IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ENHANCING SPIRITUAL TOURISM IN UTTARAKHAND

Abstract Tourism has emerged as an important as well as an organized industry which scattered its benefits over large segments of the population. Infrastructure has been globally recognised as an important factor in shaping the economy of a country. Infrastructure influences the industrial growth of a country to a great extent. The perceived importance of spiritual destination attracts the potential tourists to the place. However, there are still infrastructural inadequacies that are constraining the growth of tourism in India. New opportunities came in the tourism industry with the development of Information Technologies (ITs) and also with the emergence of the internet facilities. The ease of access, abundance of information, and low transaction costs of the web has motivated the tourism industry to provide online tourism services. Tourism websites are becoming increasingly popular as tourist's can browse these websites at the convenience of their workplace or homes, compare offerings from multiple websites with the click of a mouse button, and make reservations online for a variety of services such as transportation, lodging, meals, entrance fees to attractions, entertainment, and guide services etc. However, the actual decision of the tourist, in turn, is influenced by the infrastructural supports he would be getting during the course of his visit. Uttarakhand being one of the most popular states for spiritual tourism needs attention for a well-organised Tourism Network website. Spiritual tourism, as one of the major service sector industries in the state of Uttarakhand. Contributes significantly to the state’s economy. Thus. It is apt to analyse the impact of these linked factors on spiritual tourism of Uttarakhand. The present paper aims to explore the new avenues of the tourism industry by keeping track of the tourist profile and problem and opportunities with respect to accommodation, accessibility, attractions, amenities etc. and design an effective Information Technology enabled model for spiritual tourism. Keywords: Infrastructure, IT, Spiritual tourism, Tourism, website.