EFFECT OF BEACH TOURISM IN KERALA WITH SPECIAL

REFERENCE TO KOVALAM

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION
The Context

Tourism is a major social phenomenon of the modern society with

enormous economic consequences. For economies around the world tourism

has emerged as the most important contributor to job creation and income

generation. In fact tourism has already reached the status of the world’s largest

industry and also the world’s largest generator of jobs. Tourism is an economic

activity capable of earning valuable foreign exchange, generating employment,

stimulating infrastructural development and paving the way for the overall

growth of a region.

A tourist who loves nature and has a natural desire to explore unique

experiences will find all that he ever wanted in Kerala, better known as God’s

Own Country. The land is blessed abundantly with beaches, backwaters, hill

stations, wildlife, waterfalls, festivals, health holidays, monuments, art forms

and every other tourist attraction, all of which can be covered in just 18 hours.

And better, yet, every locale are just about two hours from the other, a singular

advantage no other destination on earth offers.

According to recently related research findings of the World Travel and

Tourism Council (WTTC) “travel and tourism has a greater impact on world
 2

and national economies than even previously thought. The findings present a

compelling case for governments to make travel and tourism a strategic

priority”. The news of travel and tourism’s comes at a time when job creation

is at the top of government agenda’s world wide. (Dominic Jose, The Indian

Express – August 31, 1998) In international tourist arrivals, India’s share is

0.58% in the year 2008. Yet despite this insignificant share of India, tourism

has already emerged as the country’s largest net earner of foreign exchange.

More than the growth in the market share which is still meager in a

global context, the state has been identified as being a destination with the

highest potential. This finding has been repeatedly confirmed by travel

intermediaries both with in India and in the traditional generating markets of

Europe. Thus the widely accepted conclusion is that for Kerala tourism could

be a most powerful engine that could move the state’s economy. In fact if we

are honestly analyse the limitations and weakness of many of our other

economic sectors, we will realize that we have few alternatives, other

possibilities being bio-technology and information technology both of which

we have yet to develop. Thus tourism emerges as the only available

development alternative as we move into the 21st century.

Tourism is the most important export industry and earner of foreign

exchange in many countries. (Sinha.P.C.1999) The significance of tourism has

been recognized in both developing and developed countries. This can be seen

in the establishment of government departments of tourism, wide spread

 3

encouragement and sponsorship of tourist developments and the proliferation

of small business and multinational corporations contributing to and deriving

benefits from the tourism industry.

India is not a country but a continent as far as the tourist attractions are

concerned. For no country in the world can boast of so varied a climate, so

dissimilar country sides and so rich heritage. India is progressively becoming

the cynosure of the tourists owing to the efforts of the government and public

to realise the full potential of its vast and varied topographical, cultural and

temporal resources. In rural India, the village encounter provides a natural

landscape which could vary from a tea plantation to a fishing village. From the

hardy mountain tops in Ladakh to the natural backwaters of Kerala, the

possibilities are endless. There is peace and tranquility in the Indian

countryside. There is music and dance. The cuisine is authentic and richly

varied. Hence a tourist flow to India, and is growing year by year.

India has emerged as travel destination No.1 as revealed by a survey

conducted by the British magazine Conde’ Nast Traveller with tiny countries

like Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia already major tourist destination, India

has to struggle to market itself to the world tourists.(Malalyala manorama Year

Book 2008) For a long time, tourism has been treated as a leisure activity of

the rich and a somewhat unnecessary distraction for the poor in India. Hence,

no concerted efforts were made to develop tourism as an industry in the country.

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Recently, the tourism industry has shifted from the promotion of

inbound tourism to the promotion of Intra bound tourism because many

countries are experiencing tough competition for inbound tourists. Some

national policy makers have shifted their priority to the promotion of intra

bound tourism to contribute to the local economy: Examples of such campaigns

include “ See America” in the United States “ Get going Canada” in Canada

“Uniquely Singapore” in Singapore, “100 % Pure New Zealand” in New

Zealand and “Incredible India” in India.

In view of the long term growth perspective of buoyancy in the Indian

economy, growth in the related ancillary industries like Infrastructure and

Aviation, and as a result of ‘Incredible India’ campaign the tourism industry is

expected to be on an upswing in India.

