Classification of markets

A market is a place where buyers and sellers interact. A market is simply a combination of buyers and sellers. These two groups can meet in a physical place (a shop, for example) or can meet across miles, aided by telecommunications (increasingly, the internet). They meet to buy and sell goods or services. The term “Market” is simply a short hand for “any place or situation where two or more people meet to exchange goods or services”. Basically there are four types of markets whose classification is based on the use of the products that these markets offer, the different types of which are listed and explained below:

(1) Consumer markets (2) Business-to-business markets (3) Institutional markets (4) Reseller markets

Consumer markets are those markets where general consumers buy products and services for personal or household use. For example pens, jeans, jewellery, pizza etc. As for business-to-business markets, these markets sell products and services to businesses for running their operations. For instance, office supplies or furniture for office use etc. The third type that is the institutional market includes a wide array of profit and non-profit organizations – these institutional markets provide goods and services for the benefit of the society. Such as markets offering medicines for hospitals or computers for universities could be classified as institutional market. The last type of market is the reseller market that is also called an intermediary. These markets consist of the members of the channels of distribution such as wholesalers, retailers, dealers etc, which are mutually called resellers and operate the reselling markets. Market has been classified on the basis of differences among them.

Markets on the basis of area covered are classified into:

(a) Local markets: The local market is a place for the purchase and sale of different goods within the city. The buyers and sellers of one city assemble to buy and sell. (b) Regional markets: It consists of many cities and districts of a particular area. The buyers and sellers of different villages, cities and districts assemble to buy and sell the different commodities. (c) National markets: It consists of the whole area of country. The buyers and sellers from all over the country take part in buying and selling.d) International markets: It consists of the whole world. The buyers and sellers from the whole world meet and exchange their foods and services. The commodities can be bought and sold at different places in the world.

Keeping in mind the positions of sellers in the market, the markets are categorized as:

(1) Primary market: It is the market where in the farm products are sold by the primary producers to the wholesalers or their agents. (2) Secondary market: It is the market where wholesalers sell goods to the retailers for further selling it to the consumers. (3) Terminal market: It is the market where the purchase is finalized by the consumers from the retailers.

On the basis of volume of business transacted, the markets are classified into:

(1) Wholesale market: As the name indicates it is the market wherein the goods are sold in bulk to the dealers. (2) Retail market: In case of retail market, the goods are sold in a small quantity directly to the consumers.

On the basis of nature of transactions, the market is classified as:

(1) Spot market: The spot market is the cash market. (2) Future market: In this market the purchase or sale of the commodity calls for delivery some months in the future. Actual delivery of goods is rarely made.

Human Resource Development

What is the Definition of Human Resources? William R. Tracey, in The Human Resources Glossary defines Human Resources as: “The people that staff and operate an organization … as contrasted with the financial and material resources of an organization.” Human Resources is also the organizational function that deals with the people and issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, and training. A Human Resource is a single person or employee within your organization.

What Is Human Resource Development (HRD)? Human Resource Development is the frameworks for helping employees develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, and abilities. Human Resource Development includes such opportunities as employee training, employee career development, performance management and development, coaching, succession planning, key employee identification, tuition assistance, and organization development. A definition of HRD is "organized learning activities arranged within an organization in order to improve performance and/or personal growth for the purpose of improving the job, the individual, and/or the organization". HRD includes the areas of training and development, career development, and organization development. This is related to Human Resource Management -- a field which includes HR research and information systems, union/labor relations, employee assistance, compensation/benefits, selection and staffing, performance management systems, HR planning, and organization/job design. The focus of all aspects of Human Resource Development is on developing the most superior workforce so that the organization and individual employees can accomplish their work goals in service to customers. Human Resource Development can be formal such as in classroom training, a college course, or an organizational planned change effort. Or, Human Resource Development can be informal as in employee coaching by a manager. Healthy organizations believe in Human Resource Development and cover all of these bases.

