Kurukshetra Magazine June 2022 - 3 | Monthly Yojana & Kurukshetra Magazine (English) - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


Kurukshetra      June  2022 38
ourism thrives on mobility, which got 
absolutely restricted due to pandemic 
induced lockdowns that in turn 
proved to be the most severe blow 
on tourism in the recorded history. The sector 
is slowly moving towards a path of recovery. 
International Tourist Arrivals (ITA) is a prominent 
global tourism indicator. 
United Nations World 
Tourism Organisation 
(UNWTO) estimates that 
internationally there were 
just 25 million tourist 
arrivals in 1950, ITA stood 
at a whopping 1.4 billion 
in 2019 (consider the year 
2019 as the pre-pandemic 
reference point till when 
things were moving 
smoothly in the tourism 
sector) and it marked 
10
th
 consecutive year of 
sustained growth in ITA.
Dr. Suyash Yadav
The rural landscape in India offers myriad potential of being transformed into a tourism product that can attract both 
domestic as well as international visitors. In order to develop a village as a tourist destination, first step should be to identify 
the key strength of the village around which the theme of rural tourism can be developed. Key factors which drive growth 
of tourism; namely , location, proximity to prominent tourist destinations, implementation and maintenance of hardware and 
software components must be considered.
Tourism Infrastructure Development
T
Tourism has seen continued expansion over time, 
despite occasional shocks, demonstrating the 
sector’s strength and resilience. From 1950 till 
date, barring few dip events; namely, September 
2001 Terrorist attacks, SARS epidemic 2003, global 
economic crisis 2008, COVID-19 pandemic induced 
lockdown 2020, ITA has seen a consistent upsurge.
Source: UNWTO
Page 2


Kurukshetra      June  2022 38
ourism thrives on mobility, which got 
absolutely restricted due to pandemic 
induced lockdowns that in turn 
proved to be the most severe blow 
on tourism in the recorded history. The sector 
is slowly moving towards a path of recovery. 
International Tourist Arrivals (ITA) is a prominent 
global tourism indicator. 
United Nations World 
Tourism Organisation 
(UNWTO) estimates that 
internationally there were 
just 25 million tourist 
arrivals in 1950, ITA stood 
at a whopping 1.4 billion 
in 2019 (consider the year 
2019 as the pre-pandemic 
reference point till when 
things were moving 
smoothly in the tourism 
sector) and it marked 
10
th
 consecutive year of 
sustained growth in ITA.
Dr. Suyash Yadav
The rural landscape in India offers myriad potential of being transformed into a tourism product that can attract both 
domestic as well as international visitors. In order to develop a village as a tourist destination, first step should be to identify 
the key strength of the village around which the theme of rural tourism can be developed. Key factors which drive growth 
of tourism; namely , location, proximity to prominent tourist destinations, implementation and maintenance of hardware and 
software components must be considered.
Tourism Infrastructure Development
T
Tourism has seen continued expansion over time, 
despite occasional shocks, demonstrating the 
sector’s strength and resilience. From 1950 till 
date, barring few dip events; namely, September 
2001 Terrorist attacks, SARS epidemic 2003, global 
economic crisis 2008, COVID-19 pandemic induced 
lockdown 2020, ITA has seen a consistent upsurge.
Source: UNWTO
Kurukshetra      June  2022 39
Evolution of Tourism
In 16
th
 century, the concept of ‘Grand Tour’ 
emerged in Europe, especially for educational 
purposes, where young aristocrats travelled 
along a well-designed circuit that touched famous 
centres of culture and philosophy accompanied by 
a tutor. A Grand Tour lasted for up to 3 years. As 
a concept it got faded in 19
th
 century. Prominent 
theme is that only a ‘class’ was able to afford travel/
tourism. From 1960s world witnessed a rapid 
growth of international mass tourism and its after-
effects. This phenomenon was fuelled by major 
geopolitical changes like industrial revolution 
(it changed the economic and social systems 
prevailing at that time including emergence of 
the working class, increase in material wealth 
for a large number of workers, paid holidays), 
end of world war, increased mobility, better 
communication, availability of tour packages 
(Thomas Cook invented the concept), etc. The 
aforesaid changes permitted even ‘masses’ to 
travel. Particularly international travel and tourism 
transformed from an activity that was once largely 
done by the upper class, to one enjoyed by the 
great majority of people, at least in the wealthier, 
developed countries. The transformative journey 
is known as the emergence of mass tourism, a 
process that is described by Tourism Scholar, John 
Urry, as the ‘democratisation’ of tourism.
Platform of Tourism
Jafar Jafari, a leading academic of Tourism 
Studies, identifies certain stages, or platforms, 
upon which the study of tourism has been based: 
1. The Advocacy Platform: International mass 
tourism began to increase rapidly from the 
early 1960s. At this time, tourism was seen 
primarily as an economic phenomenon, an 
expanding international business that as an 
important source of income and employment 
had the potential to generate economic 
growth in destination areas. Little concern 
was shown for the possible impacts of tourism 
development and, as a result, the study of 
travel and tourism was focused principally on 
the economic impacts of tourism, including 
indicators such as the multiplier effect.
