Report on Technological Challenges and Tourism in India

This report delves into the technological challenges faced by the tourism sector in India. It begins by highlighting the importance of tourism and hospitality to the Indian economy, emphasizing the diversity of attractions and the industry's contribution to employment and GDP. The report then explores the integration of technology, particularly virtual reality, as a means to enhance customer experiences. It identifies challenges such as consumer perception shifts, infrastructure limitations, and the digital divide, which hinder the effective implementation of technological solutions. The analysis underscores the need for strategic adoption of technology to meet evolving consumer demands and drive sustainable growth within the Indian tourism industry, concluding with recommendations for overcoming the identified challenges and leveraging technology to maximize the sector's potential.

Running head: TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
Technological Challenges in Tourism in India
Name of the Student
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1TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Destination and Case Background.............................................................................................2
Importance of Tourism and Hospitality with respect to economy.............................................3
Brief Background of Tourism in India.......................................................................................4
Challenges in tourism in India...................................................................................................5
Implications................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................8
Appendix..................................................................................................................................10

2TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
Introduction
The advent of globalization has not only changed or altered that companies carry out
business, but has also changed the purview of the consumers who are responsible for
sustainability of the companies operating internationally or domestically. Apart from
monopolies every type of market needs to comply with the needs of the consumers and
prioritize the same as the latter can be deemed to be the gateway to achievement of
sustainability (Erjavec, Dmitrović & Bržan 2016). Same applies in the context of the tourism
and hospitality industry. It has been found that the tourism and hospitality sector is an
industry where organisations need to have the highest degree of affiliation with the needs of
the consumers. Furthermore, technological innovation and customer experiences have been
found to be the top factors influencing the operations of companies in the said industry. The
aim of the paper is to critically evaluate the scope of technology-based innovations and the
role of the same in terms of development of positive customer experiences with reference to
the tourism sector of India.
Destination and Case Background
India is vast and is a county and can be considered a country with the highest rank in
diversity quotient across the world (Hoekstra, Happé & Leeuw, 2019). The huge size of India
has resulted in the country being spread over a significant portion of the south eastern of the
earth. As a result of the same, it can be said that there are different climates across the
country which results in a high degree of parity between the climates in different parts of the
country (Ansari, Anis & Jamil, 2018). This, in turn is responsible for the difference in the
physical features throughout the country. While some parts of the county have mountains
plains and plateaus, some part are covered with grasslands, beautiful beaches, forests and vast
array of flora and fauna. Apart from the above-mentioned attractions, there metropolitan

3TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
areas of the country can be considered highly developed offering top hospitality services.
India has some of the best competencies in terms of the hospitality industry and food and
beverages. Amusement parks, heritage sites and various types of leisure experiences are
present in the county offering an array of option that the tourists can choose from.
As mentioned in the case, technology has been recognised as a key driver in
contributing to the sustainability of the tourism sector. With the integration of technological
solution into the tourism industry of a particular location, destination or country, the latter can
be on the providing end of favourable customer experiences and hence, they can be subject to
sustainable nature of outcomes as per the governance related needs of the organisations
(Neuhofer, Buhalis & Ladkin, 2015). It can be said that companies must be able to develop
better solutions for meeting and addressing the needs of the customers regardless of the
industry that they operate in (Neuhofer, Buhalis & Ladkin, 2015). Same applies for the
companies operating in tourism industry. The main users of the services provided by the
industry that is the customers of the products and services providers in the tourism industry
are the tourists. Thus, it is the role of the companies to be able to develop solutions with the
help of which they can provide experiences to the tourists. In current practice, favourable
experiences can be considered the gateway of providing utility to the consumers.
Technological innovation could pose numerous advantages to the operations of the
companies operating in the tourism industry and thus, the scope of the topic must be critically
analysed.
Importance of Tourism and Hospitality with respect to economy
The flora, fauna, industrial infrastructure and the expanse of a country are important
factors that determine the nature of the tourism industry of a country (Arshad, Iqbal &
Shahbaz, 2018). Tourism is an industry that supports the economy of the country.

4TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
Employment is a factor that is driven by the tourism industry (Horng et al., 2016). Factors
such as employment is bolstered with the help of an effective tourism industry in a country
and it in turn bolsters the economy of the tourism destination (Horng et al., 2016). Tourism is
an industry that can be deemed to be growing. Tourism is an industry that can be responsible
as an industry offering considerable amount of effort to the economy of a country alongside
other industries (Horng, Hsu & Tsai, 2018). Thus, it can be said that efforts should be made
by the government of a country to be able to increase the potential of the industry as a whole.
In 2018, the tourism industry contributed significantly to the economy of the India (Taqi
Ajmal & Ansari, 2018). The latter is realised with the help of the employment opportunities
that are provided by the industry. Tourism helps in proving employment opportunities as it
employs the services provided by industries in the hospitality, food and beverages and
leisure. Once, organisations as such are in business, there arises workforce requirements and
as a result of the same, people are recruited and this is a way in which employment
opportunities are provided to the people of the country. Part from this, an attractive tourism
sector attracts foreign direct investment or FDI that generates further employment
opportunities to the people of the country. This is a way in which the national income of the
destination is bolstered which in turn boosts the GDP or of the destination, hence, improving
and helping in the development of the economy of the country. The standard of services and
products offered in the hospitality sector of a country is determined by the nature of the
tourism industry in a country. The quality of services offered in the hospitality industry
further ads up to the value proposition of the tourism industry of a particular destination.
Brief Background of Tourism in India
India can be considered a country that has high cultural diversity. The country is both
culturally diverse and diverse in terms of the geography and biotics components (Venkatesh
& Raj, 2016). The diversity of culture, climate and the vast expanse of the country has helped

5TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
the county in developing features that is viable for supporting a tourism industry in the
country. The tourism industry in the country is segregated into two broad categories that are
international and domestic tourism. Destinations such as Rajasthan, Agra, Goa, Kashmir,
Hyderabad, Varanasi, Haridwar, Kolkata and others have always been the main attractions of
the tourists coming to the country (Venkatesh & Raj, 2016).
The Taj Mahal, the India Gate, Jaipur or the Pink city, the Charminar, the Victoria
memorial have always been the main attractions (Dirlam, Rogers & Weldon, 2019).
However, in recent times other sectors have been effectively bolstered as a result of which the
county has been able to gain effectiveness of throwing light on various other offerings of the
industry. Destinations such as the Kasol, Western and Eastern Ghats, the Dooars national
park, the Sundarbans, the Gir, the white deserts of Gujarat, beaches Visakhapatnam, the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands and others are destinations that are have highly gained
popularity in the recent times and have been recognised as famous attractions in the country
(Venkatesh & Raj, 2016). Thus, hospitality sectors surrounding these destinations are also
gaining prominence as a result of the high degree of variety that is offered by the country.
The factors that are now being marketed and that boost the unique value proposition of the
country are natural coasts of India, the food and beverages industry of the country and the
indigenous people living in the country. Hence, the latter are the main areas the tourism in
India should be considered with at present.
Challenges in tourism in India
With advancement of time, the main challenge that is faced by the tourism industry in
India is the changing perceptions and consumption patterns of consumers. The consumers of
across different demographics are looking for services that provide them the highest amount
of utility. The latter defines the aim of a want satisfying rational individual and same applies

6TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
to the customers in the tourism industry. The main way to maximise the utility in the tourism
industry is through experiences that are provided to the tourist. Hence, it the main challenge
is to comply with the needs that help in generation of experiences with the help of which the
companies in the tourism and hospitality industry can offer value to the tourist in India.
The consumers are looking at new age services in order to maximise the utility that
they are on the receiving end of. Options such as being able to scope the destination before
visiting the place for real using solutions such as Virtual Reality or VR is a potential aspect
that must be contributed on by companies in the industry (Griffin et al., 2017). VR has a high
scope and can be capitalised in the tourism industry in India. However, literacy and
infrastructure still remain the predominant factors hindering the competency of the tourism
industry in the country. Although, the tourism sectors in the of the country contributes to the
economy of the country, the country is still dependant on agriculture which in an industry that
is highly dependent on the climatic conditions that prevail in the country. This, hinders the
growth of the economy of the country and is a factor that influences the impact on the
infrastructural development in the country. Even though, it has been realised that VR has a
high potential in the tourism sector, the implementation of the same in India is deemed to be a
challenging task (Griffin et al., 2017). The technological capability, the technical skills, the
network accessibility and the influence of politics in every industry hinders the prospective
potential of the incorporation Virtual Reality into the operations of the tourism industry in
India.
Implications
India is a country that is considered to be culturally diverse. Even if a significant
portion of the company is still under economic jeopardy, significant portion of the population
is highly educated with availability of world class educational facilities (Deshpande et al.,

7TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
2017). With the help of the internet, people now have knowledge about issues that they did
not have in the past. The benefits that one can derive from the use of technology such as VR
and the benefits that tourism industry can derive from the industry can be communicated to
the diverse stakeholders across different organisation. Understanding the importance of
incorporation of technology into the activities of the organisation can help tourism in India in
gaining sustainable outcomes.
Conclusion
On a concluding note, it can be said that companies must comply with the needs of
the consumers and prioritize the needs of the consumers. In India as well as globally
technological innovation could pose numerous advantages to the operations of the companies
operating in the tourism industry. Virtual Reality is a form of technological innovation that
can bolster the effectiveness of tourism in India. There are various destinations that can be
marketed with the help of VR. However, challenges have been identified in the form of lack
of infrastructure and technological capability of people in the country.

8TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
REFERENCES
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Arshad, M. I., Iqbal, M. A., & Shahbaz, M. (2018). Pakistan tourism industry and challenges:
a review. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 23(2), 121-132.
Deshpande, A., Desrochers, A., Ksoll, C., & Shonchoy, A. S. (2017). The impact of a
computer-based adult literacy program on literacy and numeracy: Evidence from
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Dirlam, D. M., Rogers, C. L., & Weldon, R. (2019). GEMSTONES IN THE ERA OF THE
TAJ MAHAL AND THE MUGHALS. Gems & Gemology, 55(3).
Erjavec, H. Š., Dmitrović, T., & Povalej Bržan, P. (2016). Drivers of customer satisfaction
and loyalty in service industries. Journal of Business Economics and
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Griffin, T., Giberson, J., Lee, S. H. M., Guttentag, D., Kandaurova, M., Sergueeva, K., &
Dimanche, F. (2017). Virtual reality and implications for destination marketing.
Hoekstra, R., Happé, F., & de Leeuw, A. (2019). A conceptual framework for understanding
the cultural and contextual factors on autism across the globe.
Horng, J. S., Hsu, H., & Tsai, C. Y. (2018). An assessment model of corporate social
responsibility practice in the tourism industry. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(7),
1085-1104.

9TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
Horng, J. S., Tsai, C. Y., Yang, T. C., & Liu, C. H. (2016). Exploring the relationship
between proactive personality, work environment and employee creativity among
tourism and hospitality employees. International Journal of Hospitality
Management, 54, 25-34.
Neuhofer, B., Buhalis, D., & Ladkin, A. (2015). Smart technologies for personalized
experiences: a case study in the hospitality domain. Electronic Markets, 25(3), 243-
254.
Taqi, M., Ajmal, M., & Ansari, M. S. (2018). Financial efficiency of India tourism
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Venkatesh, M., & Raj, D. J. (2016). Impact of Tourism in India. International Journal of
Scientific Engineering and Applied Science, 2(1), 167-184.

10TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
Appendix
Taj Mahal
Rajasthan

11TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN TOURISM IN INDIA
Sundarbans
Andaman and Nicobar Islands