Golden Triangle of Indian Tourism an Introduction
Figure 1 The figure representing the elements of Leiper Model. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/sugun2910/leipers-model.
Neil Leiper developed a tourism model in the year 1979. Since then many government organizations working in the direction of tourism activity management used it for the purpose of the planning. The relevance of this model is time-tested. Terms like push factor and pull factor have become keywords for the tourism planners, of our time, tourism is an industry of high economic multiplier. It supports a rainbow of services like transportation industry, food and catering industry and hospitality industry directly. Indirectly tourism also supports many other sectors like the entertainment industry, FMCG industry and art & craft industry. In the current essay, we are going to explore a TDR which won the moniker of “Golden Triangle of Indian Tourism (Qurashi, 2018).”
Figure 2 Golden triangle in a map. Retrieved from, https://makeourmoments.com/golden-triangle-of-india/
Golden Triangle of India is made up of three cities. These cities are Agra, Delhi, and Jaipur. A network of the roads and railroads connects these three cities. The total distance of the roads is around seven hundred kilometers. When we check this triangle on the model of Leiper then we find that Delhi is the transit zone of this triangle. There are two major reasons behind it. Since New Delhi is the capital of India it enjoys a better connectivity in comparison with cities like Agra and Jaipur. The number of international flights and domestic flights is very high. We are aware of the fact that airfares play a crucial role in the case of budget travelers. New Delhi becomes an obvious choice for them because of lower rates (Dhillon, 2018).
The tourism lobby placed in New Delhi holds a better command over push factors of tourism. They receive international clients first hand and acts as a principle tour operator in the case of the organized tourism industry. Under the capacity of a principle handler, they fix the itineraries for the tourists. When we check the pull factors connected to this circuit then we find that the tomb under the name Tajmahal is the biggest attraction for the tourists. Taj Mahal is a must in every itinerary. While selling this tourism circuit in other markets the promoters use the picture postcard of the Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal is located in Agra, it is the biggest attraction that holds the status of a calling card for this circle, still, the average stay of a tourist in Agra is around eight to ten hours. In the terminology of the tourism, we can also say that most of the Itineraries corresponding to the Golden Triangle region treat Agra as a destination for an excursion (Leadbeater, 2018).
Agra as a tourism destination and its failure
Lepier model can help us in understanding the failure of Agra as a tourism destination in spite of the fact that it holds the biggest attraction of the circuit which is the Taj Mahal. Tourism Infrastructure and basic infrastructure of Agra is relatively poor when we compare it with Jaipur and New Delhi. The absence of a nightlife is another factor. Agra is a host of marble inlay work industry. However, the authorities at Agra failed miserably in marketing this industry (Lepier, 2004). Lepier model treats tourism as a complex activity where the joint efforts of various industries together create an experience for a tourist. Agra lacks in this department, apart from the Taj Mahal they failed to create any other attraction for the tourists. They failed in the preserving their own culture and create a soothing experience for the tourists (Shrivastva, 2011).
When we compare and contrast Jaipur with Agra then we find that Jaipur scores over the Agra in the terms of the experience. Jaipur is the third destination of the golden triangle. The city is also known as the pink city of India. The recommendations based on the Leiper’s models say that constant improvement in the amenities and introduction of new attraction can help a destination in the sustaining its business cycles. When we check the growth of Jaipur as a tourist destination then we find that in order to create a distinctive identity the citizens of the Jaipur decided to paint the exteriors of their houses and commercial establishments with pink paint. Gradually they won the moniker of being the pink city of India (Bains, 2011). Agra failed in this regard. They are the city of “The Taj” but they failed to maintain a separate identity for themselves.
When we check the trends of itinerary preparation done by the organized sector players sitting in New Delhi then we find that in a seven-day itinerary they devote four days to Jaipur, one-day excursion for Agra and three days for New Delhi. Jaipur has the lion’s share in the deal because they developed concept based tourism (Chekitan S Dev, 1989). Now imagine, the Taj Mahal is the biggest pull factor for the circuit, still, they devoted an excursion of mere eight hours. However, in the case of Jaipur, they devoted an entire day for “Village tourism.” In the similar fashion, a regular tourist can also enjoy a “Culinary tour” in addition to regular sightseeing. It makes a lot of difference in the terms of the experience associated with a destination (Franse-Presse, 2018).
Success of Jaipur in creating a distinctive experience
It is true that Leiper’s model helps us in identifying certain fractions of the tourism industry and we can treat these fractions on a diagnostic level and manage a tourism destination more effectively in the terms of its sustainability. As we can clearly see it in the case of Jaipur and Agra, Agra failed in developing an experience connected to the amazing Taj Mahal. For instance, we can take another example; Agra is a host of “Mughlai Cuisines.” Mughlai cuisines are royal cuisines developed by the rulers of the Mughal Dynasty in India. It is a historical fact Agra remained the capital of Mughal Dynasty for the longest period. Most of Mughlai cuisines are developed in Agra (Soni, 2016). However, these culinary delights of the medieval era found a new patronage in the busy street of Old Delhi. Agra also lost this distinctiveness of being the home of Mughlai cuisines. Tourists staying in New Delhi often love to have these non-vegetarian delights. Delhi and Jaipur also converted a problem into an opportunity. This problem was connected with the Indian foods. Most of the European and American tourists always considered them a little too spicy (Goela, 2015).
