Debasis Sahoo | Central University of Himachal Pradesh (original) (raw)

Papers by Debasis Sahoo

GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites

According to a report by UNWTO 'Asia and the pacific region' is considered as the core of... more According to a report by UNWTO 'Asia and the pacific region' is considered as the core of the world's religious tourism as half of the world's religious voyages take place in this region only. In this context the 'Great India temples' play a major role in attracting crores of pilgrims along with the tourists of varied interests. These tourists exhibit different types of behaviour during their travel. As the behaviour is largely dependent upon the tourists' nature (belief, trust, motivation), place of residence, state, age, education etc, hence analyzing the same will help the Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) for 'planning, development and marketing' of its products and services in a better way. The current research intends to find out the demographic profile of the tourists visiting Jagannath Dham, Puri (India) and analyse the 'socio-religious behaviour' of the tourists from their demographic characteristics to provide suggestiv...

NMIMS Management Review

Objective – This research is carried out with an objective to comprehend the experience of consum... more Objective – This research is carried out with an objective to comprehend the experience of consumers via travel vlogs and its influence on customer engagement behaviour and travel objective based on the Resonance theory incorporating the cognitive and emotional resonance. Methodology/Approach/Scope – The data was collected via online mode with the help of a structured questionnaire administered to 300 respondents in the Bhubaneswar city, Odisha, who were avid and regular vlogs watchers actively engaged over a period of one year or so. The study used correlation and multiple & linear regression analyses to examine the variables and test the hypotheses. Findings – The analysis revealed that out of seven variables (Cognitive: Information acquisition, source credibility & video clarity and Emotional: Entertainment, escapism, entertainment & self-congruence), six variables viz., Information Acquisition, source credibility, entertainment, self-congruence, inspiration and escapism impacted...

Theoretical and Practical Research in Economic Fields, Jun 26, 2023

Journal of Special Education Technology

The Journal of Special Educational Technology (JOSET) has been a leading journal in the domain of... more The Journal of Special Educational Technology (JOSET) has been a leading journal in the domain of technology application in special education since 1978 (Journal Searches, 2023; Resurchify, 2022; SCI Journal, 2023; Scopus, 2022). In this bibliometric study, we examined JOSET’s growth, publication trends, contributions, and international collaborations using descriptive, intellectual, conceptual, and social structure analyses. Documents (i.e., articles, editorials, errata, letters, and notes) published in JOSET from 1996 to 2021 were retrieved from the Scopus database and analysed using Biblioshiny embedded in R studio. Co-citation and co-word analyses identified five and two clusters, respectively. The analysis of the collaboration structure in JOSET reveals a positive relationship among authors, with over 75% of publications resulting from collaboration. The results further suggest that the journal continues to keep pace with global trends and contemporary issues, which can enhance...

Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism

In the BRICS region, international tourism is considered a significant contributor to employment,... more In the BRICS region, international tourism is considered a significant contributor to employment, forex earnings, and gross domestic product. In this context, this study examined the impact of tourism on the growth of BRICS economies by employing PMG based ARDL panel data analysis technique over an augmented neo-classical growth model during a period from 1995 to 2019. The results support a positive impact of international tourism on the growth of BRICS nations when their levels of human development are controlled in the long run. So, this study adds another feather to the extant empirical evidence of the tourism-led growth hypothesis in the BRICS region. Therefore, the policies of tourism sector development/expansion can supplement in achieving an elevated real economic growth in BRICS economies.

GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites

The first epidemic of the modern world that has changed the course of the current civilization & ... more The first epidemic of the modern world that has changed the course of the current civilization & turned out to be a pandemic (i.e. COVID-19) has tremendously affected several industries including that of tourism & hospitality. Due to the multilevel impact, the whole world struggled to overcome this situation but with almost two years of its co-existence, people have now managed to change their style of living & social habits including that of the food habits. One of such food habits i.e. 'Eating out/ Dining out' was bound to change in the post-pandemic period due to the health advisories & closure of several hotels, restaurants and food outlets. The present research tries to find out the changes in the Eating out behaviour of the residents of Dharamshala (H.P.) in the pre & post-pandemic period. Further, it tries to identify the factors which affect the eating out behaviour of the residents & measure their importance in different periods (pre &post pandemic). The data were c...