What Is the Human Resource Department? Departments are the entities organizations form to organize people, reporting relationships, and work in a way that best supports the accomplishment of the organization's goals. Departments are usually organized by functions such as human resources, marketing, administration, and sales. But, a department can be organized in any way that makes sense for the customer. Departments can also be organized by customer, by product, or by region. The forward thinking human resource department is devoted to providing effective policies, procedures, and people-friendly guidelines and support within companies. Additionally, the human resource function serves to make sure that the company mission, vision, values or guiding principles, the company metrics, and the factors that keep the company guided toward success are optimized.

What Is Human Resource Management? Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization. Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers. Human Resource Management is the organizational function that deals with issues related to people such as compensation, hiring, performance management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation, communication, administration, and training.

Indian Tourism and the World

India offers myriad exciting experiences to tourists. Tourism industry in India is being utilised as a powerful tool to facilitate international understanding and enable building of broader cultural horizons. According to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 brought out by World Economic Forum, India is ranked 11th in the Asia-Pacific region and 62nd overall in a list of 133 assessed countries in 2008, up three places since 2007. In terms of travel, India stands 9th in the index of relative cost of access (ticket taxes and airport charges) to international air transport services, having almost the lowest costs in the world.

Also according to the report, India has been rated well for its natural resources (ranked 14th) and cultural resources (24th), with many World Heritage sites, both natural and cultural, rich fauna, and strong creative industries in the country. India also has quite a good air transport network (ranked 37th), particularly given the country’s stage of development, and a reasonable ground transport infrastructure (ranked 49th). India is ranked 7th in terms of number of World Heritage cultural sites, according to a UNESCO report (2008).

India is ranked 1st with regard to tourism fair attendance. Also, according to the International Congress and Convention Association, India is rated 33rd in terms of number of international fairs and exhibitions held in the country annually (average for 2006-07).

The World Travel and Tourism Report for 2009 for 180 countries worldwide also ranks the Indian Travel and Tourism economy 14th in absolute size worldwide, 144th in relative contribution to national economies and 5th in long-term (10-year) growth. The contribution of travel and tourism to gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to be at 6.0 per cent (US$ 67.3 billion) in 2009 rising to US$ 187.3 billion by 2019.

The report also states that real GDP growth for travel and tourism economy is expected to be 0.2 per cent in 2009 and to an average 7.7 per cent per annum over the coming 10 years. Export earnings from international visitors and tourism goods are expected to generate 6.0 per cent of total exports (almost US$ 16.9 billion) in 2009, growing (nominal terms) to US$ 51.4 billion in 2019.

