why people travel: the search for the authentic other

http://www.mastersungroup.com

The Search for

The Authentic Other

(India: As the Authentic

Other)

By

Sarvajeet Chandra

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

1. The ‘Place’ product

2. History of travel and tourism

3. The business of leisure

4. Touristhood

5. The language of tourism

6. India-the ‘other’

a. India : The authentic ‘other’

country

b. India : The lure of Tantrism and

Hinduism

c.India: The drawing force of

Buddhism

d. India : Himalayas

e. India : The desert and the sea

f. India : Of heritage and events

Bibliography

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INTRODUCTION TO

THE AUTHENTIC OTHER

Tourism is the ‘ism’ that drives the largest industry of the

modern world. It forms an integral component of the fast

growing business of leisure. Accounting for roughly 11% of

global GDP, tourism is a major ‘movement’ impacting the

world.

The Search for the Authentic Other

A very substantial part of tourism, as we know today, is the

individual’s search for authenticity; of people travelling away

from their home societies to an authentic (often primitive)

other; drawn by myths embedded in folklore, heritage,

religion, literature.

It is this search for the authentic other that has brought

tourism closer to religion, blurring boundaries between a

pilgrim and a tourist. The tourist of the west, searching for

the authentic other, is a pilgrim of the modern secular world.

His religion is the individualistic religion of the modern

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society, as different from the collective and organised notion

of civil religion. The tourist, fed up of the western secular

materialism, locates his elective centre ‘out there’ away

from his home society. The counterpart of the western

tourist is the pilgrim of the east who locates his elective

centre in the holy places of worship.

Thus, there is a great degree of similarity in the sacred

pursuit of authenticity for a western tourist and an eastern

pilgrim. This search for authenticity, in both cases, is

thwarted by the tourism industry and the religious

establishments respectively by setting up of staged

authenticities - fake representations that are perceived as

real by the pilgrim and the tourist.

Tourism for Recreation

The rest of the tourism movement is driven by recreation; of

people whose centres are firmly rooted in their own

societies, who travel to indulge in ‘play’ - a characteristic

feature of post-modernistic society.

These people are lured by the myths created by the tourism

industry; indulge in pleasures - becoming paupers, kings,

visiting miniature ancient Egypt etc.4


The most striking example of this kind of tourism is the

concept of theme park, notable Disneyland. The theme parks

‘recreate reality’ and creates myths about peoples,

countries, concepts, civilisations etc. The tourist plays with

these, often deriving a vicarious pleasure.

Thus a useful way of looking at tourism is to look at two

major motivations propelling modern tourism

The search for the authentic other (driving many tourists

of the west and pilgrims of the East).

The recreation and the concept of ‘play’

This booklet examines tourism in the light of what is

mentioned above. The breadth of this project is restricted by

its focus on ‘tourism in India’. However India, as we shall

see, is a good example of the diversity and the complexity of

the issues involved in the study of tourism.

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CHAPTER 1

Place Product

Tourism is an important component of the big business of

leisure that sells a destination or a place product.

The characteristics of a place product are:

Spatial scale: a place is inevitably one component in the

hierarchy of spatial scale, a characteristic unique to the

place product. The potential holidaymaker buying Goa

may be simultaneously purchasing other levels of

hierarchy - the hotel, India, east etc. A different structured

hierarchy may create a different product.

Multi sold: The same destination, the same facilities etc.

can be sold to different groups of consumers for different

purposes.

The place may be viewed differently in tourist origin area

and tourist destinations inclusive of travel in the former

and exclusive in the latter.

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A place product is distinguished by variety of businesses

and experiences obtainable at that place. Each individual

consumes a unique selection of these products. As a

consequence, place product is marketed by destination

agencies without a clear idea of nature of product being

consumed.

A Tourism Product = Place Product + Travel

Segmentation On The Basis Of the Place

Product

The segmentation can be product focused and can therefore

be done on the basis of types of destinations. Destinations

can be segmented in broadly three segments:

1. Locations

a) real

b) man made( cities , theme parks )

2. Travel as the destination - cruise liners, trains (toy trains).

3. The stay as the destination - resorts, hotel cum palace etc.

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1. Locations

The real locations will always continue to lure people. It will

be difficult to replicate the experience of visiting the real

thing. However, the most inventive solution is to shed

history and natural environment and create destinations

from a scratch. These artificial locations can be purpose built

and can be altered to suit the requirements of changing

times.

One of the important examples of an artificial location is the

city of Las Vegas. It started from a single industry-gambling-

destination. The secret of success of Las Vegas did not lie in

gambling but its ability to help people escape to a different

world. However, the secret of continued success of Las

Vegas lies in its continuous innovation. Today, it has become

one of the top convention cities in America.

Another important area in this field has been the concept of

theme park pioneered by Disneyland. They have started the

process of creating look-alike of the existing destinations, or

new attractions. The advantage of creating such destinations

is that they can be bigger, more reliable than the existing

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destinations. Besides, they can be renovated, scrapped and

modified.

Disneyland theme parks are the biggest tourist draws.

Disney researches the audience's needs and then creates it.

The company's biggest works are simulation of real things,

not inventions. At Disneyland in Anaheim, for example, the

company is building California Adventure, a microcosm of

the state, which will allow the tourist to visit the state in one

day.

America has 600 theme parks and half of the Americans

have visited at least one of them.

2. Travel as a destination

Increasingly the ship, the railway etc. are not just a means of

travel: they are the destination. With increasing popularity

of cruise liners, cross-country trains, travel has emerged as

an exciting destination. Besides comfortable stay and

reasonable prices, these options provide a unique

environment. They provide the opportunity of seeing

popular locations, often without passport or visa hassles.

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For the operators it is very profitable deal .The occupancy of

cruise liners is higher as compared to hotels. In addition,

cruise passengers, unlike hotel guests have to take meals in

the ship itself, generating additional revenue.

Modern cruise ships are floating artificial destinations

offering a full resort worth of entertainment. Like the tourism

business, at large, these cruise liners are divided into two

categories: big liners for a wholesome entertainment and

small cruise liners for niche segments - nature watch,

historical sites etc.

In India, the Palace on Wheels has become an ideal example

in which the tourists travel in a train in a style reminiscent of

the maharajas; where travel is the destination.

3. The stay as the destination:

With the increasing numbers of palaces converted into

hotels, hotels trying to recreate natural environments and

resorts the stay has become a destination. The success of

Sun City, with massive promotion through beauty pageants

has made people look as hotels not merely as a place to stay

but a destination. This concept is also represented in the

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palace cum hotels and heritage hotels in India. The hotels

themselves have become 'the show'.

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CHAPTER 2

HISTORY OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM

2000 years Before Christ, in India and Mesopotamia.

Travel for trade was an important feature since the

beginning of civilisation. The port at Lothal was an important

centre of trade between the Indus valley civilisation and the

Sumerian civilisation.

600 BC and thereafter

The earliest form of leisure tourism can be traced as far back

as the Babylonian and Egyptian empires. A museum of

historic antiquities was open to the public in Babylon. The

Egyptians held many religious festivals that attracted the

devout and many people who thronged to cities to see

famous works of arts and buildings.

In India, as elsewhere, kings travelled for empire building.

