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Amer is a tehsil of Jaipur and it is world renowned for its rich historical buildings set atop beautiful Aravalli hills covered with dense forest. Annually lakhs of domestic and foreign tourists visit this part of the Jaipur district. All these travelers/visitors require comfortable shelter at the end of the day. This shelter is provided by the hoteliers of Jaipur in the form of star category hotels, budget hotels, heritage hotels according to the requirement of every class and economy. In present study an analysis of various tourist sites available in the study area has been made in order to know the present and future development of hotels.

Sinha (1999): In his book 'Growth and development of modern tourism’ laid a valuable stress on the accommodation by pointing out the fact that 40 percent of tourist funds are spent on rooms on board. Thus it is imperative that any advice suggestion or recommendation that is given in this regard must be carefully considered and discussed in great detail.

Besides giving a lucid account of historical evolution and development of tourism in India from ancient to the modern era, Sinha has tried to reach the basic idea behind tourism.

Amita (2000): In her thesis 'Geography of Leisure and Recreation of the Urban Poor Women of Jaipur City.' has provided a wide range of tourism related definition.

Sudan (2001): Six volumes of the Encyclopedia of 'Hotel Tourism and Hospitality Management in 21st Century', deals with the basic concept, mechanism, and associated problems in great detail about the hotel industry.

Khadar (2002): In his thesis, ‘Managerial Problems of Hotel and Tourism Industry in India,’ has elaborately discussed about the origin of concept of hotel, growth of tourism and hotels in India, organizational and managerial aspect of hotels, and various problems related to the hotel industry.

Singh (2003): In his working paper on 'Tourism in Rajasthan; Some insights', has given a valuable information regarding the status of tourism and hotel industry in Rajasthan.

Sharma (2004): In his book, ‘World Tourism Today’ has explained the basic concept of tourism, history of tourism, modern global tourism scenario, the motivational factors, behind the tourism and its socio-economic impact.

 Pande (2006): In his book, ‘History and Growth of Tourism’ has discussed about the growth of tourism in Rajasthan, and the various problems and prospects of tourism in Rajasthan.

Sufi (2015): In  his paper, “Indian Hotel Industry: Past, Present and Future” traces the development of the Indian Hotel Industry in India right from colonial times so that readers are familiarized with its different stages of development. This paper also highlights the role the Government of India has played in the development of this Industry at different stages of history and the forces that shaped those decisions. The role played by Indian hotel entrepreneurs in establishing the Hotels and taking those hotels to global markets has been discussed. The challenges posed by entry of foreign hotels in India and what it means for Indian Hotel Industry shall make readers acquainted the dynamics of Globalization.

Murdia and Singh (2017): In their paper, “Tourism and Economy in Rajasthan” has stated that Rajasthan is the state which has huge possibilities for economic development through tourism industry but still our government is unable to exploit its potential. For utilization of its resources to generate income and employment there are some challenges too. So, this study focuses on the industry and resources which can bring noticeable economic development in Rajasthan.

Amit and Reena (2018): In their paper, “Growth and Development of Hotel Industry in India- A Case Study of Haryana” an attempt has been made to examine the growth and development of hotel and tourism in Haryana. Haryana is one of the historical and Heritage states of India.

Zhou,W. (2019): She has given a glimpse of future technologies that can be used in her work, “The impact of AI on the hospitality industry”.The hospitality industry is one such industry that has seen the rise of technology significantly impacting the way that hotels operate and perform today. Countless hospitality industry leaders are increasingly leveraging the use of one specific tool in their hotels to increase personalization and exceed customer expectations: artificial intelligence or more commonly known as AI.

Rajasthan Tourism Policy (2020): Paves the development of new fields of tourism in weekend Getaway Tourism, wedding Tourism, Wellness Tourism, Roots Tourism, wild life Ecotourism, adventure tourism, Tribal tourism. At the same time the new policy also focuses on strengthening infrastructure facilities.

Rajasthan Eco-Tourism Policy (2021): In July 2021 Rajasthan state government released the policy with an aim to generate economic benefits after conserving natural areas and Attracting tourism in Rajasthan.

Rajasthan Film Tourism (2022): With a key objective to establish Rajasthan as a Most Film Friendly state and an important destination for film shooting, a set of new guidelines was issued to promote film tourism.

Study Area- Founded by the Meena Raja Alan Singh Amer was a flourishing settlement as far back as 967 A.D. Around 1037 A.D. it was conquered by the Kachhawa clan of Rajput. Before being shifted to Jaipur, Amer remained the old capital of Kachhawa. Much of the present structure known as Amer fort is actually the palace built up by the great conqueror Raj Man Singh

                                      

Presently Amer account for 8.0% of the total geographical area and 4.9% of the total population of the district. Amer tehsil is basically rural population dominated area having 97.2% rural and only 2.75% urban population. The above statistics of the 2011 census shows that the area is dominated by rustic activities and the urban development is quite low. Even then the area is not disappointing for the development of hotel industry. Potential for hotel industry in Amer tehsil has been analysed under the following factors.

