of lobby separately within the lobby area or joined together with the front desk. This section is responsible for providing information related to the hotel, rooms, and facilities and about the city or towns where the hotel is located. Information centre of the front office is also responsible for handling guest mails and messages.

Front Office Cashier

This section of the front office is located at the front desk. Front office cashier, working in this section is responsible for updating guest bills, keeping up to date cash and credit transactions of the guest and get them settled before the guest departure. Front office cashier should ensure the timely collection of all guest bills from different outlets and posts them in respective folios in case if the Front Office is not computerised.

Business centre

Modern technology has changed the pace of information system. People can do their job in a home country from far countries. The role of fax, photocopying and secretarial work is deemed important t to provide these types of services to the guest. There may be demand for guest to translate and interpret services as well as the hire of laptops, computers, and portable telephones in their rooms. The responsibility of such type of services comes under business services. The arrangement of meeting rooms, conferences, is also one of the duties of business centre staff. It the hotel has many none – English speaking guests , then bilingual secretaries may be required in the business centre.

Hotels, Their Evolution and Growth : Introduction to Tourism, Hospitality & Hotel Industry

HOTELS

As per the Hotel Proprietors Act, 1956, a hotel is an “Establishment held out by the proprietor as offering food, drink and if so required, sleeping accommodation, without special contract to any traveller presenting himself who appears able and willing to pay a reasonable sum for the services and facilities provided and who is in a fit state to be received.” As a result of this definition establishments such as Hospitals, Hostels, Apartments and Prisons, although provide accommodation to people yet do not come under Hotels.

Common Law states that a “Hotel is a place where all who conduct themselves properly, and who being able to pay and ready to pay for their entertainment, are received, if there be accommodation for them, and who without any stipulated engagement as to the duration of their stay or as to the rate of compensation, are while there, supplied at a reasonable cost with their meals, lodging and other services and attention as are necessarily incident to the use as a temporary home.”

A hotel may be called as an establishment where primary business is to provide to the general public lodging facilities and which may also furnish one or more of the various services such as food, beverage, laundry, uniformed services etc. Hence, hotel can also be called as home multiplied by commercial activities.

As per the Reader’s Digest Dictionary the term ‘Hotel’ refers to ‘a house of entertainment of travellers’.

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica the word ‘Hotel’ is of ancient origin, but its use in English for a house offering lodging and food for travellers is recent. The Hostlers of London took the name of Inn-keeping in 1473. The word ‘Hostler’ or ‘Ostler’ having come to mean an inn servant. 

The term ‘Hotel’ was used in England in about 1760. Hotel or inn is defined by British law as a “place where a bonafide traveller can receive food and shelter, provided he is in a position to pay for and is in a fit condition to be received”.

A hotel or an inn may also be defined as an establishment whose primary business is providing lodging facilities for the general public and which furnishes one or more of the following services a) Food and Beverage service b) Room service c) Uniformed service d) Laundry service and d) use of furniture and fixture etc.

In legal terminology a hotel is an inn and is required under common law to offer to its visitors lodging, food and protection to their baggage. Hotel service is generally based on these three fundamental necessity of life. In addition to these a modern hotel provides its visitors many luxuries of modern urban city living, all under one roof.

HISTORY OF HOTELS AND ACCOMMODATION INDUSTRY AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT

Early history of accommodation for travellers can be traced back to the Greek word ‘Xenia’, which not only meant hospitality but also the protection given to a traveller from discomforts. The city was bound to offer hospitality. In Sparta city, although due to rigorous customs visitors were not encouraged, yet goddess Athena was considered as protector of strangers and hence her name was ‘Xenia Athena’.

In this period travellers were mainly diplomats, philosophers, intellectuals and researchers. Guests were invited to stay with noblemen. In ancient Olympia, buildings constructed with the aim to accommodate strangers can be seen. They were called ‘Leonidio’ and were built in 4th century BC. The concept of hospitality can also be drawn back to ancient times. Mention of it is found in ‘Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer.

Hotel-keeping can also be traced back to many centuries and its evolution through the ages has been brought about by Britain’s economical and industrial changes and developments.

