E2 To Put Education Tourism On Centre-Stage

Bhisham Mansukhani - Mumbai

With an intent to grow a potent albeit latent segment - education tourism, a training institution cum forum has been set up, called E2 (E Square). The institution has been set up by Pravin Kotak, chairman, Modern Holidays, a division of Modern Transport company and consultants Alkarani Agarwal and Nina Tijoriwala.

Alkarani Agarwal offers a perspective, “Education tourism as a phenomenon, had to find its own way around in the travel trade. There is a great demand generated from within this segment but the trade is neither oriented nor aware of the proportions of this market. E Square has been established with a two-fold objective. Firstly, it will train interested members of the industry with regards to tapping this market through a series of workshops and seminars. To follow that up and take the lead in fostering education tourism, E Square will create specific products for the segment.”

As far as the tourism industry is concerned, it is high time one recognises the potential of education tourism like other tourism segments such as adventure tourism, business or corporate tourism, health tourism, religious tourism, etc. The educational tourism segment which has the highest number of people to be addressed is an important segment which caters to most of the service industries such as transport companies, resorts, hotels, clubs, amusement parks etc in their slack periods like weekdays and non- vacations when there is no other tourist momentum.

Yet to be defined verbatim, education tourism includes in its ambit, outdoor activities such as hikes, treks, nature trails, field trips and factory visits, day picnics, and specific camps that deal with subjects such as science, geography and social studies and study tours by professional course students from faculties like engineering, architects, management etc.

The market size Agarwal estimates, in and around Mumbai alone is about 3000 that includes both small and big schools, BMC and Zilla Parishad schools. In such schools, an average of around 1,000 students study per school, which adds up to three million. Further junior college, degree college, and professional courses when considered, swell the figure to another million approximately.

According to Agarwal, “It is critical that the tourism ministry recognises education tourism as one of its important activities and lay norms for the agents that offer related products, put in place, a licensing system, and introduce a course on educational tourism.”

E2 will also make contact with and sensitise principals and faculty of various education institution for the need to structure this segment. E2 will roll out the aforementioned initiatives by the middle of 2004.