A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TOURIST RESOURCES OF GUJARAT STATE

213 ABSTRACT A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TOURIST RESOURCES OF GUJARAT STATE DR. HITESH S. VIRAMGAMI*; DR. J. K. PATEL** *Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce. **Principal, V. R. Patel College of Commerce, Mehsana 384002, Gujarat. In the present research study, all tourist places of Gujarat state and tourists visiting these tourist places comprise the universe of the study. Tourist paces, from tourist resources point of view, have been stratified into twelve categories. Samples from 12 categories have been selected using Stratified Random Sampling method. Sample size is restricted to 1000. 1000 sample units have been stratified into Domestic respondents numbering 797 and foreign respondents numbering 203. An attempt has been done to select 1000 respondents from all 12 strata of tourist resources. Details of sampling plan have been presented in the respective table. A multiple-choice questionnaire has been prepared to get comprehensive information about comparative study of tourism resources in Gujarat from tourists- both domestic and foreign tourists. The researcher has done bi variate data analysis and tabulated the data in cross tabulation to study the respondent s opinion about selected variables. The relationship between selected variables have been tested using statistical test named Chi Square Test and provided its corresponding p values. The level of significance is fixed at 5% cut off point. The information analyzed in the present research paper provides an insight into the tourist traffic trends in Gujarat state. Gujarat state has emerged as an attracting tourist place and TCGL is progressively looking towards marketing of tourism in Gujarat. This research paper furnishes important information regarding comparative study of tourist resources of Gujarat state according to nationality, gender and age group of selected respondents and respondents opinion about facilities of tourist complexes, quality of food, price being charged for services and tourism promotion facilities. The distribution of respondents according to type of tourist place and its cross tabulation are all the important as it indicates the effectiveness of the tourist supplier experienced by the users. Respondents opinions about major tourist resources and various tourist facilities indicate that majority of respondents satisfy with the existing tourist resources and tourist facilities. Respondents have also suggested new certain activities to be introduced for tourism promotion. INTRODUCTION Tourism has come to be recognized as a significant factor in the economy of many nations. In all countries, marketing of tourism plays significant role for their economic development. Marketing of tourism is beneficial to the economy by the tax benefit, image building, educational significance, cultural significance, earning of foreign exchange, generating employment opportunities and there by creating global peaceful environment. Hence, Govt. of India has established department of tourism at national level and state

214 governments have established state level tourism corporation for encouraging, monitoring and relating tourism management Problem and prospects. Marketing of tourism plays a vital role for economic and industrial development of our country. Tourist visits various places for a variety of motives and tourist utilizes many forms of tourism. In the present scenario, tourism marketing has imaged as a recent phoneme in order to satisfy modern need of tourist and to attract more and more tourists by marketing mix. An attractive and innovative package of tour can be offered because of such great importance of tourism marketing. 1. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1. RATIONALE OF THE RESEARCH STUDY The topic as regards this, research work has been done to make a comparative study of various tourist resources of Gujarat state. Gujarat is the land of many respectable personalities like lord Krishna, social reformer Dayanand Saraswati, the father of the Nation -Mahatma Gandhi, the Iron Man of India-Sardar Patel and alike. Gujarat has rich heritage in various fields like handicrafts, customs, traditions, culture, architecture, fairs and festivals, wildlife and so on. Gujarat is blessed with everything a tourist looks forward to; Gujarat is a package by itself, which includes Archaeological/Historical Destinations, Beautiful Beaches, Cultural centers, Hill Stations, Wild life, Religious places, Fairs and Festivals. Gujarat is one of the leading states in the fields of tourism in India. Since last some years, there has been a great development in the tourism of the state. The dynamic and growth oriented Govt. of Gujarat is determined to develop Tourism as a key industry to make it an important contributor to the state's economic and social growth and to offer a right blend of Business and Pleasure & The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd has a wide network of tourist facilities. As each state in the country presents its own geo-socio-cultural identity, it demands specific tourism development plans and actions thoughts within the umbrella of an overall tourism prospective for the country. Being a resident of Gujarat, a research project related to the state naturally came as an obvious choice. Moreover familiarity with the state, language known and feeling of doing something for the state has crated upon to select - Title of the problem: A Comparative Study of Tourist Resources of Gujarat State. The study specifically is aimed towards finding respondents opinion about various tourist resources of Gujarat state. In Gujarat State, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL) has been established for developing Gujarat state as a key state for tourism industry by evolving an entirely new concept of tourism management 2. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The present research study will be undertaken with the following objectives in views: 2.1 To study various tourist resources of Gujarat state according nationality of respondents 2.2 To study various tourist resources of Gujarat state according gender of respondents.

