Attitude of the Tourists towards the Availability of Facilities in and around Madurai Region-A Study

The early history of tourism is the story of the development of mobility of man. Both in the pre-historic era and later, man searched for things he wanted and he travelled for food, shelter or just for curiosity. ‘Attitude’ is an abstract concept; it cannot be directly measured in quantitative terms. There is no fixed value or score which will help measure the attitude. But the attitude can be measured indirectly with the help of scaling technique. The level of attitude may vary from one tourist to another and from time to time. A comprehensive study has been made to highlight the level of attitude, the variation in the levels of attitude and their relative importance to each component identified for measuring the level of attitude. This paper presents the attitude of tourists towards tourist facilities available in and around Madurai region. An airstrip with facilities for landing and takeoff, of mini planes and helicopters of private travel agencies at least should be established at Cape Comorin. It will put the entire district on the international and national tourist map. Journal of Business & Financial Affairs J o u r n a l o f B usi ness & Finncial Af f a i r s ISSN: 2167-0234 Citation: Selvaraj N (2016) Attitude of the Tourists towards the Availability of Facilities in and around Madurai Region A Study. J Bus Fin Aff 5: 159. doi:10.4172/2167-0234.1000159


Introduction
The early history of tourism is the story of the development of mobility of man. Both in the pre-historic era and later, man searched for things he wanted and he travelled for food, shelter or just for curiosity. He was awed and wonder-struck by the vividness of nature and the environment. In due course, other urges, other motivations made man travel from one place to another. Large-scale movements were also caused by natural elements or human pressure, which forced man to move to other locations. The absence of roads or other transport facilities, made travel hard and this led slowly to the development of land routes, as also of river and sea navigation. Man exploited the facilities and with the passage of time, this resulted in increased travel for a variety of reasons including wander-lust, conquest and gain, propagation of religion or pilgrimage. The hazards of travel were many and these often meant death caused by wild animals, marauders, inclement weather, sickness and lack of food and water [1]. This paper presents the attitude of tourists towards tourist facilities available in and around Madurai region. 'Attitude' means 'settled behaviour'. Since more tourist facilities are available to tourists, the level of attitude will indicate the extent of satisfaction on tourist facilities available in and around Madurai region.
Since 'attitude' is an abstract concept, it cannot be directly measured in quantitative terms. There is no fixed value or score which will help measure the attitude. But the attitude can be measured indirectly with the help of scaling technique. The researcher has identified 17 components for measuring the attitude. A five-point scale has been devised for measuring the attitude of tourists towards tourist facilities available in and around Madurai region by following the scale developed by Likert.
The level of attitude may vary from one tourist to another and from time to time. A comprehensive study has been made to highlight the level of attitude, the variation in the levels of attitude and their relative importance to each component identified for measuring the level of attitude [2]. The responses were anlaysed with the help of Likert's five-point scale technique. The answers supporting the given statement fully receive the maximum score of five, while the answers on the other end get a score of one. Then the total scores will be divided by the total number of respondent. The resultant value, namely, the mean score will be provided for each statement [4].
In this study, the maximum score is 100 and the minimum is 20. If a tourist gets a total score which is below 36, he belongs to low level attitude group. If a tourist gets a total score between 36 and 77, he belongs to medium level attitude group. If a tourist gets a total score which is above 77, he belongs to high level attitude group.

The level of attitude
On the basis of scores allotted, the respondents have been categorised into three groups namely, Low, Medium and High. When the scale has been applied to the sample tourists, it has been found out that none of the respondents belong to 'Low' level attitude group, 197 respondents to 'Medium' level attitude group and 303 respondents to 'High' level attitude group. Table 1 shows the level of attitude of 500 tourists under the study. Table 1 reveals that 197 tourists belong to medium level attitude group and 303 tourists belong to high level attitude group. So, it is a fact that all tourists get satisfaction in visiting Madurai region and this may influence other potential people to make a visit to Madurai region [5].