National Tourism Policy 2002

In order to develop tourism in India in a systematic manner, position it as a major engine of economic growth and to harness its direct and multiplier effects for employment and poverty eradication in an environmentally sustainable manner, the National Tourism Policy was formulated in the year 2002. Broadly, the “Policy” attempts to:- > Position tourism as a major engine of economic growth; > Harness the direct and multiplier effects of tourism for employment generation, economic development and providing impetus to rural tourism; > Focus on domestic tourism as a major driver of tourism growth. > Position India as a global brand to take advantage of the burgeoning global travel trade and the vast untapped potential of India as a destination; > Acknowledges the critical role of private sector with government working as a pro-active facilitator and catalyst; > Create and develop integrated tourism circuits based on India’s unique civilization, heritage, and culture in partnership with States, private sector and other agencies; and > Ensure that the tourist to India gets physically invigorated, mentally rejuvenated, culturally enriched, spiritually elevated and “feel India from within”. Scheme for Product/Infrastructure and Destination Development The focus under this scheme is on improving the existing products and developing new tourism products to world class standards. For infrastructure and product development, the Ministry of Tourism has been providing Central Financial Assistance to the State Governments during the 9th Five Year Plan which resulted in strengthening of the infrastructure and product development in the country. The scheme has been restructured during the 10th Five Year Plan to meet the present day infrastructure requirements. The past experience had been that a large number of small projects had been funded under the Scheme, spreading the resources very thinly, which at times had not created the desired impact. The focus in the Tenth Plan has been to fund large projects of infrastructure or product development in an integrated manner.Under the revised scheme, the destinations are carefully selected based on the tourism potential. Master planning of these destinations is undertaken so as to develop them in an integrated holistic manner. The master plan is suppose to tie up all backward and forward linkages, including environmental considerations. Realizing the importance of destination development, the total outlay for this sector has been increased substantially. Important tourist destinations in each State, in consultation with the State Governments, are taken up for development. This include activities ranging from preparation of master plans to implementation of the master plans. The destinations are selected in consultation with the State/UT Governments. Scheme for Integrated Development of Tourist Circuits Under this Central Financial Assistance scheme the Ministry of Tourism Government of India has been extending assistance to States for development of tourism infrastructure. Experience has shown that in the past funds under the CFA have been used to fund a large number of small isolated projects, spread throughout the length and breadth of the country resulting in the resources being spread very thinly. Therefore, in order to provide quick and substantial impact, during the 10th Five Year Plan, these new schemes of Integrated Development of Tourist Circuits have been taken up. The objective of the scheme is to identify tourist circuits in the country on an annual basis, and develop them to international standards. The aim is to provide all infrastructure facilities required by the tourists within these circuits. The Ministry of Tourism aim at convergence of resources and expertise through coordinated action with States/UTs and private sector. Scheme of Assistance for Large Revenue Generating Projects It is recognized that the development of tourism infrastructure projects requires very large investment that may not be possible out of the budgetary resources of the Government of India alone. In order to remove these shortcomings and to bring in private sector, corporate and institutional resources as well as techno-managerial efficiencies, it is proposed to promote large revenue generating projects for development of tourism infrastructure in public private partnerships and in partnerships with other Government / Semi-Government agencies.Large revenue generating project, which can be admissible for assistance under this scheme, should be a project, which is also a tourist attraction, or used by tourists and generates revenue through a levy of fee or user charges on the visitors. Projects like Tourist trains, Cruise vessels, Cruise Terminals, Convention Centres and Golf Courses etc. would qualify for assistance. However, this is only an illustrative list. Hotel & Restaurant component will not be eligible for assistance under the scheme either on a stand-alone basis or as an integral part of some other project. Besides hotel & restaurants, procurement of vehicles and sports facilities like stadiums will also not be eligible for assistance under the scheme. Scheme for Support to Public Private Partnerships in Infrastructure Development of infrastructure require large investments that cannot be undertaken out of public financing alone. Thus, in order to attract private capital as well as techno-managerial efficiencies associated with it, the government is committed to promoting Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure development. This scheme has been put into effect for providing financial