215 2.3 To study various tourist resources of Gujarat state according age group of respondents. 2.4 To study respondents opinion about facilities of tourist complexes, quality of food, price being charged for the facilities and tourism promotion facilities at various types of tourist places. 2.5 To obtain respondents opinion about new activities to be introduced for tourism promotion in Gujarat. 3. HYPOTHESES OF THE RESEARCH STUDY THE PRESENT RESEARCH STUDY IS BASED ON THE FOLLOWING HYPOTHESES 1. H o : There is no significant difference between respondents visiting various types of tourist place and their nationality, gender and age - group. H 1 : There is significant difference between respondents visiting various types of tourist place and their gender and age - group. 2. H o : There is no significant difference between types of tourist place visited by respondents and their opinion about facilities of tourist complexes, quality of food, price charged for the facilities and tourism promotion facilities. H 1 : There is significant difference between types of tourist place visited by respondents and their opinion about facilities of tourist complexes, quality of food, price charged for the facilities and tourism promotion facilities. 4. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Tremendous development in tourism industry over the last four decades, its multifarious benefits and its future growth prospects have all together tourism a subject of extensive study and research. Though, in resent times, a considerable amount of literature on different aspects of tourism is available, still there is a great paucity of information. The literature available is of lop-sided nature in as much as there is no exhaustive information about any single aspect of tourism industry. Obviously, in the context of present study too, except for the conceptual aspect, the scarcity of literature was greatly felt. Realizing the necessity to undertake in depth analysis of studies relating to marketing of tourism, the researcher has investigated earlier studies. Following studies have been done on either this aspect or related aspects. 1. Pareek Deepa has studied on Tourism industry in Rajasthan and awarded Ph.D. degree from Department of economics, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. 1 2. Sharma Rakesh has studied on Tourism in the Kangra Vally, Himachal Pradesh: A study in socio economic affects of tourism in 1995 under the supervision of Dr. S. C. Bagri, Department of Tourism, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar. 2

216 3. Sonal Bhatt has studied on Reaping the economic benefits of tourism: - Some initiatives and approaches. 3 4. Vijan J has studied on Tourism development and involvement of local people at destination in March April 2008 under the supervision of Dr. J. Rajan, Department of Commerce, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthauram. 4 5. Sachdeva, Jai Kiran has studied on A study of manpower planning in tourism sector in India in March-April 2008 under the supervision of Dr. Ravindra Vinayak, Dept. of Commerce, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, March. 5 6. Maira Renu has been awarded Ph.D. degree on Importance of tourism on environment case study of selected hill stations of Uttranchal from Department of Management, Kurushetra university, Kurishetra 6. 7. Singh, Kavita has studied on Indian Tourism marketing through E-commerce in March 2008 under the supervision of Prof. B. K. Punia, Department of Management, Guru Jambheshwar University of science and technology, Hisar 7. 8. A research work on Tourism and tourist industry by Tej Vir singh (1976) is one of the pioneer works on tourism in India. The work is organized in four sections. The first section deals with physical and cultural features, presenting a complete picture of UP s tourism potential in her land and people. Second section is on historical approach tracing the evolution and development of tourism in the state. The third section describes the status of tourism related sectors (accommodation, transport, souvenir, recreation and entertainment) and provides an overview of impact of tourism of the state s economy. The fourth and final section is a study on nine major tourist centers of UP. The conclusion is more than a traditional summing up providing an insight on the role of tourism, impotence of market research, tourism education and training, tourism planning and there related aspects. 8 9. Kaur Kawaljeet, Department of Economics, Guru Gobind Singh College, Punjab University, XLRL, Jamshedpur has studied on Tourism Markets : Taking shape for turbulent times. 9 10. Batra G. S., Department of Business Management, Punjab University, Patiala has studied on Marketing of Tourism Services in India Strategic issues. 10 11. Research work has been done by K. L. Batra on Problems and Proscets of Tourism in Rajasthan, by M. M. Anand on Tourism and Hotel Industry in India : A Study in Management and by M. Selvam on Tourism Industry in India : A Study of its Growth and its Development Needs with special reference to Tamilnadu. 11 12. Faziti, Asif Iqbal has studied on A Study of Marketing Strategy of Potential Tourism Products in Jammu and Kashmir in May-June 2008 under the supervision of Dr. S. Husain AShraf, Department of Commerce, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. 12 13. Saravanan T. has studied on Tourism Management in Dindigul District of Tamilnadu under the supervision of of Dr. M Soundarapandian, Department of Management, Gandhigram Rural Institutte, Bandhighram, (Dist. Dindigul) in July August, 2008. 13

