New Textbook on Tourism Authored by Indian Industry Practitioners Launched

NEW DELHI:
A new textbook on tourism written by industry practitioners in India has been launched to offer students a fresh, Indian perspective on the skill-oriented, knowledge-based and multi-disciplinary arena of the travel and tourism business.
The book, An Introduction to the Business of Tourism, has been written by Dr Venu Vasudevan, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Government of Kerala, and co-authored by Dr Vijayakumar B, former Principal, Kerala Institute of Travel and Tourism Studies (KITTS), and Saroop Roy B R, Assistant Professor, KITTS. It was released at a function here on Wednesday evening by Dr Shashi Tharoor, MP.
The 488-page volume, brought out by SAGE Publications, offers a lucid understanding of the business of tourism by delving deep into Indian and international tourism experiences with over 45 integrated case studies and examples.
Most texts on tourism and travel currently available to college students are either academic publications or centered on the experiences of international scholars and practitioners. This new work aims to introduce them to the principles and practices of tourism from an Indian perspective, with real examples from the industry.
It is designed to equip students and future managers of tourism with the business skills and understanding of tourism and also enhance their employment prospects within the dynamic industry, Dr Tharoor told the gathering that saw the attendance of officials from tourism and cultural departments, tour operators and travel agents.
Dr Venu, the longest serving IAS officer in tourism who played a pivotal role in formulating the ‘Incredible India’ campaign, said there are 40 universities teaching tourism and awarding degrees, and all of them have come in the last 5-6 years. The book would enable students, freshers and young professionals gain professional and entrepreneurial insights into tourism business and help them become ‘flag-bearers of the industry’, he noted.
“The dynamics of tourism industry have changed phenomenally. Our knowledge of the sector is very superficial. Ours is operations-based tourism which works no longer. In today’s knowledge economy, you can’t restrict yourself to a particular area; you should be conversant with all the facets of your domain. You need to be global,” he said.
Former Union Tourism Secretary Rathi Vinay Jha, who served a stint as Director General of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), and SAGE India’s Managing Director Vivek Mehra were among those who spoke on the occasion.