 I. Tourist Sites

Though geography has put some restrictions in its development, but the historical legacy from the past has been favourable for the development of tourism in this area. There are numerous tourist sites in this area.

1. Historical Sites - Various palaces, forts, temples and cenotaphs etc. found in the area clearly exhibits the old connection of Amer with the Jaipur city. Various historical sites in this area are Amer fort, Jaigarh Fort, Maota (water reservoir), Shila Mata temple, Jagat Shiromani temple, Laxmi Narayan temple and Surya temple etc.

(i). Amer Fort - This is the main landmark of the area which show cases the royal atmosphere and the exemplary architecture of the Rajput rulers. This magnificent old citadel is a beautiful complex of palaces, halls, pavilions and temples. The site also received the national award of being the best tourist friendly monument.

The steep approach to the palace complex is facilitated by elephant rides, which is very much popular among the tourists. Recently the old connection between the Amer fort and Jaigarh fort through tunnel (old route) has been reopened for the visitors, in order to save the time to watch both sites.

Tourist Arrival at Amer Fort Site in Amer Tehsil (2011-12)

Name of Site	Domestic Tourist	Foreign Tourist	Total Tourist	Income
Amer Fort	945928	282234	1128162	89794250

Source-From RTDC

(ii). Jaigarh Fort- Lying few hundred meters above the Amer Fort on hill top Jaigarh fort was built in 1726. The fort encompasses various attractions for tourists such as royal apartment, Mughal garden, armory, and the foremost attraction, Jai Ban, the biggest cannon of the country.

(iii). Maota- (the water reservoir) - Lying just at the base of Amer fort hill, till last decade it was a popular site for boating. Now the scanty water level in it is a site for bathing of elephants, which further adds to the amusement of foreign tourists.

Besides it there are various temples of historical importance which are located either side of the road to Amer.

1. Religious Sites- The number of temples available here attracts visitors from the nearby cities and villages. Most popular of these temples is of Shila Devi, the deity of the royal family of Jaipur. During the various auspicious occasions of Durga Puja, Janmasthmi etc. these temples are visited by the religious people from the surrounding area. Jagat Shiromani, Surya Temple, Laxmi Narayan temple are the popular religious sites in this area. In this way religious attraction was quite local.

3. Recreational  And Entertainment Sites - Owing to its location near N.H. 8 (Jaipur-Delhi) many way side luxury resorts and hotels have been established during the last two decades. These resorts and hotels offer services and facilities related to indoor and outdoor games, (golf, swimming pool, horse riding, billiards etc.) Safari's (camel, horse, and jeep), cultural shows (folk dances, music, puppet show etc.) and health care (Yoga Ayurveda etc.)

These recreational sites attract tourists from Jaipur city, and in some cases directly to these sites from Delhi. One of the main reasons for this is the movement of tourists from Delhi by roads mainly. Another factor which is developing fast is the weekend tourism, because of which tourists from Delhi directly arrives at such sites, at weekend to relax and get recharged.

Resorts Hotels Offering Recreational Facilities in Amer Tehsil (2010-12)

Hotel/ Resort	Composition of foreign tourist in %	Service offered
Naturopathy Resort Chandwaji (Amer)	30 %	Spa, pool, golf, tennis, cricket, Volleyball, billiards, village tourism etc.
Rasa Resort Kunda (Amer)	20 %	Pool, Camel, horse, safari, Trekking
Loha Garh Health Resort (Amer)	30 %	Yoga, meditation, pool
Tree House resort (Chandwaji)	40%	Pool, Health centre, Yoga

Source: Self surveyed

Of the above resorts and hotels three locations i.e. Naturopathy resort and Tree House resort opposite to Amity University Chandwaji and Lohagarh Resort Kukas are exclusive sites for recreation.

Entertainment - Except for the one sub standard movie theatre having least appeal for tourists, there is no other entertainment site in this area

4. Educational Tourism- Many private universities and colleges have developed in the area offering courses related to engineering medical management and designing etc. Important institutes available in this area are- Gyan Vihar school of Engineering and Technology, Vedic Kenya P.G. college, Seedling Academy of Design, Technology and Management, Amity University, NIIMS University, Dental college etc.

Every year thousands of students from Jaipur city and neighbouring states turn here for study and exam purpose. Till now there has been little effort towards taking up the cause for these students in hotel line. In this way there is untapped potential for developing small hotels around these educational sites.

