Crisis Of The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

Introduction

An iconic architectural jewel situated beside the Gateway of India and overseeing the Arabian Sea also called as the ‘Diamond by the sea’- The Taj Mahal Palace. It was born out of a dream by an ingenious person, a founder of the Tata Group and an affluent Parsee, the man to have a vision to build a magnificent hotel was none other than ‘Jamsetji N. Tata’. The Taj hotel was the only primary building in Bombay which was lit by electricity (Trivedi, 2016). The Taj hotel is a representation of Mumbai’s speedy growth as a comprehensive city. Jamsetji Tata allotted two architects ‘D.N. Mirza’ and ‘Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya’ to enterprise the unique plans for the hotel but the project, later on, was handed over to W.A Chamber after the sudden demise of Vaidya, the hotel cost around 250000 pounds and was opened in December 1903 (Shah, 2014). The architectural prodigy though has seen many ups and downs, it was converted into a 600-bed hospital during World War 1 and the nation shook by the 26/11 terrorist attack. It is an important figure for countrywide conceit for Indians, a true representation of diverse superiority in the hearts and a historic place for all, for any stern foreign stakeholder, capitalist or rich holidaymaker visiting India’s financial capital and staying at the “Taj hotel” is at all times the prime choice (Saha, 2008). Amongst other tourist attractions in Mumbai, it is the main tourist attraction and people want to book a stay in the hotel to experience “The Tajness” (Royalness). The Tata group also has a leading presence in different sectors like engineering, steel, telecom, and information technology.

Main section

The Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace hotel are marvels of the era. The pull factors that draw the attention of tourists around the world are the charismatic and prepossessing architectural wonders of the 19th century. While the construction of the Taj Mahal Hotel was still in progress Jamshetji Tata travelled to various countries in Europe to get an inspiration from the stunning European architectonic themes. This hotel has 6 floors, it is a mix of Italian renaissance and has a dominant Moorish rotunda which is a perfect blend of the castle and an Indian temple and Indo-Gothic architectural panache. This regal extravagant building is engraved with Neo-Gothic Romanesque specifics with Edwardian terracotta traces on the rooftop. The Hotel had fans imported from America, elevators from Germany, Hamam (Turkish bath) and English stewards and to give an experience different from other hotels in the nation (Trivedi, 2016). The hotel is standing upon the gorgeous onyx pillars, carpets made from silk and which are hand-woven, the cantilever staircases and chandeliers from Belgium. This hotel has become a societal and radical centre. Many dignitaries and well-known personalities have stayed the hotel like Brad Pitt, King, and Queen of Norway, The Beatles, Lord Mountbatten, Roger Moore, Duke and Duchess of Kent, Mahatma Gandhi, Barack, and Michelle Obama, etc. (Shah 2014). This is the reason The Mahal Palace Hotel is a historic place and the main reason for a major tourist attraction.

Pull factors are external factors, that affects people traveling to meet their needs and wants (Antara & Prameswari n.d.). The other factors responsible for pull factors are visiting the attractions, experiencing the novel culture, learning a new skill, knowledge enhancement, sex tourism, health and exercise, escapade, visit your friends and relatives, Meet new people and for divine fulfilment.

The pull factors of Taj Mahal Palace Hotel are as follows-

1. Accessibility to markets: The Taj Mahal Palace hotel is suitably located in Mumbai’s ancient and commercial hub. It is at walking distance from Colaba Causeway which is well known for its tiny shops (Mumbai- The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, n.d.), street food and various restaurants and famous restaurant like Leopold Café.
2. Geographical proximity: The Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport is just an hour away from the hotel. The financial centre, Parliament, the Wankhede stadium, I.T industries, offices and various shopping districts are just are situated within near propinquity (Taj Mahal Palace, n.d.). Several museums, arts centre, cathedrals, and synagogues are also here.
3. Availability of services: 9 restaurants, Spa services, Salon, Space for 3 different Banquet halls, Valet services, Laundry, Room service (Taj Mahal Palace, n.d.).
4. Affordability: Taj understands that its bills are high and not reasonable by all, but this is because of various overheads it entails and the best quality it provides (Service Marketing About Taj, n.d.).
5. It has positive images in the minds of people.
6. It is peaceful and a good place to rejuvenate.
7. Cultural link: Tourists from all the world book a stay at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel due to its European style architecture and blend of Mughal construction.

