About The Author
Vikas K. Verma teaches history at Ramjas College, University of Delhi. He obtained his M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. from the University of Delhi. He was awarded Junior Research Fellowship for his research by the University Grants Commission. He also holds a Master's Degree in Tourism Management (MTM). He has delivered lectures as Resource Person for the Orientation Programmes, Refresher Courses and Training Programmes conducted by the UGC and the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. He has contributed to the content for study materials, books and modules prepared by the School of Open Learning. University of Delhi: National Institute of Open. Schooling, Government of India; Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi; e-PG Pathshala; National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT Project), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) course in History, MHRD, Government of India, and SWAYAM MOOC course, Ministry of Education, Government of India. He has presented many papers in national and international seminars. His research articles have been published in reputed journals and proceedings of history. He has co-edited a volume of essays named Streaming the Past: Peninsular India in History' in 2019 and authored a book titled 'Coromandel Trade in Early South India: An Archaeological Perspective (With Special Reference to Tamil Nadu up to circa 12th century A.D.)' in 2021.
About The Book
The book seeks to explore the rich and vast treasure of India's cultural heritage since ancient times and its signi cance in present-day tourism. The study of exceptional cultural richness and diversity of the land presents a kaleidoscopic view of our dynamic past. Traditional values and knowledge systems rooted in our culture and heritage through the ages have helped us maintain the strong community bonds connecting people and regions across the subcontinent and even beyond. The increasing global mobility has resulted in the rise of several kinds of tourism based on the purpose of travel and the interests of tourists. This academic exercise highlights the signi cance of cultural heritage as a major source of attraction for the visitors that fosters the growth of tourism. It further focuses on the measures for sustainable tourism and the roles played by government and private organisations in conservation, preservation and protection of heritage. As the impacts of global tourism are felt in all spheres of life, adequate care should be taken while planning for tourism activities at destinations in order to maintain a healthy guest-host relationship. The work, therefore, connects history to tourism for the sustainable development of tourism sector. This would further serve as a stimulator to the readers by encouraging interdisciplinary approach in learning and research environment from the perspective of tourism development.
Introduction
Introducing Tours, Tourists and Tourism Travelling has been a basic human instinct since the stone age when man moved from one place to another primarily for obtaining food. As time passed by, the advancement in living conditions and development in technology facilitated the travel to desirable places for various purposes. The journeys undertaken became smoother and consumed lesser time for reaching to distant places. This further helped in planning for visits to the places of interest. The popular destinations have always attracted visitors from far and wide resulting in the dynamic process of interaction that has created a deep-rooted relation between history and tourism through the ages. The past and the future are the two ends on which rest the bridge of our present. Hence, past and the present cannot be separated from each other. Every country or region has its own heritage the legacy from the past that is passed on to the future generations. This past-present relationship forms the axis of tourism activities. Of the different forms of tourism, heritage tourism has emerged as the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry due to the inclination of the tourists towards special interest tourism. The interests of these visitors are not confined to a particular kind of activity, but also extends to the understanding of history, culture, archaeology, interacting with local people, etc. The special interest tourism, therefore, has different forms such as ethnic tourism, heritage tourism, rural tourism and cultural tourism. It is, however, difficult to differentiate between them as all these types of tourism activities are connected to the interaction with cultural heritage. Tourism from Past to Present: A Brief Historical Survey The early humans had the urge to travel that was motivated by the factors such as search for food, water, safety, acquisition of resources, trade, etc. The first kinds of roads were the passages created by nature and the paths made by animals which were later used by humans. The carliest remains of the well-planned cities and constructed roads in South Asia, datable to about 3,000 BCE, is found in the Harappan Civilisation. Technological development with the passage of time led to the advancement in the modes of transport that facilitated easy travel to longer distance. For instance, the use of wheel and the sail along with the improvement of roads upgraded the idea of travel. Different kinds of carts, boats and sea vessels came into use. As a result of these changes, there emerged interest among people to travel for religious purpose, pleasure, education and exploration of new places. One of the earliest travel guidebook was the Guide to Greece, written for the Roman tourists in the 2nd century CE by a Greek traveller and geographer called Pausanias. Nevertheless, the travel in early times was dangerous, expensive and time-consuming activity which was generally undertaken for trade, to flee from disease or war, religious purpose, etc. In other words, the journey undertaken was rarely a leisure activity and so the comparison of ancient travelers to modern tourists will not be appropriate in all terms. The mass tourism and leisure industry originated in the 19th century Britain as a result of the technological developments in transport and communication, and motivation to travel and enjoy the leisure time by the middle class. However, the real age of international mass travel began with the expansion of air travel after the World War II. The post-war economic boom in the 1960s led to the growth of international tourism which further created mass markets for tourism around the globe.
Hindu (947)
Agriculture (125)
Ancient (1105)
Archaeology (814)
Architecture (568)
Art & Culture (933)
Biography (731)
Buddhist (550)
Cookery (166)
Emperor & Queen (588)
Islam (245)
Jainism (325)
Literary (889)
Mahatma Gandhi (393)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Visual Search
Manage Wishlist