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HMT-560
Assignment
On
RURAL AREAS

Submitted by: - Submitted to:-

Nitish Rawat Mr. Pankaj

Roll no: - RV8901A17

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Rural Tourism showcases the rural life, art, culture and heritage of India,at rural
locations in villages and benefits the local community economically and socially. It
enables interaction between tourists and local population for a mutually enriching
experience, the Government of India has taken several steps to develop and promote
rural tourism. The Ministry of Tourism has partnered with the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) for Endogenous Rural Tourism as pilot projects for
capacity building. Within prescribed limits, this Ministry funds the hardware projects and
the funds for capacity building were provided by the UNDP through this Ministry The
software component was implemented with the involvement of an NGO/Gram
Panchayat identified by the UNDP in co-ordination with the District Collector and the
local community. The Ministry also extends the scheme of Capacity Building for Service
Providers (CBS) to other rural sites beyond those covered under partnership with the
IJNDP.

The focal point for each site is the District Collector for ensuring convergence with other
Yojanas and Schemes. The project implementation is monitored by the Project Standing
Committee chaired by the Joint Secretary (Tourism). Field visits are conducted by the
Ministry of Tourism-UNDP Teams.

To monitor the projects, the National Workshops and Regional Review Meetings have
been held regularly where initiatives were taken to further strengthen the scheme which
included home-stay with food, guide- training among the local youth, enhancing the role
of women, linkage with tout operators and encouragement of the foreign students to
stay with the rural host community, etc. In some sites, e.g Hodka, Pocharnpalli,
Kumbhalangi, Karaikudi (Chettinad), Aranmula, Raghurajpur, tour operators are
involving such communities within their groups.

UNDP has created a panel of architects to advise, guide and provide design inputs for
site hardware work plan with sensitivity to the local environment using local skills,
material and style. In many sites, the architects have been able to give new dimensions
which are based on local skill, material and style


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Indians believe in holidays: The country has

among the largest number of public holidays
in the world. Yet the most common reason for
getting away is to "visit a native place."
Migrant workers return to their family farms at
harvest time. Others return to their villages (and extended families) for an annual
pilgrimage. The concept of a holiday where you let your hair down and relax has been
accepted only in recent years.

The idea of rural tourism is, therefore, a bit of a puzzle for many Indians. They go back
to their village every year; why should they pay good money to go to some other
village? Rustic charms hold greater appeal for foreign tourists. Concerted government
and travel industry efforts to sell India abroad with campaigns such as "Incredible India"
began only this decade, but rural tourism as a product is still evolving.

A national tourism policy was introduced in 2002, with rural tourism identified as a focus
area to generate employment and promote sustainable livelihoods. "As a part of the
National Tourism Policy 2002, the Ministry of Tourism is developing and promoting rural
tourism sites which have core competency in art, craft, culture, heritage, handloom,
etc.," Union Ministry of Tourism Secretary Sujit Banerjee said recently in a statement.
According to the 2002 policy, "Special thrust should be imparted to rural tourism and
tourism in small settlements, where sizable assets of our culture and natural wealth
exist."

Just what is rural tourism? The government has taken a broad view. "Any form of
tourism that showcases rural life, art, culture and heritage at rural locations, thereby
benefiting the local community economically and socially as well as enabling interaction
between the tourists and the locals for a more enriching tourism experience, can be
termed as rural tourism," says a Ministry of Tourism policy paper. "Rural tourism is
essentially an activity which takes place in the countryside. It is multifaceted and may
entail farm/agricultural tourism, cultural tourism, nature tourism, adventure tourism and
ecotourism. As against conventional tourism, rural tourism has certain typical
characteristics: It is experience-oriented; the locations are sparsely populated; it is
predominantly in natural environments; it meshes with seasonality and local events; and
it is based on the preservation of culture, heritage and traditions."

