Critical Analysis of Marketing Strategies

Question: Discuss about the Critical Analysis of Marketing Strategies. Answer: Introduction: Agra is a small city of Northern India, that is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which has emerged to be one of the most favorite tourist destinations of India. Though the city has gained immense popularity owing to the Taj Mahal, it is undeniable that the city boasts of a rich cultural and natural heritage, that links the city with the historical tale of the Mughal dynasty. Before understanding why the city has emerged to be one of the most popular tourist destinations of India, one should analyze the future scope and growth of the tourist industry in Agra (Prasad Gavskar, 2016). The stakeholders of Agra play an important role in the tourist sector, and the relation between the stakeholders and the major elements of the tourist sector are being explained below: Overall, the relation between the stakeholders and the major elements of the tourist sector is positive. The growth of the tourist sector, in Agra, has led to the creation of ample opportunities of income, among the service providers of the hospitality industry, be it the receptionist or the tourist guides. However, this has also given rise to conflict as well. The government of Agra is willing to protect the natural beauty, cultural heritage as well as the archaeological monuments of Agra, while the tourist service providers are too engaged in maximizing their profit, and hence, are overlooking the need to follow a holistic, sustainable planning policy. Agra offers a huge number of tourist places, that the tourist travelers can consider visiting, apart from one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal. Agra Fort, built by the great Mughal emperor Akbar, Itmad-ud-Daulahs Tomb, the city of ghosts, the Fatehpur Shikri, are some of the most popular tourist spots, located in Agra (Ahmed, 2015). Besides, the variety of architectural styles found in Akbars tomb, forts, mosques as well as the step walls, has always fascinated the tourists. The Mughal rulers had ruled in Agra for a prolonged period of time, as a result of which, the Mughal love for gardens, architecture, art and culture have always added an extra dimension to the tourist beauty of the place. Apart from the sightseeing attraction offered by Agra, the city also reflects its love for the glorious culture of the past, through the venerable shops, such as Subhash Emporium and Kinari Bazar. Although the city does not offer a brilliant infrastructure that can boast of connecting the city with the major parts of the city, the city does not suffer from any dearth of communication and transportation. One can reach the city by rail, road or airways. However, it should be noted that the crimes infesting the interior locality of the city, is gradually making the city less attractive to the foreign travelers. Apart from the local crimes, such as rape, theft, bag snatching and robbery, the tourists are also found to complain about the problem of having unreliable and untrained guides, and lack of sound infrastructural facilities (Shrma, 2015). However, this is the reason why the local government, the major stakeholder of the Agra tourist industry, has introduced few reform measures for improving the public transport traffic and parking facilities in Agra. However, the cultural heritages and monuments of Agra, such as Taj Mahal, are losing sheen and glamour owing, to the population and traffic expansions in the tourist spot of India. As a result of the huge rush of tourists, the soil, water and the land near Agra, are getting contaminated, that is destroying the beauty and splendor of the locality (Hazra et al., 2014). Hence, the government is required to take steps to ensure sustainable growth of tourism in the city. Thus the conflict between the tourism and nature conservation, has resulted in the conflict among the residents of Agra and the governing body of the tourist sector of Agra. However, considering the undeniable importance of the tourism sector in Agras economy, the government has introduced various reform measures, which included the introduction of larger number of tourist information sharing centers, the introduction of No Vehicle Zone, that will hopefully help the city regain its position in the minds of the tourists. Reference List: Ahmed, M. I. (2015). Tourism development in agra _ a critical analysis of marketing strategies. Hazra, S., Fletcher, J., Wilkes, K. (2014). An evaluation of power relationships among stakeholders in the tourism industry networks of Agra, India.Current Issues in Tourism, 1-17. Prasad, S., Gavsker, K. K. (2016). The new'love'story of the Taj Mahal urban planning in the age of heritage tourism in Agra.Economic and Political Weekly,51(5), 40-48. Sharma, A. (2014). Contribution of Historical Tourism in Revenue Generation (With Special Reference to Agra City).Shikshan Anveshika,4(1), 1-8.