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Happy Vending & India's Tourism Sector

Happy Vending & India's Tourism Sector

The Indian tourism industry is expected to secure a $512 billion share of GDP by 2028 with the registration of a growth rate of 10.35% seems to have left behind the basic elements that constitute places to visit for tourists. It is in the local foods, fruits, cuisine and the woven melancholy of their conjecture with the environment, that the real charm of a vacation to tourist places lives. Especially, considering the places to visit in developing nations like India, the importance of tourism dependence on the informal sector prevails immensely. Several studies so far have established the importance and contribution of informal and unorganised sectors of India. The Indian tourism sector (amongst others) leads the list, in terms of its dependencies on the informal sector. Needless to mention, the increasing capitalisation and outsourced urbanisation of this tourist destination seem to have added to the burden of the informal vendors and sellers ( informal labour force in general). 

In the recent past, I happened to visit Bannerghatta national park, which is known to present the visitors with a scenic view of nature in the company of several fauna species and an exciting experience of safari options. However, the problem statement here is not about the serenity inside, it's rather about the situation outside. It came to my notice that, though there was a long queue of vendors selling food items, accessories and crafts, most of them won't stand a chance in a mall with a state-of-art environment. Precise attention might be driven toward this comparison that, employees there and vendors are not similar on different parlance though their objective is same i.e. maximising profit. Deriving from the axiomatic couplets of Robert Herrick's poem, "Poverty and Riches" which goes like,  ...Who with a little cannot be content, Endures an everlasting punishment..., which means that poor are not allowed to want more than enduring everlasting punishment of utter scarcity. Though the tone of the aforementioned poem is exactly opposite to the tone that this piece sets (or aims to set), the problem that deserves enough attention is that of scarcity and its severity when it comes to the case of the poor. The scarcity that we intend to elaborate on is the scarcity of competitive emotions and behavioural strength to allure customers. 

In private firms and MNCs, the existing section of employees not only deliver greater productivity but also exert dedication towards work. Firms to maintain the productivity of their employees try to take care of them not only in terms of their salaries but also with several training and educative programmes and orientations held under the supervision of the HRA team. Though this doesn't replicate the reality as several hardships are evident in those entities as well, what is important is that, on-the-job investments made by those companies to ensure competitive behaviour of the frontrunner staff of the company (like those in the sales and marketing divisions). Now coming back to the story I was ascribing earlier, the vendors at the park weren't promising enough about their products. They appeared to maintain a pale face exerting increased indifference that they had towards consumer satisfaction and hence the sale stake of the self-governed entity. 

Now the question, that an aspiring researcher can aim to study is pretty straight with crucial policy implications. Given that nations all over the world are lobbying for workplace upskilling of employees, are we cautious enough in undermining the mental health and preparedness of the self-employed in the unorganised sector? Is there any way to boost their mental strength and preparedness behaviour? Most importantly, Can an intervention of psychological stimuli favour their productivity growth? In way of making the informal sector more structured, such steps can act as an integral part in orienting and injecting skills into the local vendors at the tourist place. As a problem of impact evaluation controlled trials can be best used to read facts between the lines. 

Lastly, the above discussion may sound a bit premature and academically not so sound, but it is carrying a question that is inevitable to answer Which is that, can a public orientation of local vendors (to tourists) may actually induce their productivity? Thus vending can be a happier, more confident, and more productive one.

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