2. The Cautionary Platform: As international 
tourism grew in both scale and scope, so too 
did awareness of its negative consequences. 
As a result, academic attention turned 
increasingly towards the study of the social, 
cultural and environmental impacts of travel 
and tourism. A number of key writers argued 
for a more cautious approach to the promotion 
of tourism.
3. The Adaptancy Platform: During the 1980s, 
as attention continued to focus on the 
negative impacts of mass tourism, and 
as a result a principal theme to emerge 
in the study of travel and tourism was 
that of Alternative Tourism, preparing 
the way for the emergence of the 
topic- Sustainable Tourism. Alternative 
tourism was concerned with finding, 
literally, alternatives to mass tourism 
development that had been so roundly 
criticised from the 1970s onwards, 
although, according to some, this 
represented a somewhat idealistic 
period in the study of travel and tourism.
Alternative tourism is an umbrella 
concept consisting of a variety of approaches: 
eco-tourism, agro-tourism, community 
tourism, ethical tourism, responsible 
tourism, sustainable tourism, etc. There 
are many possible alternative approaches 
that allow getting out of the dominant mass 
Page 3


Kurukshetra      June  2022 38
ourism thrives on mobility, which got 
absolutely restricted due to pandemic 
induced lockdowns that in turn 
proved to be the most severe blow 
on tourism in the recorded history. The sector 
is slowly moving towards a path of recovery. 
International Tourist Arrivals (ITA) is a prominent 
global tourism indicator. 
United Nations World 
Tourism Organisation 
(UNWTO) estimates that 
internationally there were 
just 25 million tourist 
arrivals in 1950, ITA stood 
at a whopping 1.4 billion 
in 2019 (consider the year 
2019 as the pre-pandemic 
reference point till when 
things were moving 
smoothly in the tourism 
sector) and it marked 
10
th
 consecutive year of 
sustained growth in ITA.
Dr. Suyash Yadav
The rural landscape in India offers myriad potential of being transformed into a tourism product that can attract both 
domestic as well as international visitors. In order to develop a village as a tourist destination, first step should be to identify 
the key strength of the village around which the theme of rural tourism can be developed. Key factors which drive growth 
of tourism; namely , location, proximity to prominent tourist destinations, implementation and maintenance of hardware and 
software components must be considered.
Tourism Infrastructure Development
T
Tourism has seen continued expansion over time, 
despite occasional shocks, demonstrating the 
sector’s strength and resilience. From 1950 till 
date, barring few dip events; namely, September 
2001 Terrorist attacks, SARS epidemic 2003, global 
economic crisis 2008, COVID-19 pandemic induced 
lockdown 2020, ITA has seen a consistent upsurge.
Source: UNWTO
Kurukshetra      June  2022 39
Evolution of Tourism
In 16
th
 century, the concept of ‘Grand Tour’ 
emerged in Europe, especially for educational 
purposes, where young aristocrats travelled 
along a well-designed circuit that touched famous 
centres of culture and philosophy accompanied by 
a tutor. A Grand Tour lasted for up to 3 years. As 
a concept it got faded in 19
th
 century. Prominent 
theme is that only a ‘class’ was able to afford travel/
tourism. From 1960s world witnessed a rapid 
growth of international mass tourism and its after-
effects. This phenomenon was fuelled by major 
geopolitical changes like industrial revolution 
(it changed the economic and social systems 
prevailing at that time including emergence of 
the working class, increase in material wealth 
for a large number of workers, paid holidays), 
end of world war, increased mobility, better 
communication, availability of tour packages 
(Thomas Cook invented the concept), etc. The 
aforesaid changes permitted even ‘masses’ to 
travel. Particularly international travel and tourism 
transformed from an activity that was once largely 
done by the upper class, to one enjoyed by the 
great majority of people, at least in the wealthier, 
developed countries. The transformative journey 
is known as the emergence of mass tourism, a 
process that is described by Tourism Scholar, John 
Urry, as the ‘democratisation’ of tourism.
Platform of Tourism
Jafar Jafari, a leading academic of Tourism 
Studies, identifies certain stages, or platforms, 
upon which the study of tourism has been based: 
1. The Advocacy Platform: International mass 
tourism began to increase rapidly from the 
early 1960s. At this time, tourism was seen 
primarily as an economic phenomenon, an 
expanding international business that as an 
important source of income and employment 
had the potential to generate economic 
growth in destination areas. Little concern 
was shown for the possible impacts of tourism 
development and, as a result, the study of 
travel and tourism was focused principally on 
the economic impacts of tourism, including 
indicators such as the multiplier effect.
2. The Cautionary Platform: As international 
tourism grew in both scale and scope, so too 
did awareness of its negative consequences. 