support to bridge the viability gap of infrastructure projects undertaken through Public Private Partnerships. Scheme for Market Development Assistance (MDA)The Marketing Development Assistance Scheme (MDA), administered by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, provides financial support to approved tourism service providers (i.e. hoteliers, travel agents, tour operators, tourist transport operators etc., whose turnover include foreign exchange earnings also) for undertaking the following tourism promotional activities abroad: > Sales-cum-study tour > Participation in fairs/exhibitions > Publicity through printed material Recent Initiatives During 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012) Ministry of Tourism propose to continue supporting creation of world class infrastructure in the country so that existing tourism products can be further improved and expanded to meet new market requirements and enhance the competitiveness of India as a tourist destination. In consultation with the State Governments and UTs the Ministry of Tourism have identified several tourist circuits and destinations for integrated development. During the current financial year the Ministry has sanctioned so far Rs.323.00 crore for various projects throughout the country. This is an all time record and will facilitate timely execution of projects during the working season. Some of the important infrastructure projects which have been sanctioned in the current financial year are: Heritage Destinations/Circuits > MOT has recently sanctioned Rs.8.00 crore for the project of illumination/lighting of monuments in Rajasthan. > The tourist facilities at Sanchi and adjoining tourist places in Madhya Pradesh are being improved at a cost of Rs.4.64 crore. Tourist Facilitation Centre, Public Amenities, Parking and Landscaping and Beautification of approach roads will be done. > The project of Development of Mahanadi Central Heritage (Rs.3.94 crore) has been sanctioned. In this project Jetties, River Bank, Nature Trail, picnic area, etc. will be developed at various places along the river to enhance the experience of visitors to these destinations. > An Indian Freedom Circuit on Mahatama’s Park in West Bengal is being developed at a cost of Rs.2.27 crore. > The project Bijapur-Bidar-Gulbarg Circuit sanctioned at a cost of Rs.6.40 crore. > Art & Craft village at Goregaon film city has been sanctioned for an amount of Rs.3.86 crore. > Revitalization of Gandhi Thidal and Craft Bazar, Puducherry sanctioned recently for an amount of Rs.2.67 crore. > The project of Development of Srirangam Tamilnadu (Rs.3.72 lakh) has been sanctioned. > Development of Vallore fort area at a cost of Rs.0.89 crore. Sound & Talatal Ghar, Sivasagar in Assam (Rs.1.58 crore.) has been sanctioned. Beach and Sea Tourism > MOT has sanctioned a project of Rs.5.00 crore for development and beautification of Beach Promenade in Puducherry. > Another project for development of walkway along the bank of river Arasalar and Vanjiiar in Karaikal, Puducherry (Rs.4.78 crore) > The project of Development of Marina bach in Tamilnadu has been sanctioned (Rs.4.92 crore). Eco Tourism > A project of Eco tourism for development of Horsely Hill in Chittoor Distt. of Andhra Pradesh has been sanctioned. > The project of development of Satkosi in Orissa (Rs. 4.25 crore) has been sanctioned in which Interpretation Centre, Landscaping, Elephant camps, Trekking park, Watch Towers and parking facilities, etc. are proposed to be developed. > MOT has sanctioned a project for development of Eco tourism in Morni-Pinjore Hills and Sultanpur National Park in Haryana for which Rs. 2.63 crore have been sanctioned. > The project of Integrated Development of Tribal Circuit with special focus on Eco tourism in Spiti in Himachal Pradesh has been approved for Rs. 6.98 crore. > Development of Wayanad in Kerala for an amount of Rs.2.01 crore. > Development of Tourist Circuit (Western Assam Circuit) Dhubari-Mahamaya-Barpeta-Hajo has been sanctioned for an amount of Rs.4.97 crore. > Development of Mechuka Destination (Rs.4.41 crore in Arunachal Pradesh). > Development of Tourist Destination at Khensa at a cost of Rs.4.58 crore in Nagaland. Circuit - Udhyamandalam- Madumalai- Anaimalai, Tamil Nadu Rs.4.39 crore. Projects for NE Region > The INA Memorial Complex at Moirang in Manipur is being renovated and tourist facilities are being developed (Rs.82 lakhs). > Tourism infrastructure is being developed near Pakhai Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh (Rs. 5.00 crore) > Gayaker Sinyi Lake at Itanagar is being developed at a cost of Rs.5.00 crore. > Tourist infrastructure is being developed in Nathula-Memmencho-Kuppu tourist circuit in Sikkim (Rs.4.54 crore) > MOT has sanctioned a project for development of Tizu Kukha as Adventure Destination in Nagaland (Rs.4.99 crore) Projects for Jammu & Kashmir MOT has sanctioned a project for development of tourism infrastructure in Leh (Rs.4.95 crore), Bungus Valley (Rs.2.31 crore), Kargil (Rs.4.84 crore), Poonch (Rs.4.50 crore), various villages around Sonmarg (Rs.1.08 crore), development of Gurez and Telail Valley (Rs.3.66 crore), Patnitop (Rs.2.83 crore), Dandi Pora (3.45 crore), Anantnag (Rs.2.1 crore), Shri Amarnath Yatra Marg (Rs.7.00 crore), Bhaderwah (Rs. 4.12 crore), Kishtwar (Rs. 2.81 crore), Wullar Lake (Rs.2.06 crore) and Rajouri (Rs.4.34 crore). Tourist Information Centre, Public amenities, approach roads, shelters, etc. will be developed in these projects so that tourists who are visiting Jammu & Kashmir should have trouble free experience the beauty and bounty of the region.