Age of tourists and level of attitude
Whenever a tourist moves from one place to another place in his/ her nation, age factor need not be considered. But if a tourist moves from one country to another, there is the possibility of hesitation, when a tourist is not a major. So, age group of tourists and their attitude have been considered. Age is also a factor which may influence tourists to enjoy themselves the beautiful temples, historical places and the like in Madurai region. Table 2 presents the age-wise classification of sample tourists.
The above Table 2 shows that out of 199 respondents in high level of attitude in the case of domestic tourists majority of 126 (63.32%) of the respondents belonging to the age group upto 34 years and rest of 73 (36.68%) of the respondents belonging to the age group of above 35 years. In the case of medium level attitude out of 139 respondents majority of 90 (64.75%) of the respondents belonging to the age group of upto 34 years and remaining 49 (35.35%) of the respondents belonging to the age group of above 35 years [6].
In order to see whether there is any relationship between age and attitude in domestic tourists, Chi-Square test has been applied and results are given below: The results of Chi-Square test shows that the calculated value is greater than the table value and hence the Chi-square test reveals that the relationship is significant. Thus there is a relationship between the age of domestic tourists and the attitude level.
The above table observed that out of 104 respondents in high level of attitude in foreign tourists majority of 51 (49.04%) of the tourist belonging to the age group upto 34 years and remaining 53 (50.96%) of the respondents belonging to the age group of above 35 years. In the case of medium level of attitude, out of 58 respondents majority of 33 (56.90%) of the respondents belonging to the age group of upto 34 years and rest of 25 (43.10%) of the respondents belonging to the age group of above 35 years [7].
In order to see whether there is any relationship between age and attitude in foreign tourists, Chi-Square test has been applied and results are given below: The above Chi-Square test shows that the calculated value is less than the table value and hence there is insignificant. Thus there is no relationship between the age of foreign tourists and the attitude level.

Sex of tourists and level of attitude
India is a land of contracts from tropic to snow. It is vast, varied and strikingly beautiful. It does not restrict any man or woman coming to India. Therefore, sex of tourists has been identified as one the factors influencing the attitude. Table 3 shows the sex-wise classification of sample tourists.
As could been seen from   [8].
In order to find out whether there is any relationship between sex of domestic tourists and the attitude level, Chi-Square test has been applied and the results are given below: Since the calculated value is less than the table value, hence there is no significant relationship between the sex of domestic tourists and their level of attitude. Table 3 also shows that out of 104 respondents in high level attitude, majority of 85 (81.72%) of foreign tourists are male and rest of 19 (18.27%) of the respondents are female. In the case of medium level of attitude out of 58 respondents, majority of 44 (75.86%) of foreign tourists are male and remaining 14 (24.24%) of the respondents are female [9].
In order to find out whether there is any relationship between sex of foreign tourists and the attitude level, Chi-Square test has been applied and the results are given below: Since the calculated value is less than the table value, there is no significant relationship between the sex of foreign tourists and their level of attitude.

Marital status of tourists and level of attitude
Tour operators approach both married and unmarried persons to have a visit to India. Generally unmarried persons are free from family commitments and hence their responsibility is lesser than that of married persons. Financially unmarried persons are well-off. When they are persuaded by the tour operator, they visit India.
In the case of married persons, they take their dependents to selected countries like India, for their interest and development.
Thus married as well as unmarried persons feel that it is necessary to visit India. Therefore, marital status has been identified as a factor which may influence the attitude of tourists. Table 4 shows the classification of tourists on the basis of marital status. Table 4 observed that out of 199 respondents in high level attitude of domestic tourists majority of 124 (62.31%) of the respondents are married and remaining 75 (37.69%) of the respondents are unmarried. In the case of medium level attitude out of 139 respondents majority of 92 (66.19%) of the respondents are married and rest of 47 (33.81%) of the respondents are unmarried [10].
In order to find out whether there is any relationship between the marital status and the attitude level, Chi-Square test has been applied and the results are given below: Since the calculated value is less than the table value, hence there is no significant relationship between the marital status of domestic tourists and the level of attitude.
The above Table 4 also shows that out of 104 respondents in high level attitude of foreign tourists, majority of 66 (63.46%) of the respondents are married and remaining 38 (36.54%) of the respondents are unmarried. In the case of medium level attitude out of 58 respondents majority of 32 (55.17%) of the respondents are married and rest 26 (44.83%) of the respondents are unmarried.
In order to test any relationship between the marital status and the   Since the calculated value is less than the table value, there is no relationship. Hence, the null hypothesis, the marital status does not influence the level of attitude holds good [11].