The Brahmins and the common people travelled for religious

purposes. Thousands of Brahmins and the common folk

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thronged Sarnath and Sravasti to be greeted by the

inscrutable smile of the Enlightened One- the Buddha.

500 BC, the Greek civilisation

The Greek tourists travelled to sites of healing gods. The

Greeks also enjoyed their religious festivals that increasingly

became a pursuit of pleasure, and in particular, sport.

Athens had become an important site for travellers visiting

the major sights such as the Parthenon. Inns were

established in large towns and seaports to provide for

travellers’ needs. Courtesans were the principal

entertainment offered.

This era also saw the birth of travel writing. Herodotus was

the worlds’ first travel writer. Guidebooks also made their

appearance in the fourth century covering destinations such

as Athens, Sparta and Troy. Advertisements in the way of

signs directing people to inns are also known in this period.

The Roman Empire

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With no foreign borders between England and Syria, and

with safe seas from piracy due to Roman patrols, the

conditions favouring travel had arrived. First class roads

coupled with staging inns (precursors of modern motels)

promoted the growth of travel. Romans travelled to Sicily,

Greece, Rhodes, Troy and Egypt. From 300 AD travel to the

Holy Land also became very popular. The Romans

introduced their guidebooks (itineraria), listing hotels with

symbols to identify quality.

Second homes were built by the rich near Rome, occupied

primarily during springtime social season. The most

fashionable resorts were found around Bay of Naples. Naples

attracted the retired and the intellectuals, Cumae attracted

the fashionable while Baiae attracted the down market

tourist, becoming noted for its rowdiness, drunkenness and

all- night singing.

Travel and Tourism were to never attain a similar status until

the modern times.

In the Middle Ages

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Travel became difficult and dangerous as people travelled

for business or for a sense of obligation and duty.

Adventurers sought fame and fortune through travel. The

Europeans tried to discover a sea route to India for trade

purposes and in this fashion discovered America and

explored parts of Africa. Strolling players and minstrels made

their living by performing as they travelled. Missionaries,

saints, etc. travelled to spread the sacred word.

Leisure travel in India was introduced by the Mughals. The

Mughal kings built luxurious palaces and enchanting gardens

at places of natural and scenic beauty (for example Jehangir

travelled to Kashmir drawn by its beauty.

Travel for empire building and pilgrimage was a regular

feature.

The Grand Tour

From the early seventeenth century, a new form of tourism

was developed as a direct outcome of the Renaissance.

Under the reign of Elizabeth 1, young men seeking positions

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at court were encouraged to travel to continent to finish

their education. Later, it became customary for education of

gentleman to be completed by a ‘Grand Tour’ accompanied

by a tutor and lasting for three or more years. While

ostensibly educational, the pleasure seeking men travelled

to enjoy life and culture of Paris, Venice or Florence. By the

end of eighteenth century, the custom had become

institutionalised in the gentry. Gradually pleasure travel

displaced educational travel. The advent of Napoleonic wars

inhibited travel for around 30 years and led to the decline of

the custom of the Grand Tour.

The development of the spas

The spas grew in popularity in the seventeenth century in

Britain and a little later in the European Continent as

awareness about the therapeutic qualities of mineral water

increased. Taking the cure in the spa rapidly acquired the

nature of a status symbol. The resorts changed in character

as pleasure became the motivation of visits. They became

an important centre of social life for the high society.

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In the nineteenth century they were gradually replaced by

the seaside resort.

The sun, sand and sea resorts

The sea water became associated with health benefits. The

earliest visitors therefore drank it and did not bathe in it. By

the early eighteenth century, small fishing resorts sprung up

in England for visitors who drank and immersed themselves

in sea water. With the overcrowding of inland spas, the new

sea side resorts grew in popularity. The introduction of

steamboat services in 19th century introduced more resorts

in the circuit. The seaside resort gradually became a social

meeting point

Role of the industrial revolution in promoting travel

in the west

The rapid urbanisation due to industrialisation led to mass

immigration in cities. These people were lured into travel to

escape their environment to places of natural beauty, often

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to the countryside they had come from change of routine

from a physically and psychologically stressful jobs to a

leisurely pace in countryside.

Highlights of travel in the nineteenth century

Advent of railway initially catalysed business travel and

later leisure travel. Gradually special trains were

chartered to only take leisure travel to their destinations.

Package tours organised by entrepreneurs such as

Thomas Cook.

The European countries indulged in a lot of business travel

often to their colonies to buy raw material and sell

finished goods.

The invention of photography acted as a status-enhancing

tool and promoted overseas travel.

The formation of first hotel chains; pioneered by the

railway companies who established great railway terminus

hotels.

Seaside resorts began to develop different images as for

day-trippers, elite, for gambling.

Other types of destinations-ski resorts, hill stations,

mountaineering spots etc.

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The technological development in steamships promoted

travel between North America and Europe.

The Suez Canal opened direct sea routes to India and the

Far East.

The cult of the guidebook followed the development of

photography.

Tourism in the Twentieth Century

The First World War gave first hand experience of countries

and aroused a sense of curiosity about international travel

among less well off sector for the first time. The large scale

of migration to the US meant a lot of travel across the

Atlantic. Private motoring began to encourage domestic

travel in Europe and the west. The sea side resort became

annual family holiday destination in Britain and increased in

popularity in other countries of the west. Hotels proliferated

in these destinations.

The birth of air travel and after

The wars increased interest in international travel. This

interest was given the shape of mass tourism by the aviation

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industry. The surplus of aircrafts and growth of private

airlines aided the expansion of air travel. The aircraft had

become comfortable, faster and steadily cheaper for

overseas travel. With the introduction of Boeing 707 jet in

1958, the age of air travel for the masses had arrived. The

beginning of chartered flights boosted the package tour

market and led to the establishment of organised mass

tourism. The Boeing 747, a 400 seat craft, brought the cost

of travel down sharply. The seaside resorts in the

Mediterranean, North Africa and the Caribbean were the

initial hot spots of mass tourism.

A corresponding growth in hotel industry led to the

establishment of world-wide chains. Tourism also began to

diversify as people began to flock alternative destinations in

the 70s. Nepal and India received a throng of tourists lured

by Hare Krishna movement and transcendental meditation.

The beginning of individual travel in a significant volume

only occurred in the 80s. Air travel also led to a continuous

growth in business travel especially with the emergence of

the MNCs.

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CHAPTER 3

THE BUSINESS OF LEISURE.

Leisure is the time available to the individual when work,

sleep and other needs have been met. Leisure as a construct

involves a number of dimensions

Absorption and concentration of ongoing experience

Lessening of focus on self

Feelings of freedom and lack of restraint

Enriched perception of objects and events

Increased intensity of emotions

Increased sensitivity to feelings

Decreased sensitivity to passage of time

The Components of Leisure Motivation

Beard and Ragheb identified four motivational needs derived

from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. These needs form the

components of leisure motivation. They are –

Intellectual component23


Social component

Competence mastery

Stimulus avoidance

Intellectual component is the extent to which individuals are

motivated by mental activities such as learning, exploring,

discovering, thought, imaging. This can be a primary high

need (a visit to Madurai to study temple architecture) or a

low need triggered by a specific event or environment.