The tour operators of Delhi and service providers of Jaipur promoted them as a different taste. The mental preparedness of the subjects changed the psychology of the people and culinary culture of India also became a selling point for the tour packages. The definition of people as tourist changes drastically. If they allow us to make an addition in the model of Lepier then the new term that should be added in this model should be the “Experience (Coomes, 2018).” For a better understanding let’s travel in time and think about the world of 2050. It is a possibility that during this time technology will reach a level where they will be able to arrange virtual tours of various destinations (Mazzo, 2018). For instance, they can create a Three Dimensional virtual replica of the Taj Mahal and a person wearing a virtual reality device will be able to visit it. When we compare it with current practices prevailing in the tourism industry then we can compare it with the activity of sight-seeing (Joshi, 2018). What makes Agra, Delhi or Jaipur or any other TDR of this world special? It is the experience that a tourist enjoys there. When we have a look at the methods of the marketing in the era of the internet then we find that most of the tour operators are focusing more on the experience part more. Travel writers are using their vivid imagination and coming up with some experiences that a tourist can feel (Mason, 2015).
Importance of creating a unique identity and providing a memorable experience
Golden triangle of the tourism in India is a sustainable model on the scale of the Leiper. Ideal season to visit this place is the winter season. However, both Jaipur and Delhi created some attractions for the tourists during offseason and the month prior to the peak season. Annual Jaipur book festival and International trade fair in New Delhi are some primary attractions. This triangle can also be studied through the lines of the marketing mix as well (Jonas Larsen, 2016). For instance, let’s compare it with another destination in India which is Goa. When we check the consumer behavior or we study a person as a tourist then we find that they select Goa solely for relaxation purposes where they can enjoy sun & sand on a beach. However, the travelers traveling in the Golden triangle carries a mixed bag of wishes. A person joining a summit conclave in New Delhi can go to visit Taj Mahal. This mixed bag of wants and desires allows itinerary developers to act more freely and add some fun destinations on a business trip (Razdan, 2018).
Golden Triangle of India is the busiest circuit of the Indian tourism. The consistent development of amenities, infrastructure, and superstructure has made it a paradise for touristic activity during the months of the winter. On the scale of pull factors, we can name the Taj Mahal as the biggest attraction. Regular events organized at Delhi and other places also work a pull factor for the tourists. The organized and unorganized tourism lobby of Delhi holds the strings of the push factors. The interconnectivity of all the three destinations is good; recently they connected Agra and Delhi with an express highway and bring down the traveling time between the two cities. Jaipur and Agra are also well connected. The economic multiplier of the tourism industry is high for Jaipur and Delhi. It is true that India has a bad reputation in the eyes of the westerners, they feel that women travelers are unsafe in India. The absence of a proper nightlife is also a big factor. Indian culture does not allow nightlife where a person can feel like a free bird. Leaching eyes and staring strangers are very common in India. This barrier restricts the movements of the travelers. It also plays badly with the experience factor associated with the touristic activity.
They are working hard in the direction of constituting tourism police in all the key areas of the movements of the tourists. The concept of the Tourism police is successful in other parts of the country like Goa and Mumbai. Right now they want to repeat the same history in the Golden Triangle of Indian tourism as well. Agra can be the key result area for this exercise because it had earned a lot of notoriety in the past. Certain touts in Agra robbed and misbehaved with international tourists.
Conclusion
While adjudging the success of this TDR we cannot deny the importance of the pricing. Some of the world-class hospitality services are available in all the three spots of the circuit. They are expensive for local people, however, people belonging to the USA, Europe, and other countries find them economic because of the power of their native currency. Over the years this circuit successfully managed an identity for itself and they are increasing the carrying capacity of the place quite considerably with an intention to avoid pushing the point of saturation. This can be understood with the help of a single example; the number of the travelers visiting Taj Mahal has increased many folds. In order to avoid the queues at the venue, now they are experimenting with new systems and tools and introducing a time-based pool system. With the help of this time-based pool system, they can keep a check on the number of the tourists during a certain hour and ensure a good experience for the customers.
Conclusion
If we wish to understand the relevance of Leiper’s model in the current scenario of tourism then golden triangle, Agra, and Jaipur are the best examples for that. In spite of holding the biggest pull factor for the tourist, Agra failed because it did not identify tourism as a composite industry. In spite of all its limitations and lack of attractions, Jaipur scored better because it treated tourism as a composite industry and integrated all the local elements to create a wholesome experience for the tourists. The case of the Golden triangle also tells us about the importance of the transit destinations. In the case of the Golden Triangle, New Delhi is a transit destination. Still, it holds the key because they have the power to set the itineraries for the tourists. Since they are the reception point for a tourist, they have this additional advantage to practice the push strategies as described by a model of Leiper.
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