217 All these studies reveal the fact that number of researches have been come out on Tourism subject. But a research work on a comparative study of tourist resources with special reference to Gujarat state has not been undertaken to the best of my knowledge. Hence the present research study attempts to study and review scientifically various tourist resources of Gujarat state. 5. UNIVERSE AND SAMPLING PLAN 5.1 UNIVERSE In the present research study, all tourist places of Gujarat state and tourists visiting these tourist places comprise the universe of the study. 5.2 SAMPLING PLAN For the study of marketing of tourism in Gujarat, tourist places of Gujarat - included in the list of tourist places of TCGL and tourists- both domestic and foreign-visiting such tourist places have been covered. Tourist paces, from tourist resources point of view, have been stratified into twelve categories as below. (A)- NATURAL RESOURCES 1- Wild life places 2- Beaches and Resorts places 3- Hill station places (B)- MAN MADE RESOURCES 4- Ancient Civilization places 5- Historical Architectural places 6- Museums places 7- Art & Craft places 8- Fair & Festival places 9- Religious places 10- Educational institutions 11- Heritage hotels 12- Gandhiji s Gujarat Samples from above 12 categories have been selected using Stratified Random Sampling method.

218 Sample size is restricted to 1000. 1000 sample units have been stratified into Domestic respondents numbering 797 and foreign respondents numbering 203. An attempt has been done to select 1000 respondents from all 12 strata of tourist resources. Though, number of respondents may very in some strata, depending upon domestic and foreign tourists of various categories available at particular tourist places, while visiting and conducting interview with tourists. Thus due care has been taken to select tourists as well as tourist places from 12 strata of tourist resources to make the sample representative of the entire universe. i.e. Gujarat. Details of sampling plan have been presented in the below table 1. TABLE 1 SAMPLING PLAN Sr. No. Name of tourist resources No. of tourist places Selection of samples No. of Domestic respondents No. of Foreign respondents Tota l sam ple size (A) Natural Resources 1 Wild life 12 77 23 100 2 Beaches & Resources 4 74 26 100 3 Hill station 1 80 20 100 (B) Man Made Resources 4 5 Ancient Civilization 3 32 18 50 Historical Architectural 6 88 12 100 6 Museums 6 43 7 50 7 Art & Craft 4 24 6 30 8 Fair & Festival 9 131 19 150 9 Religious places 11 130 20 150