Social component is the need for friendship, self-esteem and

interpersonal relationship. The holidays are not only status-

or ego- enhancing experiences. There is also a sense of

belonging with the place visited. People tend to identify with

a place visited. This is higher for people who are more

satisfied with their holidays and for those with three or more

visits. The relationship not only involves social identification

but also a relationship with the geographical place.

Competence mastery component is in order to achieve,

challenge, master and compete. This is often physical (i.e.

sports) but also includes fine arts and other intellectual

pursuits. Competence mastery is coupled with other

components of leisure motivation. A course in wind surfing

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(competence mastery) can also mean meeting like –minded

individuals (social need).

Stimulus avoidance is drive to escape and get away from

over-simulating life experiences. The most obvious

component of leisure motivation, a chance to rest and

unwind.

The components of leisure motivation vary within holidays

and between holidays. On a holiday, a tourist may rest for

few days (stimulus avoidance); thereafter explore the place

(intellectual component). The holidaymaker may assign

different purposes to holidays. One holiday might be family

centred (social need), the other for playing golf (competence

mastery) etc.

Changing Nature of Leisure in Western Society:

From ordered recreation to the beginning of individual travel

In the 12th century monarchy there was an ordered

recreation regulated by the state. Sports like archery was

promote by the monarchy for recuperation of physical

efficiency.

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The concept of leisure travel in the seventeenth century was

restricted to the rich. Even then, travel was undertaken as a

means of recuperation as witnessed in the growth of spas

and later the seaside resorts. These became meeting points

of the high society. Young aristocrats on Britain took the

Grand Tour to educate themselves before they took on

aristocratic responsibility .The concept of recreation was

promoted by the western society as something to be

managed for the ethical good of the individual.

In the 19th century the middle class organisations promoted

recreational opportunities to combat the evils of gambling

and drinking. The leisure time of the youth was provided for

through organisations such as Boy Scouts and Girl Guides

which built an ethos of self sufficiency.

With growing individualism, wealth, democratisation and

advancements in technology which reduced modes of social

control, individual travel, as we know today came into being.

Kama and Leisure in Indian Society

The concept of Kama as one of the four principles - Dharma,

Artha, Kama and Moksha - gives a very different perspective 26


to Indian concept of leisure, as rooted in desire. This is

different from ordered recreation in western societies, where

leisure was clothed in acceptable garb of re-creation for the

ethical good of the individual. This continuous tension was

visible in the development of spas and beach resorts,

originally meant for health and well being; which gradually

developed as pleasure resorts.

The ancient India on the other hand accepted activities of

leisure in a forthright manner and developed it as an art.

Institutionalisation of the concept of ‘ganika’ was one

example in which the role of leisure in the life of the

individual was recognised and provided for. However, leisure

travel was not an important activity. This concept of Kama

was to fade in the oblivion with the beginning of Muslim rule.

Leisure Today: An Indian Alternative

Since the past few years leisure has re- emerged as a

thriving business with an Indian face. In the leisure sector,

there is a whole new set of Indian icons gaining popularity

and respect. There is a pride and confidence in all things

Indian. Indians are also adapting western notions to the

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requirements of changing times. This is different from

merely aping the west.

This has led to growth in domestic travel which far outstrips

outbound leisure travel. More Indians are gradually

travelling for recreation or to escape boredom and not just

meet friends and relatives.

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CHAPTER 4

TOURISTHOOD

The process by which a person decides to leave his ordinary,

familiar life and decides to tour and thereafter his

reintegration into his daily life-the process of Touristhood-

can be divided in a few stages

The Pre-Trip Stage of Tourism Travel

Corporation

The tourist wishes a break from the ordinary life. He wishes

to escape or seek something. He readies himself mentally

and physically for tourism .The tourist prepares for

Touristhood.

The On-Trip Stage of Tourism Travel

Emancipation

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It means a journey from ordinary bounds of his daily life into

unbound realm of the non-ordinary .It combines

a. Spatial travel

b. Cross beyond home’s socio-cultural threshold

The cross beyond home’s threshold is aided by several

touristic items, mainly symbolic- suitcase, camera, travellers’

cheque. The tourist wears a mask as his real identity is

disguised. This mask and the symbolic signifiers induce an

emancipative magic. The new lifestyle is understood by the

tourist and recognised and understood by others.

Animation

This stage arrives when the tourist is ‘away from it all’. The

tourist enters an illusive state of detachment,

disengagement and spontaneity. The tourist peels away the

home-bound cultural layers and enters a new time-space.

The tourist may break the cultural layers. Breaking rules

becomes one of the rules of Touristhood. The tourist

assumes or knows in this non-ordinary playground animated

behaviour is acceptable. The society which hosts the tourist

also understands this behaviour. Many closed doors of the

ordinary open in the land of the non-ordinary; a long list of

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tourist S’s (snow, sand, sea, surf, sex etc.) is expanded to

include sin.

Repatriation

In this the tourist experiences a resurrection of former self as

he travels back to his ordinary world. This implies

reaffirmation and yielding to the ordinary world.

The Post -Trip Stage of Tourism Travel

Incorporation

Tourist becomes a part of mainstream and Touristhood is

over.

Touristhood and Holiday Making Behaviour

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The tourist in the process of touristhood exhibits a special

‘holiday making behaviour’. Some characteristics of holiday

making behaviour are

Mindlessness: This is part of optimisation of experience-

we retain that memory which is sufficient to meet a need.

Why is there a need, for example to recall every detail

while we are driving on a holiday trip?

Adaptation: As tourists are holiday-makers and not only

holiday takers they adapt to failed expectations. They

pursue things that give them satisfaction and avoid things

that do not.

Likes and dislikes: Most satisfactory activities during

holidays relates to Maslow’s higher hierarchy of needs,

while the dislikes stems from perceived threats to basic

needs.

Multi-motivation: The same holiday may be used to

satisfy various needs.

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CHAPTER 5

THE LANGUAGE OF TOURISM

The language of tourism is the language of modernity,

promotion and consumerism. The semiotics of the language

of tourism is important in the analysis of tourism advertising

with its cultural coded connotations, in the study of tourism

imagery and in the treatment of tourism communication as a

discourse in myth.

Some of the significant theoretical perspectives that have

significantly contributed to understanding of contemporary

tourism are those based on perspectives of authenticity,

stranger-hood and play.

The Authenticity Perspective

According to MacCanell tourists sought out ‘authentic

experiences’ in other times and places. This search for

meaning was a contemporary version for pre-modern quest

for the sacred. The tourist of today is the pilgrim of the

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modern world. This religion was not as much as the

collective and organised notion of ‘civil religion’ but the

concept of implicit or individual religion of and increasingly

individualistic society. This authenticity is not simply the

quality of the object; it is a struggle, a social process in

which competing interests argue for their own

interpretations of history.

The tourist attempts to penetrate deeper and deeper into

the hidden and real (backstage) regions of these other times

and representations. The tourist industry thwarts such a

quest by covertly staging reality and authenticity. What the

tourist believes is the real thing -the backstage of the life of

others - was the front stage, set up in advance; manipulated

by the tourist establishment. In perpetuating and creating

such a sense of falsehood, the tourism industry had actually

imbued the tourist with a false sense of consciousness.

