Abstract:
Tourism industry has moved to be the one of the major source of income to India and going
through a significant phase of growth and development. The growth in Indian tourism industry
both in terms of Tourist arrival and foreign exchange earnings is remarkable. Tourism is
promoted by the government both state and national level because it supposedly contributes to
creating wealth at the national and local levels, maintain and preserve the heritage and historical
monuments which would otherwise have fallen into rapid dilapidation. It projected tourism as an
engine of economic growth and an instrument for eliminating poverty, solving unemployment
problem, opening up new fields of activity and the uplifting status of livelihood of the
peopleTravel on backwater cruises in Kerala is an experience of a delightful journey to a land
where earth, sea and sky come together in harmony. Backwater cruises in Kerala are carried out
in large converted traditional boats called "Kettuvallams".Success of backwater depends upon the level of facilities available in the houseboat. Therefore, the study is based on “A study on
backwater tourist’s preference relating to services offered with special reference to Kumarakom
backwater tourism. This study examined, whether the service components and the level of
preference among the both male and female tourists for backwater tourism in Kumarakom
backwater tourism This study also examined the level of satisfaction and the gender factor. This
study concluded that the preference on selecting Kumarakom as a destination for backwater
tourism by the tourists purely based on the services offered to the tourists and does not contain
any gender influence in selecting the backwater tourism. It also concluded that the level of
satisfaction among both male and female have no association.