219 10 Educational institutions 4 32 18 50 11 Heritage hotels 9 32 18 50 12 Gandhiji s Gujarat 2 52 18 70 Total respondents 71 797 203 1000 6. PERIOD OF DATA COLLECTION The research study covers respondents opinion collected during the year 2009-10. 7. SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION Sources used for data collection in the present research study are: 7.1 Primary data: 7.2 Secondary data: 7.1 PRIMARY DATA The present research study is mainly based on the primary sources of information collected through fieldwork. The primary data has been collected by visiting tourist places and conducting interviews with tourists- both domestics and foreign, with the help of multiple-choice questionnaire. 7.2 SECONDARY DATA The secondary data has been collected about TCGL and available tourism service by conducting interviews with concerned authorities of TCGL and tourist places with the help of an open-ended questionnaire. For collection of secondary information, books, magazines, journals, newspaper, official papers, website, unpublished Ph.D. thesis etc have also been used. 8. TECHNIQUES OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSES & INTERPRETATION OF DATA The data in the present research study has been collected by using questionnaire and interview technique. 8.1 QUESTIONNAIRE A multiple-choice questionnaire has been prepared to get comprehensive information about comparative study of tourism resources in Gujarat from tourists- both domestic and foreign tourists. In the multiple-choice questionnaire, questions have been asked about profile of tourists and selected variables.

220 An open-ended questionnaire has also been designed to get secondary data about TCGL like establishment, mission, vision, financial data, major activities etc. The researcher visited all tourist places to fill up the multiple-choice questionnaire. The researcher visited office of TCGL, Gandhinagar to fill up the open-ended questionnaire and to collect relevant information. 8.2 INTERVIEW To supplement the secondary data and to fill up the gap, the researcher conducted interviews of different officers of TCGL and concerned authorities of tourist places. By conducting interview with concerned authorities of TCGL and tourist places, the researcher also collected their personal views, which has provided very useful guidance for knowing problems for marketing of tourism in Gujarat and to put forward suggestions to overcome the problems. 8.3 ANALYSES AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA Keeping in view the objectives of the study, the data collected through the multiple choice and open-ended questionnaire has been classified and tabulated. Data in the tables have been analyzed and interpreted with the help of statistical techniques. The statistical analysis of the collected information is presented in terms of frequency, percentage and average. The researcher has done bi variate data analysis and tabulated the data in cross tabulation to study the respondent s opinion about selected variables. The relationship between selected attributes / variables have been tested using statistical test named Chi Square Test and provided its corresponding p values. The level of significance is fixed at 5% cut off point. Chi Square value and corresponding P value have been calculated with the help of computer s S.P.S.S. (statistical package for social sciences) Program. Accept-Reject decision for hypothesis: If p value is less than 0.05, H o is rejected and H 1 is accepted. If p value is more than 0.05, H o is accepted and H 1 is rejected. 2. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO TYPE OF TOURIST PLACES VISITED

221 TABLE 2 DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO TYPE OF TOURIST PLACES VISITED Sr. No. Type of Tourist Place visit Frequency Percentage 1 Ancient Civilization 50 5.0 2 Art & Craft 30 3.0 3 Beaches & Resorts 100 10.0 4 Educational Institution 50 5.0 5 Fair & Festival 150 15.0 6 Gandhiji s Gujarat 70 7.0 7 Heritage Hotels 50 5.0 8 Hill Station 100 10.0 9 Historical Architectural 100 10.0 10 Museums 50 5.0 11 Religious Places 150 15.0 12 Wild Life 100 10.0 13 Total 1000 100.0

222 No. of respondents Source: Questionnaire FIGURE 1: DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO TYPE OF TOURIST PLACES VISITED 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Type of tourist place Table 2 shows that 15 per cent respondents have visited religious places and fair & festivals, 10 per cent respondents have visited beaches & resorts, hill station, historical architectural and wild life and very few respondents have visited ancient civilization, art & Craft, educational institutions, heritage hotels etc, ranging from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. 3. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR NATIONALITY AND TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE TABLE: 3 DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR NATIONALITY AND TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE Sr. No. Type of Tourist place Type of respondents Total Indian Foreign 1 Ancient Civilization 32(4.0) 18(8.9) 50(5.0) 2 Art & Craft 24(3.0) 6(3.0) 30(3.0) 3 Beaches & Resorts 74(9.3) 26(12.8) 100(10.0) 4 Educational Institution 34(4.3) 16(7.9) 50(5.0)