Summary of past crises and its impact on pull factors from pt. 2

The travel and tourism industry are both vulnerable to natural as well as man-made catastrophes. People tend to overcome natural disasters but terrorist activities have a long-term impact.

An unfortunate event took place in Mumbai, India on 26th November 2008, Terrorists associated with ‘Lashkar-e-tayyiba’ attacked the various buildings and Taj Mahal palace was one of them where approx. 31 people were executed in the four-day besiegement (Mumbai Terror Attacks Fast Facts 2019). The worldwide insight about India has altered to as ‘risky nation to visit’ (Gunasekar, Patri & Narayanan n.d.).

Terrorist activities have a huge impact on tourist arrivals, economic conditions, and human life. Once a nation is called a terrorist target, it would appeal to decreased tiers of (FDI) Foreign Direct Investment (Wagner 2006). On average, a normal deviance progression in terrorist jeopardy is linked with a plummet in foreign direct investment of around 5% of Gross domestic product (Abadie & Gardeazabal 2008).

While visitors are free to prevent risk-related destinations, the effects of catastrophic occurrences on tourist destinations are unavoidable and maybe deep (Sönmez, Apostolopoulos & Tarlow, 1999). In the past years, India has experienced many terrorist attacks but the 26/11 attack was the most lethal one as many innocent lives were lost. It has a domino effect on the brand or any organization.

Following the assaults, there were huge cancellations of hotel reservations throughout the nation. The hotels on a domestic level experienced 60% revocations in the bookings and 100 M was gone right after the crisis (Terrorist attacks will further weaken a slowing Indian economy 2008). It was no wonder that Foreign Tourist Arrivals numbers dropped by 13.75% to 1.46 M in the earlier three months in 2009 compared to 1.69 M back in 2018 during the same duration (Awasthi 2009). In 2009, international tourist entrances fell by 3.3% from the year prior.

Media coverage of terrorism also plays an important role in creating an image towards any destination. It could be positive or negative. Apart from this, the flow of tourists also depends upon the certain visa policies of the country. (Enders & Sandler 1996) suggest that four sources of financial expenses which could be imposed by terrorist activities. The first sort is the loss of income from tourism. The second one is the decrease in the FDI (Foreign direct investments). Infrastructure destruction is the third and fourth is economic opportunity loss from the prevention of terrorism.

References

1. Trivedi, V 2016, The history of Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in 1 minute, viewed 26th August 2019,
2. Shah, J 2014, The almost complete history of Taj Mahal Palace Hotel & Tower Mumbai, viewed 26th August 2019,
3. Gunasekar, Patri & Narayanan n.d., International Tourist Arrival in India: Impact of Mumbai 26/11 Terror Attack, viewed 29th August 2019,
4. Saha, S 2008, A symbol of India’s opulence and boom, viewed 26th August 2019,
5. Mumbai- The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, n.d., viewed 28th August 2019,
6. < .'>https://www.travelpack.com/offers/mumbai-the-taj-mahal-palace-hotel.25983>. Taj Mahal Palace, n.d., viewed 28th August 2019,
7. Service Marketing About Taj, n.d., viewed 28th August 2019,
8. Sönmez, Apostolopoulos & Tarlow, 1999, Tourism in Crisis: Managing the Effects of Terrorism, viewed on 28th August 2019,
9. Mumbai Terror Attacks Fast Facts 2019, Mumbai Terror Attacks Fast Facts, viewed on 29th August 2019,
10. Wagner, D 2006, The impact of tourism on Foreign Direct Investment, viewed on 29th August 2019,
11. Abadie & Gardeazabal 2008, Terrorism and the world economy, viewed on 29th August 2019,
12. Awasthi, R 2009, 26/11 attacks still haunts tourism, viewed on 30th August 2019,
13. Terrorist attacks will further weaken a slowing Indian economy 2008, viewed on 1st September 2019,
14. Enders & Sandler 1996, Terrorism and Foreign Direct Investment in Spain and Greece, viewed on 1st September 2019,