Nirvikriti- Marketing and Branding Strategy Event

Presented by: Meenal Dubey, mdmeenal10@gmail.com, 9920385149, Poulomi Majumder, poulomi.majumder20@gmail.com, 9769952011 K J Somaiya College, Mumbai

MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia

Content Executive Summary

1 1.1 SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

Page No.
2 5 5

CURRENT MARKET SCENARIO OF TOURISM IN INDIA

TOURISM TRENDS IN MAHARASHTRA CURRENT TOURISM POLICY OF MTDC CURRENT COMPETITORS SEGMENTATION, TARGETING AND POSITIONING ANALYSIS

1.2 1.3 1.4 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 3 3.1 3.2 3.2.1 3.2.2 4 5

6 6 7 9 9 11 13 14 14 15 15 21 28

CURRENT MARKET SEGMENTATION & CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

TARGET CONSUMERS NATURE & BEHAVIOUR

POSITIONING OF MAHARASHTRA MARKETING STRATEGIES NEED FOR NEW MARKETING STRATEGIES MARKETING STRATEGIES STRATEGY 1: ORGANISING ANNUAL FESTIVAL STRATEGY 2: CUSTOMIZED TOURISM PLANS COST ESTIMATION & REVENUE GENERATION CONCLUSION REFERENCES ANNEXURE-I BROCHURE OF MAHARASHTRA MAHOTSAV ANNEXURE-II PAMPHLET OF ANNEXURE-I PAMPHLET OF ANNEXURE-I PAMPHLET OF MAHARASHTRA MAHOTSAV CUSTOMIZED TOUR PLAN TOUR-DE-FORT CUSTOMIZED TOUR PLAN SUN & SAND

MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia

MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PROBLEM STATEMENT

Maharashtra state is naturally & culturally capable as well as potentially developed to attract & support tourism. However lack of aggressive promotional exercises and excessive competitions from Tourism Development Corporations of other states have hindered the growth of tourism severely in Maharashtra. This has resulted in slow growth of the tourism industry of the state. PURPOSE & MISSION The purpose of this document is to conceptualise a comprehensive branding strategy capitalizing on the attractive destinations & heritage of Maharashtra state. The mission of carrying out this piece of work is to increase the number of domestic & foreign tourism in the state by adopting innovative and aggressive promotional strategies. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS Maharashtra, located on the west coast line along the lush green konkan region, is the 3 rd state of India, both in area and population. The mountain ranges of sahyadri and nestlend in western ghat house several hill stations & water reservoirs with semi-evergreen &

deciduous forests. The dense forests of Vidharba region abound several life sanctuaries and natural parks. The diverse terrain & culture of the state has given birth to several tourism attractions ranging from ancient cave temples, unspoilt beaches, ancient forts and monuments, forest & wild life, unique hill stations, pilgrimage centres & rich tradition of festivals art and culture.According to a survey carried out in 2009 by Indian tourism ministry, domestic tourism showed a growth of 15.5% & foreign tourism showed a decline of 2.8%.
1.42 1.4 1.38 1.36 1.34 1.32 2006 2007 2008 2009 70 65 60 55 50 45 2007 2008 2009

Fig1: Tourism turn-out in past 3 years

Fig2: Revenue generation through tourism

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia There are 5 million people visiting the country and of them, 2 million land in Mumbai. But only 6% visit Maharashtra as a tourism destination. A total foreign tourism visit in Maharashtra during 2009 was 20 lacs.

MARKETING STRATEGY & OBJECTIVES Segmentation of Maharashtra tourism industry

Tourism

Domestic

Foreign

Upper Income class

Upper middle income class

Middle income class

Purpose of Tourism
Business Honeymoon
study tour

Vaccation

MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia Integrated Marketing Communications Seasonal advertising- Distributing tour package pamplets in corporate houses during January-february (prior to summer vacation) & october-november (prior to winter vacations) Installing kiosks for route guidance and tourism advertisements at the entrances & exits of sky-walks, railway stations & airports. Spreading know how through advertisements in newspapers, hoardings at railway stations & airports, Customised tourism packages for different segments. Organising role plays at historically relevant tourist spots informing the tourists about the heritage and undiscovered destinations of the state. Introducing open roof buses running through selective routes to promote tourism in areas like konkan.
Promotion through Art & Craft Pulling tourists during off seasons by organising national level cultural events Organising exhibitions of traditional arts & crafts of the likes of Maharasghtra, Warli , Sawantwadi , Ajanta , Bidri etc to promote the respective places