5. Corporate And Business Tourism- Except for few handicraft shops in the area there is no other activity which favours business tourism, most of the handicraft items are sold in the local markets of Jaipur city which is just 10 kilometer away from it. Hence for business tourism there is very limited scope in this area.

However at the industrial sites near Manpura Macheri (leather complex) at Chandwaji, at Tala Mod (Achrol) and Kukas there is some scope for business and corporate tourism. Out of these sites there are some multinational corporation located at Kukas (Software Park) like Ericcson, Royal Enfield etc., so at Kukas there are some chances of both corporate and business tourism. In this way all these sites favour development of hotels in varied degrees.

6. Cultural & Ethnic tourism- No such activity related to fairs and festivals is organized at a large scale in this tehsil which can attract tourists. As there are few tourist’s sites in the area and most of the area being agricultural the ethnic tourism has not developed in this area.

7. Health Tourism- Though there are some private medical centers at NIIMS (Chandwaji), Vinayak Dental College (Kukas) and some small government health centers, but none of these offer any specialized service which can attract tourists for health purpose, from distant places.

(i) Yoga tourism - Some resorts available in this area attracts tourists for health therapies related to yoga and ayurveda. Naturopathy resort, Tree of Life Resort and Spa (at Chandwaji) and Lohagarh resort (at Kukas) are the most popular sites from this point of view. However the yoga tourism is not so developed in this area as it is very popular in Jaipur tehsil, which is only few kilometers away from Amer tehsil.

8. Sports Activity - The area totally lacks any such sports activity and facility which can attract sport persons and audiences across the tehsil borders. However there are prospects of this area to be developed with regard to sports, as the area is near the capital city and there is dearth of open space in the city.

9. Film Shooting - Interspersed with Aravalli hills and studded with forts and palaces and temples and covered with forests, the overall surrounding is quite picturesque. It is because of this fact that many documentary films and  bollywood films are shooted in this part of the district.

Association of Hotels with Tourist Sites in Amer Tehsil

An association of hotels with the tourists site in the area showed the potential sites contributing for the development of tourism and hotel industry in the area during the research period.

Association of hotels and tourist sites in Amer tehsil (2010-12)

Tourist sites	No. of sites	5  star	4 star	3 star	2 star	1 star	Heritage	Non star	Total
Historical	4	3		2				5	10
Recreational and Entertainment	3			1				3	4
Corporate and Business	3
Educational	2							1	1
Health	1
Sport
Cultural
Religious	2
Film Shooting	2
Total	17	3		2				9	15

Source: Self surveyed

Historical Site- Having two world renowned historical sites of Amer fort and Jaigarh fort, the attraction for Amer tehsil is immense. It is because of this reason that out of total 14 hotels in this area 9 are found near historical sites. The location of the area on the Golden Triangle route of tourism, between Delhi-Jaipur-Agra  further provides immense potential for the development of both tourism and hotel industry.

Recreation And Entertainment– There are three sites at Chandwaji, Kukas, and Amer, which provide recreation related to health and games. These sites are different from actual recreational sites, as these do not attract other hotels around them, but are able to attract tourists from Delhi and Jaipur. There were 4 hotels around these three locations in Amer tehsil.

Corporate And Business Site– The probable reason behind the lack of hotels around such sites is due the absence of basic infrastructure, and because of under development of the sites.

Educational Site - The two sites at Chandwaji and Kukas have so far not been able to attract many hotels, except the one near Kukas.

Health Site- NIIMS hospital at Chandwaji is of local importance thus it has not been able to develop any type of hotel around it.

Religious Site- As it is of local importance, so the site has not lead to the development of hotels around them.

Film Shooting– As the area lacks basic infrastructure (urban facilities), so there is absence of hotels around such sites. Besides it the rugged topography (hills and forests) of the area had also obstructed the development of hotels around important sites in Amer.

Ii. Infrastructural Facility in Amer Tehsil:

Both tourism and hotel industry can flourish in an environment of basic infrastructural facilities. More diverse are the facilities more will be the magnitude of the development of tourism and hotel industry in that area. Various infrastructural facilities available in the study area (Amer Tehsil) are as under.

1. Transport- For many years the area has experienced restricted development because of road transportation through old Jaipur-Delhi route which used to pass through the hilly area of Amer, which was quite wavy and narrow. But since the opening of Jaipur Delhi bye pass the development has opened up particularly for hotel industry along the NH 8.