Tourism as a language of authentication

A tourist attraction is a sign, that it represents (marker)

something (sight) to someone (the tourist). The marker

provides information (name, picture, etc.) to the sight

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(signified). The marker is the first contact the sight seer has

with the sight.

Markers are either off sight (e.g. travel books, travel stories)

or on sight (notices). Since off sight markers anticipate the

sight, they are often superior to sight.

Off sight markers play an important role in stereotyping the

sight .An example of this is the must see features. Therefore

sightseers do not ‘see’ Delhi. They see -the red fort, the

Baha’i temple, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the old Delhi

bazaars. As elements in the symbolic set called Delhi, each

of these items is a symbolic marker. Most of the off-sight and

some on sight markers are formulated by the outsiders. The

‘Exotic East’ and ‘the city of Joy’ are expressions used by the

non-indigenous. Local voices rarely constitute markers in

contemporary tourism.

The Stranger-Hood Perspective

Cohen believed that the dichotomy of familiarity and

stranger-hood constituted the essential elements of tourist

experience. This led to a classification of tourism into

institutionalised and non-institutionalised tourism. 36


Institutionalized tourism

Dealt with by the tourism industry- tour operators, travel

agents, hoteliers etc.

The organised mass tourist: Values familiarity, low on

adventurousness. Anxious to maintain his/ her ‘environment

bubble’ on the trip. Purchase ready-made, often cheap,

packages of the shelf. Guided through destination having

little contact with the local culture or people. Most tourists of

the developing countries like India and first time tourist fall

in this category.

The individual mass tourist: Similar to the organised one

except that there is more flexibility and scope for personal

choice. The ‘environment bubble’ is very much there.

Non- institutionalised travel

Consists of independent individual travel shunning contact

with the tourism industry except wherever necessary.

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The explorer: Trip organised independently; gets off the

beaten track. Comfortable accommodation and reliable

transport. Environmental bubble abandoned on occasions.

The bubble is there to step into if things get tough.

The drifter: Values novelty, high on adventurousness. All

connections with the tourism industry are spurned and

drifter attempts to get as far from home and familiarity as is

possible. With no fixed itinerary, the drifter lives with the

local people, immersing himself in the local culture.

Tourism as a language of differentiation

The language of tourism promotes familiarity-stranger-hood

dichotomy by trying to fill the gap between the tourist and

the native. It strikes a balance between offering novelty and

protecting from the dangers of strangeness. Most of the

advertising that speaks of strangeness speaks of stranger-

hood also speaks about the warm echelons of familiarity with

hotel chains , continental cuisine for the tourist from the

west .In the study of travelogues, for instance, travel writers

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‘manage’ unfamiliarity with their readers ( e.g. through

denigration of locals and establishing expatriate

connections.)

The Play Perspective

Advocated by the sociologist John Urry, this view advocates

the coming of the age of image-a post modern era- the age

in which representation is more important than reality;

where hyper-reality is claimed to be superior to reality. The

nostalgic construction of heritage, emphasis on spectacle,

concept of theme park is important elements in the

perspective of the play with reality.

The Disneyland, for example, is an out-of-time, out-of - place

deliberately contrived and artificially staged concept which

authentically represents the condition of playing with reality.

Tourism as a language of recreation.

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The tourist gaze is anticipated and directed by media which

constructs and reinforces the gaze. The gaze is moulded by

professional opinion former (writer, guides etc. which tell

people where to gaze). Tourism turns culture into consumer

items and markets them. The language of tourism tells them

to come out and play and engage in pleasures.

The Characteristics of Language of Tourism

1. Structure of the language

The meaning system of the language is located in the

culture of the receiver rather than face value meaning of the

message. The strategy of ‘indexical transference’ of objects

transferred to people and people converted into objects is

very common to the language of tourism; a discourse which

speaks of the mythical structures in the tourists’ mind. Thus

in promoting nature, for example, what is supplied is the

version of nature worked over by culture and science to yield

the ‘natural’.

2. Tense of language40


This accentuation of time is also manifested in the hyper

reverential towards all that is old. Further, there are the

accompanying notions that the new spoils the old and the

anxious feeling that the tourist may have arrived too late.

This disenchantment with the present may be converted into

an almost utopian desire for future transformed by

technology. Thus in the scenario where the present

disappear a binary opposition is established between the

past and the future.

One strategy applied in the language of tourism is the

‘denial of time’. It implies emancipation from routine

organised time to an animated state of non-ordinary time; a

symbolic inversion of everyday life where the weekday

becomes a weekend.

The language of tourism avoids the present by pointing to

the future. The past is often sold to the future. We are told to

go where action was.

3. Monologue

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Most of the tourism literature is a monologue with rhetoric

of moral superiority by the addresser with more knowledge

and experiences.

4. Euphoria

The discourse focuses only on the present and speaks of it in

glowing terms.

5. Tautology

The tourist merely confirms the discourse which persuaded

them to take the trip. They assert as true, what was shown

before they departed. The language of brochure becomes a

self fulfilling prophesy.

The Techniques of Language of Tourism

The language of tourism uses many verbal and visual

techniques for effective expression of the language.

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The various verbal techniques are: simile, metaphor,

languaging, humour, use of keywords, testimony and ego-

targeting.

1. Simile and metaphor

Simile and metaphor are often used to manage the

unfamiliarity of the destination for the tourist. The

strangeness of the exotic is minimised by the use of familiar

themes like the ‘Manchester of the east’ for the city of

Ahmedabad, etc. This usage tends to increase in direct

relationship with the strangeness of destination being

promoted.

2. Keywords

The rhetoric of advertising employs images and symbols

from the shared language of the target audience and the

advertiser. The rhetoric employs ‘keywords’ (escape,

adventure, road less travelled etc.) which are derived from

the fancies of tourist generating societies. The keywords

relate the search for the authentic which stems from the

condition of anomie in the home society of the potential

tourist. An advertisement for Kumaon and Garhwal (U.P.

Tourism) talks of these areas as “take the road less travelled

by”, “get there before the crowd” etc.

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3. Testimony

The projection of favourable destination images may not be

carried out by recognisable spokespersons who can lend

support to the advertised images. The use of Paul Hogan of

Crocodile Dundee fame, who through the film comes to

stand for Australia. His rugged naturalness is ideal for

promoting great outdoors and his happy-go-lucky attitude,

emblematic of the attitude of the people, manages to give

Australia an edge over its more staid down-under rivals. The

testimony may also take the form of a satisfied customer as

in the advertisement of Kathmandu’s Yak and Yeti hotel

where a satisfied tourist describes his experiences as - “ I

almost got lost in those huge, gorgeous grounds” , “ we

went back to 18th century for dinner” etc. Rounding off with

“I guess that is what makes the Yak and Yeti Nepal’s finest

hotel”.

4. Humour

Humour can be successfully employed in tourism especially

in tourism employed in the use of pun like the use of

Bermuda shorts for promoting Bermuda for short-break

vacations like “ Bermuda shorts as a far away land close to

home” or “ Bermuda shorts . Bermuda, a short trip to a

perfect holiday”.