Direct communication channels

Indirect communication channels Ambient Marketing

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1. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
1.1 CURRENT MARKET SCENARIO OF TOURISM IN INDIA
Tourism is now well recognised as a major growth engine. The tourism industry of India has been witnessing steady growth in terms revenue generation The global economic slowdown has adversely affected tourism the world over. The impact has been felt in India too and there has been a decline of 9.3% in foreign tourist arrivals to the country between January and June 2009 as compared to the corresponding period last year. However, there was a positive growth of 0.2% in foreign tourist arrivals to the country. In recently released data, the market research division of the Union tourism ministry said: "During 2009, the number of domestic tourist visits to various states was 650 million (65 crore), as compared to 563 million (56.3 crore) in 2008 and 527 million (52.7 crore) in 2007." With the young and the middle class getting more mobile, the ministry predicts that the domestic market will grow at a healthy clip of 20% in 2010. The top 10 states in terms of number of domestic tourist visits during 2009 were Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Gujarat. Put together, these states accounted for 88% of the total number of domestic tourist visits in 2009. If we consolidate the data of the number of tourists visiting these states we can see the following result.

Percentage Tourist Visits in 2009

5% 7% 5% 32% Andhra Pradesh Uttar Pradesh Tamil Nadu 24% Karnataka Rajasthan Maharashtra 27%

Fig 3: Percentage of tourist visits in Top Six States of India in 2009

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1.2 TOURISM TRENDS IN MAHARASHTRA

The unique combination of hill & valleys, rivers & sea, serene beaches, forests & plains, ancient caves, forts, along with rich historical back ground provides the state immense opportunities to endeavour and promote tourism. The state has developed its transport infrastructure very effectively for the convenience of tourists across the nation as well as abroad. The Chatrapati Shivaji International airport is one of the busiest airports of the country managing a huge crowd of international population, which may vary from businessmen to tourists. Also, the domestic airports in major cities of the state like Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Sholapur, successfully pull a huge share of total tourism of the country. Almost all important cities of the state are well connected through rail as well as road routes which further ensure the tourists plan their tours in the state with convenience and comfort. Religious tourism or work-related visits have pulled domestic tourists to places like Shirdi, pandharpur, ganapatipule etc as tourism packages now offer a range of experiences -- from traditional health spas to local cuisine -- an essence of India. Most tourists head to Shirdi, followed by Pandharpur, which sees a lot of visitors from south India. Then there is a constant trend of flow of lakhs of visitors heading for the Ajanta and Ellora caves. A recent phenomenon is that a lot of tourists land up in Goa and travel north to spend time on the Konkani beaches in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri.

1.3 CURRENT TOURISM POLICY OF MTDC

Maharashtra Tourism department has come up with an action plan for the next 5 years, wherein numerous measures have been proposed to boost tourism growth in Maharashtra with an aim of becoming the top spot for tourism in India. Some of the measures include: 1.3.1 Development of infrastructure at tourist destinations Although infrastructure development has been on a large scale in cities like Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune etc. in terms of construction of Corporate buildings , malls, hotels, multiplexes etc. but the infrastructure development in various tourism facilities such as accommodation facilities, eateries, toilets, information centres, roads etc. is still on a hold. Maharashtra tourism aims to accelerate the growth of development of these facilities to provide hasslefree, hygienic and safe stay to tourists in the state.

MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia In addition, steps to improve rail linkages and air connectivity to important tourism destination are also been taken by the department.

1.3.2 Special schemes for tourism at remote places Steps are being taken to provide accommodation facilities to tourists at remote tourist spots where hotel accommodation facility is not available.

1.3.3 Public-Private-Partnership Implementation of Public-Private-Partnership for organization of festivals, tourism growth in monuments, resorts and certain other selected destinations is being done currently by MTDC.

1.3.4 Conservation and development of heritage sites Steps to conserve existing world heritage sites like Elephanta caves, Ajanta and Ellora and promotion of other monuments as heritage sites have been proposed in the policy.

1.3.5 Promotion of traditional arts and crafts of Maharashtra MTDC has been working since many years for promotion of its traditional and local arts and crafts by organizing events, exhibitions, providing marketing support in terms of providing common sale outlets like bazaars and haats etc and implementing e-commerce for simplifying ordering and sales of the handicrafts.