India’s outbound travel is twice the volume of inbound, and destinations

in the Asia Pacific region are expected to receive continuous growth in tourist

arrivals from India. In terms of the growing travel and tourism economy and

the real growth rate of travel market, India is the number one country in Asia-

Pacific region.

The Travel and Tourism Industry in India is expected to grow and

generate US $ 128 billion by 2016. The total demand is expected to grow by

8% per annum, in real terms, between 2007 and 2016.(India Tourism Statistics

2006) In the year 2008 India represented 0.58% of the world market share. But

there is another angle to India’s tourism story. For instance, the average
 5

duration of stay of a tourist in Singapore is 4.2 days, as against 26 days in India,

according to the official data, and 12 days according to the India Tourism

Industry Among the leisure tourists who arrive in India, those from the far East

stay for roughly six to eight days, the Dutch and the French stay for about 18-

22 days, the British, German and Swiss average at 10 days. The Americans like

to stay for longer for about 14 days.(Business Standard 2.Feb. 2007)

India’s rich cultural and geographic diversity provides the basis of a

wide range of tourist products and experiences, which include among

othersleisure, culture, adventure, spirituality, eco-tourism and wellness and

health. Apart from acknowledging the traditionally recognized advantages of

developing tourism for promotion of people to people understanding, earning

of the foreign exchange, vast employment generation, it can play a major role

in furthering the socio-economic objectively of the nation

Kerala – God’s Own Country

Kerala is a fascinating and interesting state in India and focus of the world

travel industry. Kerala came to existence, legends say, when the God

Parasurama hurled his axe far into the turbulent sea forcing it to retreat. The

land thus uncovered was Kerala – “The God’s Own Country”. A land

abundantly blessed by nature. A land where traditions unfold and customs

whisper.

Kerala means the land of Kera (Coconut – palm). There is another

explanation. Kerala was originally Cherala, meaning the land of cheras, but cher
 6

can also mean “added”. Kerala would thus mean the land which was added by

the recession of the sea.

The present state of Kerala was created in 1956 from the princely states

of Travancore and Kochi and part of Madras State – Malabar. Its flora and

fauna, art and culture, cleanliness, health-care etc. have given her a name among

the developed and developing countries in the world. The art forms of Kerala

are embodiments of Kerala’s culture. Beaches, backwaters, hill stations,

waterfalls, wild life, ayurveda, year round festivals and the diverse flora and

fauna make Kerala quite distinct from the other Indian states. The pleasant

climate also is a positive factor.

Definition of Tourism and Tourist

Although tourism is a phenomenon not easy to define several attempts has been

made to define it. All definition explains in the context of movement. It is

precisely the significance of the word ‘tour’ which forms the root of the word

tourism.

The word ‘tourism’ consists of all those trades which together satisfy the

varied needs of the travelers. Travel may be considered touristic if it satisfies

the following conditions

• Travel must be temporary

• Travel must be voluntary

• Travel should not have remunerative employment as its aim.

(Ratnandeep Sing, 1998)

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According to Swiss Professors Hunziker and Krapf “tourism is the sum

of phenomenon and relationship arising from travel and stay of non residents,

in so far as they do not lead to permanent residence and are not connected with

any earning activity”.(Bhatia.A.K.1994)

“Tourism in the pure sense is essentially a pleasure activity in which

money earned in one’s normal domicile is spent in the places visited. It

comprises the activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside

their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure,

business and others purposes”.( Biswanath Ghosh,1998)

Technically tourism represents various types of short term travel and

visits and is variably defined for particular purposes of the journey, its duration

and other criteria.

Hence, a tourist is a person who goes on holiday to visit places away

from his home. There are two kinds of tourist i.e., foreign tourist and domestic

tourist.

“A foreign tourist is a person visiting India on a foreign passport staying

at least 24 hours in India, purpose of whose journey can be classified as:

(a) Leisure, recreation, holiday, health, religion and sports

(b) Business, family, mission, meetings.” (Dr.Jagmohan Negi,1990).

“A domestic tourist is a person who travels within the country to a place

other than his usual place of residence and stays hotels or other rented places,
 8

uses the sight seeing facilities for a duration of not less than 24 hours and not

more than 6 months” (Mohammed Zulfiker,1998).

