Travel Industry and Tourism Organisations

Tourism is already the world's largest industry after oil and is fast growing.

It is expected to overtake oil in a few years. These figures tell the

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story clearly: in 1950 only 25 million people crossed international borders; by 1970 the figure had jumped to 160 million and in the year 1993 the magic figure of half billion (150 million) was reached. Tourist expenditures in the same period grew from $ 2 billion in 1950 to $ 324 billion in 1993 or in simpler terms almost one billion dollars were spent by tourists every day of the year. Not just statistics (and there is a vast sea of domestic travel) but the social, technological, economic and political determinants of tourism are among the vast array .of subjects for writing. That Spain with a population of 34 million should be hosting 50 million tourists a year or the tiny island of Singapore

should be receivmg four times the number of visitors to India or

Indonesia should be able to treble its arrival in three years are subjects of get interest for writers on the industry. For instance, India's

seemingly dismal share of 0.4 per cent of the world's traffic becomes respectable when translated into bed nights with an average stay of 28 days. Or take some other interesting contrasts. Some seventy per cent of the world movements are shared by just fifteen countries. Ninety per cent travel within a region that is within North America or within Europe or between Europe and North America. India again gets 52 per cent of all visitors to South Asia. Singapore city alone has more than 30,000 rooms against the all-India figure of 48,000. New Delhi has more five star hotels than the whole of Spain (but the number of mid market hotels must be legion). Hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, guides, transport, shopping (and shopping commissions) packages, add ons. off-season bargains, stop over, sops for frequent fliers or loyal hotel guests are all part of the wide fare for the writer. Achievers like the famous Rai Bhadur who rose from a hotel clerk in Shimla to an

Internationally acclaimed industry leader, the little boy from Peshawar who introduced the tandoori chicken to Delhi and the rest of the world.

Dale Keller who blended raw concrete finish with cottage industry beads, bangles, swords and shields or the humble potters of villages whose creations adorn the lobbies of star hotels; how the desert safari came etc. are all interesting themes in the area.

No industry is complete without the regulating authorities. Travel has the departments and ministry of tourism whose policies or lack of them is always subjects of the writer's scrutiny. Their role in tourism promotion, especially abroad, has always had a mixed response from writers from critical to so -so. Tourism officials" pleadings with other segments of government, the finance ministry on matters of taxation, home and external affairs on immigration and visa hastles, the inadequacy of statistics and data, the lack of transparency in the working of officialdom can keep writers busy even in lean periods. The industry's performance, its contribution to employment, foreign exchange earning, modernisation and claims of "the friendly travel agent" can be attractive subjects for not only travel trade magazines but for economic writers contributing to business newspapers and periodicals as well as business programmes on television.

The role of the public sector (Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria) FTAN (FTAN is a

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good example) is another subject of interest. In such cases the writings are not just informative but analytical and critical also.

Tourism has given rise to a number of trade associations which have long offered a platform for national debate. The Travel Agents Association of Nigeria (TAAN), the Nigerian Hotel Association (NHA) are the oldest such trade bodies which in the recent past have been joined by the Nigerian Association of Tour Operators NATO) and Nigeria Association of Tourist Transporters NA U). But the industry still lacks an apex body where all segments could meet together for a common objective. FTAN conventions have however become a kind of a national forum and they are now appropriately title Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria.

The various trade bodies which keep pressing the authorities for this or that concession or amendment of rules and regulations provide a lot of copy for industry writings. The lack of unity in the industry is itself a subject on which many writers devote attention. The annul conventions of the trade associations are major media events as both government representatives and industry leaders get an opportunity to state their views on current issues concerning tourism.

Apart from trade organisations the state tourism corporations, (every state is supposed to now have one) are good sources of information and subjects to write on. Many state corporations are planning embarking to put destinations and build infrastructure. They even offer tour packages.