Developing and maintenance of Pilgrimage centres like Shirdi, Pandarpur, Kolhapur, Jyotirlingas, the Ashta Vinayaks etc.

1.4 CURRENT COMPETITORS:

Even though Maharashtra provides a complete tourism package having Tourism spots ranging from ancient cave temples, unspoilt beaches, ancient forts and monuments, forest & wild life, unique hill stations, pilgrimage centres & rich tradition of festivals art and culture, still it stood 6th in the market research devised by Union ministry of India. Andhra Pradesh topped the list followed by Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. While AP has a rich collection of diverse tourist spots that consists of Tirupati-one of the worlds most visited place of pilgrimage, beautiful beaches of Vishakapatnam, hill stations like Araku, Anantagiri etc and IT Hub like Hyderabad. According to Jayesh Ranjan, tourism
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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia secretary of Andhra Pradesh, said, "The maximum numbers of visitors come to bow in front of Lord Balaji in Tirupati, and they are followed by those who come for a holiday and mostly head to Visakhapatnam, one of the few cities that has the sea and hills in close proximity. The third most-visited city is Hyderabad, which mostly sees corporate tourists because of the presence of so many Fortune 500 companies." Similarly UP has Taj Mahal which is one of the seven wonders of world thus attracting huge population of national and international tourists. Also tourist departments have come up with major tourism programmes like Rajasthans Padharo Mharo desh, Madhya Pradeshs Hindustan ka dil dekho, Goas 365 days on holidayto boost tourism growth in their respective states. Some of the core competencies of Maharashtras competitors are:

Competing States Goa Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh Gujarat Rajasthan Karnataka Uttaranchal Andhra Pradesh

Competing theme Beaches Hill Stations/ Forest Forests Pilgrimage/ Hill stations Heritage Hill stations/ Pilgrimage Adventure/ Pilgrimage Pilgrimage/ Hill stations

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia

2. SEGMENTATION, TARGETING AND POSITIONING ANALYSIS

2.1 CURRENT MARKET SEGMENTATION & CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
The consumer sector in tourism is very vast and varies according to the type of destinations. The diversified terrains & historic and religious places in Maharashtra can help the state create a unique positioning for itself. The Tourist population currently visiting as well as likely to visit the state can be segmented on the basis of their demography, psychography and behavioural patterns.

Current & prospective Tourist segmentation

Demographic Psychographic Age
6-19 years

behaviour al Occasions Honeymoon Culture oriented Vaccations Readiness stage

Unaware

Family size Single

Young married, no children

Income
Low Middle Upper middle Outdoor oriented

20-45 years

Aware

Above 45 years

Business tours

Interested
Informed & Interested

Young, married, children

Old, marri ed

Upper

Adventure Oriented

Fig4: Segmentation of Current & Prospective Tourists

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia The segmentation of consumers present a clear picture of which sector of consumers to target and the subsequent marketing strategies to be adopted for each consumer class.

2.2 TARGET CONSUMERS NATURE & BEHAVIOUR

The demographic segmentation identifies potential as well as current tourists under the age groups of 20-45 yrs & above 45 years. The tourists from age group 20-45 will include the following different types of consumer behaviour: Teenagers Tours are conducted by colleges and other educational institutes for recreation as well as knowledge development like Industrial visits. Such groups of tourists can be attracted by offering them various discount schemes like Student discount etc. These groups will not only help generate revenue but also help publicise different places through word of mouth publicity. Creating good ambience & helpful services may ensure return of these tourists with their families. Newly married couples Couples visiting the state for honeymoon can be a major source of income. Such couples expect comfortable and safe stay. These tourists can be served with premium services so as to turn their stay in the state memorable and enjoyable. This will not only generate above marginal revenue but also create a warm and hospitable image of the state. Young families Young families with small children constitute a major percentage of the total tourist population. The income class of this group of tourists may vary from middle to upper middle to upper class. Hence the tourism department should provide flexibility of choices to each income group for the selection of hotels, food and other amenities. Business tours Maharashtra being an important state in terms of national and international business, witnesses a lot of tourism due to people coming on business trips. Such tourists are very important source of revenue generation. MTDC can come up with tie-ups with different corporate houses to encourage business tourism in the state. The tourists from age group of above 45 years will include the following different types of consumer behaviour :

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia Old couples Old couples may be offered different discount schemes like Senior citizen discount, Ex-army man discount etc. Many old couples prefer going alone on vacations without depending on their children. Such tourists can be attracted by providing them special package tours like Second honeymoon package. Such package tours will not only be profitable to the state revenue generation but also a rejuvenating experience for the tourists. This will again help in creating positive word of mouth publicity.

