Tourism is a new and emerging discipline. The subject is interesting as well as productive.

Different universities and institutes have started undergraduate and post-graduate courses in tourism. But still now there is a dearth of textbooks on Tourism for Indian students. This book is a modest attempt to fill this gap. It covers all important aspects of tourism in a simple and lucid style.

This book has been designed as a text for the undergraduate courses in tourism. It will give a good idea of the subject to the beginners. It deals with concepts as well as practice. Besides being a textbook this will make an excellent reference book for all those interested in the subject.

Biswanath Ghosh Ph.D. in Economics, holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Labour Welfare and Marketing. He teaches in the Department of Commerce and Management of Burdwan University and presently
is the Dean of studies of the International Institute of Management Sciences, Calcutta. He is also associated with IGNOU and Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management and Development Studies, Lucknow.

Dr. Ghosh the recipient of several National Gold Medals and Prizes, is a noted litterateur. His texts on Personal Management, Organisational Behaviour and Economic Environment of Business are well known all over the country.

 
This is an attempt to study the management and marketing concept in the field of tourism with special reference to travel agency operations. This book delves into the evolution of organised travel culminating in modern tourism, as we know it today. And the role of passenger transport with special reference to air transport has also been covered.
The development of sales network in the field of travel and tourism, with the requisite input of modern travel agency operations and marketing of travel, both by retail travel agents as well as tour operators, has become imperative with the phenomenal increase in international travel. With a quantum leap in travel agency business, the information on travel agency appointments and approvals as also IATA accreditation is of utmost importance.
Since communication plays a vital part in travel and tourism industry, the book also explains how modern communications systems, with special reference to computer technology, have changed the concept of travel and tourism marketing.
The main objective of this book is to provide valuable source material to graduate as well as post-graduate and management students of the institutions of travel and tourism, travel agencies, airlines and other engaged in the business of tourism.

 
A.K. Bhatia is Director in the Central Department of Tourism, Government of India. An honours graduate in Economics with a master's degree in Social Work, specialising in Personnel Management, from the University of Delhi, he has also obtained a postgraduate diploma in Tourism, specialising in Marketing from the University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy. Well-versed with Russian, Persian, French and Italian languages, he has authored three other books, Tourism in India – History and Development, Tourism Development – Principles and Practices, and International Tourism – Fundamentals and Practices, besides a number of articles published in Indian and International journals and newspapers. Having taught tourism for several years at the University of Delhi at the postgraduate level and at the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, under the Ministry of Tourism, and other universities and institutions, A.K.Bhatia has had several assignments in the Central Department of Tourism at the headquarters, as also in overseas tourist offices at Brussels, Paris and Geneva.