Sustainable Tourism: A Marketing Perspective

Positioning strategies designed by organizations for the destinations might fail when implemented if they are designed from the organization's perspective and not from the consumers' perspective. The chapter develops a positioning taxonomy for a tourist destination by measuring the perception and satisfactions of consumers of the tourism product of Ladakh, India and identifies potential niche markets that could be used in the development of the destination's positioning strategy. Self-completion questionnaires were distributed to tourists visiting the region. Data from 468 completed questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively. Results indicate three positioning strategies for the tourist destination: adventures and sports, natural attractions, and cultural attractions. Also four possible niche markets are identified that can inform the development of the destination's positioning strategy: adventure tourism, cultural tourism, nature-based tourism, and wildlife tourism.

Development of Positioning Taxonomy for a Tourist Destination Ladakh, India

Using narrative interviews as primary data, the A. considers the recent remarkable increase in traditional folk healers (lha-mo, lha-pa, oracle) who perform shamanic curing and divination in Ladakh, northwest India. He relates this phenomenon to the severe alienation faced by the people of this Trans-Himalayan region in the last decades. Foreign pressures, such as a heavy Indian military presence, the impact of the Muslim-dominated state of Kashmir (of which Ladakh is a part), and Western influences that seem from Ladakh's popularity as a tourist destination, have lead to severe stress within the region. The A. argues that in this situation, the proliferation of shamanism offers one of a number of possible coping strategies.

The Increase of Shamans in Contemporary Ladakh--Some Preliminary Observations

Development of tourism and its impact on the environment of Ladakh

In a region like Ladakh which is an arid, high altitude, ecologically fragile, strategically located, culturally rich but sensitive area known for its unique Tibetan Buddhist culture, tourism was abruptly introduced with inadequate planning primarily to foster economic development and growth. In a short span of about two-and-a-half decades the self-sufficient agricultural economy following the barter system of trade has been converted to a cash economy, with a high dependence on the tourist industry for revenue and employment generation. It has also resulted in the degradation of physical and socio-cultural environment, which is the prime attraction for tourists. If this trend continues tourists will no longer be motivated to visit this region thus adversely impacting the tourism industry and consequently the economy of the region. Ways have to be found where tourism and environment can co-exist without damaging each other. The need of the hour is to formulate, develop and implement a pragmatic policy of ...

Vibha Krishen Sood

Papers

Dynamics of tourism development and aspects of sustainability: a case study of Ladakh.