Groups of old people Old tourists often prefer travelling in groups. These groups can be provided with special accommodation facilities aided with doctors and other emergency services. Differentiation of services can also be made according to the income class of these groups. Premium services based on the income class can be provided in the form of theme tours canvassing the traditional side of Maharashtra. Religious tour packages can be offered to these tourist groups.

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2.3 POSITIONING OF MAHARASHTRA

Maharashtra is a state full of diversity in terms of nature, culture, religion history and heritage. It is a state rich in natural resources, full of unexplored beaches, forests & national parks. Various art forms like warli, biddi etc, ancient caves and monuments of Ajanta & Ellora, elephant, forts of Daulatabad, Ratnagiri, Raigarh, Pune etc has kept the old world charm alive in the state. The capital of the state, Mumbai is the financial capital of the nation and one of the busiest metropolitan cities of india. Pune is considered as one of the biggest educational hubs of the nation. Maharashtra is a state with strong and steady religious belief. The state represents a unique blend of different religious beliefs. Haji ali in Mumbai, Shirdi Sai Baba, Ganapati pule, Ashtavinayak, Alandi, jyotiba & mahalakshmi temples in Kolhapur, gajanan maharaj temple in Shegaon etc are places which hold strong religious faith in the mind & soul of almost all Indians. Thus, Maharashtra can be ideally positioned as a reflection of India which is an epitome of unity in diversity. Keeping this in mind, we have come up with the tagline,

MaHaRashtra- MaHaIndia

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia

3. MARKETING STRATEGIES
3.1 NEED FOR NEW MARKETING STRATEGIES
Tourism has the potential to change the economic face of a region. The benefits of planned tourism development are manifold. Promotion of tourism would bring many direct and indirect benefits to the people. Some of the direct benefits accruing to the local community as a result of tourism development are: Employment opportunities in tourism and hospitality sector. Development of private enterprise. Improved standard of living Social upliftment and improved quality of life Better education and training Sustainable environmental practices. Foreign exchange earning

Some of the indirect benefits accruing to the local community as a result of tourism development are: Infrastructure development power, water, sanitation, hospitals, roads, etc. Market for local produce Employment in infrastructure sector Economic upliftment due to income multiplier effect

The situational analysis of tourism industry shows that although Maharashtra has all attributes necessary to stand out as a perfect tourist destination, it ranks only sixth in terms of number of tourist visits and revenue generation from tourism. The main reasons for this situation can be identified as below: Insufficient and less aggressive branding of the state. Less awareness of many naturally beautiful (example: Ganapatipule, Panhala, Sindhudurg) & historically important (example: Ratnagiri) places. Such places, if properly highlighted can attract a large population of tourists. High competition from neighbouring state, Goa as well as other states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan etc.

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia In view of these factors, few strategies have been proposed which would aim to overcome the above mention problems. 3.2 MARKETING STRATEGIES 3.2.1 STRATEGY 1: ORGANISING ANNUAL FESTIVAL 3.2.1.1 The Concept Maharashtra has a lot to offer to the tourist visiting the state. But as already discussed, many people are unaware of every face of the state. This forms the basic intention for design & organisation of an annual festival which will mainly concentrate on achieving the following targets: Showcase all forms of art and culture of Maharashtra Spread awareness about various tourist places present in the state as well as the speciality and charm of each of these places. Showcase the rich history, art & culture of the state. Expose & promote the unexplored places to tourists and also tell them the best seasons to visit these places. Create a warm, friendly, funfilled ambience which will help the tourists experience and enjoy a great stay in the state. Create a grand image of the state Create hype during seasons of low tourism turn over

Following are the different aspects of the festival and their subsequent stage wise implementation: 3.2.1.2. Name The name of the annual festival should be such that it conveys the general message of a one of its kind, grandiose celebration of the state which will showcase the state. Also the name should possess national appeal. Keeping these goals in mind, an appropriate name would be Maharashtra Mahotsav 3.2.1.3 Venue The venue should be chosen in such a way that it has the basic infrastructure to support a festival of such a large scale. This includes fulfilling the following requirements:
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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia Proper accommodation facilities: The venue should have sufficiently large number of hotels to provide accommodation for large population of tourists from across the nation as well as abroad. There should be range of classes in terms of the daily rents of these hotels (5-star, 3-star, deluxe, budget ect) so as to cater to tourists from all income classes.