44


Management of unfamiliarity can also be dealt with

humorously by preparing the would-be visitor for the strange

customs of destinations people as for example the Tibet yak

milk “.....the smell of hot yak butter , which is a good way to

smell , if you like it ..”

5. Languaging

Languaging is the use of real or fictitious foreign words, of

which the user has scant knowledge to include a

manipulation of the vernacular. This use of particular

expressions shared by the writer and the reader, with their

occasional poetic treatment can be both ego- enhancing and

memory sustaining. E.g. “Yunctan food is totally different

from the rest of the country- instead of tacos and burritos

they eat cochinita pubil, rellenonegro de para, pocchue etc.

6. Ego targeting

It targets the individual, with the dialogue assuming the form

of intimate conversation, often making the individual feel

special, for personalised service. The individuals buys into

the product thinking that the purchase will make him a bit

more like himself, someone special etc........perpetrating the

45


myth of self actualisation An advertisement for Garhwal

and Kumaon by U. P. Tourism says “if you are dying for a

breath of rare oxygen- Pithoragarh, Kausani are where a

deep breath will make you come alive again!”

Visual techniques like the use of colour, format, visual cliché

etc. also contribute to the language of tourism.

It has been seen that the use of colour in promotional

images has sought to convey specific images. The use of

primitive colours, for example, for promotion of third world

destinations helps build up sensualist imagery of a noble

savage , living close to nature - pure, innocent and

authentic. The predominant colours of paradise are white

and blue signifying tranquillity and sterilisation of nature.

Visual cliché is also evident in pictures which accompany the

discourse on tourism. The tourists often see through these

cliché, but it is a pleasant feeling to be seduced by them

again and again. . Visual clichés that can be used are - deep

blue ocean, white sand, palm trees, sunset, happy &

colourfully dressed locals, untouched landscapes, exciting

nights etc.

46


The verbal and visual techniques are often employed by

language of tourism, often in combination, to interact with

the tourist and lure him towards staged authenticities, in his

search for the authentic other.

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CHAPTER 6

INDIA - THE ‘OTHER’

An interesting area of study concerning tourist arrivals in

India is the myths that exist in the westerners’ mind when he

intends to visit the country. This has to do primarily with

India being perceived as 'the other’. This 'otherness' has

been constructed over a long span of time, in the numerous

contacts the west has had with this country, over two

thousand years.

The first significant contact of India with the west was with

Alexander, who invaded India in 330 BC. He was the first in

the long line of westerners to become a disciple of an Indian

guru. To him, India represented a different school of

thought; a fascinating source of wisdom. However, the Greek

scholars accompanying Alexander complained that

understanding Indian philosophy was like making mud flow

through water. The east was beginning to be perceived as

different and/or strange. The first seeds of 'otherness' were

sown.

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After the invasion of Alexander there was regular trade

between India and the Romans until 1-2 century AD. With

the decline of the Roman Empire direct contacts between

India and the west ended as the trade stopped. Thereafter,

India entered into the realms of the myth… as rare Indian

spices and beautifully crafted Indian articles came on the

caravan of Arabic traders to the west.

The search for a sea route to India (to promote direct trade

with India primarily for spices) made India the magnet of

European explorers in the Middle Ages. Explorations were

followed by conquest as the English, Dutch, Danes and the

French colonised India.

In the 18th and the 19th, century India emerged as the

exotic 'other' to the European travellers. Travellers returned

with tales of the fabulous and the fantastic east. There was

very little information on the history and heritage of the

country. It was assumed that like all other colonies India

needed a civilising influence. Tales of gilded domes, kings,

sword swallowing acrobats, peddlers of reincarnation,

widows leaping into the pyre caused gasps of amazement

and wonder. India was a glorious and glittering circus -

spectacular, exciting but unreal.

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The initial study of Indian history and cultural heritage was

done by the British. It is they, who pieced together its past

and weaved the image of modern India. From a glorious

circus they converted it into a fascinating museum- full of

tombs, temples, sculptures, study of Hinduism etc.

The Heritage of India

For a foreign tourist the heritage of India can be divided into

the following categories.

Great places to stay- Palace cum hotels, houseboats,

Clubs of the British era... These places have become

popular because of the nostalgia, they evoke due to

linkages with great kings, legends, British history. This is

one area where heritage has been constructed to suit the

needs of tourists .E.g. Lake Palace Hotel (Udaipur), Taj

Mahal Intercontinental (Mumbai), House boats (Srinagar)

etc.

Places with Indo -European Flavour - Monuments from the

colonial past, primarily British. These places seem to

belong to a far off time and evoke nostalgia. E.g. Victoria

50


Memorial (Calcutta), Fernhill Palace (Ooty), Hotel

Metropole (Mysore) etc.

Nostalgia of the Hippie movements: towns with Tibetan

influence, Goa etc. This town were the key centres for the

Hippie movement in the 70s: symbolising escape from the

western civilisation. E.g. Goa, Dharmsala, countryside

near Manali etc.

Forts and Palaces: Primarily Rajput and Mughal forts. With

legends, personalities, architectural splendour, the

success of such places depend on how easily the tourist

relates to the myths associated with this place. The Taj

Mahal would not have been so popular but for the love of

the emperor for his wife. E.g. Red Fort, Forts at Jaiselmer,

Chittorgarh etc.

Deserted cities: Fatehpur Sikri, Hampi. These places

present a haunting reminder of the past. As a centre of

thriving empires, at one time they evoke a nostalgia from

the past; a relic of the progress of human civilisation.

Interesting trips: toy trains, backwater boat rides, Palace

on wheels. They are interesting rides as well as important

representations of heritage. The Palace On Wheels for

51


example takes back the tourist in maharaja's times where

he indulges in the vicarious pleasure of living like a

maharaja

India Today

Today, there are broadly two images of India held by the

westerners. One of the image is grounded in a fascination

for a rich heritage, a profound civilisation; whereas the

other looks at India as a place which is poor , inward looking

etc. The Indian reality probably lies in an integration of

these two images. But as far as the westerner is concerned,

he exists in one of these two mythical worlds - of India being

perceived as

1. The authentic other

2. The inauthentic other

India - The Inauthentic Other

Held by a signification section of westerners, this point of

view holds that though ancient, Indian civilisation has 52


degenerated into a cultural cull de sac; that India has made

very little contribution to make to the ongoing civilisation of

humanity.

The Indian thought has been dominated by imagination, a

mode of knowing religion. This is inferior to the rational

civilisation of the west. It is this imagination which has led to

generation of myths and superstitions as opposed to science

and rationality of the west. The west is forceful and

masculine while the east is passive and feminine.

The westerners harbouring this view refrain from visiting

India when one of the Indian cities Mumbai is attacked on

26/11. Most of them never intend visiting India- a land ruled

by Hindu fundamentalists, poverty etc.

India-The Authentic Other

There is a segment in the west which has an idealistic

perception of India, once articulated most vehemently by

Carl Gustav Jung -

'India represents the other way of civilising man, the way

without suppression, without violence, without rationalism'53


This view believes that the intuitive, mystical and symbolic

Indian thinking may provide westerners with access to that

part of themselves that they have 'lost'. This view considers

the internal spiritual factors as decisive. It refuses to see the

contradictions in Indian thinking. This section of people often

reacts against secular materialism of west and seeks to

escape into the authentic 'other' world of Indian spiritualism.