223 No. of respondents 5 Fair & Festival 131(16.4) 19(9.4) 150(15.0) 6 Gandhiji s Gujarat 45(5.6) 25(12.3) 70(7.0) 7 Hill Station 80(11.04) 20(9.85) 100(10.0) 8 Historical Architectural 88(11.0) 12(5.9) 100(10.0) 9 Heritage hotels 39(4.9) 11(5.4) 50(5.0) 10 Museums 43(5.4) 7(3.4) 50(5.0) 11 Religious Places 130(16.3) 20(9.9) 150(15.0) 12 Wild Life 77(9.7) 23(11.3) 100(10.0) 13 Total 797(100.0) 203(100.0) 1000(100.0) Source: Questionnaire Note: Figures in to the brackets are percentage to total as 100. Table 3 reveals that the proportion of respondents visiting religious places and fair & festival are higher in Indian respondents as compared to foreigners. The proportion of respondents visiting educational institution, Gandhiji s Gujarat and ancient civilization are higher in foreign respondents as compared to Indian respondents. FIGURE 2: DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR NATIONALITY AND TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Indian Foreign Type of tourist place (

224 4. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND THEIR GENDER TABLE - 4 DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND THEIR GENDER Sr. No. Type of Tourist place Gender of respondent Total Male Female 1 Ancient Civilization 38(5.5%) 12(3.9%) 50(5.0%) 2 Art & Craft 28(4.0%) 2(0.7%) 30(3.0%) 3 Beaches & Resorts 77(11.06%) 23(7.57%) 100(10.0%) 4 Educational Institution 32(4.6%) 18(5.9%) 50(5.0%) 5 Fair & Festival 102(14.5%) 48(15.8%) 150(15.0%) 6 Gandhiji s Gujarat 52(7.5%) 18(5.9%) 70(7.0%) 7 Hill Station 70(10.06%) 30(9.87%) 100(10.0%) 8 Historical Architectural 70(10.1%) 30(9.9%) 100(10.0%) 9 Heritage hotels 32(4.6%) 18(5.9%) 50(5.0%) 10 Museums 34(4.9%) 16(5.3%) 50(5.0%) 11 Religious Places 94(13.5%) 56(18.4%) 150(15.0%) 12 Wild Life 67(9.6%) 33(10.9%) 100(10.0%) 13 Total 696(100.0%) 304(100.0%) 1000(100.0%)

225 Source: Questionnaire Note: Figure in to the brackets are percentage to total as 100. Chi square value is 17.88 p value is 0.162. Ho: There is no significant difference between tourists visiting various types of tourist places and their gender. H 1 : There is significant difference between tourists visiting various types of tourist places and their gender. In the above table 4, distribution of respondents according to their gender and tourist place has been presented which shows that maximum male respondents 14.5 per cent have visited fair & festival, while maximum female respondents 18.4 have visited religious places. p value is more than 0.05, So H 0 is accepted and H 1 is rejected. There is no significant difference between male and female tourists, visiting various types of tourist places. 5. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND THEIR AGE GROUP: TABLE- 5 DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND THEIR AGE GROUP Sr.No. Type Tourist place of Age group (in yrs.) of respondents <20 20-40 >40 Total 1 Ancient Civilization 6(2.8%) 33(5.5%) 11(5.9%) 50(5.0%) 2 Art & Craft 9(4.2%) 15(2.5%) 6(3.2%) 30(3.0%) 3 Beaches & Resorts 4 Educational Institution 21(9.72%) 63(9.7%) 16(8.65%) 100(10.0%) 6(2.8%) 33(5.5%) 11(5.9%) 50(5.0%) 5 Fair & Festival 46(21.3%) 81(13.5%) 23(12.4%) 150(15.0%)

