[Jain* 4(3): March, 2017] ISSN 2349-4506 Impact Factor: 2.785 Global Journal of Engineering Science and Research Management http: // www.gjesrm.com © Global Journal of Engineering Science and Research Management [59] CHHATTISGARH TOURISM: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES Dr. Kaushtubh Jain*, Prem Shankar Dwivedi * Head of Commerce Department, AISECT University Assistant Professor, Dr. C.V. Raman University DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.425491 KEYWORDS: Tourism, Services, Emerging trends, Opportunities, Marketing. ABSTRACT Tourism is a growing service industry which contributes a substantial amount in many parts of the world. In India, Chhattisgarh is one of the important destinations for the national and international tourists with its unique and enchanting land abounding in scenic beauty, rich in flora and fauna. To make the tourism a great success one has to take advantage of the modern technology to full extent. Many countries are promoting tourism and it has become a source of major income for countries like India, Singapore and Malaysia. Tourism is, of course, big industry in most developed countries like the US, the UK, France and Switzerland. Tourism industry is one in which there is high competition. The price of the tourist package is the main criteria for people in India to consider making a trip. Tourists can be divided based on their socio-economic status, geographic differences, demographics and psychographics. The marketing mix elements of tourism industry help in creating an image of the tourist destination, building awareness of the services. This paper discusses opportunities and challenges of tourism industry of the state of Chhattisgarh. INTRODUCTION Tourism in recent times has shown phenomenal growth. This has emerged as flourishing industry with bright prospects .Tourism has indeed been a rapidly growing sector and wide-sweeping socio-economic phenomenon with broad economic, social, cultural and environment consequences. It is likely that tourism will continue to dominate the international scene for many years to come. In the eyes of many decision and policy makers tourism has magic potential. It generates income and is based on the indigenous resources of the tourist areas concerned. Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global economy, which account for about 11 percent of the Global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employ about 200 million people worldwide. There are about 700 million international travelers per year. Tourism and travel related sectors have become dynamic sources of income and a major strategic sector for development in many countries. Tourism businesses operate globally and many have opted for a competitive advantage of internationalization. Technology, information and reduction of boundaries have created new forms of service companies, not only the large multinational corporations, but also small niche specialists. The growing importance of strategic alliances in creating networks of business relationships has become a trend also in tourism. Tourism has become one of the most crucial sectors in a large number of emerging countries. Moreover, the tourism industry in such markets is forecasted to keep increasing in the next decade. Hence, understanding and accurately forecast tourism trends in the industry are essential in order to manage this sector effectively. In the following paper it is discussed about the emerging opportunities in tourism with special reference to Chhattisgarh tourism marketing. TOURISM MARKETING Travel and tourism have been considered as an important industry in the service sector. The service sector consists of various kinds of industries such as financial services, health care services, and information sector services. Among these industries, tourism is one of the most important indicators of economic contributions for both developed and developing countries. An economic impact of tourism is significant, since huge amount of foreign inflow come from tourism. Moreover, tourism accounts for the major source of cash incomes, and it has been regarded as a major source of economic growth and employment creation.