The Authentic ‘Other’ Country

The search for the authentic ‘other’ has, broadly speaking,

attracted two kinds of tourists to India.

One of them derives a vicarious pleasure in trying to identify

the ‘authentic other’ from the staged authenticities set up by

tourism industry. He is merely content in living in a make-

belief world of his myths about the country and refuses to

see indicators and realities which run contrary to his

perceptions.

The other is a pilgrim in the real sense who explores the

various dimensions of the country in his bid to find the

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‘authentic’ other. It is this type of pilgrim which stays in

ashrams, attends yoga weeks and pursues a serious study of

the Indian philosophy.

In the Indian context, the search for the authentic ‘other’

has manifested itself

in the lure of Indian mysticism (Tantrism)

the drawing forces of Hinduism, Buddhism and New Age

movement

The myths that surround the Himalayas, the Great Indian

Desert etc.

The Lure of Indian Mysticism

Tantrism, considered repugnant by mainstream Hindus, is a

tradition that ran parallel to mainstream Brahminism. It was

probably derived from the fertility cult of the indigenous

people. The subject of Tantrism introduces symbols, ideas

and terms exotic to the western minds. Labelled as

pornography by some it has also engendered strange

fascination.

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Tantrism is concerned with practical methods and lays little

stress on religious theories, easily understood by the

westerners. It focuses on Shiva and Shakti; Shakti - the

cosmic force which supports the universe. The act of sexual

intercourse is symbolic union of Shiva-Shakti. The act of

intercourse is considered a yogic exercise which creates a

mystic sense of oneness. The nude female form is the

representation of the goddess. Spiritual progress is achieved

not by avoiding desires but by transforming them.

The most influential exponent of Tantra among the western

people has been the Osho - Bhagwan Rajneesh. His view of

sex and mysticism was a deliberate combination of Tantrism

and Jungism. His interpretation of Tantrism along with a

growing awareness of Kundalini Yoga made for a formidable

combination of sensuality and spiritualism. This contributed

to his immense popularity in the west.

The philosophy of Rajneesh is monistic, which allows for no

evil. He accused Christian ministers of preaching sin to make

people feel guilty and inferior. He was one of the most

influential of the Indian Gurus. His ashrams continue to be of

great tourist interest and a place of pilgrimage for the

Oshoiites.

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The Drawing Force of Hinduism

Hinduism has been compared by western scholars to a

jungle - whatever can grow in it grows. It has a luxuriance of

intellectual thought and practical ritual that compares and

contrasts at the same time. This evokes exotic images in the

eyes of the westerner.

The spread of Hinduism in the west

In 1893, Vivekananda was one of the first Hindu missionaries

to the west. He established a Vedanta society which had a

lot of Christian converts. However it was only in the 1960s

that a widespread section of the western society came in

contact with Hinduism. Pop musicians invited Indian gurus to

preach their teaching. The ideas of Krishna as a divine lover

and Shiva as an erotic yogi created exotic images in the

eyes of the westerners. These two gods drew the largest

following in the western masses.

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The great paradox of Shiva being both an ascetic and yogi

epitomised the very opposite of western ideas of god. Shiva

is a synthesis of contradictions. The two aspects of Shaiviite

teaching i.e. Yoga and Tantra spread widely in the west.

Krishna, on the other hand, inspired the Bhakti movement

and society of Krishna consciousness.

The growing popularity of yoga

The amazing feats of ascetics and yogic practises narrated

by the European travellers to India in the nineteenth century

led to the rise of Sanskrit scholarship and Indian

philosophical studies in the universities of Europe. In the

1960s young people in the west started looking up to yoga

for mind-expanding experiences.

The most influential of these movements was the

Transcendental meditation advocated by Mahesh Yogi. It

became very popular with the interest shown by the Beatles.

The Maharishi started the spiritual regeneration movement

and positioned himself as a psychotherapist and not a Guru.

Yoga has found increasing acceptance as an applied

philosophy in the west. In addition, the increased popularity

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of yoga has contributed to the successful international yoga

weeks and yoga spas in areas like Rishikesh. These places

have also become important centres for study of Hinduism

for western tourists/pilgrims.

Other Gurus

The Sanskrit scholar Prabhupada was the founder of the

movement of

Krishna consciousness abhorring tenets of western

materialism. The other movements of Sathya Sai Baba,

Swaninarayans also contributed to the popularity of

Hinduism in the west.

This led to increasing number of pilgrimages to holy religious

spots and ashrams of Gurus by believers and tourists. The

ashrams of gurus are important places of tourist interest like

Vrindavan (Hare Krishna movement), Sai Baba Puttaparthi

etc.

The lure of Hinduism has also led tourists to visit the holy

cities like

Varanasi, Haridwar. The temple towns like Kanchipuram,

Mahabalipuram also witness significant tourist attention.

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The new age movement

As early as 1873, translations of Upanishads influenced

Madame Helena Blavatsky to find the Theosophical society.

This was the beginning of the new age movement, a

movement which tried to incorporate the best from the East

and the West. The monistic ideas of the Upanishads came as

an intellectual boost to the philosophers of the new age

movement.

In 1893, Annie Besant travelled to India from Britain leaving

behind 'the husk of the outworn creed' for something more

genuine. She provided the stimulus to the new age

movement; as a reaction to the ideas of western secular

materialism. The new age movement is based on the quest

for spirituality as opposed to religion.

Today, ancient Indian and Chinese thought are being drawn

into western philosophy. In 1991, 1/4 of the westerners

believed in reincarnation. 15% of the population in Britain

meditates which is more than the one that goes to church

regularly. All over the west spiritual retreat centres are

becoming important destination for tourism and pilgrimage.

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The various new age symbols like Yoga acupuncture; new

age authors like Deepak Chopra are becoming increasingly

popular.

On the west coast of America, new age institutions, radio

stations are being set up. This movement has led to a

greater integration of the East and the West and has

contributed to renewed interest in the east in a wide section

of Westerners.

The Drawing Force of Buddhism

The life of Gautama has assumed a nature of a heroic myth.

His birth is likened to the rising of another sun. The truth

that Buddha awoke to was the law of life that has existed

since time immemorial. He travelled the length and breadth

of this country to preach his message; areas that form the

parts of the Buddhist trail today.

Buddhism in Asia

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About hundred years after Buddha's death two main streams

of Buddhism developed and spread to South Asia and East

Asia.

Mahayana Buddhism travelled northward through the Tibet,

China, Korea and Japan. This happened over two thousand

years. The Mahayana, the greater vehicle, stresses on the

importance of leading all people to enlightenment in daily

life. It is Mahayana form which has given Buddhism a world-

wide appeal.

The Hinyana Buddhism holds strictly to original doctrine and

ritual. Buddha has been made a God to be worshipped and

favours asked to. The Hinyana School was influenced by the

native religion of the lands it went to. Therefore it took

various forms in the various countries it went to. This school

of teachings spread south, through Sri Lanka, Burma and

Thailand.

After about thousand years Buddhism began to be dogged

by ritual and dogma and lost its freshness and vigour. In

India, it was gradually assimilated in Hinduism to be

rediscovered by the British; in the nineteenth century, with

the help of accounts of Chinese travellers - Fa Hein and Huen

Tsang.