So tour means journey to various places and coming back in the end to

place the journey started from. Tour can be of many types such as package tour,

guided tour, and holiday tour. Strictly speaking a tour is undertaken for a period

of more than 24 hours.

Other terms connected with tourism are as follows

Domestic tourism : Residents of a given country travelling only
within their country.

Inbound tourism :
In relation to a given country residents
travelling in the given country.

Out bound tourism:

In relation to a given country, residents
travelling another country.

Internal tourism : Domestic and Inbound tourism.

National tourism : Domestic and Outbound tourism

International tourism: Inbound and Outbound tourism.

BEACH TOURISM

Beach tourism constitutes one of the largest segments of present day tourism.

Beaches have a serene and deep beauty in themselves. Shores have always been

an attraction. The wonder on the fathoms of the seas, their contents, the sea, the

wave and the surf, man has always gone to beaches. Hills and mountains divide

human beings, rivers and seas bring them together from time immemorial,
 9

human beings crossed the seas and reached beaches. Beaches afford good

sunshine and sprinkling breeze. It is good for sunbath and sea bath that is why

a large number of beach resorts are arranged in all parts of the world. Beach

tourism fulfills all aspects of tourism- sun, sea and sand.

Beach tourism utilizes the aesthetic and environmental values of the beach. It

also combines water and land resources usage. Water usage comprises

swimming, surfing, sailing and other water sports. Land use activities

incorporate construction of different types of accommodation, recreational

areas, car and bus parking areas, entertainment and shopping areas, roads and

transportation net works.

India has spectacular beaches and the proper resort accommodations to make

them delightful places to rest, relax and watch the sun. There are tourists who

leave on holiday for a change of climate, enjoy good scenery and find pleasure

in travelling by constantly changing places and surroundings.

Sea bathing with access to a beach (sandy) and good weather (sunshine) is an

expectation of tourists who want to escape from temperate to tropical climate.

New fashion concept also dictates the craze for a suntanned skin over the pale

complexion. Hence visiting sea beaches and having a sunbath, gains

momentum now days.

Beaches may be defined as the accumulation of materials along the coast,

usually defined as lying between the highest point reached by the storm waves
 10

and the low water spring tide line. It is the outcomes of the coastal features of

deposition and is the most dominant form of the construction work of the sea.

The eroded material, usually consisting of sands and gravels loosened from

land, is transported along the shore in several distinct ways. That is the long

shore drift which comes obliquely to the coast, carries the material along the

shore in the direction of the dominant wind. At the same time, the backwash

removes part of the materials seawards along the bed of the sea and deposits it

on the offshore terrace and even beyond. Finer materials such as silt and mud

are deposited in the shallow waters of the sheltered coast. The constant action

of the waves automatically sorts out the shoreline deposits in a graded manner.

The coarser materials (cobbles and boulders) are dropped by the waves at the

top of the beach. The finer materials (pebbles and sand grains) which are carried

down the beach by the backlash are dropped closer to the sea. On smooth

lowlands beaches may continue for miles such as West Malaysia, but in the

upland regions where the land descends abruptly into the sea, such as the

Chilean Coast, long beaches are absent.

The beaches on the coastline of the southern peninsula stretch over 7500 km.

Thus we find beaches both along the western and eastern coast of India.

However more developed beaches, particularly useful for tourism are found

along the western coast because of a stronger wave action there and a regular

coastline. Thus water sports is a regular feature of the beaches on the western
 11

coast where as beaches along the eastern coast are more noted for their physical

beauty.

The pleasure trip of European and American tourists which ended at the

Mediterranean and Caribbean now extends to the beaches of Asia and pacific.

The beaches along the Arabian Sea coast are ideal for bathing, surfing and

sailing. The white sand beaches and warm conditions along the Puri- Konark

region in the east can draw millions of tourists from freezing Europe. The

Andamans and Lakshadweep are ideal for scuba diving and snorkeling. Under

water life can be interesting to tourists and photographers.

Thousands of sun deprived tourists visit India because it incredibly has the

most diverse varieties of beaches anywhere in the world. Placid backwaters and

lagoons, bays and rough lava – rocked seas, marine estuaries with fish, crashing

surf, powdery golden sand and palm fringed shores - Incredible India has them

all.

