UNIT 4  DOMESTIC TOURISM                                                                                 Domestic 
                                                                                                                     Tourism 
           Structure 
           4.0 Objectives 
           4.1 Introduction 
           4.2  Domestic Tourism: Meaning, Definition and Characteristics  
           4.3  Historical perspective of domestic tourism in India 
           4.4  Growth of Domestic Tourism in India 
                 4.4.1  Reasons for Growth of domestic tourism in India 
           4.5  Trends in Domestic Tourism in India 
                 4.5.1  Purpose of Travel 
                 4.5.2  Mode of Travel 
                 4.5.3  Preferred type of Accommodation 
                 4.5.4  Tourism Expenditure among domestic tourists   
           4.6  Advantages and Disadvantages of Domestic Tourism in India  
           4.7  Let us Sum Up 
           4.8  Answers to ‘Check your Progress’ Exercises 
           4.9   Further Readings 
           4.10 Activities 
           4.0 OBJECTIVES 
           After reading this Unit, you will be able to: 
           •   define domestic tourism 
           •   differentiate between different forms of domestic tourism 
           •   explain the reasons behind the growth of domestic tourism 
           •   understand the significance of domestic tourism in Indian tourism  
           4.1 INTRODUCTION 
           Globally, tourism has long been recognised as an engine of economic growth 
           due to its ability to bring about an accelerated change. The tourism industry, 
           due to its ability to absorb manpower from both skilled and semi-skilled 
           labour in the formal as well as in informal sectors has been widely recognised 
           as a contributor in bringing about a socio-economic change. Tourism, in 
           some cases, has become a catalyst in reviving dying cultures and in 
           preserving heritage. Due to its widespread advantages, tourism is being 
           actively promoted by countries around the world. In the previous Unit, you 
           have learned about International tourism and its main forms-Inbound and 
           Outbound tourism. Aspiring economies see International tourism in the form 
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           Profile of Modern                 of inbound tourism as far more advantageous due to its ability to generate 
           Tourism
                                             much valued foreign exchange. However, many countries now see domestic 
                                             tourism also as an important generator of income for the economy. For many 
                                             countries, tourist volumes generated by domestic tourism are far greater than 
                                             international tourism indicating the tremendous potential domestic tourism 
                                             holds. UNWTO data shows that in 2018, around 9 billion domestic tourism 
                                             trips were made worldwide – six times the number of international tourist 
                                             arrivals (1.4 billion in 2018)  
                                             This Unit aims to introduce fundamental concepts in domestic tourism and 
                                             further explain the reasons for the growth of domestic tourism. Due to the 
                                             enormous potential domestic tourism holds, India is promoting this form of 
                                             travel extensively through various measures. This Unit also introduces some 
                                             of those measures. 
                                             4.2  DOMESTIC TOURISM: MEANING, 
                                                      DEFINITION AND CHARACTERISTICS 
                                             Domestic tourism is any travel – whether for pleasure or business - by the 
                                             residents of a country within the boundaries of their own country. In domestic 
                                             tourism, people travel outside their normal domicile to certain other areas 
                                             within the country. This is in contrast with travelling outside the boundaries 
                                             of the country as associated with international tourism. In other words, 
                                             domestic tourism involves residents of one country traveling within their own 
                                             country. For example, a person living in Delhi (India) travelling to Amritsar 
                                             (India) to visit his family or a person living in Los Angeles (USA) travelling 
                                             to New York (USA)  on a business trip. Domestic tourism does not involve 
                                             travellers crossing the borders of their country of residence, therefore, 
                                             making it a form of tourism with fewer travel formalities.  
                                             A domestic visitor or a domestic traveller, therefore, is someone who ‘travels 
                                             within his/her country of residence, he/she is a domestic visitor and his/her 
                                             activities are part of domestic tourism’ (UNWTO).  
                                             Some of the salient characteristics of domestic tourism include the below: 
                                             •    Domestic tourism is one of the oldest known forms of tourism. 
                                             •    Domestic tourism does not require travellers to cross international borders 
                                                  of the country of residence. 
                                             •    Domestic tourism does not require any documents such as a passport or 
                                                  visa to travel.  Here travel formalities are minimal. 
                                             •    Domestic tourism can be either for the purpose of pleasure or business. 
                                             •    Domestic tourism relies more on surface transport networks such as road 
                                                  and rail networks. 
                                             •    Domestic tourism encompasses travel from across income groups in a 
                                                  country and not limited to higher income groups only, as in the case of 
                                                  international tourism.  
                                             •    Demand for domestic tourism is determined by factors within a country 
            56                                    and therefore can be easily forecasted. 