As a result, academic attention turned 
increasingly towards the study of the social, 
cultural and environmental impacts of travel 
and tourism. A number of key writers argued 
for a more cautious approach to the promotion 
of tourism.
3. The Adaptancy Platform: During the 1980s, 
as attention continued to focus on the 
negative impacts of mass tourism, and 
as a result a principal theme to emerge 
in the study of travel and tourism was 
that of Alternative Tourism, preparing 
the way for the emergence of the 
topic- Sustainable Tourism. Alternative 
tourism was concerned with finding, 
literally, alternatives to mass tourism 
development that had been so roundly 
criticised from the 1970s onwards, 
although, according to some, this 
represented a somewhat idealistic 
period in the study of travel and tourism.
Alternative tourism is an umbrella 
concept consisting of a variety of approaches: 
eco-tourism, agro-tourism, community 
tourism, ethical tourism, responsible 
tourism, sustainable tourism, etc. There 
are many possible alternative approaches 
that allow getting out of the dominant mass 
Kurukshetra      June  2022 40
tourism model. Beyond the economic issues 
of tourism, social and cultural dimensions, the 
relationship to the environment, the participation 
of host communities are also considered. It aims 
at developing sustainable tourism strategies with 
more significant economic benefits for the host 
country. Rural tourism is a subset of alternative 
tourism.
Tourism Indicators of India
In the year 2019, during India's 73
rd 
Independence Day, the Prime Minister of India 
urged people to travel to at least 15 tourist 
destinations within India by 2022. He said that 
their visits would boost tourism and will help 
to create better facilities in the destinations. 
In response to that, the Ministry of Tourism, in 
November 2019, launched the Dekho Apna Desh 
programme. A big chunk of the tourism in India is 
'Domestic Tourism' (tourism within the country). 
Considering the year 2019 as the normal reference 
point (pre-pandemic), following data should be 
focussed upon.
Number of International Tourist 
Arrivals in India in 2019 (million)
Annual Growth Rate (3.7%)
17.42
Number of Domestic Tourist Visits in 
2019 (million)
Annual Growth Rate (11.9%)
1854.93
No. of Indian Nationals Departures 
from India in 2019 (million)
Annual Growth Rate(9.8%)
26.29
Source: India Tourism Statistics 2019, Ministry of Tourism.
In response to the pandemic, an economic 
package was announced on 12 May 2020. The 
term 'Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' or 'Self-
Reliant India Mission' was first mentioned in this 
announcement. The concept of ‘Aatma Nirbhar’ 
in the context of tourism can be interpreted 
as an attempt to enhance domestic tourism 
within India. As depicted above in the table, the 
percentage of Indian travellers visiting foreign 
countries witnessed an annual growth rate of 9.8 
percent in 2019. ‘Aatma Nirbhar’ would also aim 
at finding ways through which these outbound 
tourists can be motivated to prioritise India as 
their destination choice. Last but not the least; 
self-reliance also means aiming for a higher share 
of international tourist arrivals for India.
Rural Tourism – An Indian Perspective
Tourism comes under the service sector. 
It offers immense work opportunities, and the 
backward linkages and multiplier effects extend to 
manufacturing industries and even agriculture. With 
increasing incomes, mobility and better connectivity, 
it is going to grow at an even faster rate. Let us assess 
the need for alternative forms of tourism in India 
with the help of statistical data on tourism arrivals 
at a sought-after tourist destination in India. With 
an annual flow of over 80 lakh tourists as against 
the state’s population of a little over 18 lakh, Goa, 
is on the brink of a breakdown. While tourism 
growth is great news overall, the excessive burden 
on a handful of destinations, be it hill stations or 
that located seaside, is doing tremendous damage 
to India’s tourism hotspots, which are crumbling.
Many countries are no longer willing to put up with 
this consistent deterioration and are taking some 
drastic steps to set things right. As a country, India 
needs alternative destinations to offset the pressure 
on destinations like Goa, Shimla, etc. which are 
witnessing fatigue and deterioration due to mass 
tourism. Therefore, the concept of Rural Tourism 
is definitely useful for a country like India, where 
almost 69 percent of the population resides in its 6 
million villages. Each village is unique in terms of the 
tourism resources it has which can be transformed 
into a tourism product.
The 'Best Tourism Villages' by UNWTO pilot 
initiative aims to award those villages which 
are outstanding examples of rural destinations 
and showcase good practices in line with its 
specified nine evaluation areas. It aims to support 
villages to enhance their rural tourism potential 
through training and access to opportunities for 
improvement. In the year 2021, Ministry of Tourism 
recommended three villages for the UNWTO 
Best Tourism Village entry from India. These 
were Kongthong in Meghalaya, Ladhpura Khas in 
Madhya Pradesh, and Pochampally in Telangana. 
