NIS Clock

Nis World News

Nis World News

Nis Time

Nis Time

Tuesday 19 June 2012

Tourism

Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".
         Wealthy people have always travelled to distant parts of the world, to see great buildings, works of art, learn new languages, and experience new cultures and to taste different cuisines. Long ago, at the time of the Roman Republic, places such as Baiae were popular coastal resorts for the rich. The word tourist was used by 1772and tourism by 1811.  In 1936, the League of Nations defined foreign tourist as "someone traveling abroad for at least twenty-four hours". Its successor, the United Nations, amended this definition in 1945, by including a maximum stay of six months.
Leisure travel was associated with the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom – the first European country to promote leisure time to the increasing industrial population. Initially, this applied to the owners of the machinery of production, the economic oligarchy, the factory owners and the traders. These comprised the new middle class. Cox & Kings was the first official travel company to be formed in 1758.
The British origin of this new industry is reflected in many place names. In Nice, France, one of the first and best-established holiday resorts on the French Riviera, the long esplanade along the seafront is known to this day as the Promenade des Anglais; in many other historic resorts in continental Europe, old, well-established palace hotels have names like the Hotel Bristol, the Hotel Carlton or the Hotel Majestic – reflecting the dominance of English customers.
Many leisure-oriented tourists travel to the tropics, both in the summer and winter. Places of such nature often visited are: Bali in Indonesia, Colombia, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Malaysia, Mexico the various Polynesian tropical islands, Queensland in Australia, Thailand, Saint-Tropez and Cannes in France, Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico in the United States, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, St.Lucia Saint Maarten, Saint Kitts and Nevis, The Bahamas, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Turks and Caicos Islands and Bermuda
World Tourism Industry
World Tourism Industry is an industry which is flourishing all over the world. The scenario of the World tourism industry is always in a state of flux, ever changing. It is reckoned that end of 2007 will see the World tourism industry generating as many as 234 million job opportunities for the people. It is also assumed that the contribution towards the GDP by the World tourism industry will be approximately 10.3%. People can afford overseas travel. However, in order to meet the requirements, constant changes in the travel and tourism policies need to be reframed and restructured.

World tourism industry and the environment:

The impact of the World tourism industry on our environment cannot be overlooked. While global tourism industry is expanding manifold, every effort is being made to protect the heritage of historically significant places. With every passing year, world tourism industry is experiencing new changes to adapt to the needs of time. Increase in the world tourism activities mean more consumption of energy and the natural resources. Alternative sources of energy are being worked out. Global warming, rise in sea levels pose to be a great threat to all the nations worldwide. Concepts of Eco tourism is fast catching up with the common people.

World tourism industry and economy:

In order to find out the contribution of the travel and tourism industry to a particular country, the Travel And Tourism Account or the TTSA is an important tools to determine the economics in detail. The TTSA throws light on matters related to travel, tourism job opportunities, comparing related tourism industries including hotels, transport etc.,.TTSA furnishes information about global travel, tourism pertaining to growth, demand, export, GDP, employment opportunities, capital investment etc.,.

Tourism – a development opportunity for Small Island States, finds UNWTO report

International tourism is one of the principal economic activities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). A new UNWTO report launched on the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (RIO+20), confirms tourism as an essential source of job opportunities, livelihood, foreign exchange and inclusive growth for these countries.
“Tourism offers one of the most promising options for the economic growth and development of small island nations if planned and managed according to the principles of sustainability,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “Tourism has been, for example, an important contributor in enabling the Maldives and Cape Verde to graduate from the status of Least Developed Country.”
The report, Challenges and Opportunities for Tourism in Small Island Developing States, finds that while SIDS often struggle to compete in the global economy, their natural and cultural resources give them a strong competitive advantage in the tourism marketplace.
  • The number of international tourists visiting SIDS has increased by over 12 million in the last decade, to reach 41 million in 2011.
  • The annual revenue generated by international tourism in SIDS exceeds US$ 38 billion.
  • For some island nations tourism accounts for over 40% of GDP.
  • Tourism accounts for 75% or more of exports of services for 15 SIDS, and over 50% in 13 others.
The Report calls upon the international community to continue supporting the SIDS because of their particular vulnerable situation and highlights the need to address key issues such as leakages, conservation, air connectivity and climate change if tourism is to effectively contribute to the sustainable development of SIDS.