Proper transportation facilities in terms of road, rail and air travel. Other modern amenities like atms at frequent distances, currency exchange centres etc.

The venue will be different every year so as to target & promote different places every year. The venue can also be selected according to some predetermined theme. The venue for the year 2010 is decided to be Nashik. The city lies between 1833 and 2053 North latitude and between 7316 and 7516 East Longitude. This is the venue of famous Sinhastha Kumbh Mela and has a lot to offer to tourists coming here. Shree Kalaram Mandir, Artillery Center, Nandur Madhmaheshwar, Trimbakeshwar Temple, Dhammagiri Igatpuri, Shree Ved Temple, Sita Gumpha, Pandav Caves and Godavari Ghat are some of its most visited places.

Fig 5: Road Map of Nashik

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The already popularity of the place will have a two-fold advantages. Firstly, the city is already well equipped and well-experienced to manage huge crowds as it has been organising Sinhastha Kumbh Mela. Secondly, the city has many well established tourist spots which will add value to the overall tourism plan of a tourist as well as source of revenue generation for MTDC. 3.2.1.4 Time Most pleasant season in Maharashtra is generally between September and October. This is also the time of beginning of festive season across the nation. Thus, schools and colleges will have holidays during some part of this period (depending upon the time of festivals). Also, this is generally the end of first quarter of the financial year in almost all corporate houses, hence relatively light season in terms of work load. These reasons make this time of the year the perfect time for Maharashtra Mahotsav. The dates for the year 2010 is 22 nd to 24th September. 3.2.1.5. Tickets The tickets of the festival will be sold atleast three months beforehand. The cost of tickets will vary from Rs100 to Rs700 depending upon different packages and premium charges. 3.2.1.4 Events The events of the festival will vary from year to year but the goal of all events should ultimate lead to promotion of tourism in the state. There will be theme every year which will govern the subject of all the events. The theme for the year 2010 will be Mitti Veero Ki...Gathaye Veerta ki. As the name suggests, the theme will revolve around the lives of all

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia brave sons and daughters of the soil of Maharashtra. The various events decided for the year 2010 are as given below in the form of a screen shot.

Fig 6 : Section of brochure showing the sequence of events in Maharashtra Mahotsav

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia 3.2.2 Promotion & branding of Maharashtra Mahotsav The festival Maharashtra Mahotsav will be carried out on pan-India scale. Hence it is very important to attract tourists across the nation as well as abroad. Promotional and advertising schemes for promoting Maharashtra Mahotsav will broadly include the following categories:

Mass media

Print media

IMC
Ambient Marketing

Social media

Fig 7: Integrated Marketing Communication Proposed for Promoting Maharashtra Mahotsav 3.2.2.1 Mass Media promotion This is one of the most important promotional strategies. The aim of this promotional scheme is to reach out to as much as population as possible to create a mass appeal for the festival. The scheme will include the following steps: TV commercials on national channels highlighting various key features of the festival. Radio jingles will be aired across various cities.

3.2.2.2 Social Media Promotion Internet is increasingly becoming one of the most important channels of communication and promotion as more and more people are getting accustomed to the usage of internet. Social

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia media, thus, can be effectively used to create mass awareness for the festival. The scheme will include the following steps: Creation of an event page on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter etc to generate buzz about the festival. Launching of a page on the website of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation specially dedicated on Maharashtra Mahotsav. This page will not only promote the festival but also spread know-how about every detail of the festival like sequence of events taking place, various artists performing in different events, sponsorships, bookings of accommodation, tickets for the festival etc. Advertise Maharashtra Mahotsav in various other ticket booking sites like www.makemytrip.com, www.yatra.com, www.irctc.co.in etc. 3.2.2.3 Ambient Marketing The key to a successful ambient media campaign is to choose the best media format available and combined with effective message. Thus this form of promotion can be done by using print adds, role plays at important terminals like in front of the MTDC counters in important airports, spreading word of mouth publicity etc. 3.2.2.4 Print Media Promotion Print media promotions will comprise of the following forms of advertisements: Preparation of a detailed brochure of the festival which will give every minute detail about all events. This brochure will be made available at all counters and offices of MTDC as well as tourism offices of other states. Pamphlets will be prepared to give a brief overview of Maharashtra Mahotsav. These pamphlets will be distributed to all major corporate houses so as to attract the corporate crowd. These can also be attached along with the magazines provided in different airlines like Air India, Go Air, Jet Airways etc. Advertising in national news papers like Times of India, Hindustan Times, and Indian Express etc. Advertising in famous travel and living magazines. Posters and billboards in front of railway stations and some chain of shopping malls (eg: Future Group) across the nation will be effective in promoting the festival.
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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia 3.2.3 Stagewise Completion Of Project Maharashtra Mahotsav