During the seventh and eighth centuries, it was the monasteries that supplied hospitality to strangers and, as no charge was made for the accommodation, all travellers were expected to contribute according to their means to the Abbey funds. As more people began to travel they grouped themselves together, not only for company, but for mutual protection from highwaymen and robbers. Consequently, travellers arrived in groups at a monastery and it was often difficult to accommodate them all. In the early 19th century the concept of a hotel room was a sitting room in the front, a bedroom behind it and a store room to keep trunks behind the bedroom and this century is known as “Golden Age of Hotel of Hotels in Great Britain and the World”, To overcome this, separate lodging houses called ‘Inns’ (a Saxon word) were built. The word ‘lnn’ came to mean a ‘Lodging House’ and until the passing of the Hotel Proprietors Act in 1956, it was the legal term for ‘Hotel’ and hotel proprietors were legally referred to as ‘Common Innkeepers’. ‘Common’ in this sense referred to Common Law.

In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, manor houses, being hospitable places. willingly gave accommodation to travellers. As no payment was expected, travellers tipped the servants as a ‘thank you’ for the generous hospitality received-thus the practice of tipping was born.

When high taxes crippled the generosity and hospitality of the owners of the manor houses, many became commercial inns. During Elizabeth the First’s reign, posting houses were established and travellers, in addition to getting refreshment were able to change horses before continuing their Journey.

The turn of the century saw an era that was called the ‘Belle Epoch’ when the grand and luxurious hotels flourished. A few hotels are still operating today. In London and some other cities attempts have been made to recapture some of the grandeur of the past era in the making of modern hotels, and bring back the memories the grand hotels of olden days.

The next stage in the cycle of evolution of the hotel industry was the coming of the motor car. It enabled people to visit those parts of the country which could not be reached by railways. This gave birth to inland resorts and the hotel industry began to flourish.

International air travel has helped create the modern ‘stop-over’ hotel. With the increase in this form of travel, the number of hotels built close to airports has multiplied.

Another trend in hotel-keeping is the motel which is the twentieth-century version of the old ‘Coach Inn’. People travelling the country by car, stopping overnight here and there, require not only refreshment for themselves, but also safe parking for their cars. Post Houses developed by the Trust Houses Forte Group are in fact the modern version of the old coaching inns. Great Britain is considered as “Motherland of Hotel Industry.”

Hospitality and its origin : Introduction to Tourism, Hospitality & Hotel Industry

INTRODUCTION

Hospitality is treating people like you would want to be treated when you are travelling. In other words, it means making a tourist feel totally welcome not only as your guest, but also as the guest of the complete family of the Hotel. Hospitality is genuine smiling face.

Hospitality can be termed as a deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and the public i.e., the business of making and keeping friends, and promoting an atmosphere of better understanding. As per the Oxford Dictionary Hospitality is defined as “Reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers with liberality and goodwill.” The word hospitality is derived from the Latin word “Hospitalitias”

Very frequently we hear phrases like “He is always hospitable to his visitors”, “We are grateful to friends for their hospitality in putting us up while we were on holiday”, “She is so inhospitable that she grudges giving us anything to eat or drink when we visit her”, etc. All such statements are suggesting a positive or negative attitude of welcome towards visitors; friends or strangers. Hospitality activity covers everything providing attentive and courteous services, facilities and amenities to a traveller, meeting and greeting him at the door, providing efficient and caring service of food and beverage to him in his room i.e., providing “A Home away from Home”, and making his visit a memorable and pleasant experience.

Reception, welcome and, in general, the treatment of a guest or a stranger in the most friendly manner is Hospitality. In most of the countries all over the world a guest is received with a great amount of courtesy and warmth and is provided with entertainment. The basic concept of Hospitality is to make the guest feel that he has come amongst friends and that GUESTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. Although the basic concept of hospitality has remained the same, yet with the passage of time and development of technology and science, the needs and wants of travellers have changed greatly thus providing numerous services and facilities in terms of accommodation and other basic needs such as food and beverages. In olden days kings, lords, maharajas, landlords and sometimes the panchayats used to provide food and shelter to travellers and their animals free of charge and it used to be a benevolent activity. But with the passage of time it has not only remained a benevolent activity but has also become a flourishing business.