International tourism off to a strong start in 2012

International tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 5.7% in the first two months of 2012. Demand remained strong in both advanced and emerging economy destinations, despite economic constraints in many of the source markets of Europe and North America.
The first results of 2012 indicate that international tourism continued to show sustained growth in spite of challenging economic conditions. During the first two months of 2012, international tourist arrivals grew by an estimated 5.7% compared to the same period of 2011, according to the May issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, released in Batumi, Georgia on the occasion of the 54th UNWTO Commission for Europe.
Europe sees continued growth
In Europe (+5%) results were above expectations, boosted by the strong growth in arrivals to Central and Eastern Europe (+8%) as well as to destinations of Northern Europe and Western Europe (both +6%). Europe’s performance is a continuation of an already solid 2011, when international arrivals increased by 6% overall to over 500 million. Demand has held up surprisingly well in the comparatively mature advanced economy destinations of Northern, Western and parts of Southern and Central Europe, despite  continued concerns about the economy.
“These are welcome results for Europe in a moment in which countries are looking for sectors that can deliver on economic growth and job creation,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “We need to work together with tourism administrations to ensure that governments give priority to tourism as part of national policies to stimulate growth and employment. In this respect, the 54th Meeting of UNWTO Commission for Europe is focusing on levers that can further enhance tourism development, particularly the crucial issues of visa facilitation, tourism promotion and branding.”
At the same time, international tourism has been particular buoyant in many emerging economy destinations in Eastern Europe. “Eastern European destinations have strong tourism potential provided they shape the adequate conditions. Georgia, this year’s host of the UNWTO Commission for Europe, is a remarkable example of a destination with a strong commitment towards tourism development,” added Mr. Rifai. “As a result, arrivals have almost tripled in the past five years, from just below a million in 2006 to close to 3 million in 2011, with international tourism receipts reaching almost US$ 1 billion in 2011.”
Encouraging results across the world
In the first months of 2012, growth was positive in all regions, with the exception of the Middle East (-1%), where there were nonetheless encouraging signs of recovery, such as in Egypt (+32% in the first quarter). South-East Asia and South Asia (both at +10%) led growth by subregion.
Africa was the fastest-growing region with an increase of over 7% in international tourist arrivals thanks to continued growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (+7%) and a clear rebound in North Africa (+8%) as Tunisia (+53% in the first quarter) started to recover. Asia and the Pacific saw a 7% increase in tourist arrivals, led by South Asia and South-East Asia (both +10%). North-East Asia (+6%) recorded higher growth as well, with arrivals to Japan up by almost 10% in the first quarter. The Americas also reported significant growth (+6%), driven by the sustained strong demand in South America (+8%) and Central America (+7%).
Worldwide, international tourist arrivals surpassed 131 million in the first two months of 2012, up from 124 million in the same period of 2011.
According to the forecast prepared by UNWTO at the beginning of the year, international tourist arrivals are projected to increase by some 3% to 4% in 2012. For the year as a whole, the number of international tourist arrivals is expected to reach one billion for the first time.
Tourism in India
Tourism in India is the largest service industry, with a contribution of 6.23% to the national GDP and 8.78% of the total employment in India. In 2010, total Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) in India were 5.78 million and India generated about 200 billion US dollars in 2008 and that is expected to increase to US$375.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate. The majority of foreign tourists come from USA and UK. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are the top five states to receive inbound tourists. Domestic tourism in the same year was 740 million. Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra received the big share of these visitors. Ministry of Tourism is the nodal agency to formulate national policies and programmers for the development and promotion of tourism. In the process, the Ministry consults and collaborates with other stakeholders in the sector including various Central Ministries/agencies, the state governments and union territories and the representatives of the private sector. Concerted efforts are being made to promote new forms of tourism such as rural, cruise, medical and eco-tourism. The Ministry of Tourism also maintains the Incredible India campaign.
According to World Travel and Tourism Council, India will be a tourism hot-spot from 2009 to 2018, having the highest 10-year growth potential. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2007 ranked tourism in India sixth in terms of price competitiveness and 39th in terms of safety and security.  Despite short- and medium-term setbacks, such as shortage of hotel rooms, tourism revenues are expected to surge by 42% from 2007 to 2017. India's rich history and its cultural and geographical diversity make its international tourism appeal large and diverse. It presents heritage and cultural tourism along with medical, business and sports tourism. India has one of the largest and fastest growing medical tourism sectors.
               Indian tourism sector is one of the most crucial sectors of the economy in the country. It is not only a significant contributor to GDP and foreign exchange reserve of the country, but also it provides widespread employment. Tourism sector can also be considered the backbone for allied sectors, like hospitality, civil aviation, and transport. Sensing the importance of the sector, Indian Government has invested abundantly in the past for infrastructure development. It has been partially successful with increase in foreign tourist arrivals over the last decade, courtesy “Incredible India Campaign”. Infrastructure in the hospitality sector is still a matter of concern amongst other factors like season-based tourism in some states.
Domestic tourism is very huge in the country, promoted by various intents. Pilgrim and leisure tourism are two very important sectors. A lot of scope is available for new businesses to enter and tap the segment. With the rising economic status of the middle class and affluent population, outbound travel is on the rise. Though Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore circuit the most favored destinations among the tourists, interest for off-track destinations are also increasing. Foreign tourist arrivals in the country have increased substantially during the past decade motivated by both, business and leisure needs and are further expected to grow at a CAGR of around 8% during 2010-2014, as per our new research report “Indian Tourism Industry Analysis”.

