Rural tourism will bolster employment generation: Soni

Praveen K Singh - New Delhi

2006-’07

Banking on the rich traditions of art, craft and culture in India's villages and aiming at the sustainable tourism development, the Union Budget 2006-07 has earmarked 50 villages in the country for tourism promotion.

These 50 villages have been identified based on their core competency in handicrafts, handlooms and culture, close to existing destinations and circuits. The ministry of tourism will be developing them for enhancing the tourist experience.

Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Tourism Minister, Ambika Soni, says, "The government's objective is to identify tourism sector as an important avenue for employment and income generation, foreign exchange earnings and at the same time having a multiplier effect on the economy with incomes obtainable at the local levels too." She adds, "Rural tourism will be promoted and these 50 villages will act as model villages for the others. This will bolster employment and revenue generation at the local level."

The logic behind the government's proposal is that the expenditure of tourists flows down not only at the national and regional level but also to the local level. This means that if the tourist expenditure circulates locally and the leakages are low, a significant improvement can be made in the income and living standards of the people of the region or locality.

According to an official in the tourism ministry, "These village destinations will be marketed based on rich traditions, crafts, accommodation, cuisine, hygiene and other basic amenities etc. their accessibility, environmental issues (pollution, eco-fragility, etc.), safety, law and order situation (for both the local population as well as tourists), etc."

For tour operators also, this is a welcome move. Hailing the proposal, Gour Kanjilal, executive director of IATO, says, "We have rural destinations with unique selling preposition as ‘Aathiti Devo Bhava’ is more practised in rural India than anywhere else. In India, every village has its own experience. There is a diversity of culture, language, food, and craft. Tourists can actually live with rural people and experience the tranquility of nature."

Believes, Rakesh Mathur of Welcom Heritage, "India, traditionally, is a long haul destination and provision of rural tourist destinations in its basket of destinations will go a long way in showcasing and marketing India in a better perspective."

Rural tourism might be an emerging concept in India, but in Europe and other Western countries it has been practised since several years as people get their children to experience a rural life. Countries with large agricultural economies like Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Argentina, Canada, USA, and even South Africa have flourishing destinations specialising in rural travel.

"Promotion of this segment of tourism in India will inculcate a sense of pride among the rural population, with the benefits of extra income," describes Soni.