Rural Tourism: A Tool For Sustainable Development In India

Abstract: Tourism industry all over the world has emerged as one of the major economic drivers for growth and development contributing significantly to foreign exchange earnings. Tourism is one of the leading global industries contributing 14 percent of global GDP. The world Tourism organization estimates that there will be 1.9 billion tourists in the world in 2030, representing 23 per cent of world population. The World Tourism organization further comments that within the next 5 - 10 years, array of products on offer to tourists looking for the real and rural experience is to increase substantially. Rural tourism is considered to be an emerging stratagem for cultural heritage and sustainable development in most rural areas of India. Rural tourism in India is envisioned to generate employment opportunities, sustainable livelihood for the local community by addressing the issues of poverty reduction and developing a vibrant local economy by revival and regeneration of the old art and crafts and preservation of the rural India culture. This paper is an attempt to highlight the rural tourism potential in India. With tools like increasing levels of awareness, industry partnership involvement, heritage and cultural education, improved accessibility, the prospects of rural tourism base can be realized and can result in subsequent overall community development.