Stage 1 PLANNING (April- May)

Finalizing the scheme of Maharashtra Mahotsav with respect to venue & theme of the year, sequence of events, artists to be invited and their subsequent availability. Approaching for & finalizing sponsorship for different events. Deciding and finalizing the slot and positioning of different stalls participating in food festival , art and craft exhibitions etc.

Stage 2 MARKETING (June-september)

Marketing & promotion through brochures (june-september) Marketing & promotion through ambient media (August- September) Marketing & promotion through distribution of pamplets (AugustSeptember) Marketing & promotion through advertisements in news paper, television, radio, social media etc. (September)

Stage 3 IMPLEMENTATION (September)

Organising the festival by building the necessary infrastructure in terms of stages, tents, lighting etc. Arrangement for accomodation of the artists, performers and participators in all events

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia 3.2.2 STRATEGY 2: CUSTOMIZED TOURISM PLANS As analysed in segmentation, the tourist population can be segmented into different segments as per their age, disposable income, purpose of tourism, family size etc. Accordingly different segments have different requirements and expectations from the tourism packages. To serve their needs MTDC can come up with customized tourism packages wherein the tourists can select tourist destinations of their own interest and income status. For example teenagers and youths can select trekking areas, beaches, theme parks and places providing water sports as their tourist spots, whereas tourists of mid age or older can select places of pilgrimage, hill stations as their tourist destinations in their package. 3.2.2.1 Proposed Tourist Packages 1) Historical places packages a) Tour-de-fort: Esplanade to the numerous and famous forts o0f Maharashtra Raigarh fort, Sindhu durg, Murud Janjira, Panhala, Vijatya durg, Shivneri, Sinhagad etc. b) Expedition of caves: Making the most of the rich collection of ancient caves the state has like Ellora, Ajanta, Elephanta, Kanheri, Karle, Aurangabad caves, etc.

2) Adventurous tour packages a) TrekXplore tour: Package including tourist spots like trekking peaks on the Sahyadri range like Harischandra, Konkan Kada, Bhimshankar, Ratangad, Dukes Nose, Vasota, etc. and places like Lonavala, Khandala, Water kingdom, Essel world, Sharahyadri, .Matheran can provide a beautiful yet adrenalin pumping experience to the tourists. b) AquaShor: Package providing all types of water sports like paragliding, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, snorkeling, and scuba diving in places like Kolad, Tarkarli, Koyna, Manor.

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia c) Sun & Sand: Visits to various beautiful and stunning beaches along the coastal line of Maharashtra like Madh Island, Versova, Aksa, Juhu, Ali Baug, Kashid, Ganpatipule, Tarkarli, Guhagar, etc.

3) Religious Tourism: Ashtavinayak Yatra: The package would cover visiting all the eight ancient holy Ashtavinayaks of Lord Ganesha situated around Pune i.e. the Ballaleshvara temple at Pali, Varad Vinayak at Mahad, Mahaganpati at Ranjangaon, Chintamani at Theur, Siddhinvinayak at Siddhtek, Moreshwar at Morgaon, Vigneshwar at Ozar, Girijatmaj at Lenyadri. Various other historical places and temples can be included in the package like the Bibi Ka Maqbara at Aurangabad the Mahalakshmi temple at Kolhapur, Haji Ali in Mumbai, the cities of Nasik, Trimbak famous for religious importance and the city of Pune the seat of the Maratha Empire.

3.2.2.2 Phase-vise implementation of the strategy: Although similar kinds of package already exist but the above packages can be customised by the tourist according to his preferences. For example a tourist can take Trekxplore as his base package and can add few places from Aquashor in his custom package, or can select few places from Expedition of Caves and Trekxplore to create his own package tour.