Pochampally village was selected as one of the 
best tourism villages by the UNWTO. Pochampally 
is often referred to as the 'Silk City of India' for 
the exquisite sarees that are woven through a 
unique style called 'Ikat'. This style, Pochampally 
Ikat, received a Geographical Indicator Status in 
Page 4


Kurukshetra      June  2022 38
ourism thrives on mobility, which got 
absolutely restricted due to pandemic 
induced lockdowns that in turn 
proved to be the most severe blow 
on tourism in the recorded history. The sector 
is slowly moving towards a path of recovery. 
International Tourist Arrivals (ITA) is a prominent 
global tourism indicator. 
United Nations World 
Tourism Organisation 
(UNWTO) estimates that 
internationally there were 
just 25 million tourist 
arrivals in 1950, ITA stood 
at a whopping 1.4 billion 
in 2019 (consider the year 
2019 as the pre-pandemic 
reference point till when 
things were moving 
smoothly in the tourism 
sector) and it marked 
10
th
 consecutive year of 
sustained growth in ITA.
Dr. Suyash Yadav
The rural landscape in India offers myriad potential of being transformed into a tourism product that can attract both 
domestic as well as international visitors. In order to develop a village as a tourist destination, first step should be to identify 
the key strength of the village around which the theme of rural tourism can be developed. Key factors which drive growth 
of tourism; namely , location, proximity to prominent tourist destinations, implementation and maintenance of hardware and 
software components must be considered.
Tourism Infrastructure Development
T
Tourism has seen continued expansion over time, 
despite occasional shocks, demonstrating the 
sector’s strength and resilience. From 1950 till 
date, barring few dip events; namely, September 
2001 Terrorist attacks, SARS epidemic 2003, global 
economic crisis 2008, COVID-19 pandemic induced 
lockdown 2020, ITA has seen a consistent upsurge.
Source: UNWTO
Kurukshetra      June  2022 39
Evolution of Tourism
In 16
th
 century, the concept of ‘Grand Tour’ 
emerged in Europe, especially for educational 
purposes, where young aristocrats travelled 
along a well-designed circuit that touched famous 
centres of culture and philosophy accompanied by 
a tutor. A Grand Tour lasted for up to 3 years. As 
a concept it got faded in 19
th
 century. Prominent 
theme is that only a ‘class’ was able to afford travel/
tourism. From 1960s world witnessed a rapid 
growth of international mass tourism and its after-
effects. This phenomenon was fuelled by major 
geopolitical changes like industrial revolution 
(it changed the economic and social systems 
prevailing at that time including emergence of 
the working class, increase in material wealth 
for a large number of workers, paid holidays), 
end of world war, increased mobility, better 
communication, availability of tour packages 
(Thomas Cook invented the concept), etc. The 
aforesaid changes permitted even ‘masses’ to 
travel. Particularly international travel and tourism 
transformed from an activity that was once largely 
done by the upper class, to one enjoyed by the 
great majority of people, at least in the wealthier, 
developed countries. The transformative journey 
is known as the emergence of mass tourism, a 
process that is described by Tourism Scholar, John 
Urry, as the ‘democratisation’ of tourism.
Platform of Tourism
Jafar Jafari, a leading academic of Tourism 
Studies, identifies certain stages, or platforms, 
upon which the study of tourism has been based: 
1. The Advocacy Platform: International mass 
tourism began to increase rapidly from the 
early 1960s. At this time, tourism was seen 
primarily as an economic phenomenon, an 
expanding international business that as an 
important source of income and employment 
had the potential to generate economic 
growth in destination areas. Little concern 
was shown for the possible impacts of tourism 
development and, as a result, the study of 
travel and tourism was focused principally on 
the economic impacts of tourism, including 
indicators such as the multiplier effect.
2. The Cautionary Platform: As international 
tourism grew in both scale and scope, so too 
did awareness of its negative consequences. 
As a result, academic attention turned 
increasingly towards the study of the social, 
cultural and environmental impacts of travel 
and tourism. A number of key writers argued 
for a more cautious approach to the promotion 
of tourism.
3. The Adaptancy Platform: During the 1980s, 
as attention continued to focus on the 
negative impacts of mass tourism, and 
as a result a principal theme to emerge 
in the study of travel and tourism was 
that of Alternative Tourism, preparing 
the way for the emergence of the 
topic- Sustainable Tourism. Alternative 
tourism was concerned with finding, 
literally, alternatives to mass tourism 
development that had been so roundly 
criticised from the 1970s onwards, 
although, according to some, this 
represented a somewhat idealistic 
period in the study of travel and tourism.
Alternative tourism is an umbrella 
concept consisting of a variety of approaches: 
eco-tourism, agro-tourism, community 
tourism, ethical tourism, responsible 
tourism, sustainable tourism, etc. There 
are many possible alternative approaches 
that allow getting out of the dominant mass 
Kurukshetra      June  2022 40
tourism model. Beyond the economic issues 
of tourism, social and cultural dimensions, the 
relationship to the environment, the participation 
of host communities are also considered. It aims 
at developing sustainable tourism strategies with 
more significant economic benefits for the host 
country. Rural tourism is a subset of alternative 
tourism.