Kerala is blessed with beautiful beaches which are the most important tourist

attractions. The state has about 550 km. long coastlines, studded with world’s

best string of beaches. Well maintained, neatly kept and securely guarded, the

beaches of Kerala are turning into an ideal beach vacation destination in India.

Touring the beach sites of Kerala can make any beach holiday a delightful one,

as Kerala’s beaches are renowned for the gentle surf and blue waters. People

from all over the world has acknowledged, experienced and written that water
 12

has a strange calming influence on everybody’s mind and body and releases the

senses and souls of those who seek solace on its shores.

Need and Significance of the Study

Analysis of the economy reveals that the future of Indian economy will

depends on two major industries, viz, the tourism industry and the IT industry.

In a state like Kerala, these industries have a greater significance because of the

availability of rich human resources. These industries are comparatively eco

friendly in their nature. Tourism demand refinement of nature and maintenance

of its natural beauty.

Unlike other industries, the nature itself contains and creates tourism potential.

The development of the tourism industry depends on the proper utilization of

the potentials of the industry. Human being cannot create beaches. We can only

utilize the available beaches to the optimum possible extend. Analysis of the

industry reveals that we haven’t utilized the potentials of our beaches. Hence,

the present study makes an attempt to explore the beach tourism potentials of

Kerala.

The fast socio economic and technological advancement of the society

have resulted in rising standard of living, increase in income, faster and better

means of transportation and more awareness. The man on the other hand is

forced to live under tension, fatigue, polluted atmosphere due to ill managed

urbanization and industrialization. All this resulted in the need for leisure which
 13

may be defined as the state of being free from the necessity of work and

recreation is that which one does when at leisure. Recreation gives relaxation,

peace, sound mind and body, pleasure, excitement. This ultimately results in

more efficiency of work and a prosperous society. Tourism is a major means of

recreation.

The immense potential of the tourism sector to act as a catharsis of economic

and social development has been acknowledged in national and international

forums. Almost all the states in India have placed tourism on a priority

platform, making efforts to exploit the tourism resources and potential offered

by the state. With the passage of time tourism has grown into a full fledged

industry. Tourism primarily is a service industry because it does not produce

goods but renders services to various classes of people. In view of their special

nature and complexity of their contribution to the tourism product, they may be

described as tourist industry.

The industry is a complex aggregation of many industries which together

satisfy the various needs of the travelers, where every penny spent by the

traveler contributes to the prosperity and the development of the travel industry.

Tourism industry is a composite of service providers such as travel agents, tour

operators, transportation operators, guides, hoteliers, guest house owners, and

entertainment organizers, shop owners dealing with handicrafts, clothing,

footwear’s, leather items and other requirements of the tourists.

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Tourism is an activity with very strong backward and forward linkages.

The travelers spend money to enjoy a variety of goods, services and

experiences. The income and employment generating capacity of this sector is

immense. A given investment in tourism sector generates more employment

and income than those generated by the same investment in other important

sectors of the economy. The tourism industry is able to bring about benefits to

the economy, such as generation of income, expansion of employment

opportunities, mobilization of foreign exchange, social integration, cultural

transformation and development of commerce. Tourism is probably a rare

instance of an industry earning foreign exchange without exporting national

wealth and further, it is the only smokeless industry that can generate sizable

foreign exchange.

In 2007, the world tourist arrivals were 904 million and in the year 2008,

it increased to 922 million representing 2.0% change over the previous year. In

India the foreign tourist arrivals in the year was 5.08 million and increased to

5.37 million in the year 2008 showing an increase of 5.71% over the previous

year. The foreign exchange earnings from tourism were Rs 44,360 crores in the

year 2007 and increased to Rs 50,730 crores in the year 2008, showing an

increase of 14.4% over the previous year. (India Tourism Statistics, 2008).

In Kerala, the domestic tourist visit was 75,91,250 constituting 1.35%

and foreign tourist visit was 5,98,929 constituting 4.2% of the total tourist visit

both domestic and foreign tourist in India, in the year 2008.(Kerala Tourist
 15

Statistics 2008) Kerala, Gods own country, the share of foreign and domestic

tourists are of negligible compared to other states in India. The tourism

consumer basket of Kerala is filled with diversified products. They include

beaches, backwaters, pilgrim centers, ayurveda, wildlife sanctuaries,

ecotourism, medical tourism, village tourism, fairs and festivals etc.