226 6 Gandhiji s Gujarat 15(6.9%) 35(5.8%) 20(10.8%) 70(7.0%) 7 Hill Station 10(4.63%) 70(12.4%) 20(10.8%) 100(10.0%) 8 Historical Architectural 21(9.7%) 59(9.8%) 20(10.8%) 100(10.0%) 9 Heritage hotels 13(6.0%) 27(4.5%) 10(5.4%) 50(5.0%) 10 Museums 10(4.6%) 30(5.0%) 10(5.4%) 50(5.0%) 11 Religious Places 40(18.5%) 95(15.9%) 15(8.1%) 150(15.0%) 12 Wild Life 19(8.8%) 58(9.7%) 23(12.4%) 100(10.0%) 13 Total 216(100.0%) 599(100.0%) 185(100.0%) 1000(100.0%) Source: Questionnaire Note: Figures in to the brackets are percentage to total as 100. Chi square value is 44.82 p Value is 0.012. Ho: There is no significant difference between tourists visiting various types of tourist places and their age group. H 1 : There is significant difference between tourists visiting various types of tourist places and their age group. In the table 5, distribution of respondents according to visited places and their age groups has been presented, which shows that in the age group < 20 years, maximum respondents 21.3 per cent have visited fair and festival, in the age group 20-40 years, maximum respondents 15.9 per cent have visited religious places and in the age group > 40 years, maximum respondents 12.4 per cent have visited fair and festivals and wild life. p value is less than 0.05, So H 0 is rejected and H 1 is accepted. There is significant difference between tourists of different age groups, visiting various types of tourist places.

227 6. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND OPINION ABOUT FACILITIES OF TOURIST COMPLEXES TABLE 6 DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND OPINION ABOUT FACILITIES OF TOURIST COMPLEXES Sr. No. Type of Tourist place Opinion of respondents about facilities of tourist complexes/ No. of respondents Total Effective Ineffective 1 Ancient Civilization 43(86.0%) 7(14.0%) 50(100.0%) 2 Art & Craft 28(93.3%) 2(6.7%) 30(100.0%) 3 Beaches & Resorts 80(80.0%) 20(20.0%) 100(100.0%) 4 Educational Institution 35(70.0%) 15(30.0%) 50(100.0%) 5 Fair & Festival 128(85.2%) 22(14.8%) 150(100.0%) 6 Gandhiji s Gujarat 58(82.9%) 12(17.1%) 70(100.0%) 7 Hill Station 90(90.0%) 10(10.0%) 100(100.0%) 8 Historical Architectural 95(95.0%) 5(5.0%) 100(100.0%) 9 Heritage hotels 45(90.0%) 5(10.0%) 50(100.0%) 10 Museums 47(94.0%) 3(6.0%) 50(100.0%) 11 Religious Places 131(87.3%) 19(12.7%) 150(100.0%) 12 Wild Life 90(90.0%) 10(10.0%) 100(100.0%) 13 Total 871(87.1%) 129(12.9%) 1000(100.0%) Source: Questionnaire Note: Figures in to the brackets are percentage to total as 100. Chi square value is 25.29 p value is 0.021. Ho: There is no significant difference between respondents opinion about facilities of tourist complexes and type of tourist place.

228 H 1 : There is significant difference between respondents opinion about facilities of tourist complexes and type of tourist place. Above table 6depicts that as per about 80 per cent to 90 per cent respondents visiting different tourists places, facilities of tourist complexes are effective. p value is less than 0.05, So H 0 is rejected and H 1 is accepted. There is significant difference between respondents opinion about facilities of tourist complexes and type of tourist place. 7. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND OPINION ABOUT QUALITY OF FOOD TABLE 7 DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND OPINION ABOUT QUALITY OF FOOD Sr. No. Type of Tourist place Opinion of respondents about quality of food / No. of respondents Total Effective Ineffective 1 Ancient Civilization 45(90.0%) 5(10.0%) 50(100.0%) 2 Art & Craft 29(96.7%) 1(3.3%) 30(100.0%) 3 Beaches & Resorts 95(95.0%) 5(5.0%) 100(100.0%) 4 Educational Institution 41(82.0%) 9(18.0%) 50(100.0%) 5 Fair & Festival 136(91.3%) 14(8.7%) 150(100.0%) 6 Gandhiji s Gujarat 61(87.1%) 9(12.9%) 70(100.0%) 7 Hill Station 92(92.0%) 8(7.4%) 100(100.0%) 8 Historical Architectural 93(93.0%) 7(7.0%) 100(100.0%) 9 Heritage hotels 46(92.0%) 4(8.0%) 50(100.0%) 10 Museums 46(92.0%) 4(8.0%) 50(100.0%) 11 Religious Places 132(88.0%) 18(12.0%) 150(100.0%) 12 Wild Life 90(90.0%) 10(10.0%) 100(100.0%) 13 Total 908(90.8%) 92(9.2%) 1000(100.0%)