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The appeal of Buddhism in the west

Buddhism is an apt solution to the flaws of western secular

materialism and an attractive alternative to the

metaphysical dogmas of Christianity. The form of Buddhism

that is popular in the west is the Mahayana form. The

Mahayana form is based on rationality that teaches man to

free himself from suffering if he believes in his own Buddhist

nature.

The appeal of Buddhism lies in its attack against the

religious systems that inculcate fear and guilt.

Emphasis on experience: Buddhism takes experience as

the starting point. There are no prerequisites of

metaphysical beliefs. It emphasises on suffering and the

end of suffering, which can be known from self-

experience. This emphasis on self-experience makes it

appealing to the individual in the west.

Rationality: The Mahayana school recognises no divinity or

authority, whether religious or political. . It asks for action

only when something makes sense. This is in strong

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contrast to the strong emphasis on divinity, faith and

belief in Christianity.

Practicality: the religion recommends a diagnosis to end

suffering which depends on the practitioner to follow or

reject .There is no concept of damnation or sin. This

emphasis on choice as an alternative to blind belief or

faith in Christianity has made a modern religion.

An interesting aspect of tourism in India concerned with

Buddhism is that a majority of the international tourists it

attracts come from Asia-Pacific and Sri Lanka. The countries

of Asia Pacific especially Japan are a growing market for

India. A substantial number of tourists from Sri Lanka,

which is the third most important market, are drawn by

Buddhism.

The tourist attractions which concern themselves with

Buddhism are divided into two categories:

The Buddhist trail: concerning holy spots relating to

Buddha's life and important monuments. These spots

attract pilgrims/tourists from Asia-Pacific and Sri Lanka.

The rub of Buddhism: these spots bank upon the lure of

Buddhism enmeshed with other myths. Buddhism forms a

64


background for other myths such as the story of Shangri

La (covered in Himalayas and Tourism). The emerging

destinations in these areas are Ladakh and Sikkim.

Himalayas and Tourism

Himalayas have possessed a mythic status for people of

India. Most Indians except those who live in mountains do

not have a strong geographical conception of the mountains.

The Himalayas tend to be mythical rather than actual

mountains.

The concept of Himalayas is based on legends and myths of

the Hindu tradition. Himalayas are home to the holiest of

shrines and the spots in the Hindu mythology. A pilgrimage

to the abode of Gods is a regular feature of Hindu Bhakti

tradition.

To the west, the same region is influenced to by the

currency of the new myth, articulated in recent times by the

novel of James Hilton- the Lost Horizon.

65


The novel is built around the fantasy of a paradise in the

Tibetan plateau beyond world's highest mountains - Shangri

La, a valley of the blue moon. The Shangri La relocated itself

- to Tibet, Nepal, Ladakh and Bhutan- as tourists came in

droves, driven by the myth. As the sanctity of each

Forbidden City was violated by mass tourism, the fantasy

moved from a sacred place to utopia or from 'a symbolic

concentration' to ' a geographic abstraction'

The tale at a profound level is the author's reaction to the

shortcomings of the western civilisation. It is a tale of

liberation from the thrall of time and western materialism.

Life at Shangri La is extraordinarily long; none of its

inhabitants hurries or exerts pressure on fellow beings. Life

proceeds in the pursuit of aesthetic and intellectual pursuits

with no conflict and competition. By association, the popular

western conception of the countries in the Himalayan region

is of romantic, mystic realms and this image is perpetuated

in literature and promotion of tourism.

To quote a young Frenchman -

“Ladakh is the last place where you can see what Tibet must

have been ..... If you felt anything in these hours we have

been together; any intensity, any trust, think that it was not

just from me or from us, but from Ladakh."

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The extent to which a Himalayan region remains a

reminiscent of Shangri La depends on the retention of

unchanged elements of the lost Tibetan authenticity. This

aspect was capitalised upon by the tourism department of

Nepal to promote itself since 70s. Today, the government of

Bhutan has gone to great extent to preserve the myth of the

Shangri La. It has done so by restricting development,

making people wear national costume on prescribed

occasions, banning television and restricting entry to the

very rich.

Trekking through the Himalayan region and walks are not

only important for their scenic beauty but also constitute

small explorations in search for the authentic other.

The Desert and The Sea

The desert and tourism

The magnetic fascination for the deserts in some segments

of the western society lies in great empty spaces - the

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ultimate in escape from the western society .The lure of the

desert also stems from the mythical structures created in

the western mind in their contact with Arabian people and

their literature. The gossip of the desert was magic, with

tales of blood and feuds. It was promoted by the spread of

the tales of the Arabian nights-of Ali Baba and forty thieves

etc.-and works of Omar Khayyam and others.

The tale of the Great Indian Desert

The myth of the Thar is linked intricately to Rajputs-their

valour, battles for honour, the majestic palaces and the

impregnable forts. It is similar to the magic evoked by tales

of the Arabian Desert - of kings dying for honour, of wealthy

maharajas with many wives, of women throwing themselves

to Johar, the legend of Padmavati. And the myth lives on;

consumed by the tourists in the form of travelling on the

palace of wheels, in consumption of heritage at increasingly

popular heritage hotels and palace-cum-hotels. The

MacCanell's tourist finds in these an authentic another- full

of virtue, grandeur, and honour and heritage.

The camel safari, for example, in the desert with forts, ruins,

deserted villages, fertile oasis exercises a magical spell on

68


the tourist- the ultimate in space from the western

civilisation. The desert festival at Jaiselmer and the camel

fair at Pushkar are events which add revelry, enthusiasm and

colour to an already romantic mythical structures -created

by the Rajput valour and the emptiness of the desert.

Heritage of the Rajputanas

The success of painted havelis in Shekawati, of heritage

hotels and palace on wheels indicates a very lucrative

market for heritage tourism in Rajasthan: the success of

which in the future will depend upon the interpretation of

history to suit the needs of changing times and the tastes of

tourists. It is essential to build on the mythical structures in

the tourist’s mind and stage authenticities like fairs, heritage

sites etc. Desert will forever remain an ultimate in escape;

and heritage, if constructed and staged in a relevant fashion

will interweave with it to become a formidable attraction.

Heritage when weaved with desert gives a meaning to the

empty desert. This allows the tourist to escape into an

authentic ‘other’ world where time moves slowly, people die

for honour, and the culture is full of liveliness, simplicity and

honesty.

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The Sea and Tourism

For centuries, the sea has fascinated human beings. The

coastlines have represented the fringe between the known

and the frighteningly unknown.

The Romans were the first ones to build villas by the sea.

However, the seaside as a tourist destination is

comparatively modern. In the eighteenth century, the

seaside was first promoted, in England, as a place for

recuperation. Today, it has become a place of relaxation, fun

and idleness.

The beach: Margins of experience

Beaches are marginal littoral strips; of neither land nor the

sea. They are margins of experience. This marginality is not

only geographical but also social and physiological.

Therefore as society changes so does the meaning and use

of the beach...

In the Victorian age, it was a place of flesh and bodily

exposure, rarely tolerated elsewhere. Today it has a different

kind of marginality associated with it. Some beaches offer a 70


sanctioned ‘escape route’ and regression into childhood for

the adults; as adults play child games and eat child foods.

