Rural Tourism and Sustainability: An Explorative Study in Garo Hills of Meghalaya

Abstract

Rural tourism is a pure form of rural settings multiple rural phenomenon, like wide and lush green agricultural land, orchids, people seem to be busy in routine activities, colourful muddy houses, wall paintings, herds of cattle, chaupal is centre and meeting point of rural societies where they share and exchange useful information about all most every day. It is a develop to attract urban settlers to showcasing the real hardship of rural life, leisure, creative, ethnic, cultural, fair & festivals, local craftsmanship with changing seasons of the rural area. During their visit to rural site, the local rural communities act as entrepreneurs to facilitate all basis needs & comforts to tourists in order to generate extra income. These rural sites have been emerged as an important rural tourist destination which is full culture and tradition, arts and crafts, dances and music, events and delicious cuisines etc. The model of rural tourism has design to support local economy to make alternate livelihood for communities and various stake holders and create image through branding rural destination. India has agrarian economy where more than 70 per cent people attached with agricultural and allied activities for their livelihood. In India there is a big prospect for the growth of rural tourism, which will be able to increase the countrys inclusive economic growth. Rural tourism creates huge opportunities for youths and women as rural entrepreneurs and generate employment opportunities. In India every one million invested in tourism sector creates 47.5 jobs directly and 85 jobs indirectly. The government, belatedly, has realized what the rural India can offer to the world. According to Tenth Five Year Plan, tourism as one of the major sources for generating employment and promoting sustainable livelihoods. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in collaboration with United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has launched the indigenous rural tourism projects linked to the existing rural tourism scheme of the government. Rural tourism is helpful to develop rural socio-economic and environmental sustainability though capacity building among rural communities, pro-active NGOs, public-private community based partnership etc. In this way rural tourism is able to boost up Indian inclusive economic growth. This paper aims to study the rural tourism and sustainability, dimensions of rural tourism in Meghalaya, such as rural sustainability, rural sustainable tourism, rural entrepreneurship, role of local governance, capacity building programme by tourism departments, community participation towards rural tourism promotion, with special reference to IBDLP initiative to develop Chandigre Rural Tourism Project of Garo Hills District of Meghalaya.

Keywords: Rural Tourism and Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, IBDLP

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