Communities are the focal point for the supply of accommodation, catering, information, transport... more Communities are the focal point for the supply of accommodation, catering, information, transport facilities and services in the tourism sector (Godfrey & Clarke, 2000). Further it has also been argued that communities can be empowered through ‘Entrepreneurship’ as it can create job opportunities; generate income & improve their standard of living Hence this paper tries to suggest a neoteric approach (S.M.I.L.E) to create independent local tourism entrepreneurs at the destination level, aimed at eradicating socio-economic issues like loneliness of elderly people, social limitation of women in orthodox societies, unemployment and limitations of differently abled persons.

GEOJOURNAL OF TOURISM AND GEOSITES, 2022

According to a report by UNWTO 'Asia and the pacific region' is considered as the core of the wor... more According to a report by UNWTO 'Asia and the pacific region' is considered as the core of the world's religious tourism as half of the world's religious voyages take place in this region only. In this context the 'Great India temples' play a major role in attracting crores of pilgrims along with the tourists of varied interests. These tourists exhibit different types of behaviour during their travel. As the behaviour is largely dependent upon the tourists' nature (belief, trust, motivation), place of residence, state, age, education etc, hence analyzing the same will help the Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) for 'planning, development and marketing' of its products and services in a better way. The current research intends to find out the demographic profile of the tourists visiting Jagannath Dham, Puri (India) and analyse the 'socio-religious behaviour' of the tourists from their demographic characteristics to provide suggestive measures for the development of the destination. The responses from the tourists (404) were collected through a structured questionnaire via convenience sampling. Initially, the demographic profile was analysed through percentage analysis and later the behavioural analysis was carried out by testing the instrument's reliability through (α), and the sample's adequacy via KMO & Bartlett's test. Later the factors were reduced via PCA and analysed through Levene's test, ANOVA & Post-Hoc tests. From the analysis, it was observed that behavioural characteristics are significantly associated only with the 'state of the residence' and 'nature of residence' of the travelers. Whereas other demographic factors like age, education, gender, and marital status are not significantly affecting the tourist behaviour. The results revealed that people from 'all age groups' show a very little dependency on the temple staff but 'moderate to high interest' in local culture. While metropolitan tourists don't show much desire in partaking Mahaprashada (the religious food offering of the temple), the rural people are less 'adhering to rituals' in comparison to the metropolitan and semi-urban tourists. Apart from this, there were few other revelations based on which suggestions have been given which were if implemented will certainly result in attracting more number of tourist to the destination.

African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 2021

The aim of the study was to examine the tourism-growth nexus in the context of BRICS nations. For... more The aim of the study was to examine the tourism-growth nexus in the context of BRICS nations. For this purpose, the augmented neo-classical growth framework has been employed a panel data model approach over the sample period spanning from 1995 to 2019. The estimation was conducted using PMG based ARDL regression. The results lend support to the tourism-led growth hypothesis when the capital formation and human development exert a positive impact on the long-run real economic growth in BRICS economies. So, the policies meant for tourism sector development can contribute to long-run economic growth through an increase in the share of gross capital formation in the gross domestic product and with the help of improved human development. Therefore, the policy focus should be on infrastructure development, the promotion of investment opportunities, and the development of healthcare and education in BRICS countries. The use of a macroeconomic framework in the analysis is the novelty of th...

NMIMS MANAGEMENT REVIEW, 2022

Objective-This research is carried out with an objective to comprehend the experience of consumer... more Objective-This research is carried out with an objective to comprehend the experience of consumers via travel vlogs and its influence on customer engagement behaviour and travel objective based on the Resonance theory incorporating the cognitive and emotional resonance. Methodology/Approach/Scope-The data was collected via online mode with the help of a structured questionnaire administered to 300 respondents in the Bhubaneswar city, Odisha, who were avid and regular vlogs watchers actively engaged over a period of one year or so. The study used correlation and multiple & linear regression analyses to examine the variables and test the hypotheses. Findings-The analysis revealed that out of seven variables (Cognitive: Information acquisition, source credibility & video clarity and Emotional: Entertainment, escapism, entertainment & self-congruence), six variables viz., Information Acquisition, source credibility, entertainment, self-congruence, inspiration and escapism impacted positively on Consumer engagement behaviours with source credibility as the most important predictor influencing travel intention. Implications & Conclusion-There is a need for an emotional connection between the travel vloggers and the consumers with a high level of enthusiasm on the part of the vloggers. The management of hotel organisations and destination marketers have a crucial role to play as far as the promotion of their products is concerned about providing incentives to the consumers to engage with travel vlogs.