Friday 15 June 2012

Steel Industry


Steel Industry
                                      Steel is an alloy made by combining iron and other elements, the most common of these being carbon. When carbon is used, its content in the steel is between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Other alloying elements sometimes used are manganese, chromium, vanadium and tungsten. Carbon and other elements act as a hardening agent, preventing dislocations in the iron atom crystal lattice from sliding past one another. Varying the amount of alloying elements and the form of their presence in the steel (solute elements, precipitated phase) controls qualities such as the hardness, ductility, and tensile strength of the resulting steel. Steel with increased carbon content can be made harder and stronger than iron, but such steel is also less ductile than iron.
                   The earliest known production of steel is a piece of ironware excavated from an archaeological site in Anatolia (Kaman-Kalehoyuk) and is about 4,000 years old.  Other ancient steel comes from East Africa, dating back to 1400 BC. In the 4th century BC steel weapons like the Falcata were produced in the Iberian Peninsula, while Noric steel was used by the Roman military.[  The Chinese of the Warring States (403–221 BC) had quench-hardened steel, while Chinese of the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) created steel by melting together wrought iron with cast iron, gaining an ultimate product of a carbon-intermediate steel by the 1st century AD. The Haya people of East Africa invented a type of high-heat blast furnace which allowed them to forge carbon steel at 1,802 °C (3,276 °F) nearly 2,000 years ago
                        The modern iron and steel industry in India owes its origin to the grand vision and perseverance of Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata. The Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (Tata Steel) was registered in Bombay on 26th August 1907. The construction of the steel plant was then taken up in earnest with the first stake being driven in February 1908. R.G. Wells, an American with steel plant construction experience took over as the General Manager in 1909. Success came when the first blast furnace was blown-in on 2nd December 1911, and the first ingot rolled on 16th February 1912.

History of the steel industry (1970-current)

 

Material for development

The volume of steel consumed has been the barometer for measuring development and economic progress. Whether it is construction or industrial goods, steel is the basic raw material. Lighter metals and stronger alloys have been developed. Plastics and synthetics have replaced steel in many areas.
Steel is made from ores still found in abundance around the world. Technological developments have brought down the time for transformation from iron ore to steel to within a day. Even after decades of use, it can be sent back to the furnaces as scrap, melted and remade into new qualities of steel. It is the most recycled material in the world. In developed countries, recycling accounts for almost half of the steel produced.
Another major feature is the continuous improvement of steel grades. Half of today’s steel grades were not available ten years ago. Just take the example of the most commonly used steel – rods or bars, used as reinforcement material with cement concrete. It used to be plain bars even in the sixties, then came the ribbed bars, followed by the cold twisted deformed bars and now it is thermo mechanically treated bars. Each development has added to the strength of construction. Older varieties of steel have been improved upon and newer grades introduced. The process continues.