Tourism Indicators of India
In the year 2019, during India's 73
rd 
Independence Day, the Prime Minister of India 
urged people to travel to at least 15 tourist 
destinations within India by 2022. He said that 
their visits would boost tourism and will help 
to create better facilities in the destinations. 
In response to that, the Ministry of Tourism, in 
November 2019, launched the Dekho Apna Desh 
programme. A big chunk of the tourism in India is 
'Domestic Tourism' (tourism within the country). 
Considering the year 2019 as the normal reference 
point (pre-pandemic), following data should be 
focussed upon.
Number of International Tourist 
Arrivals in India in 2019 (million)
Annual Growth Rate (3.7%)
17.42
Number of Domestic Tourist Visits in 
2019 (million)
Annual Growth Rate (11.9%)
1854.93
No. of Indian Nationals Departures 
from India in 2019 (million)
Annual Growth Rate(9.8%)
26.29
Source: India Tourism Statistics 2019, Ministry of Tourism.
In response to the pandemic, an economic 
package was announced on 12 May 2020. The 
term 'Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' or 'Self-
Reliant India Mission' was first mentioned in this 
announcement. The concept of ‘Aatma Nirbhar’ 
in the context of tourism can be interpreted 
as an attempt to enhance domestic tourism 
within India. As depicted above in the table, the 
percentage of Indian travellers visiting foreign 
countries witnessed an annual growth rate of 9.8 
percent in 2019. ‘Aatma Nirbhar’ would also aim 
at finding ways through which these outbound 
tourists can be motivated to prioritise India as 
their destination choice. Last but not the least; 
self-reliance also means aiming for a higher share 
of international tourist arrivals for India.
Rural Tourism – An Indian Perspective
Tourism comes under the service sector. 
It offers immense work opportunities, and the 
backward linkages and multiplier effects extend to 
manufacturing industries and even agriculture. With 
increasing incomes, mobility and better connectivity, 
it is going to grow at an even faster rate. Let us assess 
the need for alternative forms of tourism in India 
with the help of statistical data on tourism arrivals 
at a sought-after tourist destination in India. With 
an annual flow of over 80 lakh tourists as against 
the state’s population of a little over 18 lakh, Goa, 
is on the brink of a breakdown. While tourism 
growth is great news overall, the excessive burden 
on a handful of destinations, be it hill stations or 
that located seaside, is doing tremendous damage 
to India’s tourism hotspots, which are crumbling.
Many countries are no longer willing to put up with 
this consistent deterioration and are taking some 
drastic steps to set things right. As a country, India 
needs alternative destinations to offset the pressure 
on destinations like Goa, Shimla, etc. which are 
witnessing fatigue and deterioration due to mass 
tourism. Therefore, the concept of Rural Tourism 
is definitely useful for a country like India, where 
almost 69 percent of the population resides in its 6 
million villages. Each village is unique in terms of the 
tourism resources it has which can be transformed 
into a tourism product.
The 'Best Tourism Villages' by UNWTO pilot 
initiative aims to award those villages which 
are outstanding examples of rural destinations 
and showcase good practices in line with its 
specified nine evaluation areas. It aims to support 
villages to enhance their rural tourism potential 
through training and access to opportunities for 
improvement. In the year 2021, Ministry of Tourism 
recommended three villages for the UNWTO 
Best Tourism Village entry from India. These 
were Kongthong in Meghalaya, Ladhpura Khas in 
Madhya Pradesh, and Pochampally in Telangana. 
Pochampally village was selected as one of the 
best tourism villages by the UNWTO. Pochampally 
is often referred to as the 'Silk City of India' for 
the exquisite sarees that are woven through a 
unique style called 'Ikat'. This style, Pochampally 
Ikat, received a Geographical Indicator Status in 
Kurukshetra      June  2022 41
2004. International acclaim for a village can act as 
a motivator (competition) for many other villages 
which is required for rural tourism to thrive.
Rural Tourism for the first time was identified 
as one of the focus areas in India’s National Tourism 
Policy 2002. The rural life in India is where you 
meet the ‘real India’. Developing rural economy 
and creating jobs and opportunities in rural areas 
is therefore essential for ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’. 
Rural tourism can act as a non-farm income source. 
In the year 2022, Ministry of Tourism has prepared 
the Draft National Tourism Policy which says five 
key areas would be given significant focus in the 
next ten years — Green Tourism, Digital Tourism, 
Destination Management, Skilling the Hospitality 
Sector and Supporting Tourism-related to MSMEs. 
Developing rural tourism may cover many of the 
key areas of the draft tourism policy.
Tourism Infrastructure Development-3 ‘A’ 
Approach
There can be no tourism without a destination. 
For a destination to develop and sustain itself, the 
following ‘A’s (see boxes below) are fundamentally 
important. These three A’s have to be present in 
sync for any form of tourism to thrive, including 
rural tourism. An attempt has been made to co-
relate the ‘A’s with Rural Tourism. 
‘A’ccessibility– refers to how the tourist 
destination can be reached, mainly in terms of 
transportation (different modes). A destination 
may have all the attractions needed for being 
popular but if it is not linked properly, it forces 
the tourists to avoid the destination. 
Source: UNWTO
In order to simplify , rural resources/attractions 
can be sub-divided into three categories:
1. Resources by virtue of geographical and 
climatic characteristics of the region, flora 
and fauna, rivers, landscape, scenic beauty, 
etc. 
2. Aspects of the rural culture like village 
folklore, handicrafts, textile products, social 
bonds, etc. 
3. Farm produce and practices like sowing, 
harvesting, etc.
‘A’ttraction- refers to those features that 
pull or attract tourists to a destination. There is 
no easy way to enumerate or analyse attraction 
that a place offers.
Following is a brief overview of prominent 
transport infrastructure development initiatives 
which in turn benefit rural tourism also.
Road Transport Infrastructure Initiatives: 
Indian Roads are classified mainly into 7 types: 
National Highways, State Highways, District Roads, 
Village Roads, Border Roads, and Expressways. 
India has the lowest density of expressways in the 
world. Some of the most well-known completed 
expressway projects are: Agra-Lucknow Expressway 
(302 km), Yamuna Expressway (165 km), Mumbai-
Nashik Expressway (150 km), Eastern Peripheral 
Expressway (135 km). Ganga Expressway project, 
in Uttar Pradesh connecting Meerut and Prayagraj  
Page 5


Kurukshetra      June  2022 38
ourism thrives on mobility, which got 
absolutely restricted due to pandemic 
induced lockdowns that in turn 
proved to be the most severe blow 
on tourism in the recorded history. The sector 
is slowly moving towards a path of recovery. 
International Tourist Arrivals (ITA) is a prominent 
global tourism indicator. 
United Nations World 
Tourism Organisation 
(UNWTO) estimates that 
internationally there were 
just 25 million tourist 
arrivals in 1950, ITA stood 
at a whopping 1.4 billion 
in 2019 (consider the year 
2019 as the pre-pandemic 
reference point till when 
things were moving 
smoothly in the tourism 
sector) and it marked 
10
th
 consecutive year of 
sustained growth in ITA.
Dr. Suyash Yadav
The rural landscape in India offers myriad potential of being transformed into a tourism product that can attract both 
domestic as well as international visitors. In order to develop a village as a tourist destination, first step should be to identify 
the key strength of the village around which the theme of rural tourism can be developed. Key factors which drive growth 
of tourism; namely , location, proximity to prominent tourist destinations, implementation and maintenance of hardware and 
software components must be considered.
Tourism Infrastructure Development
T
Tourism has seen continued expansion over time, 
despite occasional shocks, demonstrating the 
sector’s strength and resilience. From 1950 till 
date, barring few dip events; namely, September 
2001 Terrorist attacks, SARS epidemic 2003, global 
economic crisis 2008, COVID-19 pandemic induced 
lockdown 2020, ITA has seen a consistent upsurge.
Source: UNWTO
Kurukshetra      June  2022 39
Evolution of Tourism
In 16
th
 century, the concept of ‘Grand Tour’ 
emerged in Europe, especially for educational 
purposes, where young aristocrats travelled 
along a well-designed circuit that touched famous 
centres of culture and philosophy accompanied by 
a tutor. A Grand Tour lasted for up to 3 years. As 
a concept it got faded in 19
th
 century. Prominent 
theme is that only a ‘class’ was able to afford travel/
tourism. From 1960s world witnessed a rapid 
growth of international mass tourism and its after-
effects. This phenomenon was fuelled by major 
geopolitical changes like industrial revolution 
(it changed the economic and social systems 
prevailing at that time including emergence of 
the working class, increase in material wealth 
for a large number of workers, paid holidays), 
end of world war, increased mobility, better 
communication, availability of tour packages 
(Thomas Cook invented the concept), etc. The 
aforesaid changes permitted even ‘masses’ to 
travel. Particularly international travel and tourism 
transformed from an activity that was once largely 
done by the upper class, to one enjoyed by the 
great majority of people, at least in the wealthier, 
developed countries. The transformative journey 
is known as the emergence of mass tourism, a 
process that is described by Tourism Scholar, John 
Urry, as the ‘democratisation’ of tourism.
Platform of Tourism
Jafar Jafari, a leading academic of Tourism 
Studies, identifies certain stages, or platforms, 
upon which the study of tourism has been based: 
1. The Advocacy Platform: International mass 
tourism began to increase rapidly from the 
early 1960s. At this time, tourism was seen 
primarily as an economic phenomenon, an 
expanding international business that as an 
important source of income and employment 
had the potential to generate economic 
growth in destination areas. Little concern 
was shown for the possible impacts of tourism 
development and, as a result, the study of 
travel and tourism was focused principally on 
the economic impacts of tourism, including 
indicators such as the multiplier effect.
