A Study on the Challenges and Opportunities of the Private Sector Tour Operators of Assam

Abstract

ABSTRACT newlineThe tourism industry has witnessed the role of tour operators as one of the principal intermediaries between the supplier of travel services and the tourists. Being the creator of a Package Tour, tour operators have to take many risks due to the very characteristics of the product itself i.e., the Package Tour. In the world of uncertainty, any socio-economic, political disturbance and natural calamity can affect the tourism market in a big way. The rapid growth of users of Internet and other social media platforms is gradually diminishing the role of tour operators as the principal intermediary between the supplier of travel services and the tourists. Today s tourism industry is largely handled by the private sector tour operators while the government tourism departments mainly look after the creation and maintenance of tourism infrastructures along with framing rules and regulations for the entire industry. The private sector tour operators of Assam also have similar challenges before them while operating from the remotest part of India s north east. But very few systematic studies have been made towards addressing the problems of tour operators of Assam. The present study is aimed at finding the challenges faced by the private sector tour operators operating from the state so that some suitable suggestions can be put forward both for the tour operators and the policy makers for tourism in Assam. newlineThe present study is undertaken with the following five objectives- 1) to investigate into the present status of the private sector tour operators operating in Assam, 2) to assess the quality of services rendered by the tour operators to the tourists and to identify the ways and means for improving their services, 3) to examine the challenges faced by the private sector tour operators operating in Assam, 4) to identify the opportunities for further development of tour operators as an entrepreneurial activity in Assam and 5) to identify the areas where the tour operators can contribute effectively for the development of tourism in Assam. newlineAfter taking into consideration the research objectives, five research questions have been formulated which are answered by means of a methodical study. The five research questions formulated are- RQ1: What are the key attributes of the tour operators operating from Assam? RQ2: How to improve the quality of tourism services offered by the tour operators of the state? RQ3: What are the major challenges faced by the tour newlineoperators in the state of Assam? RQ4: What are the potentialities for overall development of tour operators in Assam? RQ5: How far the tour operators can contribute towards the development of tourism in Assam? newlineThe research undertaken here is primarily descriptive in nature as it endeavors to find out information on the what aspects of the research questions. The data gathered from the research is used to describe the different challenges faced by private sector tour operators of Assam along with various opportunities present before them to uplift their business. To fit in descriptive nature of the research, survey method taking help of structured questionnaires for different categories of respondents has been advocated to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The research has put emphasis on formulating research objectives which lead to formation of research questions. Some research hypotheses have also been framed to help finding answers to the research questions. The first phase of the study was conducted at the offices of private sector tour operators spread across thirteen districts of Assam. In the second phase, feedbacks from tourists were collected by means of survey conducted at five tourist destinations spread across two states of Assam and Meghalaya where the tour operators operate. newlineThe study reveals some important findings, such as - the tourism service sector in Assam is largely dominated by private sector tour operators operating from 13 districts of the state. Majority of them have business offices at Guwahati. 29 percent of operators have business experiences of more than 15 years. Kaziranga National Park, Kohima, Tawang, Zero, Cherrapunji are some of the prime destinations for tourists visiting North East India. These operators are facing problems like shortage of skilled manpower, challenges from large online travel companies, staff poaching, difficulty in getting bank loans, long off-season period and many more. However promotion of eco-tourism, cultural tourism, monsoon tourism, business tourism beside wildlife tourism can improve their business prospects significantly. newlineThe various suggestions incorporated at the concluding chapter of the thesis to different stakeholders of tourism are expected to benefit the private sector tour operators and tourism in general in Assam. newline