229 Source: Questionnaire Note: Figures in to the brackets are percentage to total as 100. Chi square value is 12.44 p value is 0.492. Ho: There is no significant difference between respondent s opinion about quality of food and type of tourist place. H 1 : There is significant difference between respondent s opinion about quality of food and type of tourist place. Table 7 depicts that as per about 90 per cent to 95 per cent respondents visiting different tourists places, quality of food are effective. p value is more than 0.05, So H 0 is accepted and H 1 is rejected. There is no significant difference between respondent s opinion about quality of food and type of tourist place. 8. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND OPINION ABOUT PRICE CHARGED FOR THE FACILITIES TABLE -8 DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND OPINION ABOUT PRICE CHARGED FOR THE FACILITIES Sr. No. Type of Tourist place Opinion of respondents about price charged for the facilities / No. of respondents Total Effective Ineffective 1 Ancient Civilization 39(78.0%) 11(22.0%) 50(100.0%) 2 Art & Craft 24(80.0%) 6(20.0%) 30(100.0%) 3 Beaches & Resorts 84(84.0%) 16(16.0%) 100(100.0%) 4 Educational Institution 28(56.0%) 22(44.0%) 50(100.0%) 5 Fair & Festival 105(70.5%) 45(29.5%) 150(100.0%) 6 Gandhiji s Gujarat 44(62.9%) 26(37.1%) 70(100.0%) 7 Hill Station 70(70.0%) 30(30.0%) 100(100.0%) 8 Historical Architectural 74(74.0%) 26(26.0%) 100(100.0%)

230 9 Heritage hotels 34(68.0%) 16(32.0%) 50(100.0%) 10 Museums 35(70.0%) 15(30.0%) 50(100.0%) 11 Religious Places 112(74.7%) 38(25.3%) 150(100.0%) 12 Wild Life 73(73.0%) 27(27.0%) 100(100.0%) 13 Total 722(72.2%) 278(27.8%) 1000(100.0%) Source: Questionnaire Note: Figures in to the brackets are percentage to total as 100. Chi square value is 20.48 p value is 0.084. Ho: There is no significant difference between respondent s opinion about price charged for the facilities and type of tourist place. H 1 : There is significant difference between respondent s opinion about price charged for the facilities and type of tourist place. Table 8 depicts that as per about 75 per cent to 80 per cent respondents visiting different tourists places, price charged for the facilities are effective. About 25 per cent to 30 per cent respondents are not satisfied with the price. p value is more than 0.05, So H 0 is accepted and H 1 is rejected. There is no significant difference between respondent s opinion about price charged for the facilities and type of tourist place. 9. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND OPINION ABOUT TOURISM PROMOTION FACILITIES TABLE 9 DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR TYPE OF TOURIST PLACE AND OPINION ABOUT TOURISM PROMOTION FACILITIES Sr. No. Type of Tourist place Opinion of respondents about tourism promotion facilities / No. of respondents Total Effective Ineffective 1 Ancient Civilization 38(76.0%) 12(24.0%) 50(100.0%) 2 Art & Craft 22(73.3%) 8(26.7%) 30(100.0%)