A part of hospitality activity is being attentive, alert, and cordial with the guest without forcing yourself and your ideas on him, and at the same time being very polite and cooperative. All those working in hospitality industry have one common objective “Creating an image of friendly reception and treatment” for guests and visitors.

As front office personnel, the hotel staff, in order to provide hospitality, should make his guests feel at home and use a pleasant tone of voice smilingly, and offer his assistance wherever possible. Don’t ignore the guest, and don’t be abrupt no matter how busy you are anticipate his needs and wants and provide the same without his asking them-this should be the motto.

As a hotelier, keep on checking the hospitality attitude of your organisation. Make a check list and be sure that you and your staff are fulfilling each and every point of the check list. The check list may include areas such as front desk and lobby, etc. Make sure that the front desk is always kept clean, orderly and well lighted. Even the stationery used should be so designed that it does not create confusion and clearly indicates how it is to be filled in. and should be inviting. The lobby should be kept clean and furniture kept at proper place. Lighting system should be soft and appealing. The welcome spirit that the guest is looking for should be there. Floor covering, pictures, furnishing, etc. should be appealing, attractive and aesthetically designed.

Further, the check list should include the intangibles such as training of the staff and willingness and positive attitude of the staff. The arriving guest is always greeted with a smile and proper salutation to show interest in his trip and his well being. Hospitality means anticipating and satisfying a guest’s needs.

ORIGINS OF HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

Early travellers were either warriors or traders or people in search of knowledge and there were no hotels. Warriors and conquerors pitched their tents for accommodation while traders and persons travelling for knowledge placed a high value on hospitality and sometimes traded their merchandise for lodging.

Inn keeping can be said to be the first commercial enterprise and hospitality one of the first service for which money was exchanged. Inns of the Biblical times offered only a cot or a bench in the comer. Guests stayed in large communal rooms with no sanitation and privacy. The rates were, of course, reasonable. The company was rough. Travellers shared the same quarters with their horses and animals.

King James Version of Bible mentions that Mary and Joseph were turned away by a Bethlehem innkeeper, because there was “no room at the inn”. According to Biblical scholars the innkeeper may have meant that the room was unsuitable for a woman about to give birth to a child. At that time, and probably for several centuries after that, men and women shared ‘ the same accommodation accompanied by their horses and livestock. The stable where Mary and Joseph spent the night was probably almost as comfortable as an inn and at the same time certainly more private than the inn itself.

In the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire developed an extensive network of brick paved roads throughout Europe and Asia Minor, and a chain of roadside lodges was constructed along the major thoroughfare from Spain to Turkey. Till the Industrial Revolution of the 1700s, no significant improvement was made in the inns and taverns and they were not very suitable for aristocrats. To accommodate wealthy travellers, luxurious structures were constructed with private rooms, individual sanitation and comforts of an European castle. These elegant new establishments adopted the French word for mansion-‘Hotel’. Their rates were beyond the reach of an ordinary person.

In America, early inns were modelled after European taverns with sleeping quarters shared by two or more guests.

Herman Melville in his novel Moby Dick has mentioned a seaman who checked into a room of a nineteenth century inn and next morning woke up to find out that he was sharing the bed with a cannibal. Sharing beds was a very common practice in early American and European inns. Throughout the 1800s American innkeepers improved their services and continued to build larger and more amply equipped properties and most of these properties were located near seaport towns.

The tendency of Americans to travel more provided an inspiration to lodging operators. The nation’ s democratic spirit also led to the development of comfortable and sanitary lodging within the reach of an ordinary person.

Hospitality Industry can be broadly defined as the collection of businesses providing accommodation and/or food and beverages to people who are away from home.

Classification of Hotels

Classification is based on many criteria and classifying hotels into different types is not an easy task. The hotel industry is so vast that many hotels do not fit into single well defined category. Industry can be classified in various ways, based on location, size of property etc.

1. Based on location

• City centre: Generally located in the heart of city within a short distance from business centre, shopping arcade. Rates are normally high due to their location advantages.They have high traffic on weekdays and the occupancy is generally high.
  
• Example: Taj Mahal, Mumbai

• Motels: They are located primarily on highways, they provide lodging to highway travellers and also provide ample parking space. The length of stay is usually overnight.