Definition of TOURISM

One of the earliest definitions of tourism was provided by the Austrian economist in 1910, who defined it as, "some total of operators, mainly of an economic nature, which directly relate to the entry, stay and movement of foreigners inside and outside a certain country, city or a region."

Hunziker and Krapf, in 1941, defined tourism as "the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, insofar as they do not lead to permanent residence and are not connected with any earning activity”. In 1976 Tourism Society of England defined it as "Tourism is the temporary, short-term movement of people to destination outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during the stay at each destination. It includes movements for all purposes." In 1981 International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism defined Tourism in terms of particular activities selected by choice and undertaken outside the home environment.

The United Nations classified three forms of tourism in 1994 in its Recommendations on Tourism Statistics: Domestic tourism, which involves residents of the given country traveling only within this country; Inbound tourism, involving non-residents traveling in the given country; and Outbound tourism, involving residents traveling in another country.

The UN also derived different categories of tourism by combining the 3 basic forms of tourism: Internal tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and inbound tourism; National tourism, which comprises domestic tourism and outbound tourism; and International tourism, which consists of inbound tourism and outbound tourism.

Intrabound tourism is a term coined by the Korea Tourism Organization and widely accepted in Korea. Intrabound tourism differs from domestic tourism in that the former encompasses policymaking and implementation of national tourism policies.

Recently, the tourism industry has shifted from the promotion of inbound tourism to the promotion of intrabound tourism because many countries are experiencing tough competition for inbound tourists. Some national policymakers have shifted their priority to the promotion of intrabound tourism to contribute to the local economy. Examples of such campaigns include "See America" in the United States, "Get Going Canada" in Canada, and "Guseok Guseok" (corner to corner) in South Korea.

Before people are able to experience tourism they usually need disposable income (i.e. money to spend on non-essentials); time off from work or other responsibilities; leisure time tourism infrastructure, such as transport and accommodation; and legal clearance to travel.

Individually, sufficient health is also a condition, and of course the inclination to travel. Furthermore, in some countries there are legal restrictions on travelling, especially abroad. Certain states with strong governmental control over the lives of citizens (notably established Communist states) may restrict foreign travel only to trustworthy squirrels. The United States prohibits its citizens from traveling to some countries, for example Cuba.

Ministry of Tourism : Govt of India

Ministry of Tourism: The Organisation

The Ministry of Tourism, is the nodal agency for the formulation of national policies and programmes and for the co-ordination of activities of various Central Government Agencies, State Governments/UTs and the Private Sector for the development and promotion of tourism in the country. This Ministry is headed by the Union Minister for Tourism.The administrative head of the Ministry is the Secretary (Tourism). The Secretary also acts as the Director General (DG) Tourism. The office of the Director General of Tourism {now merged with the office of Secretary (Tourism)} provides executive directions for the implementation of various policies and programmes. Directorate General of Tourism has a field formation of 20 offices within the country and 13 offices abroad and one sub-ordinate office/project i.e. Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering (IISM)/ Gulmarg Winter Sports Project. The overseas offices are primarily responsible for tourism promotion and marketing in their respective areas and the field offices in India are responsible for providing information service to tourists and to monitor the progress of field projects. The activities of IISM/GWSP have now been revived and various Ski and other courses are being conducted in the J&K valley.The Ministry of Tourism has under its charge a public sector undertaking, the India Tourism Development Corporation and the following autonomous institutions: Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) and National Institute of Water Sports (NIWS) National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT) and the Institutes of Hotel Management. Role and Functions of the Ministry of TourismThe Ministry of Tourism functions as the nodal agency for the development of tourism in the country. It plays a crucial role in coordinating and supplementing the efforts of the State/Union Territory Governments, catalyzing private investment, strengthening promotional and marketing efforts and in providing trained manpower resources.

