Rural Tourism in India– A Model of Rural Culture & Heritage

The objective of this paper is to present an update on rural tourism growth & development in India. Rural tourism is growing in terms of number of visitors and the government of India focuses on it as an engine of growth. We believe that any rural tourism development plan needs to focus on sustainable development and take into account the priorities and needs of local people. This paper emphasizes the need for sustainable forms of tourism by outlining the possible socio-economic, cultural and environmental impacts of current forms of Rural Tourism. The paper first explores the meaning of terms such as Rural, Rurality and Rural Tourism. It focuses on the genesis and growth of rural tourism, rural tourism in India, impacts of rural tourism and the need for sustainable rural tourism.