• Suburban hotels: They are located in suburban areas, it generally have high traffic on weekend. It is ideal for budget travellers. In this type of hotel rates are moderately low.

• Airport hotels: These hotels are set up near by the airport. They have transit guest who stay over between flights.  

• Resort hotels: They are also termed as health resort or beach hill resort and so depending on their position and location. They cater a person who wants to relax, enjoy themselves at hill station. Most resort work to full capacity during peak season. Sales and revenue fluctuate from season to season.

: As name implies these hotels are established on luxury liners or ship. It is located on river, sea or big lakes. In cruise ships, rooms are generally small and all furniture is fixed down. It has long stay guest.



2. Based on Size of Property



The main yardstick for the categorisation of hotel is by size the number of rooms
available in the hotel.
• Small hotel: hotel with 100 rooms and less may be termed as small hotels.
• Medium sized hotel: hotel which has 100-300 rooms is known as medium sized hotel.
• Large hotels: hotel which have more than 300 rooms are termed as large hotels.
• Mega hotels: are those hotels with more than 1000 rooms.
• Chain hotels: these are the group that have hotels in many number of location in India and international venues.



3. Based on the Level of Service



Hotels may be classified into economy, and luxury hotels on the basis of the level of
service they offer.




• Economy/ Budget hotels: These hotels meet the basic need of the guest by providing comfortable and clean room for a comfortable stay.
• Mid market hotels: It is suite hotel that offers small living room with appropriate furniture and small bed room with king sized bed.
• Luxury hotels: These offer world class service providing restaurant and lounges, concierge service, meeting rooms, dinning facilities. Bath linen is provided to the guest and is replaced accordingly. These guest rooms contains furnishing, artwork etc. prime market for these hotels are celebrities, business executives and high ranking political figures. Example: Hyatt Regency, New Delhi.



4. Based on the Length of Stay

Hotel can be classified into transient, residential and semi residential hotels depending
on the stay of a guest.



• Transient Hotel: These are the hotel where guest stays for a day or even less, they are usually five star hotels. The occupancy rate is usually very high. These hotels are situated near airport.
• Residential hotels: These are the hotel where guest can stay for a minimum period of one month and up to a year. The rent can be paid on monthly or quarterly basis. They provide sitting room, bed room and kitchenette.
• Semi residential hotels: These hotels incorporate features of both transient and residential hotel.

5. Based on Theme

Depending on theme hotel may be classified into Heritage hotels, Ecotels, Boutique
hotels and Spas.
• Heritage hotel: In this hotel a guest is graciously welcomed, offered room that have their own history, serve traditional cuisine and are entertained by folk artist. These hotels put their best efforts to give the glimpse of their region. Example: Jai Mahal palace in Jaipur.
• Ecotels : these are environment friendly hotels these hotel use eco friendly items in the room. Example: Orchid Mumbai is Asia first and most popular five star ecotel.
• Boutique hotels: This hotel provides exceptional accommodation, furniture in a themed and stylish manner and caters to corporate travellers. Example: In India the park Bangalore is a boutique hotel.

• Spas: is a resort which provide therapeutic bath and massage along with other features of luxury hotels in India Ananda spa in Himalaya are the most popular Spa. 

6. Based on Target Market


• Commercial hotel: They are situated in the heart of the city in busy commercial areas so as to get good and high business. They cater mostly businessmen.
• Convention hotels: These hotels have large convention complex and cater to people attending a convention, conference
  Example: Le meridian, Cochin, is a hotel with largest convention centre in south India.
• Resort hotels: These leisure hotels are mainly for vacationers who want to relax and enjoy with their family. The occupancy varies as per season. The atmosphere is more relaxed. These are spread out in vast areas so many resorts have solar powered carts for the transport of guest.
• Suite hotels: These hotel offer rooms that may include compact kitchenette. They cater to people who are relocating act as like lawyers, executives who are away from home for a long business stay.



• Casino hotels: Hotel with predominantly gambling facilities comes under this category, they have guest room and food and operation too. These hotels tend to cater leisure and vacation travellers. Gambling activities at some casino hotels operate 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.
Example: Las Vegas in United State is Famous for Casino hotels.