(i) Road transport- Owing to its location near national highways no. 8 the area has higher percentage of accessibility by road transport. Among the various means of road transportation Rajasthan roadways buses, private mini buses, city buses are available in the area. Every passing by bus has its stoppage at Amer, except for deluxe and A.C. buses, as there is no stoppage for them. Because of this there is no direct tourist arrival in the town (Amer) except for those who are arriving here through package tours, are transported here by some luxury buses, vans or cars.

a). Local Transport- The area is well served by various city buses private mini buses auto rickshaw and taxi cars. But most of these service providers operate from Jaipur city facilitating tourist and local visitor’s movement to and from the city. In this way there is much dependency on Jaipur city for local means of transport as a result of which local means are not available during late hours of the night.

(ii). Railway- The hilly topography of the area is main reason behind non availability of railway line in this part of the district, as a result it wholly depends upon Jaipur tehsil for railway transportation.

(iii). Airways- The general demands of the area are quite low for air transportation and as for the tourists are concerned almost hundred percent of them are directed from Jaipur city which is served by Sanganer airport. Fortunately Sanganer airport is under the accessible limits of Amer also as it is just 30 kms away from it.

In this way, the accessibility is good as far as the road transport is concerned but for railway and airport services it depends on Jaipur and Sanganer tehsil respectively.

2. Communication- Available means of communication are post office telephones, cell phone connectivity, TRC, internet and newspapers. However the general accessibility of internet shops, english newspapers and magazines and courier service is not smooth in the area.

(i). Tourist Reception Centre- TRC at elephant stand near Amer fort provides various information to the tourist regarding food transportation market and hotel etc. As there is scarcity of facilities available in the area, so information by TRC proves to be a great help to tourists in this area.

After the day's end a tourist rushes back to Jaipur in order to view other tourist sites and to enjoy the evening and food with friends and family at some tempting place. This is the main reason that neither the means of transportation nor means of communication are in developed state in Amer. The nearness and its dependence on Jaipur city has really hampered the chances of its being developed.

3. Water Supply- During 2001 the total number of households having improved drinking water supply in Amer tehsil has been shown in percentage in the table below.

Water Supply in Amer Tehsil (2001)

Total number of Households	Drinking water supply in %
38970	57.45 %
4155 (Urban Area)	74.55 %

Source-Census Department 2001

The table above indicates that the situation regarding water availability is not very good in Amer tehsil. As, wells and tube wells are the main means of water supply, so big hotel projects had to rely on a selection of a good site with ample underground water.

4. Electricity- The table below shows the availability of electricity supply per household in Amer tehsil during 2001.

 

Electricity Supply in Amer Tehsil (2001)

Total number of Households	Drinking water supply in %
38970	72.62 %
4155 (Urban Area)	92.88 %

Source-Census Department 2001

The availability of electricity supply in this area is satisfactory. The reason behind this is nearness to the states capital and due to the location of the tehsil in the route of electricity withdrawal from northern grid. At the same time RIICO has also played its part in developing the essential infrastructure for aspiring industrial units.

5. Banks- As nearness to the Jaipur city has fulfilled every financial demand of the tourist and the hotel entrepreneur in this area, thus only few regular banks with ATM's are found in this area. SBBJ, The bank of Rajasthan Ltd, UCO Bank, Union Bank of India are the main banks with their ATM's which are available in this area.

6. Security - According to district crime records bureau this part of the district records least cases of dacoity and cheating. Thus the general atmosphere is good for overall development.

Though the condition regarding infrastructure is not much satisfactory in the area, still the area enjoys the benefits of its location near Jaipur city, and being on the edge of Golden Triangle Route of tourists. Its location near the metropolitan city of Jaipur also fulfills its every demand regarding transportation means, banking, entertainment, and all other things which it lacks.

Total number of star category and non star category hotels in the area were 15 which are sufficient to show that, there is potential in the area to develop hotel industry. Table  below shows the status of hotel industry in Amer tehsil (2010-12).

Status of Hotel Industry in Amer Tehsil (2010-12)

Category of Hotel	5 star	4 star	3 star	2 star	1 star	Heritage	Noon star	Total
No. of hotels	3		3				9	15

A field survey was conducted regarding the location of available hotels around different type of tourist sites available in the area. Besides, a questionnaire was also filled after interviewing the domestic and foreign tourist (250 each) who visited Jaipur and its surrounding area. Secondary data regarding tourist’s arrival at the site and in the Jaipur city were obtained from sites and the tourism department of Rajasthan state.

A complete field survey of available Hotels was done in the study area. 

Analysis of Hotel Industries Potential in study area was done with regard to future development of hotels in the area.

Amer tehsil is a developing area located on national highway no. 08 connecting Delhi and Jaipur city. It's location promises it future development with the development of new fields of tourism in weekend, wellness, education and adventure tourism.

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