Phase 1: Infrastructure Development: To provide the tourists with a facility to customize their package a software system and User Interface should be developed and installed that would enable the tourist to select different places from different packages. A link shall be added in the Maharashtra Tourism website

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia that would enable tourists to select tourist spots of their own choice from a dropdown list anywhere in Maharashtra.

Phase 2: Promotion and Marketing: a) Social Media Promotion: The process of promotion through social media would include announcement of the customized package tour program as latest updates in the facebook page created by us. Announcement of the program in Maharashtra Tourism website. Advertise Maharashtra Mahotsav in various other ticket booking sites like www.irctc.co.in, jetairways.com, Indian-airlines.com etc.

Mass Media Promotion Promotion through Mass media can be done by airing radio jingles in radio channels. Print Media Promotion Print media promotions will comprise of the following forms of advertisements: Advertising in national news papers like Times of India, Hindustan Times, and Indian Express etc. Advertising in famous travel and living magazines.

Phase 2: User Interface and Cost Calculation: The interface would require the tourist to sign in the link giving some of his details like name, age, family size etc. and then he will be displayed with the existing tourism packages provided by the MTDC. If he wants to select one of those packages he can select it from the interface, else he can create his own package from the tourist spots covered in different packages by selecting spots of his choice and comfort. Once the tourist has created his package, the software will calculate the price of the package by taking into consideration the following factors:

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia a) Total fare of the mode/modes of transport from the first to the last destination of the package b) Accommodation fare c) Service charges d) Taxes, etc.

Phase 3: Processing of Request and declaration of schedule of travel: Once the total cost has been displayed on UI to the tourist, he will be given a one week window and during that window the following activities will be performed: a) Count of tourists who have selected a similar package will be recorded and accordingly feasibility of the package will be decided upon. b) The package will be explained and presented to the package providers (agents, drivers, etc.) and again feasibility of the package will be evaluated. c) The final decision and detailed schedule of starting and ending of the tour will be communicated to the tourists through mails. Phase 4: Implementation of the process: Conducting the tour will be the final phase of the package process. This will be handled by the travel agents that are organizing and taking care of the current process of MTDC.

Infrastructure Development Promotion and Marketing User Interface and Cost Calculation Process Request and Schedule Declaration Conduction of Tour
Fig: Phase-vise implementation of Strategy
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3.2.3. Miscellaneous Programmes:

Fig: Ratnagiri beach 1) Strategy for Tourism promotion in Undiscovered places of Konkan area: Some of the beautiful yet less popular tourist destinations in Maharashtra are Amboli, Ganpatipule, Ratnagiri fort, Raigad, Sindhudurga, Harihareswar, Velneshwar, etc. Such tourist spots can be made popular by enhancing their charm and liveliness through subtle changes in the ambience of these places. Also various tourism packages can be introduced that can also be altered to enable the tourists to select the places of their choice. Promotional Strategy: As the tourist spots are not very popular among the tourists, aggressive promotional measures should be made so that these places become popular. The beaches of Ratnagiri, Kasid and Kihim of Ratnagiri, chilled mountains of Amboli, etc. are the places that require promotion as attractive tourist destinations This can be achieved by the following ways: Developing local colorful markets that are in close proximity of the main tourist attraction of these places. Hawkers of art and crafts in the local areas can be asked to put up stalls at the beaches, nearby the fort area etc. on a contractual basis. This would ensure increased tourist awareness of the various arts and crafts of Maharashtra and development of the spot as well. Facilitating bullock cart rides and horse rides around the places: Bullock cart rides and horse rides around the places can be encouraged as a means of transportation, thus ensuring of keeping the natural beauty and freshness of the places intact and unaffected of the growing tourist footfalls and development of the spot. It
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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia would also provide a feel of the rural and traditional culture. Promotion of this kind can come under the Rural Tourism Program. Providing Multilanguage guide instruments to foreign tourists. Organising role plays at historically relevant tourist spots informing the tourists about the heritage and undiscovered destinations of the state. Introducing open roof buses running through selective routes to promote tourism in areas like konkan.

2) Medical Tourism:

India is renowned in the world for its rich Ayurveda and Yoga medical therapies, products and asanaas. Factors like good infrastructure in major cities, good majority of population speaking English and Indian surgeons having world class skills and surgical exposure have added to the advantage. Leveraging on this opportunity Maharashtra Tourism can attract more national and international tourists by organising special medical world conferences, discussion forums, opening new spas, health clubs, health farms etc.