A hot subject for media discussion is whether these enterprises should now be privatised. A few state corporations have on this own offered their hotel properties on leave to the private sector. At the central level, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation has also been trying to make an acceptable improvement.

At the international level there are a very large number of organisations which are always in the news. There is the World Tourism organisation (WTO) a United Nations affiliated body on which governments are represented. Among other things it provides vital statistics_ and offers technical aid in tourism projects. Then there is the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) on which are represented national tourist offices, airlines, hotels, travel agents and others in travel related activities. This too provides tourism agencies and the industry with statistical information and technical assistance.

Its annual conference, half in a different country every year, draws worldwide participation and the accompanying travel mart witnesses millions of dollars worth of business where buyers and sellers meet across the table,. The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) is another trade body whose world congress held in different parts of the world draws the largest participation - 7,500 delegate participants attend its meetings both for promotional work as well as for direct business. There is also the International Air Transport Association (lATA) which brings together international air carriers regulating fares and other matters relating to aviation.

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Apart from these organisations there are many trade events held annually which draw big crowds of industry professionals. The internatio nal tourism Bourse ( ITB) in Berlin is perhap s the largest gathering of travel agents and tourism promoters. It is held in the first week of March every year. There are many similar meetings but not on the scale held in other parts of the world like the World Travel Mart in London or the Incentive Travel Mart in Switzerland. Media attendance at such gather ing is always of high order. ITB attracts no less than 4.000 travel writers.

SELF ASSESSlVIENT EXERCISE 1

Tourism Exercise has given rise to a number of trade Associations mention some of such associations?

Aviation and Surface Transport

The aircraft appeared in t he skies a long time ago. Even the jumbo is two decades old. But the sight and sound of an aeroplane still has a certain romance and attracts the att ention of all age groups. So does air travel. And for that matter rail and road travel for served in flight or the movies shown (and now even BBC newscasts), the goodies given to business and first class passengers, the plet hora of fares ranging from full economy to excursion to group and glaring anomalies like London-Sydney-Londo n being cheaper than Londo n Lagos-London all make good subjects for writers. Bilateral, royalties, pilot exodus, strikes, airhostesses, services all make good copy as t o technological advances like bigger fuel efficient aircraft, sky phones, pay by cred it card or fly your spouse free. The

emergence of air taxis offers a new canvas to writers.

The railways too have maintained their newsworthiness. The steam engine and the coaches of yesteryear are still operated on certain routes to lure tourists and rail buffs; many have been consigned to museums again for tourists to view. Old Maharaja Saloons have been turned into Palace on Wheels and new such trains arc being crafted with modem chassis but old princely charms. Then there arc fast trains, Shatabddi. Rajdhani and Deluxe. The Indian Railways have for the first time offered well designed weekend packages taking in

historic places like the Sabarmati Ashram or famous pilgrim centres.

There are plans to let the private sector run some of the train circuits.

The railway system in Nigeria is, unfortunately on the verge of collapse and has nothing to write home about.

And for those looking for stories on road travel there is no dearth of ideas. There are local sigh-seeing tours by sleek air -conditioned coaches and limousines and the ambassador taxi or its more modem brother the Contessa or the Maruti 1000. There are inter city coach services (the Pink Line between Delhi and Jaipur) and enterprising transporters offer tours from Delhi to Trivandrum and back for LTC

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travellers. That consumer protection courts have decided to intercede on behalf of those who are cheated is another area of writing that has opened up. And. of course the taxation on inter-state road transport and the agonising wait at border crossings make good reading. Also of interest are moves to let the private sector spend on infrastructure like building highways, the lack of which makes road travel so much less comfortable and enjoyable. The wayside tourism pioneered by Haryana continues to be a talking point as the other states (barring a few) have been slow to follow suit. Air-conditioned luxurious buses are also available in Nigeria for tourist or tour operators that can afford the price for road travels, and local sight-seeing.

SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 2

Differentiate between business and first class passengers and Economy passenger in an aircraft.