New Delhi – A Catholic priest from Darjeeling successfully on August 19 defended his doctoral research on Travel and Tourism on the hill station destination of Darjeeling.
Salesian Father Babu Joseph stakes his claim “to be the first priest to do a doctoral thesis in this mundane area of study.”
His thesis under the supervision of Professor Syed Inayet Ali Zaidi is entitled; The Emergence of Darjeeling District in West Bengal as a Tourist Destination: A Perspective.”
The thesis was submitted and successfully defended for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Tourism and Hospitality Services at Indira Gandhi National Open University School of Tourism and Hospitality Services Management, New Delhi.
“The proposed work is an attempt to take a look at the past hoping to find some answers for the present maladies affecting the region while carving out a vision for the future that can chart the future expansion of Darjeeling as a world class tourist destination which will enchant the traveling millions,” Fr Joseph explains.
Fr Joseph quickly adds, “A further clarification of the rationale behind the proposed work can be accomplished only by narrating the process of evolution of Darjeeling as a tourist destination.”
The British became masters of Darjeeling Hills as they acquired it from the Raja of Sikkim in 1835 and made a concerted effort to build it up as an attractive tourist destination.
The study population composed of three groups, comprising the tourists visiting the region throughout the year, the local population residing within the destination area, and the stakeholders in the tourism industry in the region.
The method of sampling followed in the study is probabilistic random sampling and the sample size, determined with the help of an online sample-size calculator, was found to be 600 tourist respondents, given the scale of tourists visiting the region through a year. In the case of local people residing within the destination area, a convenience sample-size of 300 respondents was selected for survey.
In the case of the tourism industry stakeholders, 16 hoteliers, 9 travel agencies, 2 tourist guides and 2 Tourism Department officials were contacted for interviews. The tools used in the study included questionnaires, personal interviews and non-participant observation.
The research threw up startling findings that Darjeeling District as a tourist destination is experiencing both development and consolidation cycles in its evolution at present.
Any tourist visiting the destination is happy with overall stay and wants to visit gain.
The local people appreciate the coming of tourist as it contributes to the local economy.
The private sector stakeholders of the tourism industry are of the opinion that Darjeeling district is popular among tourists, so good infrastructure and peaceful environment ensure further growth of the destination. The destination is having abundant of tourism resources so optimum use of them will make the destination develop further.
The future vision of the Darjeeling as a Tourist destination provide a road map for further development it is based on a shift from urban based mass tourism to rural based pro-poor, community based tourism with local participation which ensure the benefits of tourism are shared with the host population.