CONTENTS 1 introduction 5 1.1 background of the study 5 1.2 rationale/justification 5 1.3 aim 7 1.4 objectives 7 1.5 research question 7 1.6 methodology 8 2 tourism as an industry 10 2.1 2.1. Definition and concepts of tourism 10 2.2. Categories and types of tourism 11 2.3. Components of tourism infrastructure 14 2.3.1 transportation 14 2.3.2 accommodation and food 14 2.3.3 public utilities and services 15 2.3.4 entertainment and recreation facilities 15 2.4. Tourism and its impact 15 2.4.1 economic impact 16 2.4.2 socio-cultural impact 16 2.4.3 physical impact 16 2.5. Tourism planning and management 17 2.5.1 planning process (recommended by wto). 18 2.6 sources and finances of tourism development 18 2.6.1 requirement of finance 19 2.6.2 sources of finance 19 2.7 tourism in india 19 3 brief about the city of taj, agra 22 3.1. Location and regional setup: 22 3.2. Historical background: 23 3.3. Climate: 29 3.4. Geology and physical features: 30 3.5. Connectivity and linkages: 30 3.6. Demography and land use pattern 31 3.7. District administration setup 32 3.8. Industries in agra 32 3.9. Environment 34 3.9.1. Taj trapezim zone (ttz): 34 3.9.2. Current status of environment: 34 3.10. Social cultural activities 35 3.11. Fairs and festivals 35 3.12. Basic infrastructure of the city 36 4 potential of tourism in agra 42 4.1. Agra is not just taj! 42 4.1.1. Monuments and other buildings 42 4.1.2. Historical parks and sanctuaries 49 4.1.3. Cultural resources 53 4.2. Tourist flow in agra 54 4.3. Seasonal variation in number of tourist 55 4.4. Number of tourist per day 56 4.5. Carrying capacity of tourist in agra 57 4.5.1. Dimensions and aspects of tourism carrying capacity 57 4.5.2. Accomodation 58 4.6. Tourism realities in agra 59 5 tourism infrastructure - analysis 60 6 analysis of thrust areas for economic development 73 6.1 taj stakeholders collaboration theory 73 6.1.1. Identification of the taj stakeholders 74 6.2 visitor satisfaction theory 87 6.2.1. Identification of visitors 87 6.2.2 visitors satisfaction analysis 88 7 strategies 92 8 conclusion 95 Bibliography 97 Annexure 100