The functions of the Ministry in this regard mainly consist of the following:

i. All Policy Matters, including: Development Policies. Incentives. External Assistance. Manpower Development. Promotion & Marketing. Investment Facilitation. ii. Planning. Co-ordination with other Ministries, Departments, State/UT Governments. iv. Regulation: Standards. Guidelines v. Infrastructure & Product Development. vi. Human Resource Development: Institutions, Setting Standards and Guidelines. vii. Publicity & Marketing: Policy. Strategies. Co-ordination. Supervision viii. Research, Analysis, Monitoring and Evaluations

ix. International Co-operation and External Assistance. x. Legislation and Parliamentary Work.

xi. Establishment matters.xii. Vigilance matters.xiii. Implementation of official language policy.xiv. Budget co-ordination and related matters.xv. Plan-coordination and monitoring. The Functions of Attached Office viz. Directorate General of Tourism are as under [The office of DG (T) has now been merged with the office of Secretary (Tourism)]:

i. Assistance in the formulation of policies by providing feedback from the field offices.

ii. Monitoring of Plan Projects and assisting in the Plan formulation

iii. Coordinating the activities of field offices and their supervision.iv. Regulation: Approval and classification of hotels and restaurants. Approval of travel agents, tour operators and tourist transport operators, etc. v. Inspection & Quality Control. vi. Infrastructure Development: Release of incentives. Tourist facilitation and information. Field publicity, promotion & marketing. Hospitality programmes. Conventions & conferences. vii. Assistance for Parliamentary work.

viii. Establishment matters of Directorate General of Tourism

Ecotourism in India

What is Ecotourism Eco-tourism is derived from two words - 'Ecosystem' & 'Tourism'. Together it is made Eco-tourism. To understand Eco-tourism we have to understand our Ecosystem first.Ecosystem: - Ecosystem is the system in which we live - the system which include the earth, the water, the sky and of course the living and the non-living objects in all these systems. It is a dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit. And, tourism means - 'the practice of traveling for pleasure.' Thus, a tourism which contains a visit to an Ecosystem is known as Eco- tourism. But, that is not all. Eco-tourism is not only travelling to such Ecosystems, but also conserving them. Basically Eco-tourism means -"Tourism involving travel to areas of natural or ecological interest, typically under the guidance of a naturalist, for the purpose of observing wildlife and learning about the environment and at the same time focus on wildlife and promotion of understanding and conservation of the environment." Ecotourism is entirely a new approach in tourism. Ecotourism is a preserving travel to natural areas to appreciate the cultural and natural history of the environment, taking care not to disturb the integrity of the ecosystem, while creating economic opportunities that make conservation and protection of natural resources advantageous to the local people. In short, ecotourism can be categorised as a tourism programme that is - "Nature based, Ecologically sustainable, Where education and interpretation is a major constituent and Where local people are benefited." The Concern for EcotourismSince ages, nature worship and the conservation ethics have been an inseparable part of Indian thought and traditions. Traces go back to ancient civilisations of India, when people used to nurture the philosophy of the oneness of life. The Indian tradition has always taught that, humankind is a part of nature and one should look upon all creation with the eyes of a love and respect. It is tragic that since last few decades, the mad quest for the material end and economical progress in India and abroad has become identical with the exploitation of nature in all its appearances. Today, the entire world is facing a deep crisis and is in the danger of being doomed. The rich forest areas and biological diversities have been relentlessly divested to erect concrete walls. The continuos denuding of forest reserves has led to Global Warming and Greenhouse Effects. Fortunately, this has led to some realisation, and now the world has awakened for new beginnings about human responsibility towards nature. Ecotourism in India India, the land of varied geography offers several tourist destinations that not just de-stress but also rejuvenate you. There are several ways to enjoy Mother Nature in most pristine way. The few places like the Himalayan Region, Kerala, the northeast India, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the Lakshdweep islands are some of the places where you can enjoy the treasured wealth of the Mother Nature. Thenmala in Kerala is the first planned ecotourism destination in India created to cater to the Eco-tourists and nature lovers. The India topography boasts an abundant source of flora & fauna. India has numerous rare and endangered species in its surroundings. The declaration of several wildlife areas and national parks has encouraged the growth of the wildlife resource, which reduced due to the wildlife hunt by several kings in the past. Today, India has many wildlife sanctuaries and protection laws. Currently, there are about 80 national parks and 441 sanctuaries in India, which works for the protection and conservation of wildlife resource in India. There are numerous Botanical and Zoological Gardens in India, which are working towards the enhancement of the Ecosystem. Poaching has stopped to large extent. There are severe punishments for poachers, hunters and illegal traders of animals and trees. Tree plantation is taking place in several places. There are several animal & plant rights organisation, which fight for the rights of the animals and plants. Numerous organisations and NGOs are coming forward to provide environmental education to the common people at the grass root level.

