Sustainable Tourism Development in India : A Stakeholders’ Analysis with Special Reference to Tour Operators

Tourism is the fastest developing industry in the world in terms of employment generation and addition to national income. Supporting over 266 million jobs and generating 9.5% of global GDP, the travel and tourism sector is also the third largest generator of foreign exchange earnings in the world (World Travel and Tourism Council-WTTC Report, 2014). After having reached a historic milestone of one billion people traveling the world annually in 2012, tourism has maintained its momentum of growth and is expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2020 (UNWTO-United Nations World Trade Organization Report, 2014). Increased footfall of tourists and the explosive growth of the industry over the past decade have produced significant impacts on natural resources, consumption patterns, pollution and social systems. This has reiterated the need for a more responsible planning and management of the industry in order to minimize its negative impacts and maximize its potential for a sustained development. Sustainable development of tourism, thus, is fast becoming an indispensable aspect of tourism strategy worldwide