In terms of monetary impact, there is a steady growth of revenue

generated from tourism. It is found that the foreign exchange earning during the

year 2008 is Rs.3066.52 crores which recorded a growth of 16.11% over the

previous year. The total revenue generated from tourism comes to Rs.13130

crores, showing an increase of 14.84% over the last year and the tourism

contribution to state’s GDP is 7.70%. There is also a human factor in tourism.

Tourism accounts for about 10 lakhs in total employment generated in Kerala.

These include skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labours. The tourism industry

invests approximately Rs1,000 crores per year in Kerala.

Through out the world, the beaches of Kerala are renowned for their

breath taking beauty. The blues of the sky and the blue waters of the beaches of

Kerala come together give an enchanting experience to tourists. Amongst the

popular beaches of Kerala are the Kovalam beach and Varkala beach. The other

much visited beaches of Kerala are Thangasseri beach, Cherai beach, Tannur

beach, Padinharekara beach, Beypore beach, Muzhappilangad beach, Bekal

beach and Kappad beach. Holidaying on the beaches of Kerala is great fun.

The beaches of Kerala offer the best of accommodation facilities. A tourist can
 16

savor sumptuous food too at the beaches of Kerala. The water sports facilities

at the beaches of Kerala bring out the child everyone. The ayurveda, yoga and

meditation centres on the beaches of Kerala are the other tourist attractions.

Though the beaches are the centers of attractions, there is a concentration

of tourist, only in the southern side beaches of Kerala, especially Kovalam and

Varkala. The flow of tourist to other beach centers is of negligible. Even in

Kovalam and Varkala the statistics shows that, the total foreign tourist visited

to Trivandrum in 2007, was 1,93,924 of which Kovalam accommodated only

1,20,460 and Varkala 10,305. In the case of domestic tourists, the total number

visited to Trivandrum was 9,48,579 but the beach visitors at Kovalam and

Varkala were 1,24,606 and 23,188 respectively.(Kerala Tourist Statistics,2007)

The other beach centers attract comparatively a smaller number of tourists. But

the total number of tourist visited Kerala during the period was 5,15,808 foreign

tourists and 66,42,941 domestic tourists. This shows that, the nature gifted

beach centers of Kerala are unable to attract tourists who visited Kerala.

Though a number of studies have been conducted on tourism, the beach

tourism has not been able to draw the attention of researchers. Tourism is still

an emerging discipline and hence any academic or research work ought to

enrich the existing stock of knowledge on the subject. In fact, tourism is

interdisciplinary by nature, each of its aspects being too complex and too

complicated and hence any amount of knowledge may still leave much quarter

for further studies. It is a subject, an industry, and a business to be always dealt

 17

with considerable precaution and expertise based on own experience as well as

other’s experience. Therefore, any work is always an important guidance for

others. The same holds true in respect of present study too.

Statement of the Problem

The present study focuses on the effect of beach tourism in Kerala with

special reference to kovalam. Hence the present study is titled as

“EFFECT OF BEACH TOURISM IN KERALA WITH SPECIAL

REFERENCE TO KOVALAM”.

Definition of Key Terms

Tourism Potential: Tourism potential means the possibilities afforded by the

geographical and natural resources in an area to be utilized to attract tourism. It

is an assessment of the various factors in an area which could attract tourists.

The intrinsic elements in an area namely geographical have the ability to attract

tourists. In today’s context in addition to profits, tourism potential means the

optimum utilization of the available natural resources without inflicting damage

to the environment.

Beach Tourism: Beach tourism means the utilization of the coastal

environment in such a way as to attract tourists. The natural environment

including the beach sand, the waves and the depth along these areas, security,

the sights visible and ability to set up eco-friendly cottages are all important

factors in beach tourism.

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Objectives of the Study

The present study has been designed with the following objectives.

1. To identify the impacts of kovalam beach tourism in Kerala.

2. To compare the perception of domestic and foreign tourists on the

critical factors and areas of kovalam beach tourism in Kerala.

3. To identify the negative factors present in koavalam beach tourist

destination of Kerala.