African journal, 2021

The aim of the study was to examine the tourism-growth nexus in the context of BRICS nations. For... more The aim of the study was to examine the tourism-growth nexus in the context of BRICS nations. For this purpose, the augmented neo-classical growth framework has been employed a panel data model approach over the sample period spanning from 1995 to 2019. The estimation was conducted using PMG based ARDL regression. The results lend support to the tourism-led growth hypothesis when the capital formation and human development exert a positive impact on the long-run real economic growth in BRICS economies. So, the policies meant for tourism sector development can contribute to long-run economic growth through an increase in the share of gross capital formation in the gross domestic product and with the help of improved human development. Therefore, the policy focus should be on infrastructure development, the promotion of investment opportunities, and the development of healthcare and education in BRICS countries. The use of a macroeconomic framework in the analysis is the novelty of this study.

International Journal of Asian Business and Information Management, 2021

Himachal Pradesh is widely known for its beauty, culture and heritage. The handicrafts of this re... more Himachal Pradesh is widely known for its beauty, culture and heritage. The handicrafts of this region maintain cultural integrity among themselves and show it to the rest of the world. This paper aims to investigate the dynamics of socio-demographic variables based on community based host motivators (CBHM) involved in handicraft tourism in Himachal Pradesh. To conduct this study, a field survey of 277 members of the host community was piloted from December (2020) to January (2021) using a structured questionnaire. Four factors of motivation at the community level were derived: tourism, government efforts, advertising and social indicators, and employment indicators. The results highlighted the relationship between government efforts and all CBHMs; qualifications strongly influenced tourism, government efforts and advertising factors; while government initiatives have greatly contributed to the empowerment of women. In contrast, the nuclear family has more decision-making power than ...

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 2020

The growth of the food tourism segment in the last two decades has opened enormous scope for the ... more The growth of the food tourism segment in the last two decades has opened enormous scope for the marketing & promotion of 'indigenous food products' which otherwise remain limited to a particular region. These unique culinary products have created special segments like food & wine tourism, oleo tourism, whiskey tourism, beer tourism, and religious food tourism (like Halal & Kosher tourism). From this perspective 'religious culinary heritage' (practiced in ancient Hindu temples) shows a huge potential to be marketed as a tourism attraction, however, there are very few studies about this topic. Hence the present research identifies and analyses the unique heritage aspects (Eno-gastronomic elements) of an ancient Hindu temple food-'Mahaaprasaada' (as practiced at Jagannath Temple Puri, India) and its potential as a destination attraction. Initially the Eno-gastronomic aspects of Mahaaprasaada were identified & interpreted through 'Directed Qualitative Content Analysis.' This required the review of temple literature, developing a questionnaire for personal in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (with temple officials, cooking staff & priests), field visits (to the temple premises & associated areas), observation (covert, overt & participatory) of the ongoing cooking and distribution mechanisms and recording data through event, time and instantaneous sampling methods. Post interpretation, the ethnicity and Enogastronomic nature of the culinary heritage (Mahaaprasaada) was analysed through Actor Network Theory. From the current research it can be generalised that religious gastronomic practices followed by the heritage temples of India, possess a huge number of 'Eno-gastronomic elements' that are highly influenced by the cultural traditions of the place. Moreover, the awareness level of tourists about these aspects varies with their demographic profile such as nationality, gender, education, state, age etc. Despite some limitations which are outlined in the paper, this research shows great potential and promising scope for religious food tourism.

Cases on Tour Guide Practices for Alternative Tourism, 2020

Gastronomic activities like tasting of local cuisines, visiting of apple orchards, tea gardens, f... more Gastronomic activities like tasting of local cuisines, visiting of apple orchards, tea gardens, fruit marts, and attending cookery classes have always been an integral part of tour itinerary in Himachal Pradesh. Tourists rejoice it as a means of entertainment as well as cultural learning. The growing trend of gastronomy tourism and development of specific tourism policy under the theme of ‘Agro/Organic Tourism' is certainly going to increase the demand for ‘gastronomic tour guides' in coming years. Hence the present research tries to analyse the tour guides' perception about Gastronomy Tourism in Himachal Pradesh, their background knowledge, and opinion about the branding of Himachali Cuisine. Responses from 120 tour guides were collected through a survey instrument via convenience sampling. The analysis depicts the requirement of specialized food guide training programs, attracting young and women tour guides into the profession and emphasis on branding of Himachali Cui...

GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites

According to a report by UNWTO 'Asia and the pacific region' is considered as the core of... more According to a report by UNWTO 'Asia and the pacific region' is considered as the core of the world's religious tourism as half of the world's religious voyages take place in this region only. In this context the 'Great India temples' play a major role in attracting crores of pilgrims along with the tourists of varied interests. These tourists exhibit different types of behaviour during their travel. As the behaviour is largely dependent upon the tourists' nature (belief, trust, motivation), place of residence, state, age, education etc, hence analyzing the same will help the Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) for 'planning, development and marketing' of its products and services in a better way. The current research intends to find out the demographic profile of the tourists visiting Jagannath Dham, Puri (India) and analyse the 'socio-religious behaviour' of the tourists from their demographic characteristics to provide suggestiv...

NMIMS Management Review

Objective – This research is carried out with an objective to comprehend the experience of consum... more Objective – This research is carried out with an objective to comprehend the experience of consumers via travel vlogs and its influence on customer engagement behaviour and travel objective based on the Resonance theory incorporating the cognitive and emotional resonance. Methodology/Approach/Scope – The data was collected via online mode with the help of a structured questionnaire administered to 300 respondents in the Bhubaneswar city, Odisha, who were avid and regular vlogs watchers actively engaged over a period of one year or so. The study used correlation and multiple & linear regression analyses to examine the variables and test the hypotheses. Findings – The analysis revealed that out of seven variables (Cognitive: Information acquisition, source credibility & video clarity and Emotional: Entertainment, escapism, entertainment & self-congruence), six variables viz., Information Acquisition, source credibility, entertainment, self-congruence, inspiration and escapism impacted...

Theoretical and Practical Research in Economic Fields, Jun 26, 2023

Journal of Special Education Technology

The Journal of Special Educational Technology (JOSET) has been a leading journal in the domain of... more The Journal of Special Educational Technology (JOSET) has been a leading journal in the domain of technology application in special education since 1978 (Journal Searches, 2023; Resurchify, 2022; SCI Journal, 2023; Scopus, 2022). In this bibliometric study, we examined JOSET’s growth, publication trends, contributions, and international collaborations using descriptive, intellectual, conceptual, and social structure analyses. Documents (i.e., articles, editorials, errata, letters, and notes) published in JOSET from 1996 to 2021 were retrieved from the Scopus database and analysed using Biblioshiny embedded in R studio. Co-citation and co-word analyses identified five and two clusters, respectively. The analysis of the collaboration structure in JOSET reveals a positive relationship among authors, with over 75% of publications resulting from collaboration. The results further suggest that the journal continues to keep pace with global trends and contemporary issues, which can enhance...

Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism

In the BRICS region, international tourism is considered a significant contributor to employment,... more In the BRICS region, international tourism is considered a significant contributor to employment, forex earnings, and gross domestic product. In this context, this study examined the impact of tourism on the growth of BRICS economies by employing PMG based ARDL panel data analysis technique over an augmented neo-classical growth model during a period from 1995 to 2019. The results support a positive impact of international tourism on the growth of BRICS nations when their levels of human development are controlled in the long run. So, this study adds another feather to the extant empirical evidence of the tourism-led growth hypothesis in the BRICS region. Therefore, the policies of tourism sector development/expansion can supplement in achieving an elevated real economic growth in BRICS economies.

GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites

The first epidemic of the modern world that has changed the course of the current civilization & ... more The first epidemic of the modern world that has changed the course of the current civilization & turned out to be a pandemic (i.e. COVID-19) has tremendously affected several industries including that of tourism & hospitality. Due to the multilevel impact, the whole world struggled to overcome this situation but with almost two years of its co-existence, people have now managed to change their style of living & social habits including that of the food habits. One of such food habits i.e. 'Eating out/ Dining out' was bound to change in the post-pandemic period due to the health advisories & closure of several hotels, restaurants and food outlets. The present research tries to find out the changes in the Eating out behaviour of the residents of Dharamshala (H.P.) in the pre & post-pandemic period. Further, it tries to identify the factors which affect the eating out behaviour of the residents & measure their importance in different periods (pre &post pandemic). The data were c...

