A Study on the Challenges of Cultural Tourism in India

With its rich artistic and historical heritage, cultural tourism has always been India's biggest attraction. Even today, with many forms of tourism becoming popular in the country, it is to sample and experience Indian culture that foreign tourists mainly visit the country. It may therefore be inferred here that Indian culture is the lever which has to be used to increase tourist footfalls. This is particularly pertinent, given that currently foreign tourist footfalls in India are less than those of smaller countries like Singapore and Thailand. Obviously there are significant challenges which pre-empts India from leveraging its culture to draw in more tourists. The main purpose of this paper is to understand what these challenges are and what must be done in order to counter them. The quantitative technique was used in this research using secondary and primary data. The secondary data confirms that its culture is indeed India's biggest attraction. Its magnificent monuments, sites of both historic and religious significance, its cuisine and diverse forms of dance, music and handicrafts all combine to offer a unique cultural experience. The primary data revealed the main detractors from this culture include the rampant commercialization of tourist sites, very poor maintenance of monuments, the lack of basic facilities at these sites, unhygienic environment, boorish behaviour of the local inhabitants and the perception of threat to personal safety and security.

On the basis of these findings, this research also makes recommendations which are summarized in the conclusion chapter. If this paper serves to alert the tourism department of the great potential of India's unique culture in attracting tourists to the country and what needs to be done to counter the numerous challenges that detract from its allure, this paper would have served its purpose.