外文文献在线旅游和旅游产业

外文文献在线旅游和旅游产业AReviewonOnlineTravelandTourismIndustryinIndianContext作者，Choudhary,ShubhamKumar;Sachan,AmitAbstractThearticleaimstoreviewdirectaswellasindirectfactorsinfluencingcurrenttrendsandfuturechallengesinonlinetravelandtourismindustryinviewofmanynewlyemergedonlineportalsforsuchbusinesses.ThestudyisfocusedonIndia,whichisoneofthefastestgrowingeconomies.Thearticleprovidesaholisticviewofdevelopmentsintheindustryaswellasrelatedsectors.Thestudyshowstheeffectsofrecenteventsinthesectoronthebusinessenvironmentalongwiththeinfluenceofgrowthinsupportingindustriesandmeasurestakenbythegovernment.Keywords:Travelagencies;Airlines;Electroniccommerce;Travelindustry;Businesstravel;IntroductionInternetisaglobalmediumandthecompaniesusingitareaddressingglobalaudiences(Wymbs,2000).Whattookradio38yearsandTV13yearshasbeenaccomplishedbytheinternetinaroundfiveyearswhichhasleadinternettonowreachastaggeringglobalaudience(EllsworthandEllsworth,1997citedinLagrosen,2005).Onlineservicesprovideconsumerswithseveralbenefitsincludingincreasednumberofchoicesalongwithconvenienceandcostsaving.The24x7availability,timesavedintravelling,andaninteractiveenvironmentwithplentyofreliableinformationaddstotheconvenienceinservice.Transparentandcompetitivepricingleadstocostsavings.Atthebusinessend,theuseofe-commerceprovidesaneffectiveandefficientalternaterouteforreachingouttothecustomers.Thechangesandimprovementsinservicesbasedonconsumerbehaviorandfeedbackcanbeincorporatedwithminimaltimelag.Apartfromthis,duetotheeliminationofintermediaries,lowermanpowerrequirementanddecreasedoverheadcosts,thetotalcostofoperationislower.Themainverticalswheree-commercehasprovedtobehighlyeffectiveareonlinetravelservicesincludingonlinetouroperates,flight,railwaysbookings,cabsandhotelbookingservices,eretailingcomprisingofonlineretailservicesofvariousproductsandauctions,onlineclassifiedsincludingonlinematrimonialandjobclassifieds.Theconsumere-commercemarkethasgrownfromRs8,146crorein2007toRs19,688crorein2010(IAMAI,2011)andisexpectedtogrowrapidlyincomingfuture.Thepresentworkdealswiththecurrenttrendsintheonlinetravelservicesaswellasfeaturesanddevelopmentinthemarketswhichcorrelatestotheonlinetravelservicesdirectlyaswellasindirectly.Theanalysisisdonewithrespecttoadevelopingcountry,whichinthiscaseinIndia.Thestudybeginswithabriefsurveyofcurrentonlinetravelandtourismindustry.InthissectionfirstlywehaveanalyzedmajorfactorsmotivatingIndianstotravel.Secondly,wehaveanalyzedthetypesofservicesandindustrystructurewiththehelpofdataonrevenueandinvestmentinsomeofthemajorplayers.Finallywemoveontodiscussthestatusoftheinfusionofmoderntechnologyintheindustry,whichplaysamajorroleinanybusinessnow-a-days.Thesubsequentsectiondealswiththefactorswhicharedrivingthegrowthofonlineservicesintravelandtourism.Themajorinitiativesinthepastwhichaffectstrendsinonlinetravelindustryhavebeendiscussed.Thesectiondealswiththepropensityofconsumertouseonlinemodeofservice.Alongwiththis,aspecialfocusinthestudyisgiventothegrowthinthesupportingindustriescoveringinternetusagepatterns,theimpactsofmobileservicesandbroadbandconnectionsononlinetravelbusinessaddingauniquevaluetothework.Thenextsectiondealswiththemeasurestakenbythegovernmenttopromoteonlinemodeofservicewhichplaysasignificantroleindevelopmentofanyindustry.Finallythelastsectioncontainschallengesandrecommendationinthissectorofe-commerce.ABriefSurveyofOnlineTravelandTourismIndustryAsevidentfromthegraph,e-commercemarketislargelyskewedtothe"onlinetravel"sectorwithatotalshareof76percentofentireecommercemarketin2009.TheonlinetravelindustryincreasedfromRs.10,500croreinDecember2008toRs14,953croreinDecember2009showingagrowthof42.2percent(IAMAI,2011).ItisexpectedtoincreasetoRs25,258crorebyDecember2010andRs37,890crorebyDecember2011(IAMAI,2011).Onlinetravelmarketisthemostcrowdedarenainthee-commercesegmentwithmanynewplayersenteringthisspace.Todaytheonlinetravelmarketboastsofmanyplayers,bothdomesticandinternational,vyingfortheIndiantraveler'sattentionandpreference.Thousandsofpeoplebookticketsonlineforrailways,flights,buses,etc.Onlinetravelagencies(OTA)suchas,,rmthemajorpartofonlinetravelindustry.AccordingtoareportbycomScore(2011)ononlinetraveltrendsinIndia,theOTAsreachto45percentofthetravelwebsites.AsevidentfromTable1,Makemytrip,Yatra,Cleartrip,andTravelguruaretheleadingplayersintheOTAsegment.IXIGO,Ezeego1andZoomtraaretheleadingmeta-searchenginesinonlinetravel.AddedtothatairlinecompanieslikeSpiceJet,IndiGoinIndiaarecomingupwiththeirownportal,whichwillaffectOTAs(Timestravelacademy,2010).MotivationsforTravelandTourisminIndiaSocialandreligiousbeliefsformamajorpartofholidaytravelamongIndians.DomestictravelinIndiaisunique,asitalsofocusesonvisitstopilgrimageplacesapartfromsightseeing.Religioustravelisbecomingahotsegmentinonlinetravelindustry.Toincreasetheattractivenessoftravelwebsites,customersarebombardedwithspecialdealsandpackagesforplanningtheirtravel(Smith,2004).Apartfromthese,employeesinthebankinggovernment'snewLTCpolicyforclassBandclassCemployeesanddiscountsofferedbytheairlineanddiscountbyairlinestotheemployees(BusinessStandard,2009).MedicaltourismisanotheremergingareathatdrivespeopleinIndiatoutilizetravelservices.AccordingtoajointstudybytheConfederationofIndianIndustryandMcKinsey,Indianmedicaltourismwasestimatedat$350millionin2006andhasthepotentialtogrowintoa$2billionindustryby2012(PWC,2004).Thiscanbeattributedtocountry'swell-educated,English-speakingmedicalstaff,state-of-theartprivatehospitalsanddiagnosticfacilities,andrelativelylowcosttoaddressthespiralinghealthcarecostsofthewesternworldaccordingtothereportbyPricewaterhouseCoopers.TypesofOnlineTravelServicesAccordingtoGoogleIndia'sreportononlinetraveltrend(2010),54.43percentqueriesrelatedtohotelsandaccommodation,27.45percentqueriesrelatedtoairtravel,8.74percentqueriesrelatedtoholidays.Theseformthebasicsectorswhichareofferedbytheonlinetravelcompanies.Thefigureshowsthemajorareasofserviceprovidedthroughaninternettoassistintravel.Onlineticketbookingconsistsofbookingticketsfordomesticandinternationalflights,railways,andbuses.Anumberofwebsiteshaveenteredthissector.Anestimatednumberofticketssold(onlydomestic)perdayis275,680inwhich51,690ticketsaresoldthroughOTAsperday.AirtraveldominatesthecurrentonlinetravelindustryinIndiawith60percentplusmarketshare(TimesTravelAcademy,2010).Competitioninonlineticketbookingishowevermovinggraduallyfromairtonon-airsegment.Marketshareforonlinerailwayticketsbookinghasseenandgovernmentsectorreceivespecialratesandconcessions(LTC)forvacationsonceayear.AirIndia'sdailypassengercarriageaveragefromacrossthecountrymarkedanincreaseinMay,whichwas24,290againstApril'saverageof21,900whichwasattributedtotheasignificantincreasewhichislargelyattributedtoIndianRailwayCateringandTourismCorporation(IRCTC),apublicsectorundertakingfullyownedbyMinistryofRailways,whichhasbecomeoneofthelargestplayersinthee-commerceindustrynow.Theestimatedgrosssalesfor2008-09standatRs3,400crore,makingIRCTCthelargestcontributortoe-commerceinthecountry(BusinessStandard,2009).TappingNewTechnologiesTraditionallycomputershavebeenusedasamediumforonlinetravelserviceproviderstointeractwiththeconsumers.However,itisnowmovingtowardsmobilewhichistermedasm-travel(Timestravelacademy,2010).Earlier,mobilesuserswereabletobookticketsonlyusingtheavailableappslikePaymate,Ngpay,andAtomwhichworksonmanyplatformsincludingJava,Symbian,andandroid.ButwiththeintroductionofIRCTC'sownmobilewebsitewhichisaccessiblefromanyGPRS-enabledphone,thetaskseemsmucheasier(SiliconIndia,2012).IRCTCalsoplansonlaunchingamobileapplicationforthefullversionofwebsite.Theutilizationofmeta-searchenginesisanotherlatestinnovationinthisindustry.IXIGO,Ezeego1,andZoomtraaretheleadingmeta-searchenginesinonlinetravel.Thesewebsitessearchacrossmultipleairline,hotel,train,andbusbookingsitestofindthebesttraveldeals.AccordingtoFounder-CEOofiXiGO.com,distributioncostsformsthirdbiggestexpenseitemontheP&LsofairlinesinIndia.Metasearchmodel'sgrowthinIndiaisreducingdistributioncoststhroughefficientonlinecustomeracquisitionandishelpingaccelerateancillaryrevenuegeneration(BusinessWireIndia,2009).FactorsDrivingtheDevelopmentoftheIndianOnlineTravelIndustryInternetpenetrationhasadirectcorrelationwiththegrowthofeveryonlinebusinessincludingonlinetravelservices.State-ownedVideshSancharNigamLimited(VSNL)launchedinternetservicesinIndiainAugust1995whichopenednewvistasforcommunication.Fouryearslater,theGovernmentofIndiaopenedthepathforprivateparticipationbyprovidingfreelicensesto132privateinternetserviceproviders(ISPs).Thereiscurrentlynorestrictiononthenumberofserviceproviders.ArecentpolicymovealsoallowsISPstosetupinternationalgatewaysafterthenecessarysecurityclearance.ThesepoliciesledtoarapidgrowthintheinternetpenetrationinIndia.AccordingtoareportpublishedbyIMRBandIMAI(2011)oninternetinIndia,asofMarch2011,therewere82millionclaimedinternetusersinurbanareasand14.3millionusersfromruralareas.Thiswasexpectedtoincreaseto73millionand24millionrespectivelybyDecember2011.Internethasthusprovidedauniqueopportunityforvalueadditionandrapidgrowthtodifferentorganizationsbasedononlineservicesparticularlyonlinetravelserviceswhichaccountsforthelargestshareine-commerce.Thegrowthofinternetisparticularlyboostedbyitsusageinyoungerpopulation.Morethan75percentofinternetusageisstilldrivenbyyoungerpopulationincludingyoungmen(IAMAI-IMRB,2011)andschool-andcollege-goingstudents.AccordingtoapublicationbyPopulationReferenceBureau(2006),morethanhalfofthepopulationinIndiawasbelowtheageof25.Thisautomaticallyguaranteesthegrowthinusageofinternetbasedservicesinfuture.WithincreasingadoptionoftechnologybyIndianbanks,electronicpaymentmodeshavestartedgainingimportance.Creditcards,debitcardsandmultiplemobilepaymentproducts,netbankingarethevariousmodesofnon-cashretailpaymentsystemthatexiststodaywhichhassupportedthegrowthofonlinetravelindustry.RecentTrendsinOnlineTravelBusinessTheentryoflow-costcarrierairlinehasgivenaboosttotheonlineportalstotravelplanning.AccordingtocomScore(2011)reportononlinetraveltrendsinIndia,growthinairlineuniquevisitorsontheinternetismainlyfromLowCostCarriers(LLC).VisitstoLCCwebsiteslikeS,,andhasbeenmovingup(GoogleIndia,2010).LCCs,arecentphenomenoninIndia,inanuncompetitiveandtightlyregulatedIndianaviationmarket,havebeenresponsibleforthesurgeinthemediumasatraveltool.Whilethetraditionalairlineswebsiteregisteredadeclineof2.3percentinthenumberofuniquevisitorsoverAugust2009toAugust2010,theLCCsgrewby19.9percentoverthesameperiod(comScore,2011).ApartfromthisonlineportalforIndianRailwayshasfueledtothegrowthrateintheonlinetravelserviceportals.IRCTCisbetterknownforchangingthefaceofrailwayticketinginIndia.Itpioneeredinternet-basedrailticketbookingthroughitswebsiteaswellasfromthemobilephonesviaGPRSorSMS.Consumer'sPropensitytoUsetheOnlineTravelWebsiteCustomersatisfactionplaysasignificantroleinfosteringtrustinonlineservices(Flavian,Guinaliu,andGurrea,2006)andleadstorepeatedpurchase.Customersatisfactionwithonlinetravelwebsitesisdependentontheinformative,attractive,andinteractivenatureofthewebsites(Chu,2001).Hence,onlineshoppingtrendisdependentonvarioussubprocessessuchasnavigation,searchingforinformation,onlinetransactions,orcustomerinteractions(LeeandLin,2005).Onlinetravelpurchaseisalsodependentonthedesignandlayoutofthewebsite,servicequality(YiandGong,2008),andavailabilityofinformation(Jeong,Oh,andGregoire,2003).After-salesservicessuchastext-messagesoremailabouttheconfirmationofpaymentreassuretheconsumerandhelpsdeveloptrustforthewebsite.Adequateinformationabouttheproduct,pricinginformation,quickreloadingofpagesaresomeofthefeaturesthataidinprovidinganenrichedexperiencetothecustomer.Foracustomer,internet-basedtravelservicespresentexpediencyandallowthemtocompareserviceofferingsandpricesattheirleisure,henceprovidinganincreaseinoptionstothecustomer(CombesandPatel,1997).Thecustomerdoesnothavetointeractwiththetravelagentfortravelbookings.Hence,agoode-commercewebsitedesignwithqualityservicewillinfluencecustomer'sattitude,strengthencustomer'strust,increasecustomersatisfaction,attractconsumers,andelicitrepeatpurchasesfromthem(IvanWen,2009).DevelopmentinRelatedandSupportingIndustriesComputerservesasthemainplatformforaccessingtheinternet.Excludinglargecorporationsandconglomerates,therearenearly58.6mninstallbaseofPCs(IAMAI-IMRB,2011).AccordingtoPCTrackerreportpublishedbyIDC(2011),theIndianPCmarketsalesstoodat2.44millionunits,showingasequentialdeclineof4.2percenti.e.overthepreviousquarter(Q12011).However,intermsofrevenue,thegrowthhasbeen2.6percentyear-on-year(IDC).MultinationalvendorsdominateIndianPCmarket,withmostreportingstronggrowthin2010.USleadersHPandDellcompetefortherankofmarketleader,withTaiwanesemanufacturerAcerinthethirdplace.Thetopthreevendors,HP,Dell,andAcer,accountformorethan40percentoftheoverallbrandPCmarket.Indianmarketnetbooksaleswereestimatedtohaveapproached4millionunitsin2010,upfrommorethan1.8millionin2009.Thenewbreedofnetbookswithlowerpriceprovidesagoodgrowingsegment,althoughsalesinitiallyfellshortofexpectations(BusinessMonitorInternationalltd,2011).NetbooksandcomputersfacecompetitionfromotherdevicesincludingtabletsandsmartphonesthatarebeingofferedbyvendorsasalternativeconnectivitysolutionsandoftenincludeaWiFioption.AlthoughIndiantabletmarketisstillnascent,nearly1,58,000mediatabletsweresold(shipped)intheninemonthsendingJune30,2011.Thesplitbetween3GandWiFimodelswasintheproportion7:3(CyberMediaResearch,2011).Theyear2010sawtheemergenceoftabletnotebooks,spearheadedbyApple'siPad.Othervendors,suchasSamsungwithitsGalaxyTab,havefollowedAppleinreleasingtabletdevices.ByMay2011,theiPad2hadbeenreleasedinIndia,withadelayoflessthan50daysfromtheUSlaunch(BusinessMonitorInternationalLtd,2011).MobileServicesandBroadbandConnectioninIndiaOneofthekeydifferencesbetweendevelopedcountriesanddevelopingcountries,especiallyBRICcountries,existinthemediumofinternetaccessbytheconsumers.WhileindevelopedcountriesconsumershavegrownahabitofusingPCswithdial-uporbroadbandconnectionsforinternetaccess,consumersincountrieslikeIndiaareusingmobilephonestoaccessinternet.With1.1billionaveragemonthlymobileinternethitsand157.5millionmonthlymobileinternetpageviewsmobilesarebecomingamajorpointofinternetaccessinIndia(Comviva,2010).MobilecompaniessuchasNokiaarepartneringwithstate-runtelecomscompanies-BSNLandMTNL-toprovidehigh-endhandsetsfor3Gservices.Samsungopenedabout300retailunitsin2008,andbuiltonthisin2009withthelaunchofitsITBrandStoreconcept(IndiaConsumerElectronicsReport,2011).TherockbottompricesofmobileservicesinIndiahavereducedthegapbetweenrichandpoorinIndiantelecomindustry.AccordingtoareportbyBCG(2010),asthemobilemarketgrows,attentionwillturntointernetandarapidfallinpricesandincreaseinavailabilitywilloccurquitequicklyespeciallyforwirelessbroadbandservices.Thiswillprovideaboosttotheinternetbasedindustriesandalsoagrowthofmobilebasedserviceswillbeseenasincaseofm-travel.Broadbandhasbeentermedasatransformingtechnologyandisnowwidelyavailableinmanycountries.BroadbandconnectionshavehadsignificanteffectsoverinternetusageamongIndians.Householdsinurbancitieshavemorethan8.7millionbroadbandconnectionsandaround37.1millionusersutilizetheseconnectionstoaccessinternet.Effectively,3.50individualsineveryhouseholdareusingabroadbandconnection(IAMAI-IRB,2011).Affordabilityofbroadbandisoneoftheimportantfactorsimpactingthegrowthofbroadbandservices.AccordingtoaconsultationpaperbyTelecomRegulatoryAuthorityofIndiaonNationalBroadbandPolicy(2010),thestandardbroadbandconnection(speed>256Kbps)wasinitiallyavailablewithatariffofRs1,500toRs1,800afterlaunchofbroadbandpolicyin2004.CompetitionandecofriendlysystemhasbroughtdownbroadbandmonthlychargestoaboutRs250permonthexcludingmodemrentalandinstallationcharges.Theincreasingpopularityofsmartphones,tablets,andlaunchof3GserviceswillalsoboostbroadbanddemandinIndia.Government'sMeasurestoDevelopOnlineTravelIndustryThebiggestcontributionofIndiangovernmenttotheonlinetravelsegmentisIRCTC'sportal.Withinashortspanofitsgoingonline,theIRCTCwebsitehadbecomethelargestandthefastestgrowinge-commercewebsiteintheAsia-Pacificregion,withaboutsixlakhregisteredusersin2003.Itpioneeredinternet-basedrailticketbookingthroughitswebsite,aswellasfromthemobilephonesviaGPRSorSMS.Ticketcancellationsormodificationscanalsobedoneonline.Inadditiontoe-tickets,IRCTCalsooffersi-ticketsthatarebasicallylikeregularticketsexceptthattheyarebookedonlineanddeliveredbypost.IRCTChasalsolaunchedflightsandhotelsbookingfacilitieswhichaddedtotheirlineofonlinereservationservices.AccordingtotheareportonIndiavision2020byPlanningCommission(2002),mobiletelecommunicationsandtheinternetwillsetthecontoursoftechnologicalprogressoverthenexttwodecades.By2020,Indiaenvisagesthatthirdgeneration(3G)mobiledeviceswithaccesstomobiledataandvoiceshouldbewithinthereachofwidersectionsoftheIndianpopulation.ThereportalsostatesthatprivateinternetserviceprovidershavebeenallowedtosetupinternationalInternetgateways,aswellasbothsatelliteandlandingstationsforsubmarineopticalfibercables.Internettelephonyisalsoopeningup.Indiashouldstrivetocompletethetransitionintodigitalswitchingandtransmission,voiceoverInternetprotocol(VoIP),broadbandand3Gby2020.Thebroadbandpolicybythegovernmentalsoenvisagesanincreasedpenetrationofhighspeedinternetwith20millionbroadbandconnectionsbytheyear2010;howevertheperformancehasnotbeenuptoexpectations(TelecomRegulatoryAuthorityofIndia,2010).Withavisionofcomputerliteracy,thegovernmentrecentlystartedaprogrammetoexpandeducationthroughinformationtechnologywhichenvisagesworld'scheapesttabletPC-Aakash.Introductionofthesetabletswillreachouttothepopulationwhichisrestrictedbyhighcostofcomputingdevicesforaccessinginternet.Asapartofthisplan,governmentiscurrentlyfocusingonstudentswithasubsidizedcostaslowas$35(NewYorkTimes,2011).AsapartofplanstostrengthentheinformationtechnologyinfrastructureinIndia,GovernmentofIndiastartedauniqueprojecttoconnectthemajorinstitutionsinIndia.TheprojectnamedasNationalKnowledgeNetworkconnectstheinstitutionswithultra-high-speedcore,startingwithmultiple2.5/10Gandprogressivelymovingtowards40/100gigabitspersecond(NKNBrochure,2011).Untilnowthe640institutionshavebeenconnectedincludingIITs,IIMs,andanumberofmajorinstitutions;however,theprojectaimstoconnectover1500institutions/organizations/laboratoriesundervariouscategoriesthroughoutthecountry(NationalKnowledgeNetwork,2011).ChallengesandRecommendationAccordingtoareportoninternetinBRICcountries,theinternetpenetrationrateinIndiaisonly7percent,althoughitisexpectedtoreach19percentby2015(BCG,2010).OnlinecontentisaccessiblepredominantlytoIndia'syoung,wealthyurbanpopulations.IndiawitnesseshighestPCcostsandlowestPCavailabilityamongalltheBRICcountries(BCG,2010).Although,mobilephonepenetrationandgrowingwirelessinternetpopularitywillacceleratetheinternetmarket.However,thepenetrationofmobileinruralmarkethasbeensignif