Communities are the focal point for the supply of accommodation, catering, information, transport... more Communities are the focal point for the supply of accommodation, catering, information, transport facilities and services in the tourism sector (Godfrey & Clarke, 2000). Further it has also been argued that communities can be empowered through ‘Entrepreneurship’ as it can create job opportunities; generate income & improve their standard of living Hence this paper tries to suggest a neoteric approach (S.M.I.L.E) to create independent local tourism entrepreneurs at the destination level, aimed at eradicating socio-economic issues like loneliness of elderly people, social limitation of women in orthodox societies, unemployment and limitations of differently abled persons.

GEOJOURNAL OF TOURISM AND GEOSITES, 2022

According to a report by UNWTO 'Asia and the pacific region' is considered as the core of the wor... more According to a report by UNWTO 'Asia and the pacific region' is considered as the core of the world's religious tourism as half of the world's religious voyages take place in this region only. In this context the 'Great India temples' play a major role in attracting crores of pilgrims along with the tourists of varied interests. These tourists exhibit different types of behaviour during their travel. As the behaviour is largely dependent upon the tourists' nature (belief, trust, motivation), place of residence, state, age, education etc, hence analyzing the same will help the Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) for 'planning, development and marketing' of its products and services in a better way. The current research intends to find out the demographic profile of the tourists visiting Jagannath Dham, Puri (India) and analyse the 'socio-religious behaviour' of the tourists from their demographic characteristics to provide suggestive measures for the development of the destination. The responses from the tourists (404) were collected through a structured questionnaire via convenience sampling. Initially, the demographic profile was analysed through percentage analysis and later the behavioural analysis was carried out by testing the instrument's reliability through (α), and the sample's adequacy via KMO & Bartlett's test. Later the factors were reduced via PCA and analysed through Levene's test, ANOVA & Post-Hoc tests. From the analysis, it was observed that behavioural characteristics are significantly associated only with the 'state of the residence' and 'nature of residence' of the travelers. Whereas other demographic factors like age, education, gender, and marital status are not significantly affecting the tourist behaviour. The results revealed that people from 'all age groups' show a very little dependency on the temple staff but 'moderate to high interest' in local culture. While metropolitan tourists don't show much desire in partaking Mahaprashada (the religious food offering of the temple), the rural people are less 'adhering to rituals' in comparison to the metropolitan and semi-urban tourists. Apart from this, there were few other revelations based on which suggestions have been given which were if implemented will certainly result in attracting more number of tourist to the destination.

African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 2021

The aim of the study was to examine the tourism-growth nexus in the context of BRICS nations. For... more The aim of the study was to examine the tourism-growth nexus in the context of BRICS nations. For this purpose, the augmented neo-classical growth framework has been employed a panel data model approach over the sample period spanning from 1995 to 2019. The estimation was conducted using PMG based ARDL regression. The results lend support to the tourism-led growth hypothesis when the capital formation and human development exert a positive impact on the long-run real economic growth in BRICS economies. So, the policies meant for tourism sector development can contribute to long-run economic growth through an increase in the share of gross capital formation in the gross domestic product and with the help of improved human development. Therefore, the policy focus should be on infrastructure development, the promotion of investment opportunities, and the development of healthcare and education in BRICS countries. The use of a macroeconomic framework in the analysis is the novelty of th...

NMIMS MANAGEMENT REVIEW, 2022

Objective-This research is carried out with an objective to comprehend the experience of consumer... more Objective-This research is carried out with an objective to comprehend the experience of consumers via travel vlogs and its influence on customer engagement behaviour and travel objective based on the Resonance theory incorporating the cognitive and emotional resonance. Methodology/Approach/Scope-The data was collected via online mode with the help of a structured questionnaire administered to 300 respondents in the Bhubaneswar city, Odisha, who were avid and regular vlogs watchers actively engaged over a period of one year or so. The study used correlation and multiple & linear regression analyses to examine the variables and test the hypotheses. Findings-The analysis revealed that out of seven variables (Cognitive: Information acquisition, source credibility & video clarity and Emotional: Entertainment, escapism, entertainment & self-congruence), six variables viz., Information Acquisition, source credibility, entertainment, self-congruence, inspiration and escapism impacted positively on Consumer engagement behaviours with source credibility as the most important predictor influencing travel intention. Implications & Conclusion-There is a need for an emotional connection between the travel vloggers and the consumers with a high level of enthusiasm on the part of the vloggers. The management of hotel organisations and destination marketers have a crucial role to play as far as the promotion of their products is concerned about providing incentives to the consumers to engage with travel vlogs.