231 3 Beaches & Resorts 86(85.7%) 14(14.3%) 100(100.0%) 4 Educational Institution 32(64.0%) 18(36.0%) 50(100.0%) 5 Fair & Festival 123(81.9%) 27(18.1%) 150(100.0%) 6 Gandhiji s Gujarat 56(80.0%) 14(20.0%) 70(100.0%) 7 Hill Station 80(80.0%) 20(20.0%) 100(100.0%) 8 Historical Architectural 90(90.0%) 10(10.0%) 100(100.0%) 9 Heritage hotels 40(80.0%) 10(20.0%) 50(100.0%) 10 Museums 45(90.0%) 5(10.0%) 50(100.0%) 11 Religious Places 119(79.3%) 31(20.7%) 150(100.0%) 12 Wild Life 84(84.0%) 16(16.0%) 100(100.0%) 13 Total 815(81.5%) 185(18.5%) 1000(100.0%) Source: Questionnaire Note: Figures in to the brackets are percentage to total as 100. Chi square value is 22.34 p value is 0.051. Ho: There is no significant difference between respondent s opinion about tourism promotion facilities and type of tourist place. H 1 : There is significant difference between respondent s opinion about tourism promotion facilities and type of tourist place. Table 9 depicts that as per about 70 per cent to 80 per cent respondents visiting different tourists places, tourism promotion facilities are effective. p value is more than 0.05, So H 0 is accepted and H 1 is rejected. There is no significant difference between respondent s opinion about tourism promotion facilities and type of tourist place. 10. ACTIVITIES TO BE INTRODUCED FOR TOURISM PROMOTION An attempt has been made by the researcher to collect respondents suggesting about various activities to be introduced for tourism promotion in the state, details of which are presented in the table 10

232 TABLE - 10 ACTIVITIES TO BE INTRODUCED FOR TOURISM PROMOTION

233 Sr. No. Activities suggested for introducing in tourism promotion Indian Type of respondents Foreign Total 1 Water skiing 181(22.7%) 17(8.4%) 198(19.8%) 2 Ballooning 186(23.3%) 35(17.2%) 221(22.1%) 3 Lighting & sound program 235(29.5%) 63(31.0%) 298(29.8%) 4 Hang gliding 134(16.8%) 61(30.0%) 195(19.5%) 5 Traditional museum 61(7.6%) 27(13.3%) 88(8.8%) 6 Total 797(100.0%) 203(100.0%) 1000(100.0%) Source: Questionnaire Note: Figures in to the brackets are percentage to total as 100. Above table 10 indicates that as per 181(22.7%) Indian and 17(8.4%) foreign respondents, water skiing should be introduced for tourism promotion. As per 186(23.3%) Indian and 35(17.2%) foreign respondents, ballooning should be introduced, as per 235(29.5%) Indian and 63(31.0%) foreign respondents, lighting & sound program, as per 134(16.8%) Indian and 61(30.0%) foreign respondents Hang gliding, and as per 61(7.6%) Indian and 27(13.3%) foreign respondents, traditional museum should be introduced for tourism promotion. 11. CONCLUSION The information analyzed in the present research paper provides an insight into the tourist traffic trends in Gujarat state. Gujarat state has emerged as an attracting tourist place and TCGL is progressively looking towards marketing of tourism in Gujarat. This research paper furnishes important information regarding comparative study of tourist resources of Gujarat state according to nationality, gender and age group of selected respondents and respondents opinion about facilities of tourist complexes, quality of food, price being charged for services and tourism promotion facilities. The distribution of respondents according to type of tourist place and its cross tabulation are all the important as it indicates the effectiveness of the tourist supplier experienced by the users. Respondents opinions about major tourist resources and various tourist facilities indicate that majority of respondents satisfy with the existing tourist resources and tourist facilities. Respondents have also suggested new certain activities to be introduced for tourism promotion.

234 REFERENCES 1. Bibliography of doctoral dissertation 1994&1995, Association of Indian universities, New Delhi, 1999. 2. Ibid. 3. Vishleshan, Surat, volume no. 31, No. 3, July-September 2006, P. 27. 4. University News, Association of Indian Universities, July 23-39, 2008. 5. Ibid. 6. Ibid. 7. University News, Association of Indian University, May 26-01 June, 2008. 8. An unpublished Ph.D. thesis. 9. Bhatia B.S. and Bhatia G.S., Modern Marketing Management (an edited book), Deep and Deep publications pvt ltd, Ned Delhi, 2000, P. 149. 10. Ibid. 11. Punia K. Bijendra, Tourism Management : Problems and Prospects, Ashish Publishing House, New Delhi, 1997, P. 13 &14. 12. University News, Association of Indian University, 22-28 September, 2008. 13. University News, Association of Indian University, 8-14 December, 2008.