4. Hospitality Competitiveness Index for Indian States and Union Territories Using Multi-Criteria TOPSIS Model

The tourism sector has become an important contributor for the economic rise of India in the global scenario, with both domestic and foreign tourists wanting to engage in tourism activity more than ever. Multiple destinations in India offer them bouquet of tourism and simultaneously confuse them too in terms of suitable destination selection to visit. The present study compares Indian states and union territories in terms of hospitality competitiveness index. The study considers Hemmington’s framework on hospitality that includes five dimensions: host-guest relationship, generosity, performance, the small surprises, and the buying experience. The multi-criteria decision method Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used for the empirical analysis. Data for the study pertained to the year 2014 and was collected from various available reliable sources.

The proposed methodology will help the Ministry of Tourism, India, to give a ranking measurement of Indian states and union territories on hospitality competitiveness every year. The results can facilitate easy selection of a safer, better, and hospitable destination for tourists.