AWARENESS AND PREFERENCES FOR TOURISM AMONG PEOPLE IN COIMBATORE

Abstract

Tourism today is one of the largest and fastest growing industries employing the largest number of labour force globally. It has gained high priority one in terms of exchange earnings. It is an ever expanding service industry. In India, tourism contributes a greater percentage to the GDP. But it faces several problems like lack of transport facilities, poor accommodation facilities, lack of safety and security, cultural, environmental issues, poor quality food, lack of shopping facilities, lack of communication network, etc. There are different states in the country which are creating congenial atmosphere for various types of tourism adventures for different purposes to attract foreign and domestic tourists. Tamil Nadu has the largest tourism industry in India with a percentage share of 21.31% and 21.86% of domestic and foreign tourist visits in the country. The state has more than 4,000 years of continuous cultural history and has some of the most remarkable temple architecture in the country, music, dance, folk arts and fine arts, and is well known for its temple towns and heritage sites, hill stations, waterfalls, national parks, museum, beach resorts, local cuisine, natural environment and wildlife. It is because of this significance the present study focused to find tourism practices among the people in Coimbatore, assess their level of awareness on different forms of tourism and to analyse tourist preferences among them.