Rural tourism in India is one of its kind and incomparable to any other country. With the growing population and expansion of city life, more and more people are shifting to other destinations for their weekend getaway. India with all its geographical and cultural diversity has always been an attraction for tourists. However, India especially in a rural areas has much more to offer. Spread across its lakhs of villages lie untold venues in all their myriad colours and hues. If explored and developed as rural tourism sites, these venues could be instrumental in bringing out the much-needed turnaround of rural communities.
The potential of Rural Tourism in India is huge, in spite of the fact that all the important elements are still not in place. In spite of this, efforts are being made to identify the possibilities and challenges involved in implementing and promoting Rural Tourism as a concept within the country and also globally.
The development of a strong platform around the concept of Rural Tourism is definitely useful for a country like India, where almost 74% of the population resides in its 7 million villages. The potential of this segment lies in the fact that tourism has always been considered to be an industry for untapped markets with high growth potential. While this is true to a large extent, it still remains an urban-centric phenomenon.
Rural tourism is one of the important aspects of tourism in India. In our country, vast area of land is covered by rural areas where people are engaged in farming as their main occupation and hence they possess rich rural culture. These rural areas are enriched with the handicrafts such as crafts, paintings, pottery and wooden artifacts etc. There are numerous places located in rural areas that have untouched beauty and offer varied sightseeing opportunities to the tourists.
Rural tourism is the potential of rural areas or local communities to provide tourism-related economic benefits. If it is taken to its fullest extent, it could offer job opportunities to many young men and women who otherwise are increasingly migrating to cities. It also provides an opportunity for smaller townships to develop into centers of tourism and commerce adding to their cultural richness.
Rural tourism can revive many of the arts and crafts traditionally being practiced in the rural communities but dying a slow death. The merits of such cultural tourism are so obvious that we fail to notice its potential has not been fully harnessed. Rural tourism is a process through which people can be exposed to popular culture, traditions, and art forms of a region. One added advantage is that tourism for this purpose need not be expensive or luxurious. It has adequate potential for being developed as cheap entertainment all across the country.
Rural tourism can significantly reduce the gap between urban and rural culture as well as make available amenities that are not easily accessible to all. Rural tourism can also dispel the myth that rural India is backward. By interacting with the locals, a tourist can see what works for them and what doesn’t; there may be room for innovation in both business and living.
Now, it is the government’s responsibility to promote tourism in a rural area. If the government is promoting rural tourism, then different measures can be taken to promote rural tourism. Improved infrastructure and connectivity of rural India can improve rural tourism.
Most of the cultural and heritage walks are conducted in desert areas like Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur which is already popular for its ‘Desert’ culture, and limited people participate in these activities. Therefore to promote such talks a strategy must be made to increase the popularity of such walks in another part of the state.
A rise to the growing needs of farm stays, homestays, and other rural tourism services is seen in the recent past. These are one of the easiest ways to interact with locals and experience their culture, traditions, cuisine, ways of living, and lifestyle.
Destinations should be specific and proximate to the conventional tourist spots. Promotion of the locality or a city must be in coordination with the main destination. Social media platforms can be effectively used to raise the awareness of tourists on destinations that are not well-known.
Rural tourism is an emerging trend, wherein people travel to rural areas to spend their vacations. Rural tourism is meant for people to enjoy themselves amidst nature and its bounty. In order to promote this form of tourism, necessary measures have to be taken by the government and the people alike, like improving the accessibility of tourist places, proper marketing of them and periodic maintenance of these destinations.
Homestays are a viable option for developing rural tourism. To make them successful, they have to follow the traditional style of construction and lifestyle so that they blend with the natural environment.
The promotion of rural tourism can generate opportunities for the rural population to earn a livelihood. The Ministry of Tourism has taken up many programs to promote tourism in smaller towns and districts. By encouraging product development and developing infrastructure at the destination such as marketing, transport, creating awareness, the Indian tourism sector is set to grow.
The safety of tourists, especially females should be ensured that would help in increasing rural tourism. If proper and sufficient facilities are provided to the tourists in villages, it can increase the number of tourists. The steps could be taken by the government authorities so that there is no scarcity of staff for catering to the needs of tourists and protecting them.
Adequate healthcare facilities must be provided. The location of health centers at the region, district, and sub-district levels to meet the needs of the rural population should minimize the expenditure incurred by the rural population in approaching these centers.
In order to promote rural tourism, the state government must devolve adequate finances to the gram sabha. With an aim to provide all basic needs of tourists under one roof, the state government should also set up a common helping hands for both farmers and non-farmers in rural areas.
One of the best ideas for promoting Rural Tourism is training programs for villagers that will teach them how to approach foreigners visiting by spending a few days with them. This will promote the adoption of policies and planning a suitable system, as well as rural areas, and encourage tourists to come and visit their farms through the direction of local farmers to learn this methodology.
The above steps can aid in promoting village tourism, big benefits will be received in the form of trained youth in sports and art practices, development of health and hygiene standards. This can lead to a healthy population with a cheerful working population.