                                              
            
           •   Demand for domestic tourism can be easily regulated as compared to                                    Domestic 
               international tourism.                                                                                 Tourism 
           4.3  HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF DOMESTIC 
                   TOURISM IN INDIA 
           Hundreds of years of travel history in India have contributed to shaping the 
           modern-day domestic tourism that we see today. People have travelled from 
           time immemorial for trade, pilgrimage, learning and other social purposes. 
           Archaeological evidence suggests that travel for the purpose of trade existed 
           in the Indus Valley civilization from 3000 to 1500 BCE. The Aryan times 
           further witnessed travel for religious and learning purposes. The period 
                           th      th
           between the 5  and 4  Century BCE marked the beginning of Jainism and 
           Buddhism. In the later years, Buddhist and Jain monks and followers 
           travelled the length and breadth of India spreading the holy message. 
                                rd    nd
           Emperor Ashoka (3  – 2  Century BCE) himself is said to have travelled to 
           spread the message of the Buddha to several parts of the country. Later 
           periods also saw several learning centres being established by notable Indian 
           scholars such as Sri Adi Shankaracharya (700 – 750 CE) and these centres 
           became a hub of learning with people travelling to these places from all over 
           the country. Religious tourism was also gaining momentum with several 
           places of religious importance attracting pilgrims from various parts of the 
           country. 
           Trade was yet another reason for the growth of domestic travel in India. 
           Historic and archaeological evidence suggests the presence of a wide network 
           of facilities for travelling traders and pilgrims such as Dharamshalas, Sarais 
           and other wayside amenities. Major trade routes were well connected by a 
           network of roads and amenities and were built for travellers by local rulers 
           and kings. However, travel for pleasure existed only among the privileged 
           section of the society such as kings, nobles and wealthy businessmen. With 
           the advent of Mughals in India, travel for pleasure received a further impetus. 
           The grand palaces and beautiful gardens built by the Mughals, saw nobles 
           and commoners alike visiting these places in thousands.  
           The British era in India can, perhaps, be credited to the wide-spread of 
           domestic travel in India. This period saw an extensive expansion of transport 
           infrastructure in India along with travel facilities like inspection bungalows, 
           dak bungalows and circuit houses. British travelled to cooler mountains and 
           hills in order to escape the hot summers of India. This set a motion in trend 
           and many places located at higher altitudes in India were developed into hill 
           stations and resorts. Post-independence, the Indian government continues to 
           take numerous measures year after year to promote domestic tourism in 
           India. 
           4.4  GROWTH OF DOMESTIC TOURISM IN INDIA 
           India is a land of abundance in terms of tourism resources and attractions. 
           The wealth of natural and cultural heritage of India has made it a natural 
           choice for tourism development. In this section, we shall see the relevance of                                  57 
            
                                              
           Profile of Modern                 domestic tourism in connection with international tourism. While 
           Tourism
                                             international tourism in the form of inbound tourism is seen as a foreign 
                                             exchange earner, domestic tourism has also been contributing enormously. 
                                             While foreign tourist arrivals have been increasing in India year after year, 
                                             domestic tourism is also on a steady growth trajectory. Table 4.1 below 
                                             shows the gradual growth of domestic tourist visits since the year 2000 to 
                                             2019 with 2019 witnessing the highest growth rate of 25.3%. 
                                              Table  4.1:  Number of Domestic Tourists in India (States & Union 
                                             Territories) from 2000-2019 
                                                    Year         No. of Domestic Tourist Visits             Percentage (%) change 
                                                                    (in million) to States/UTs               over the previous year 
                                                    2000                        220.11                                   15.4 
                                                    2001                        236.47                                   7.4 
                                                    2002                        269.60                                   14.0 
                                                    2003                        309.04                                   14.6 
                                                    2004                        366.27                                   18.5 
                                                    2005                        392.04                                   7.0 
                                                    2006                        462.44                                   18.0 
                                                    2007                        526.70                                   13.9 
                                                    2008                        563.03                                   6.9 
                                                    2009                        668.80                                   18.8 
                                                    2010                        747.70                                   11.8 
                                                    2011                        864.53                                   15.6 
                                                    2012                        1045.05                                  20.9 
                                                    2013                        1142.53                                  9.3 
                                                    2014                        1282.80                                  12.3 
                                                    2015                        1431.97                                  11.6 
                                                    2016                        1615.39                                  12.8 
                                                    2017                        1657.55                                  2.6 
                                                    2018                        1853.79                                  11.8 
                                                  2019 (P)                      2321.98                                  25.3 
                                             Source: India Tourism Statistics at a Glance-2020, Ministry of Tourism, Government of 
                                             India 
                                             Domestic tourist visits when compared with their counterpart foreign tourist 
                                             arrivals, indicate a far greater volume. Data indicates that there has been a 
                                             continuous increase in domestic tourist visits, with the compound annual 
            58                               growth rate (CAGR) of domestic tourist visits to all States/UTs from 1991 to