Fig: Bidri, Sawantwadi and Warli art forms 3) Cultural Tourism: In order to further promote art and culture of Maharashtra, various folk dances, music shows can be organised at tourist places and also broadcasted in various channels like in Doordarshan Bharti, Travel and Living, Discovery, etc. Also handicraft exhibitions can

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia be organised at tourist spots to promote sale and branding of traditional arts and crafts like Warli art, Sawantwadi paintings, Ajanta, Bidri etc.

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia

4. COST ESTIMATION AND REVENUE GENERATION

The factors responsible for incurring cost as given below: A) For Maharashtra Mahotsav Cost(for 3 days) Ground Rent Parking Ground Infrastructure Cost (canvas cloth, bamboos, iron poles and support, chairs and other furnishing, lamp sheds, other decorative etc) Electricity Cost Water Cost Security Cost Support Staffs Hotel room cost Video Shooting Cost Advertisement & Promotional Cost* Total(A) Event Wise Costing Day 1 Inaugural Ceremony Cost Cast & crew(Evening Performance) Day 2 Prize money Stage Performers(National) 1000000 5000000 1000000 5000000 500000 15000 200000 50000 300000 300000 10000000 21965000 In Rs. 450000 150000 10000000

Day 3 Theme Decoration Cost Performers Cost 500000 1000000

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia Closing Cermony Total event cost(B) Miscellaneous {c} Total cost(A+B+C) 1000000 14500000 2500000 38965000

*Advertisement cost TV commercial Radio Jingle Pamphlets Brochure Newspaper Ads Website Promotional Total

In Rs. 5000000 500000 500000 1000000 2500000 500000 10000000

Earnings Vehicle Parking Entry Ticket cost Sponsorships Rent from the stalls Art & craft Stalls Food stalls Promotional Stalls Day 1 Evening Performance Tickets Day 2 National Performers Tickets

In Rs. 1000000 33750000 5000000

900000 1125000 80000

250000

500000

Total Income Profit ROI

42605000 3640000 0.093417

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MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia

B) For customised tour plans:

Items Software Development cost Promotion Cost* Infrastructure cost Transportation cost Accomadation Cost(Including Food)** Service Charges 18000000 180000000 37698000 In Rs. 1000000 5000000

Total Charges

241698000

Miscellaneous*** Beach Tourism Cost Medical Tourism Cost Cultural Tourism Cost Total 7500000 500000 600000 8600000

Items
Revenue from Tourists(for 3 day) Sponsorship Total

In Rs.
360000000 6000000 366000000

Profit

124302000 32

MaHaRashtra - MaHaIndia Promotion cost*

Newspapers Radio Jingle Pamphlets Social Media Promotion Cost Total

In Rs.
3000000 1000000 500000 500000 5000000

**The accomadation cost will be a variable one which will change as per the no. of tourist. Hence, this will not be counted in the budget provided for tourism development. The revenue realised will also be dependent on the no. of tourist. So, we are just projection a one year figure on basis of no. of tourist. The total budget of 10cr will be applicable only for the initial start up. After that the plan will sustain itself from its own earnings.

***These expenses are for development of tourism infrastructure and promotion of specail tourism concept. The gain will be realised in longer run.

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5 . CONCLUSION
Tourism is a very important and precious activity of any country that brings both directindirect, tangible-intangible benefits to its citizens. Maharashtra plays a crucial role in the tourism activity of India, its richness in historical monuments, arts, crafts, culture and traditions, beaches, food etc. all can contribute extensively to boost tourism growth in Maharashtra and in India on a whole. This would also enhance the economic and commercial activities in the country that are indispensable for a countrys development. The revenues earned, employment opportunities generated and investments attracted of the Multinationals can help in overall development of India.

By implementing the above mentioned strategies and leveraging upon the rich resourcereserve by following these methods MTDC can multiply the tourist figures in few years to a very big number and can aim to top the tourism growth list of states of India in just 1-2 years.

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REFERENCES
Book: Marketing Management South Asian Perspective 13th Edition By: Philip Kotler, Kevin Lane Keller, Abraham Koshy and Mithileshwar Jha Website: dspace.iimk.ac.in/bitstream/2259/543/1/95-101.pdf www.maharashtratourism.gov.in

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