4. To identify the critical factors and areas demanding attention for the

development of kovalam beach tourism

Hypotheses

On the basis of the objectives the following hypotheses has been designed for

the study.

1. There is no significant difference between the perception of foreign

tourists, domestic tourists and natives with regard to the cleanliness and
hygiene conditions in the kovalam beach of Kerala.

2. There is no significant difference between the perception of foreign

tourists, domestic tourists and natives with regard to the safety and security
measures in the kovalam beach of Kerala.

3. There is no significant difference between the perception of foreign

tourists, domestic tourists and natives with regard to the various facilities
available in the kovalam beach.
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Methodology

The present study is analytical in nature. The study has been identified the

impacts of kovalam beach tourism. The present study uses both primary and

secondary data. Due to the special nature of the study the qualitative data has

also been used in the present study.

Study Design

The present study is descriptive and analytical in nature. The study describes

the impacts of beach tourism in Kerala with special reference to kovalam and

analyses the problems and possibilities of the beach tourism in Kerala.

Data Collection

In the present study primary and secondary data were collected for analysis

and interpretation.

Sources of secondary data

The secondary data necessary for the study have been collected from the

following sources.

1. Economic Review, State Planning Board, Govt. of Kerala (various issues)

2. Kerala Tourism Statistics, Govt. of Kerala (various issues)

3. India Tourism Statistics, Govt. of India (various issues)

Primary data

The primary data necessary for the study has been collected from the tourists

(both foreign and domestic) and natives of various beach centers in Kerala.
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Tools used for data collection

The following tools were used for the purposes of data collection.

1. Interview Schedule

2. Questionnaire

The copies of the tools have been given in the appendix.

Techniques used for data collection

The following techniques have been adopted for collecting the data.

1. Document analysis

The investigator has analysed the various documents relating to tourism and

tourism statistics published by various authorities.

2. Field trips

The investigator conducted field trip in kovalam beach as part of the study to

get first hand experience and collected data through observation and interviews.

3. Interview

Interview has been conducted with the various officials in the tourism

department of the Government.

4. Survey

Survey has been conducted among the foreign tourists, domestic tourists

and natives to ascertain their opinion and perception on various factors of

tourism.
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Sample Design

The area of study involves the kovalam region of trivandrum. The

investigator has visited kovalam beach of kerala. For selecting the tourist

visiting the beaches the investigator adopted the purposive sampling

techniques.

The samples of tourists, both foreign and domestic, and natives required for

the study has been selected by adopting accidental sampling technique. The

break up of the sample is given below.

Table 1.1
Break-up of the sample
Foreign Domestic
Natives Total
Tourists Tourists

150 150 300 600

Statistical Analysis of Data

The collected data has been analysed both descriptively and inferentially. The

following specific statistical techniques have been adopted for the study.

1. Percentage analysis

To ascertain the perception of the various stake holders’ percentage analysis

has also been used in the present study.

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2. Test of significance of difference between means

The test of significance of difference between means has been adopted to test

whether there is any significant difference between the perceptions of various

sub groups with regard to the various factors in tourism.

3. Chi-square test

To find the association between the variables chi-square test has also used in

the present study.

Limitations of the Study

The following are the limitations of the study

1. The present study is confined to kovalam beach of kerala. So the sample has

been selected from the beach tourists arrived in Kovalam beach during the

period of the study. As most of the tourists are reluctant to spare their time,

the sample of tourists has been confined to 150 each.

2. The secondary data used for the present study relate to the last ten years

from 1999 to 2008. Because data of ten years will depict the profile of the

tourism industry of the State.

3. As at present there is not a system of maintaining record of tourist arrivals

in various beach destinations, the investigator made the analysis on the basis

of the total tourist’s arrivals in Kerala.

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Organization of the Report

The study is organized in six chapters. The first chapter is the introduction

chapter which gives the need and significance, objective of the study,

hypotheses of the study, research design and the statistical techniques used.

The second chapter gives the detailed discussion on the tourism industry and

the significance of the tourism industry in the present economic scenario. The

third chapter deals the review of related studies.

The analysis of the data collected from primary and secondary sources are

presented in the fourth and fifth chapters. These chapters present the collected

data in tables and graphs and also present the results of statistical analysis of

data.

The sixth chapter deals with summary, findings and suggestions.

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