Ecotourism in India

What is Ecotourism Eco-tourism is derived from two words - 'Ecosystem' & 'Tourism'. Together it is made Eco-tourism. To understand Eco-tourism we have to understand our Ecosystem first.Ecosystem: - Ecosystem is the system in which we live - the system which include the earth, the water, the sky and of course the living and the non-living objects in all these systems. It is a dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit. And, tourism means - 'the practice of traveling for pleasure.' Thus, a tourism which contains a visit to an Ecosystem is known as Eco- tourism. But, that is not all. Eco-tourism is not only travelling to such Ecosystems, but also conserving them. Basically Eco-tourism means -"Tourism involving travel to areas of natural or ecological interest, typically under the guidance of a naturalist, for the purpose of observing wildlife and learning about the environment and at the same time focus on wildlife and promotion of understanding and conservation of the environment." Ecotourism is entirely a new approach in tourism. Ecotourism is a preserving travel to natural areas to appreciate the cultural and natural history of the environment, taking care not to disturb the integrity of the ecosystem, while creating economic opportunities that make conservation and protection of natural resources advantageous to the local people. In short, ecotourism can be categorised as a tourism programme that is - "Nature based, Ecologically sustainable, Where education and interpretation is a major constituent and Where local people are benefited." The Concern for EcotourismSince ages, nature worship and the conservation ethics have been an inseparable part of Indian thought and traditions. Traces go back to ancient civilisations of India, when people used to nurture the philosophy of the oneness of life. The Indian tradition has always taught that, humankind is a part of nature and one should look upon all creation with the eyes of a love and respect. It is tragic that since last few decades, the mad quest for the material end and economical progress in India and abroad has become identical with the exploitation of nature in all its appearances. Today, the entire world is facing a deep crisis and is in the danger of being doomed. The rich forest areas and biological diversities have been relentlessly divested to erect concrete walls. The continuos denuding of forest reserves has led to Global Warming and Greenhouse Effects. Fortunately, this has led to some realisation, and now the world has awakened for new beginnings about human responsibility towards nature. Ecotourism in India India, the land of varied geography offers several tourist destinations that not just de-stress but also rejuvenate you. There are several ways to enjoy Mother Nature in most pristine way. The few places like the Himalayan Region, Kerala, the northeast India, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the Lakshdweep islands are some of the places where you can enjoy the treasured wealth of the Mother Nature. Thenmala in Kerala is the first planned ecotourism destination in India created to cater to the Eco-tourists and nature lovers. The India topography boasts an abundant source of flora & fauna. India has numerous rare and endangered species in its surroundings. The declaration of several wildlife areas and national parks has encouraged the growth of the wildlife resource, which reduced due to the wildlife hunt by several kings in the past. Today, India has many wildlife sanctuaries and protection laws. Currently, there are about 80 national parks and 441 sanctuaries in India, which works for the protection and conservation of wildlife resource in India. There are numerous Botanical and Zoological Gardens in India, which are working towards the enhancement of the Ecosystem. Poaching has stopped to large extent. There are severe punishments for poachers, hunters and illegal traders of animals and trees. Tree plantation is taking place in several places. There are several animal & plant rights organisation, which fight for the rights of the animals and plants. Numerous organisations and NGOs are coming forward to provide environmental education to the common people at the grass root level.