2. The Cautionary Platform: As international 
tourism grew in both scale and scope, so too 
did awareness of its negative consequences. 
As a result, academic attention turned 
increasingly towards the study of the social, 
cultural and environmental impacts of travel 
and tourism. A number of key writers argued 
for a more cautious approach to the promotion 
of tourism.
3. The Adaptancy Platform: During the 1980s, 
as attention continued to focus on the 
negative impacts of mass tourism, and 
as a result a principal theme to emerge 
in the study of travel and tourism was 
that of Alternative Tourism, preparing 
the way for the emergence of the 
topic- Sustainable Tourism. Alternative 
tourism was concerned with finding, 
literally, alternatives to mass tourism 
development that had been so roundly 
criticised from the 1970s onwards, 
although, according to some, this 
represented a somewhat idealistic 
period in the study of travel and tourism.
Alternative tourism is an umbrella 
concept consisting of a variety of approaches: 
eco-tourism, agro-tourism, community 
tourism, ethical tourism, responsible 
tourism, sustainable tourism, etc. There 
are many possible alternative approaches 
that allow getting out of the dominant mass 
Kurukshetra      June  2022 40
tourism model. Beyond the economic issues 
of tourism, social and cultural dimensions, the 
relationship to the environment, the participation 
of host communities are also considered. It aims 
at developing sustainable tourism strategies with 
more significant economic benefits for the host 
country. Rural tourism is a subset of alternative 
tourism.
Tourism Indicators of India
In the year 2019, during India's 73
rd 
Independence Day, the Prime Minister of India 
urged people to travel to at least 15 tourist 
destinations within India by 2022. He said that 
their visits would boost tourism and will help 
to create better facilities in the destinations. 
In response to that, the Ministry of Tourism, in 
November 2019, launched the Dekho Apna Desh 
programme. A big chunk of the tourism in India is 
'Domestic Tourism' (tourism within the country). 
Considering the year 2019 as the normal reference 
point (pre-pandemic), following data should be 
focussed upon.
Number of International Tourist 
Arrivals in India in 2019 (million)
Annual Growth Rate (3.7%)
17.42
Number of Domestic Tourist Visits in 
2019 (million)
Annual Growth Rate (11.9%)
1854.93
No. of Indian Nationals Departures 
from India in 2019 (million)
Annual Growth Rate(9.8%)
26.29
Source: India Tourism Statistics 2019, Ministry of Tourism.
In response to the pandemic, an economic 
package was announced on 12 May 2020. The 
term 'Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' or 'Self-
Reliant India Mission' was first mentioned in this 
announcement. The concept of ‘Aatma Nirbhar’ 
in the context of tourism can be interpreted 
as an attempt to enhance domestic tourism 
within India. As depicted above in the table, the 
percentage of Indian travellers visiting foreign 
countries witnessed an annual growth rate of 9.8 
percent in 2019. ‘Aatma Nirbhar’ would also aim 
at finding ways through which these outbound 
tourists can be motivated to prioritise India as 
their destination choice. Last but not the least; 
self-reliance also means aiming for a higher share 
of international tourist arrivals for India.
Rural Tourism – An Indian Perspective
Tourism comes under the service sector. 
It offers immense work opportunities, and the 
backward linkages and multiplier effects extend to 
manufacturing industries and even agriculture. With 
increasing incomes, mobility and better connectivity, 
it is going to grow at an even faster rate. Let us assess 
the need for alternative forms of tourism in India 
with the help of statistical data on tourism arrivals 
at a sought-after tourist destination in India. With 
an annual flow of over 80 lakh tourists as against 
the state’s population of a little over 18 lakh, Goa, 
is on the brink of a breakdown. While tourism 
growth is great news overall, the excessive burden 
on a handful of destinations, be it hill stations or 
that located seaside, is doing tremendous damage 
to India’s tourism hotspots, which are crumbling.
Many countries are no longer willing to put up with 
this consistent deterioration and are taking some 
drastic steps to set things right. As a country, India 
needs alternative destinations to offset the pressure 
on destinations like Goa, Shimla, etc. which are 
witnessing fatigue and deterioration due to mass 
tourism. Therefore, the concept of Rural Tourism 
is definitely useful for a country like India, where 
almost 69 percent of the population resides in its 6 
million villages. Each village is unique in terms of the 
tourism resources it has which can be transformed 
into a tourism product.
The 'Best Tourism Villages' by UNWTO pilot 
initiative aims to award those villages which 
are outstanding examples of rural destinations 
and showcase good practices in line with its 
specified nine evaluation areas. It aims to support 
villages to enhance their rural tourism potential 
through training and access to opportunities for 
improvement. In the year 2021, Ministry of Tourism 
recommended three villages for the UNWTO 
Best Tourism Village entry from India. These 
were Kongthong in Meghalaya, Ladhpura Khas in 
Madhya Pradesh, and Pochampally in Telangana. 
