1. Eco-tourism in Madhya
Pradesh : Some
observations
S G Deshmukh
ABV-Indian Institute of Information
Technology & Management , Gwalior
Based on the presentation at the
conference held at B Sahay College,
Gwalior on Ecotourism, 22 Dec 2013 1

2. Speaking points..
 About eco-tourism
 Various perspectives
 SWOT analysis
 IT and tourism
Closing remarks..
2

3. Important points to be noted..
 “the protection of living and non-living
natural resources,”
 “the promotion of appropriate and
environmentally sensitive and enriching
development, and”
 “the contribution to the goals of achieving
social equity and enhancing the quality of
life and stability - especially for the
communities in the immediate vicinity of
protected area”
3

4. Key role players..
 The authority
 The tour operator
 The local community
 The tourists
 It is important that all these role players adhere to a
strict set of guidelines or values to ensure that all
the criteria are met in a sustainable manner
4

5. Environment and Tourism
 Environment – core of Tourism Product
 Profitability in Tourism depends on
Attractiveness of tourist destination
 Tourism is Double-Edged Sword- it has the
power to enhance the Environment . And also to
destroy it, if not planned properly and executed
meticulously

6. Ecotourist Profile
 Experienced travelers
 Higher education
 Higher Income Bracket (especially
coming to Gwalior/Khajuraho belt)
 Age: middle to elderly
 Sources : Web, Books, previous visitors
from the same country

7. Consumer Demand profile?
Cultural learning is important
Support protecting the environment
 Willing to “pay more” to use eco-friendly
companies
 Socio demographic details ?

8. Madhya Pradesh: Fact file
 One State – Many worlds
 Represents variations of topography
 It is part of high biodiversity-rich region
 Evergreen forests –it is forest capital of India !
 9 national parks and 28 wildlife sanctuaries
 Well connected
 Active MP Tourism dept
 Good national institute for Tourism (IITTM) in Gwalior

9. Remarks..
 Eco-tourism as an instrument of economic
development
 Eco-tourism goes hand in hand with
sustainable development
 Eco-tourism also as a means for
employment generation
 Eco-tourism as a Brand for the state !
9

10. SWOT Analysis ..1..
 Strengths
Preferred destination for forests, sanctuaries
Less pollution/crowd
Strategic location
Good connectivity
 Weaknesses
Inadequate infrastructure
Road connectivity
Underdeveloped hotel industry
10

11. SWOT Analysis..2..
 Opportunities
Unexplored sites
Good economic potential
IT as a means to promote tourism !
 Threats
Competition from other states(CG)
Local character
11

12. Major problems faced by
tourists
 Bad Roads
 No interpretation facility
 Pollution around the tourist spots
 Costly Accommodation
 Guides
12

13. Other problems..
 Limited synergy between tourism
department , Forest department & hotel
Industry
 “Branding “ of the sites not done properly
13

14. IT is making world flatter !
(Thanks to Friedman)
 Outsourcing dominated paradigm
 Geography has become history: Time and distance are no
longer the important variables
 Mobile dense and multimedia rich environment has accelerated
digital environment.
 Connectivity has made the global village possible
 Pressure on environment
 Working on-line, flexi-time, tele/videoconferencing, and
continuous learning are changing the traditional notions of how
work gets done and how people are connected
 Internet is changing the way we communicate and commute
Source : Fridman, T L, The World is flat: Farrar, Straus &
Giroux , 2005
14

15. Observations..
 Transformation taking place
 The way we communicate has changed.
Tourism is no exception to this !
 Traditional ways & outcomes have also
changed.
 Online feedback mechanisms enabled by
IT
15

16. What is happening today..
 An increasing focus on diversity of culture;
 Need to know more !
 Greater emphasis on collaborative work and
communication;
 Greater emphasis on more diverse and informal
modes of communication
16

17. Interesting developments
 World is flat
 Communication is anytime, anywhere, anyone !
 Sharing and collaboration
 Urge and desire for seeing places
/people/culture!
17

18.  Our thinking & way of working is shaped
by environment and the context within
which we operate
 Tourism is no exception
 Tourism as a connect !
18

19. Today’s tourist
 IT savvy
 Spends more time online
 Responds positively to feedback
 Positively engaged with the environment
 Open to share and collaborate
 Has multiple-sources of information
 Has 24 x7 approach ?
19

20. Observations..
 Developments at the global level are taking
place very rapidly , thanks to IT
 Unless there is serious effort, it is difficult to
keep track of these developments and
translate these outcomes into economic
development
 Global integration triggered integration of
tourism sector also !
20

21. Implications
 You have to update continuously and must
know the state-of-the-art
 You have to innovate continuously
 Tour site review aided by IT tools: search
engines, indexing services !
 You have to be visible to the community
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22. Implications
 Sharing of information/Knowledge made easy
through IT
 You must share and connect
 Your collaborator may be anywhere in the
globe available 24 x 7 basis
 Power & influence of social media as a
binder!
22

23. Visibility through social media
 Social media are tools for social interaction
using Web /mobile technologies (Wikipedia).
 These technologies, often referred to as Web
2.0 , provide services that support users in
generating and publishing their own content.
 Social interactions developed as a result of this
activity can support engagement with
communities of practice through networking and
other co-operative and collaborative practices.23

24. Implications
 Sharing of resources through collaboration
 Opportunity for joint visibility and
promotion of our cultural heritage
24

25. Tourism and social media
 Tourist have propensity to exchange, share
and disseminate information through various
media: brain storming sessions, conferences,
workshops, symposiums, trade mela etc,
-They have always built a network of peers,
friends, seniors /juniors
 Range of social media tools to facilitate and
support existing behaviours and practices –
 easy and free to use, user friendly !
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26. Example: Tourist Blogs
Blogs are a great way to share information
Test your ideas out with a wide
audience
Learn from others
Form new relationships
26

27. Issues for considerations..
1. What are good indicators of eco-tourism ? What
can we measure? What should we be
measuring?
2. How should we be measuring them? What do
they mean?
3. Measurements in future will allow for greater
participation from masses
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28. Closing remarks..
 There are various imperatives for making a eco-
tourism possible . Especially in MP
 In contemporary world, we must also be
comfortable in connecting and making ourself
visible
 For this Social media offers an interesting
scope
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29. Thank you
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