Educational qualification of tourists and level of attitude
Tourism is an essential aspects of any human being whether a tourists is educated or uneducated. The educated tourists are able to understand the significance of the various parts of the world when compared to the uneducated.
Education widens the knowledge and understanding of all including the tourists. Therefore qualification is identified as one of the factors which may influence the attitude of tourists. Table 5 exhibits the educational qualification of the sample tourists.
It is understood from Table 5 that out of 199 respondents in high level attitude of domestic tourists majority of 53 (26.63%) of the respondents are undergraduates followed by 49 (24.62%), 27 (13.57%), 25 (12.56%), 24 (12.06%) and 21 (10.56%) of the tourists are postgraduates, high school, diploma, professional degree and research degree respectively. In the case of medium level attitude out of 139 respondents majority of 43 (30.94%) of the respondents are undergraduates, post-graduates, high school, diploma, professional degree and research degree respectively [12].
In order to find out whether there is any relationship between the educational qualification of the domestic tourists and the attitude level, Chi-Square test has been applied and the results are given below: Since the calculated value is less than the table value, hence there is no significant relationship between the educational qualification of domestic tourists and the level of attitude. Table 5 also indicates that out of 104 respondents in high level attitude of foreign tourists, majority of 26 (25.00%) of the respondents are undergraduates followed by 24 (23.08%), 15 (14.42%), 14 (13.46%), 13 (12.50%) and 12 (11.54%) of the foreign tourists are post-graduates, high school, diploma, professional degree and research degree respectively. In the case of medium level attitude of foreign tourists, out of 58 respondents majority of 26 (25.00%) of the respondents are undergraduates followed by 24 (23.08%), 15 (14.42%), 14 (13.46%), 13 (12.50%) and 12 (11.54%) of the respondents are post-graduates, high school, diploma, professional degree and research degree respectively.
In order to find out whether there is any relationship between the educational qualification of the foreign tourists and the level of attitude, Chi-Square test has been applied and the results are given below: Since the calculated value is less than the table value at 5% level of significance. Hence there is no significant relationship between the educational qualification of foreign tourists and the level of attitude.

Occupation of tourists and level of attitude
Nature of occupation varies from one person to another. Whatever may be the source of occupation, every human-being wants to enjoy their leisure hours. Many of the travellers explore new places and seek a charge of environment and experiences. But most of the foreign tourists want to enjoy their leisure in India irrespective of their occupation. Getting away from the routine work of everyday life is perhaps the most important desire of all. If the tourists is in employment, then there is the possibility of regular income as compared to other categories. So, the researcher has identified this occupation category as a factor influencing the attitude of tourists. Table 6 shows the classification of respondents on the basis of their occupation [13]. Table 6 shows that out of 199 domestic tourists in high level attitude, majority of 130 (65.33%) of the respondents are belonging to the category of other than employment and rest of 69 (34.67%) of the respondents are belonging to the employment. In the case of medium  In order to find out whether there is any relationship between occupation of the domestic tourists and the level of attitude, Chi-Square test has been applied and the results are given below: Since the calculated value is greater than the table value at 5% level of significance. Hence, there is a relationship between the occupation of the domestic tourists and the level of attitude. Table 6 also indicates that out of 104 foreign tourists in high level attitude, majority of 69 (66.35%) of the respondents are belonging to the category of other than employment and rest of 35 (33.65%) of the respondents are belonging to the category of employment. In the case of medium level attitude, out of 58 respondents, majority of 41 (70.69%) of the respondents are belonging to the category of other than employment and remaining 17 (29.31%) of the respondents are belonging to the category of employment respectively.
In order to find out whether there is any relationship between occupation of foreign tourists and the attitude level, Chi-Square test has been applied and the results are given below:

Tendency of tourists and level of attitude
Whenever a person moves from one place to another, he may move either individually or collectively as a group. The researcher has made an attempt towards the movement of tourists. For this purpose, the tendency of tourists has been identified as a factor influencing the attitude of tourists. Table 7 shows the classification of respondents on the basis of their tendency [10]. Table 7 reveals that out of 199 domestic tourists in high level attitude, majority of 90 (45.23%) of the respondents arrived as group followed by 64 (32.16%) and rest of 48 (22.61%) of the respondents arrived as individual and family respectively. In the case of medium level attitude, out of 139 respondents, majority of 52 (37.41%) of the domestic tourists arrived as group followed by 48 (34.53%) and remaining 39 (28.06%) of the respondents arrived as individual and family respectively.
In order to find out whether there is any relationship between tendency of the domestic tourists and the level of attitude, Chi-Square test has been applied and the results are given below: Since the calculated value is less than the table value at 5% level of significance. Hence, there is no relationship between the tendency of the domestic tourists and the level of attitude.    respondents are arrived as individual and family respectively. In the case of foreign tourists of medium level attitude, out of 58 respondents, majority of 33 (56.90%) of the respondents arrived as group followed by 13 (22.41%) and 12 (20.69%) of the respondents arrived individual and family respectively.
In order to find out whether there is any relationship between tendency of the foreign tourists and the level of attitude, Chi-square test has been applied and the results are given below: Since the calculated value is less than the table value at 5% level of significance. Hence, there is no relationship between the tendency of the foreign tourists and the level of attitude.

Planning of tour and level of attitude
Planning is an essential function of management. Likewise, tour planning is an essential aspect of tour programme. The planning task is carried out either by tourists themselves or others. Therefore, planning of tour has been identified as a factor influencing the attitude of tourists. Table 8 shows the planning of tour of respondents. Table 8 shows that out of 199 domestic tourists in the case of high level of attitude, majority of 71(35.68%) of the respondents planned themselves followed by 49 (24.62%), 47 (23.62%) and 32 (16.08%) of the respondents planned by travel operator, by travel agents and by Department of Tourism respectively. In the case of medium level attitude, out of 139 respondents, majority of 43 (30.99%) of the respondents planned themselves followed by 41 (29.50%), 39 (28.06%) and 16 (11.50%) of the respondents planned by tour operator, by travel agent and by Department of Tourism respectively.
In order to find out whether there is any relationship between planning of domestic tourists and the level of attitude, Chi-Square test has been applied and the results are given below: Since the calculated value is less than the table value at 5% level of significance. Hence, there is no relationship between the planning of the domestic tourists and the level of attitude. Table 8 also revealed that out of 104 foreign tourists in the case of high level attitude, majority of 46 (44.23%) of the respondents planned as themselves followed by 25 (24.04%), 23 (22.12%) and 10 (9.61%) of the respondents planned as by tour operator, by travel agents and by Department of Tourism respectively. In the case of medium level attitude, out of 58 respondents, majority of 19 (32.76%), of the respondents planned as themselves followed by 17 (29.31%), 15 (25.86%) and 7 (12.07%) of the respondents planned as by travel agents, by tour operators and by Department of Tourism respectively [7].
In order to find out whether there is any relationship between planning of foreign tourists and the level of attitude, Chi-Square test has been applied and the results are given below: Since the calculated value is less than the table value at 5% level of significance. Hence, there is no relationship between the planning of the foreign tourists and the level of attitude.

Summary of Findings
Regarding the analysis of the attitude of tourists towards tourist facilities available in and around Madurai region, Chi-square test was applied. In case of domestic tourists, it was found that there was significant relationship between the factors such as age and occupation of the tourists with level of attitude. The other personal variables such as sex, marital status, education, tendency of tourists and planning of tour were not influencing the level of attitude. In case of foreign tourists, it was found that no variables have significant relationship with level of attitude towards tourists facilities available in and around Madurai region.

Recommendations
A special website should be started for the centres of tourist attraction in the internet regarding Kanyakumari.
The government should come forward to facilitate the growth of travel convenience in the district to assist the foreign and domestic tourists thus enabling them to gain easy access to the tourist spots here.
An airstrip with facilities for landing and takeoff, of mini planes and helicopters of private travel agencies at least should be established at Cape Comorin. It will put the entire district on the international and national tourist map.