Not everyone applies such a broad definition. Ecotourism -- which concerns itself with
the preservation of the environment while offering the best to tourists -- is more
fashionable these days. And some in government and the tourism industry would like to
focus on ecotourism rather than rural tourism, which could have a down-market, rough-
it-out connotation. "Ecotourism and rural tourism are not exactly the same but can be
clubbed together for greater benefits," says Md. Jawaid, a former minister in the eastern
state of Bihar who has promoted the website ecotourismindia.com. "This is just an
information site now," Jawaid says. "It is a small effort on my part to promote tourism in
the rural areas of India. But we have big plans. The potential is huge."

Rajesh K. Aithal, assistant professor of marketing at the Indian Institute of Management,

Lucknow, has another definition. "Rural tourism is a form of tourism in which the guests
get to enjoy the unique culture of village life through participation in events, or
experiencing the local cuisine, or buying ethnic goods, and in the process also improve
the welfare of the local people."


 

Mandip Singh Soin, president of the Ecotourism Society of India, a group of tourism
professionals and environmentalists formed with the Ministry of Tourism's backing, says
the concept can be confusing. "Rural tourism is understood differently in different parts
of the world," he notes. "Ecotourism and rural tourism are the same only in a sense.
They are cousins really. Rural tourism may not necessarily be the protector and
enhancer of conservation. It is much more community-oriented. Ecotourism is more
holistic; all responsible tourism actions come into play."

The difference is best illuminated by a couple of examples. As part of its 2002 plan, the
government partnered with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for an
Endogenous Tourism Project. Some 30 rural sites were selected in 20 states to develop
as destinations for rural tourists. The UNDP pumped in an initial US$2.5 million. The
government asked the states and union territories to submit proposals. Those that were
selected were entitled to assistance up to US$100,000.

One of the project's success stories is Hodka village in Gujarat. A village tourism
committee owns and operates the Shaam-e-Sarhad ("Sunset at the Border") Village
Resort. The accommodations are simple. Tourists can stay in tents or traditional mud
huts, known as ×
. All have attached bathrooms, Western toilets and showers.
The resort can accommodate up to 30 people. Staying in tents costs around US$40 a
night, while the bhungas are more expensive, around US$60 a night. Among the
attractions: specially organized workshops in embroidery and leather work; interactions
with other artisan communities; wildlife including flamingos, pelicans, foxes and
leopards; and nearby archaeological sites of the Indus Valley Civilization. In January
2008, there was even a 
 
 -- a cattle fair. All this activity has had to be
organized, packaged and sold.

Far away from Hodka, in the northeastern state of Meghalaya, is Mawlynnong. Neither
the UNDP nor the government of India has been involved with this ecotourism effort's
success. Rather, a community effort has made it the poster child of rural tourism in
India. In 2003,    (a magazine published by Media Transasia along with the
Union Ministry of Tourism) anointed it the cleanest village in Asia. It has retained its
charms. "Mawlynnong's reputation for cleanliness has even earned it a place on the
state's tourism map," according to a report by the BBC. "Hundreds of visitors from all
over India now visit the village throughout the year." Mawlynnong also attracts tourists
from around the world.
Both Mawlynnong and Hodka demonstrate a key prerequisite for the success of any
rural tourism project: community involvement. "Going by our experience in setting up
community-owned companies in the rural sector, the outcome depends on a number of
factors, and host communities should be encouraged to play a pivotal role in the
development of rural tourism," says William Bissell, managing director of Fabindia and
author of the recently published ›  . Fabindia is a novel experiment in
which rural artisans -- the suppliers to this private retail platform -- are shareholders in
the company. (See "The Poor as Stakeholders: Can 'Inclusive Capitalism' Thrive in
India?")

   

The point about community involvement is also made by Mott MacDonald, a global
management, engineering and development consultancy that the Ministry of Tourism
asked to evaluate the rural tourism scheme. Its report, submitted in June 2007 after five
years of operation, says: "In order to make the scheme more meaningful, it is very
important that the sustenance issues be discussed with the community before the start
of the project." Fear of the unknown once was common, but it has disappeared in the
projects undertaken. "Xenophobia has been removed from the minds of the local
people," the report notes.

