Inter national Jour nal of Innovative Resear ch in Infor mation Secur ity (IJIRIS) Issue 2, Volume 6 (June 2015 ) ISSN: 2 349 -7017(O) ISSN: 2349 -7009(P) www.ijir is.com Impact of Heritage Tourism in India –A Case Study S.Shankar Research Scholar, Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar ABSTRACT -- This paper attempts to probe the scope of heritage tourism in India, which can help in shaping our society. Heritage Tourism is considered as one sector that shall propel growth, contribute foreign exchange, enhance employability and result in community development. The most important dimension of heritage tourism is the cultural exchange among various nationalities that visit the country and the cross cultural interface that shall pave way for universal peace and harmony. As on one hand tourism is seen as an economic option and on the other side the greater social and human effect. There is vast scope heritage tourism in India. The government should encourage private enterprises to promote heritage tourism in various less popular areas. For developing heritage tourism in such areas, we need to understand the environment, demography, socio culture, economic and political background of any place for making it an attractive tourist spot. To develop a strategic marketing plan for tourism we have to understand the target customer their needs and wants and how to match it with our heritage tourist spots’ infrastructure. I. INTRODCUTION Heritage Tourism is the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. Heritage Tourism is travelling for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited". Heritage Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2014, there were over 903 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 6.6% as compared to 20013. International tourist receipts were USD 856 billion in 2011. Despite the uncertainties in the global economy, arrivals grew at around 5% during the first four months of 2015, almost a similar growth than the same period in 2014. Tourism in India has seen exponential growth in the recent years. India is one of the most preferred destinations for both overseas and domestic travellers. Tourism enables the international traveller to understand and experience India's cultural diversity first hand. According to official estimates the Indian tourism industry has outperformed the global tourism industry in terms of growth in the volume of foreign tourists as well as in terms of revenue. United Nations has classified three forms of Tourism in its Recommendations on Tourism Statistics: (i) Domestic tourism, which involves Residents of the given country travelling only within the country; (ii) Inbound Tourism, involving non-residents travelling in the given country; and (iii) Outbound Tourism, involving residents travelling in another country. The UN also derived different categories of Tourism by combining the three Basic forms of tourism: (a) Internal tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and inbound Tourism; (b) National tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and outbound Tourism; and (c) International tourism, which consists of inbound tourism and outbound Tourism. The historic and cultural resources associated with people, events, or aspects of a community’s past give that community its sense of identity and help tell its story. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2014-15, IJIRIS- All Rights Reser ved Page -59 Inter national Journal of Innovative Resear ch in Infor mation Secur ity ( IJIRIS) Issue 2, Volume 6 ( June 2015 ) ISSN: 2349-7017 (O) ISSN: 2349-70 09 (P) www.ijir is.com These resources are the most tangible reflections of a community’s heritage. History can and should be used as a selling point for a community. The recognition of an area’s historic resources can bring about neighbor hood revitalization, increased and sustainable tourism, economic development through private investment, and citizenship building. When communities’ travel-related entities partner with public or private organizations, the historic, cultural, and natural resources are more effectively promoted to meet the heritage traveller’s desire for an integrated and enriching experience. II. RELATED WORK This publication is related to the field of heritage tourism produced by the Historic Preservation Division of the Indian tourism Development to assist communities in leveraging their historic assets to realize economic and cultural goals such as: • Attracting new investment • Creating new jobs • Revitalizing downtowns and neighbourhoods • Building community pride and a sense of place • Educating children about their heritage Nominating properties to the National Register of Historic Places • Surveying a community’s historic resources Heritage tourism is an important component of the tourism industry. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, visiting historic sites or museums ranks only third behind shopping and outdoor pursuits for travellers in this country. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a non profit organization that provides leadership, education, advocacy, and assistance to save India’s diverse historic places and revitalize communities. • Well educated – Most heritage tourists have advanced degrees. Education level is the single most significant factor that influences cultural and heritage participation and travel. • Older – Participation in cultural and heritage events peaks between ages 45 and 65, when people are at the height of their careers, earning power, and discretionary income. • Influenced by women – Women typically plan family vacations and group trips, and also control more personal discretionary income. • Cosmopolitan – International travel is growing. Those travellers seeking heritage or cultural events are just as likely to travel to India. Heritage tourism protects historic, cultural, and natural resources in towns and cities by involving people in their community. When they can relate to their personal, local, regional, or national heritage, people are more often motivated to safeguard their historic resources. Heritage tourism educates residents and visitors about local and regional history and shared traditions. Through involvement and exposure to local historic sites, residents become better informed about their history and traditions. Understanding the importance of one’s heritage provides continuity and context for a community’s residents, and it strengthens citizenship values, builds community pride, and improves quality of life. III. CASE STUDY FINDINGS Tourism, including both foreign and domestic visitors, is considered the second most important industry in India behind heritage. Tourism in India generates direct expenditures of $20 billion and a total estimated economic impact of over $34 billion annually. Tourism impact numbers from 2014 include category 1,2,3 and 4 for the classification of sectors (Figure 1.1): • Direct domestic expenditures of $19 billion, up 1.9% from 2012. • Direct international expenditures of $1.7 billion, up 14% from 2013. • Domestic and international travellers spent nearly $20.8 billion, up 2.8% from 2007. • Combined direct expenditures generated 241,000 jobs within India. • Combined expenditures generated $1.6 billion in tax revenue for state and local governments in 2012, up 1.8% from 2013. • Combined expenditures generated $6.9 billion payroll income for travel industry employees, up 0.5% from 2012. • On average, every $86,155 spent in Georgia by domestic and international travellers generated one job in 2014. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2014-15, IJIRIS- All Rights Reser ved Page -60 Inter national Journal of Innovative Resear ch in Infor mation Secur ity ( IJIRIS) Issue 2, Volume 6 ( June 2015 ) ISSN: 2349-7017 (O) ISSN: 2349-70 09 (P) www.ijir is.com 6 5 4 2012 3 2013 2 2014 1 0 Category 1 Cat egory 2 Cat egory 3 Category 4 Fig 1.1 Growth of Economy by Heritage Tourism in India IV. CONCLUSION Tourism is an important sector of the economy and contributes significantly in the country’s GDP as well as Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE). With its backward and forward linkages with other sectors of the economy like transport, constriction, handicrafts, manufacturing, horticulture, agriculture etc, tourism has the potential to not only be the economy driver, but also become an effective tool for poverty alleviation and ensuring growth with equity. References [1] Agrawal, Arun (1995). “Dismantling and Divide between Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge”,Development and Change, Vol. 26, (413-439). [2] Allen, T. and Thomas, A. (2000). Poverty and Development into the 21st Century. Oxford: oxford University Press. Pp. 1-48, 345-364 [3] Aryal, D. (2005). Economic Impact of Tourism in Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal. Av. Claire C. Robertson (1997). Trouble showed the way: Indian University Press. [4] Bajracharya, R.M. (2004). 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