 

• Boatels: A house boat hotels is referred as boatels. The shikaras of Kashmir and kettuvallam of kerala are houseboats in India which offers luxurious accommodation to travellers.

Rotels: These novel variants are hotel on wheel. Our very own "palace on wheels" and "Deccan Odessey" are trains providing a luxurious hotel atmosphere. Their interior is done like hotel room. They are normally used by small group of travellers.

. THE SUMIT MANWAL BLOG: Classification of Hotels

. THE SUMIT MANWAL BLOG: Classification of Hotels: Classification is based on many criteria and classifying hotels into different types is not an easy task. The hotel industry is so vast t...

Tourism and Its Importance : Introduction to Tourism, Hospitality & Hotel Industry

Tourism is an activity of movement of people that deserves praise of all human being. It can further be called as activity of movement of people (visitors) and activities of the provider (the person or agency which supplies various services and products to the visitors) during the course of the travel. Tourism is temporary movement of people to destinations outside of place of where they normally live and work and their activities during their stay at these destinations. Further tourism can also be called as not only the activities of provider to a visitor but it is also a process involving people and is about people, i.e. knowing people better. It is not only a short time process but is a long term relationship between consumer and provider. This means that the knowledge, skill and attitude are important factors in providing standard services and products matching his requirements. Hence tourism can be called as the process of organised travel. Tourism is theory and practise of travelling. Tourism is a structured break from routine life. It involves a separation from everyday life and offers an entry in to another moral and mental state, where expressive and cultural needs become more important. Hence it may be identified with recreation or renewal of life. It can be considered as a modern ritual in which people “get away from it all”; particularly the usual work world (which include the home as well as the work place) There is an important point in this connection that tourism involves shorter periods in contrast to longer periods of ordinary life. There are basically three phases in tourism (a) the beginning (when the tourist separates/moves out of his home). (b) the middle (the period of his movement when he comes across new places for experiencing change) and (c) the end (the process of his returning to home after the end of the tour).

Definition of Tourism.

Tourism is an activity and is very generic in nature and as such defies a common and a standard definition. Many people and many organisation have defined tourism in various ways. Some of the common yet important definition are given below.

1) Tourism is defined as “the inter-relationships arising from the interaction of a) tourists, b) the suppliers, c) the government of the host destination and d) the residents of the host area destination, in the process of affecting and catering to tourists”.

2) Tourism as a product can be defined as “An amalgam of three main components a) Attractions of the destination b) The facilities of destination and c) The accessibility of it”

3) One of the early definitions given in 1910 by an Austrian economist, ‘HERMAN SCHULLARD’ is ‘Tourism is the sum total of operators, mainly of an economic nature, which directly relate to an entry, stay and movement of foreigners inside and outside of a certain, country, city or region”.

Importance of Tourism

Economic Progress –The tourism industry aids and supports the foreign exchange reserves. It benefits our country in generating foreign currency. Every year a large number of tourists visit India and other places. They visit places; stay and shop in our country. All this contributes to a significant amount of foreign currency generation. Despite global recession, Indian tourism grew 6.9 % to approximately $42 billion in the year 2010.

Source of Income – Tourism is a continual source of income for the public & private income. The government charges various forms of tax that is called government revenue. The income generated through these taxes is the public income. The profit earned by a seller, by selling items like local artifacts, handicraft items, etc, to the tourists is called private income. Tourism also helps in employment generation. It created jobs specifically in hotel industry, hospitality industry, service sector, entertainment and transportation industry.

Development of Infrastructure – Have you ever noticed how the look and status of a place changes when it is declared a tourist place? Actually, tourism aids and encourages infrastructure development by making way for dams, roads, connectivity, airport improvements, and any other activity that helps a tourist in visiting a place in a much better way!

Societal Progress – Tourism is a wonderful method for cultural exchange. It also encourages societal progress as tourists learn to show respect, tolerance and love for each other when they visit new places.

Cultural Heritage –  Tourism helps explain beauty, art, history and culture of our country. Different people visiting any country take beautiful cultural concepts along with them and spread those concepts to others while visiting other places of the world. Similarly, the local skills, languages and art get a wide exposure through tourism.