Other beaches provide opportunities for the young to pass

through passages of rites; without the presence of younger

and older generation.

The scenario in India

The conventional sun-sand -sea resort (primarily located in

the Mediterranean and tropical islands) has witnessed a

decrease in tourist traffic due to overcrowding and an

increasing preference for other forms of tourism by western

tourists. There is an increasing section of western tourists

which is looking for a resort with sun-sand -sea and a

flavour / meaning attached to it .It is this category of tourists

which is attracted to seaside resorts in India .

In India, a few good beaches attract tourists who come for

leisure travel. The beaches in India are roughly divided into

few categories:

Beaches with Indo-European flavour: Found in Goa, Diu etc.

these beaches attract tourists looking for a good beach and

71


those who wish to revisit their past. They have an Indo –

European flavour, which evokes nostalgia in a European

tourists’ mind.

A conventional sun- sand- sea resort: These beaches are

typical resorts with a local cultural flavour thrown in to add

to the attraction like Kovalam, Gopalpur-on-sea, Ahmedpur

Mandvi etc. The primary attraction of these centres is the

relatively un-crowded beach woven with the excitement of a

different culture...

Beaches and religion: These beaches become the epitome of

escape from the western secular materialism. This attracts

the MacCannell’s tourist. They combine the familiarity of

beach experience with the lure of religion. They are also

good attractions for domestic tourist, who lured by religion,

also happen to visit the beach .These include locations like

Puri, Konark, Mahabalipuram etc.

The Island

72


The islands are characterised by their smallness and

insularity. The islands are not only geographical identities,

they are is-lands; locations of the present freed from the

concerns of the future. In doing so they represent an escape

in which time stands still and future looks far away.

Most islands have limited tourism resources. The island ,as

a tourist attraction, lacks diversity .It depends

overwhelmingly on sun, sand and the sea often with an

additional attraction thrown in to differentiate it from an

another island .

The Indian scenario

The islands with an enormous tourist potential are the

Andamans and the Nicobar islands. These islands represent

the epitome of escape- far away from the mainland and

civilisation. Besides, the beaches of Andamans and Nicobar

islands have an attractive Caribbean flavour: white coral

sand, gin clear water and multi-coloured fish and coral.

Indian Heritage & Events73


Heritage and history

Heritage and history are social constructs. Any age can

reassemble and rearrange the inheritance of people and

places. They are truths that are held to be known about the

past. However, the past is subject to interpretations and

heritage is a three-way relationship between a site, its

presenter and audience. Heritage therefore needs to be

realigned to the needs of the times, to the taste of the

present audience. A relevant realignment of heritage to the

trends of the recent times creates a successful tourist

attraction.

The telling of history involves a conveyance of untruths. The

act of interpretation changes it. The heritage of the Ram, for

example, manifested in the interpretation of the concept of

Ram Rajya is a part of reactionary revivalism, for a

generation of Indians who feel imaginatively deprived in the

present

The development of Disneyland, which led to production of

history and manufacture of heritage, is an important lesson

in understanding the perception and marketing of heritage.

The Disney spectacle is a themed and montage display of

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simulations and hyper reality; to a point where truth and

fiction become indistinguishable.

In Britain, a new development in heritage called industrial

heritage has emerged. This concept celebrates the industrial

sites, mining sites etc. Ironbridge, the foundation of

industrial revolution, has become an important heritage site.

Other heritage sites like deserted soviet army bases,

Spanish castles cum hotels, secret armaments factory are

becoming popular. In India heritage is being staged through

the development of heritage hotels, heritage festivals,

Palace on wheels, etc. India offers tremendous opportunity

for development and staging of heritage.

The success of Disneyland has an important lesson. It

indicates that plural interpretations of heritage will become

commonplace. The scope for multiple truths will continue to

widen.

Special events

Special events (festivals, sport and cultural events) have

deep cultural meanings and involve unique behaviours.

75


Licence and revelry are closely associated with events.

Attendance at events is a leisure experience that is freely

chosen for its intrinsic rewards.

Events have to compete with various attractions and

activities; hence events can be packaged and substituted.

The strong competitive advantage of events is the social

benefit of attending ‘in groups’. Events are participative in

nature. Hence, their success to some extent depends upon

the participants. Thus what people bring to the events is as

important as what they find there. Special events are

characterised by their uniqueness, atmosphere and quality.

All over the world various events –rooted in ancient and

modern heritage have been a big tourist draw. Some events

like the Olympic Games, Soccer world cup etc. provide

excellent opportunity to the host state to boost tourism and

construct and stage heritage. Various events rooted in the

past still continue to be major draws for their uniqueness

and atmosphere like the Spanish bullfights.

Indian Events – an embarrassment of riches.

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Indian events range from the modern to the ancient. They

fulfil various purposes from recreation to religion. Most of the

heritage fairs are rooted in the religious tradition or meant to

be a market for business. Basically, the Indian events can be

classified in a few categories:

The modern festivals – the republic day parade,

Independence Day etc. These provide ample opportunities

for staged authenticities. The various Jhankis of states for

example are representations of states and their heritage.The

religious festivals - the car festival (Puri), the festival of gods

(Kulu), Dusshera (Mysore), and the Kumbh melas provide

opportunities for domestic tourists to indulge in a religious

activity .These festivals attract the MacCanell’s tourists: the

Heritage festivals – snake boat race (Alappuzha), desert

festival (Jaiselmer), camel fair (Pushkar) etc. Many of these

festivals are rooted in tradition and are a tremendous draw

for the foreign tourist. Many of these like the Jhansi

Mahotsav (Jhansi) or the festival of Lucknow are staged

versions of authenticities constructed by the tourism

departments.

There is an enormous opportunity for staging authenticity

and interpreting heritage through events. Events are

gradually becoming very important in itineraries of the

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tourists. Due to their strong participative nature and social

exuberance they are a unique attraction.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Chasing the Indian monsoon - Alexander Frater.

2. Critical issues in tourism - Gareth Shaw and Alan M.

Williams.

3. Encyclopaedia of hospitality in tourism - Michael Olsen

and Mahmood Khan.78


4. Hinduism in Great Britain - Edited by Richard Burghart.

5. Hospitality and travel marketing - Alastair Morrison

6. India file - Trevor Fishcock

7. Marketing tourism places- Edited by Gregory Ashworth

and Brian Goodall.

8. Northern India and Southern India - Nelles Verg

9. Portrait of India - Ved Mehta

10. The business of tourism - J. Christopher Holloway.

11. The desert and the sown-Gertrude Bell

12. The development and marketing of visitor attractions-

John Swarbrooke.

13. The spirit of Hinduism - David Burnett

14. The theory and practise of tourism- Keith Waterhouse.

15. The tourist business- Donald E. Lundberg

16. The tourist experience- Edited by Chris Ryan

17. The tourist image - Edited by Tom Selwyn

18. Travel industry yearbook- Somerset R. Waters

19. Tourism, principles and practise- Chris Cooper, J.

Fletcher, D. Gilbert and S. Wanhill.

20. Tourism today : A geographical analysis- Douglas

Pearce

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