Growth of the industry

Global steel production grew enormously in the 20th century from a mere 28 million tonnes at the beginning of the century to 781 million tonnes at the end.

World Steel Production in the 20th Century

Over the course of the 20th century, production of crude steel has risen at an astounding rate, now fast approaching a production level of 800 million tons per year. Today, it is difficult to imagine a world without steel.
During the 20th century, the consumption of steel increased at an average annual rate of 3.3%. In 1900, the USA was producing 37% of the world’s steel. With post war industrial development in Asia that region now (at the turn of the 20th century) accounts for almost 40%, with Europe (including the former Soviet Union) producing 36% and North America 14.5%.
Steel consumption increases when economies are growing, as governments invest in infrastructure and transport, and build new factories and houses. Economic recession meets with a dip in steel production as such investments falter.
After being in the focus in the developed world for more than a century, attention has now shifted to the developing regions. In the West, steel is referred to as a sunset industry. In the developing countries, the sun is still rising, for most it is only a dawn.
Towards the end of the last century, growth of steel production was in the developing countries such as China, Brazil and India, as well as newly developed South Korea. Steel production and consumption grew steadily in China in the initial years but later it picked up momentum and the closing years of the century saw it racing ahead of the rest of the world. China produced 220.1 million tonnes in 2003, 272.2 million tonnes in 2004 and 349.36 million tonnes in 2005. That is much above the production in 2005 of Japan at 112.47 million tonnes, the USA at 93.90 million tonnes and Russia at 66.15 million tonnes. For details of country-wise steel production see Steel production by country.

Growth potential of the industry

Amongst the other newly steel-producing countries, South Korea has stabilised at around 46-48 million tonnes, and Brazil at around 30 plus million tonnes. This brings the focus of the industry to India. Considering a steel consumption of 300 kg per man per year to be a fair level of economic development, India will have to come up to somewhere around 300 million tonnes, if it is to fulfill its ambitions of being a developed country. That, of course, is a long journey from the present production level of around 50 million tonnes but one must consider its past before coming to a conclusion about its potential. India was producing only around a million tonnes of steel at the time of its independence in 1947. By 1991, when the economy was opened up steel production grew to around 14 million tonnes. Thereafter, it doubled in the next 10 years, and then it is doubling again, maybe over a slightly longer span. Steel Production in India is expected to reach 124 million tons by 2012 and 275 million tons by 2020 which could make it the second largest steel maker.
In the developed countries, the trend is on consolidation of industry. Cross-border mergers have been taking place for several years. The focus is on technological improvements and new products.
Globally, the steel industry became a billion tonne industry in 2004. How much more it will grow will depend primarily on how much more steel is consumed in the developing countries.

Reduction in workforce

Steel is no more the labour-intensive industry it used to be. Earlier, it was often associated with the image of huge work force living in a captive township. All that has changed dramatically. A modern steel plant employs very few people. In South Korea, Posco employs 10,000 people to produce 28 million tonnes. As a rule of thumb, one can put the direct employment potential at 1,000 per million tonnes. It could be less. However, steel being a basic industry, it generates substantial growth of both upstream and downstream facilities. According to some estimates one person-year of employment in the steel industry generates 3.5 person-years of employment elsewhere. Considering all these, total employment generation will be substantial.
The third quarter of the twentieth century witnessed massive growth of the global steel industry. Annual production rose more than three times in 15 years from 1960. In the last quarter of the century, production reached a plateau, rising only by around 100 million tonnes. Increase in production gave way to increases in productivity. See also steel crisis.
During the period 1974 to 1999, the steel industry had drastically reduced employment all around the world. In USA, it was down from 521,000 to 153,000. In Japan, it was down from 459,000 to 208,000. In Germany, it was down from 232,000 to 78,000. In UK, it was down from 197,000 to 31,000. In Brazil, it was down from 118,000 to 59,000. In South Africa, it was down from 100,000 to 54,000. South Korea already had a low figure. It was only 58,000 in 1999. The steel industry had reduced its employment around the world by more than 1,500,000 in 25 years.
Indian Steel Sector
India has emerged as the fourth largest steel producing nation in the world, as per the recent figures release by World Steel Association in April 2011. In 2010, India was the 5th largest producer, after China, Japan, USA and Russia had recorded a growth of 11.3% in steel production as compared to 2009. Overall domestic crude steel production grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 8.4% during 2005-06 to 2009-10. The Indian steel industry accounted for around 5% of the world’s total production in 2010.