African journal, 2021

The aim of the study was to examine the tourism-growth nexus in the context of BRICS nations. For... more The aim of the study was to examine the tourism-growth nexus in the context of BRICS nations. For this purpose, the augmented neo-classical growth framework has been employed a panel data model approach over the sample period spanning from 1995 to 2019. The estimation was conducted using PMG based ARDL regression. The results lend support to the tourism-led growth hypothesis when the capital formation and human development exert a positive impact on the long-run real economic growth in BRICS economies. So, the policies meant for tourism sector development can contribute to long-run economic growth through an increase in the share of gross capital formation in the gross domestic product and with the help of improved human development. Therefore, the policy focus should be on infrastructure development, the promotion of investment opportunities, and the development of healthcare and education in BRICS countries. The use of a macroeconomic framework in the analysis is the novelty of this study.

International Journal of Asian Business and Information Management, 2021

Himachal Pradesh is widely known for its beauty, culture and heritage. The handicrafts of this re... more Himachal Pradesh is widely known for its beauty, culture and heritage. The handicrafts of this region maintain cultural integrity among themselves and show it to the rest of the world. This paper aims to investigate the dynamics of socio-demographic variables based on community based host motivators (CBHM) involved in handicraft tourism in Himachal Pradesh. To conduct this study, a field survey of 277 members of the host community was piloted from December (2020) to January (2021) using a structured questionnaire. Four factors of motivation at the community level were derived: tourism, government efforts, advertising and social indicators, and employment indicators. The results highlighted the relationship between government efforts and all CBHMs; qualifications strongly influenced tourism, government efforts and advertising factors; while government initiatives have greatly contributed to the empowerment of women. In contrast, the nuclear family has more decision-making power than ...

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 2020

The growth of the food tourism segment in the last two decades has opened enormous scope for the ... more The growth of the food tourism segment in the last two decades has opened enormous scope for the marketing & promotion of 'indigenous food products' which otherwise remain limited to a particular region. These unique culinary products have created special segments like food & wine tourism, oleo tourism, whiskey tourism, beer tourism, and religious food tourism (like Halal & Kosher tourism). From this perspective 'religious culinary heritage' (practiced in ancient Hindu temples) shows a huge potential to be marketed as a tourism attraction, however, there are very few studies about this topic. Hence the present research identifies and analyses the unique heritage aspects (Eno-gastronomic elements) of an ancient Hindu temple food-'Mahaaprasaada' (as practiced at Jagannath Temple Puri, India) and its potential as a destination attraction. Initially the Eno-gastronomic aspects of Mahaaprasaada were identified & interpreted through 'Directed Qualitative Content Analysis.' This required the review of temple literature, developing a questionnaire for personal in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (with temple officials, cooking staff & priests), field visits (to the temple premises & associated areas), observation (covert, overt & participatory) of the ongoing cooking and distribution mechanisms and recording data through event, time and instantaneous sampling methods. Post interpretation, the ethnicity and Enogastronomic nature of the culinary heritage (Mahaaprasaada) was analysed through Actor Network Theory. From the current research it can be generalised that religious gastronomic practices followed by the heritage temples of India, possess a huge number of 'Eno-gastronomic elements' that are highly influenced by the cultural traditions of the place. Moreover, the awareness level of tourists about these aspects varies with their demographic profile such as nationality, gender, education, state, age etc. Despite some limitations which are outlined in the paper, this research shows great potential and promising scope for religious food tourism.

Cases on Tour Guide Practices for Alternative Tourism, 2020

Gastronomic activities like tasting of local cuisines, visiting of apple orchards, tea gardens, f... more Gastronomic activities like tasting of local cuisines, visiting of apple orchards, tea gardens, fruit marts, and attending cookery classes have always been an integral part of tour itinerary in Himachal Pradesh. Tourists rejoice it as a means of entertainment as well as cultural learning. The growing trend of gastronomy tourism and development of specific tourism policy under the theme of ‘Agro/Organic Tourism' is certainly going to increase the demand for ‘gastronomic tour guides' in coming years. Hence the present research tries to analyse the tour guides' perception about Gastronomy Tourism in Himachal Pradesh, their background knowledge, and opinion about the branding of Himachali Cuisine. Responses from 120 tour guides were collected through a survey instrument via convenience sampling. The analysis depicts the requirement of specialized food guide training programs, attracting young and women tour guides into the profession and emphasis on branding of Himachali Cui...