Pochampally village was selected as one of the 
best tourism villages by the UNWTO. Pochampally 
is often referred to as the 'Silk City of India' for 
the exquisite sarees that are woven through a 
unique style called 'Ikat'. This style, Pochampally 
Ikat, received a Geographical Indicator Status in 
Kurukshetra      June  2022 41
2004. International acclaim for a village can act as 
a motivator (competition) for many other villages 
which is required for rural tourism to thrive.
Rural Tourism for the first time was identified 
as one of the focus areas in India’s National Tourism 
Policy 2002. The rural life in India is where you 
meet the ‘real India’. Developing rural economy 
and creating jobs and opportunities in rural areas 
is therefore essential for ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’. 
Rural tourism can act as a non-farm income source. 
In the year 2022, Ministry of Tourism has prepared 
the Draft National Tourism Policy which says five 
key areas would be given significant focus in the 
next ten years — Green Tourism, Digital Tourism, 
Destination Management, Skilling the Hospitality 
Sector and Supporting Tourism-related to MSMEs. 
Developing rural tourism may cover many of the 
key areas of the draft tourism policy.
Tourism Infrastructure Development-3 ‘A’ 
Approach
There can be no tourism without a destination. 
For a destination to develop and sustain itself, the 
following ‘A’s (see boxes below) are fundamentally 
important. These three A’s have to be present in 
sync for any form of tourism to thrive, including 
rural tourism. An attempt has been made to co-
relate the ‘A’s with Rural Tourism. 
‘A’ccessibility– refers to how the tourist 
destination can be reached, mainly in terms of 
transportation (different modes). A destination 
may have all the attractions needed for being 
popular but if it is not linked properly, it forces 
the tourists to avoid the destination. 
Source: UNWTO
In order to simplify , rural resources/attractions 
can be sub-divided into three categories:
1. Resources by virtue of geographical and 
climatic characteristics of the region, flora 
and fauna, rivers, landscape, scenic beauty, 
etc. 
2. Aspects of the rural culture like village 
folklore, handicrafts, textile products, social 
bonds, etc. 
3. Farm produce and practices like sowing, 
harvesting, etc.
‘A’ttraction- refers to those features that 
pull or attract tourists to a destination. There is 
no easy way to enumerate or analyse attraction 
that a place offers.
Following is a brief overview of prominent 
transport infrastructure development initiatives 
which in turn benefit rural tourism also.
Road Transport Infrastructure Initiatives: 
Indian Roads are classified mainly into 7 types: 
National Highways, State Highways, District Roads, 
Village Roads, Border Roads, and Expressways. 
India has the lowest density of expressways in the 
world. Some of the most well-known completed 
expressway projects are: Agra-Lucknow Expressway 
(302 km), Yamuna Expressway (165 km), Mumbai-
Nashik Expressway (150 km), Eastern Peripheral 
Expressway (135 km). Ganga Expressway project, 
in Uttar Pradesh connecting Meerut and Prayagraj  
Kurukshetra      June  2022 42
will be the longest expressway of India on 
completion. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana 
is a project launched in 2000 (is still active, 
undertaken by the Ministry of Rural Development) 
to provide good all-weather road connectivity 
to all villages in India. Bharatmala is a road 
infrastructure project (launched in 2015-active 
as of now) undertaken by the Ministry of Road 
Transport and Highways.
Water Transport Infrastructure Initiatives: 
India is a land of rivers. It has a coastline of 7500 
km; it has more than 15,000 km of navigable 
waterways. Under the Sagarmala Project 
(launched in 2015, active as of now, undertaken 
by the Ministry of Shipping), high quality roads 
will be constructed in the coastal areas, areas 
adjoining ports, ensuring development of coastal 
economic zones, inland waterways. This project 
will also boost exports and employment. National 
Waterways are an important mode of transport for 
both passengers and cargo. In India, the National 
Waterways include Inland waterways and sea 
routes for trade purposes. Navigable waterways 
include rivers, backwaters, canals, creeks, and 
so on. In 1986, the Government of India created 
the Inland Waterways Authority of India which is 
a statutory body responsible for the waterways 
in India. The National Waterways Act, 2016 was 
enacted to realise the potential of inland water as 
a highly economical mode of transport. 
Air Transport Infrastructure Initiatives: 
Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) was launched 
as a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) under 
the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016, with the 
objective to develop the regional aviation market 
and to provide affordable, economically viable 
and profitable air travel on regional routes to the 
common man even in small towns. The scheme 
envisages providing connectivity to unserved 
and underserved airports of the country through 
the revival of existing air-strips and airports. 
The scheme is operational for a period of 10 
years. Financial incentives from the Centre, state 
governments and airport operators are extended 
to selected airlines to encourage operations from 
unserved and underserved airports, and keep 
(Alappuzha in Kerala)