Total crude steel production in India for 2010-11 was around 69 million tonnes and it’s expected that the crude steel production in capacity in the country will increase to nearly 110 million tonne by 2012-13. Further, if the proposed expansion plans are implemented as per schedule, India may become the second largest crude steel producer in the world by 2015-16.

The demand for steel in the country is currently growing at the rate of over 8% and it is expected that the demand would grow over by 10% in the next five years. However, the steel intensity in the country remains well below the world levels. Our per capita consumption of steel is around 110 pounds as compared to 330 Pounds for the global average. This indicates that there is a lot of potential for increasing the steel consumption in India.
Immense growth potential in Indian Steel Sector
  • Domestic crude steel production grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 8.4% in the last few years.
  • Crude steel production capacity of the country is projected to be around 110 million tonne by 2012-13.
  • 222 Memorandum of Understandings (MOU) have been signed with various states for planned capacity of around 276 million tonnes by 2019-20.
  • Investments at stake are to the tune of $187 billion in the Steel sector.
  • Increase in the demand of steel in India is expected to be 14% against the global average of 5-6% due to its strong domestic economy, massive infrastructure needs and expansion of industrial production.
  • Demand of steel in the major industries like infrastructure, construction, housing, automotive, steel tubes and pipes, consumer durables, packaging and ground transportation.
  • Target for $ 1 trillion of investments in infrastructure during the 12th Five Year Plan.
  • Infrastructure projects (like Golden Quadrilateral and Dedicated Freight Corridor) will give boost to the demand in the steel sector in near future.
  • Projected New Greenfield & up-gradation of existing Airport shall keep the momentum up.
  • Increased demand of specialized steel in hi-tech engineering industries such as power generation, automotive petrochemicals, fertilizers etc

History – Tata Steel
The origins and ascent of Tata Steel, which has culminated into the century long history of an industrial empire, emerge from the illustrious efforts of India's original iron man and the remarkable people who thereafter, have kept the fire burning.
The story of Tata Steel is a century old. And so is the story of steel in India. Etched with the visions and hardships of a single man, the story has flowed through ages to redefine steel in every way. The saga, which started in 1907, completes a century of trust in 2007. Over the years this one company has exposed the various shapes and forms in which steel can be applied for effective utilization. The story of Tata Steel: defines and redefines conventional wisdom in myriad ways. 
The great Iron Pillar, a thousand years older than the Qutab Minar stands as a living testimony to the unmatched skills of ancient Indian metallurgists. They had so perfected the craft of forging that Indian steel was highly sought after. In Marco Polo’s travels there is a reference to andanique, a corruption of the Persian hundawaniy, i.e. Indian steel. Tavernier, the 17th century French traveller, mentions the existence of a steel industry in the “Kingdom of Golconda”. And the Arab Edrisi declared, “The Hindus excel in the manufacture of iron”. For centuries, therefore, steel of remarkably superior quality was being fashioned in India out of primitive furnaces, to be used, for instance, in the preparation of medicine and in the manufacture of arms. It was only in the last century with the advent of the Industrial Revolution that the time- honoured skills of Indian ironsmiths began to die.
The Industrial Revolution in England ushered in an era of unparalleled peace and prosperity. Modern science bore fruit in an unprecedented technological development and industrial progress. This left countries like India, where industrialisation was still in its infancy, feeling slightly dazzled and overwhelmed. The leading Indian intellectuals of the 19th century believed that if India were to keep pace with the world it would have to master the modern scientific methods of the West. In these times was born Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata. Within his lifetime, Jamsetji was to witness the birth of a revolutionary Indian nationalism that would assist in the emergence of independent India, which he helped to create and whose presence could already be felt when he died in 1904.