The tourism industry in India is fast growing and is an economically important one. In 2012, its share in the nation’s GDP was 6.6%. India offers diverse cultural and geographical attractions and other lifestyle features to the tourists. However, analyzing the growth of tourism within India, one could observe that very few pockets are active in realizing the tourism potential. India’s northeastern states offer tremendous tourism opportunities due to their rich cultural and geographical characteristics. Identification of such potential and the diverse related growth opportunities and creating awareness among entrepreneurs would contribute significantly to the growth of tourism in that belt.

The first paper “Tourism Attractiveness of Meghalaya: An Exploration of Entrepreneurial Opportunities”, by Benjamin F Lyngdoh, provides us a detailed analysis backed by the facts and figures on tourism potential of Meghalaya. Like other Northeastern States of India, Meghalaya possesses indigenous characteristics that would put it high on tourist corridor, but its tourism growth rate does not reflect the potential. The paper identifies infrastructural bottlenecks and suggests suitable interventions that can be taken up by various stakeholders to realize the immense business opportunities that this region offers to potential entrepreneurs.

The second paper “The Role of Gujarat Venture Finance Limited in the Development of Enterprises in Gujarat: A Study”, by Bindiya Soni and P K Priyan, examines the efficacy of Gujarat Venture Finance Limited (GVFL) in supporting and nurturing business ventures in Gujarat by conducting a study among the entrepreneurs who were the beneficiaries of GVFL. The paper covers various aspects of support extended by GVFL such as its role as a board member in the investee companies, frequency of interaction with the investee companies, the role in the pre-investment development activities, and the satisfaction level of the entrepreneurs.

The third paper, “Implementation of Total Quality Management in Small and Medium Enterprises: An Analysis of the Problems Based on Demographic Variables”, by Raj Kumar, focuses on the association between demographic characteristics of entrepreneurs and knowledge of total quality management practices and their implementation in small and medium enterprises.

Lastly, a case study, “Induben Khakhrawala: The Journey of a Woman Entrepreneur”, by Vaibhav Kadia and Krutesh Patel, is presented. The case documents the Gujarati middleclass housewife-turned-entrepreneur, Induben Jhaveri’s successful business venture. Induben emerged as a role model for women entrepreneurs by creating a niche for herself in the $182 bn worth food industry. Induben’s case of establishing a business unit which manufactures and sells khakhra (a type of snack) provides us invaluable lessons in women entrepreneurship in the Indian context.

-- S Senthil Kumar
Consulting Editor