Before the Ministry of Tourism became involved, this fear of foreigners was just one of
the basic issues that hindered the flow of tourists to the sites chosen by the government
and the UNDP. From the start, the sites had the advantages of historical importance,
craft, culture, cuisine and natural beauty. But hindrances included a lack of basic
infrastructure including sanitation, drinking water and wayside amenities; a lack of
accommodation and food facilities; and a lack of awareness about site importance and
the need for local guides.

Most of the issues have been addressed. "With the intervention of the Ministry of
Tourism, there has been considerable change," the Mott MacDonald report notes. "The
rural tourism scheme has been a valuable vehicle to bring the ultimate rural
stakeholders in touch with the tourism sector to increase employment." The report
continues: "Rural tourism is not the end, but the means to stimulate economic growth, to
increase the viability of underdeveloped locations, and to improve the living standards of
local populations." Adds Bissell of Fabindia: "With proper training and the infrastructure
in place, rural tourism certainly has the potential to generate large-scale employment.
What we need is commitment and a long-term view."

"The development of a strong platform around the concept of rural tourism is definitely
useful for a country like India, where almost 74% of the population resides in its seven
million villages," the Ministry of Tourism's policy paper notes.

A Nod to the Bottom Line

Yet increasing the bottom line for tourism is equally important. After all, there is a limit to
the number of tourists you can pack into the Taj Mahal and Khajuraho. Today, with
exports plummeting amid the global economic slowdown, tourism has become a key
foreign-exchange earner. According to Ministry of Tourism figures, foreign-exchange
earnings from tourism in 2008 were around US$11 billion, an increase of 14.4% from
2007. A total of 5.37 million tourists visited India in 2008, an increase of 5.6% from
2007. But in the first nine months of 2009, foreign tourist arrivals were down 7.7% from
the same period a year earlier. Earnings will also be down, though those numbers are
not yet available.

The government is doing all it can to boost these figures. In October, at a Dubai road
show for its Visit India 2009 tourism campaign, Pronab Sarkar, secretary of the Indian
Association of Tour Operators (IATO), unveiled some highlights for foreign tourists.
Among them: an IATO-sponsored complimentary one-day rural eco-holiday in the
country.

Tour operators are businessmen. Would they be bothered about the larger picture of
rural employment and sustainability? Yes, says Soin of the Ecotourism Society. The
society was set up last year because "we feel we needed to have our tourism sector do
the right thing in terms of responsible tourism actions that would allow for a smaller
tourism footprint ecologically. At the same time, we wanted to look at how tourism can
get its dollars to flow down the supply chain more equitably and involve the local
communities to be partners in tourism operations. We also want to be the watchdog of
tourism in the country."

Soin responds to criticism that rural tourism exploits poor people in the villages and
damages the environment. "This is not correct," he says. "Most revenues are being
earned and kept at the village level so it goes into the pockets of the villagers either as
direct individual earnings or collective cooperative efforts. In fact, in areas like [the
northeastern state of] Nagaland, where the ecology was being damaged by village lads
hunting rare pheasants, the trend got reversed when they saw the opportunity for
earning money as guides showing these pheasants to bird watchers." Adds Aithal of
IIM: "A well-executed rural tourism project has the potential of becoming a win-win
proposition both for the tourist and the villagers."

There is a lot of potential for rural tourism in India, Aithal notes. "'Rural' as an entity is
fast disappearing, especially in the developed world. Even for young urban Indians,
rural would be something that they would want to connect to." Adds Jawaid of
ecotourismindia.com: "Both Indians and foreigners can be targeted." For the moment,
however, it's the foreign tourist who is being wooed. "Initially, the target will be
foreigners as this is a novelty for them," Soin says. "It may not be that novel an
experience for Indians. Indians demand more comfort in lodging and are less prone to
roughing it out."

"Rural tourism is in its nascent stage in India," Aithal notes. "But it will grow. There is a
huge market out there. The experience of many countries shows that rural tourism can
be seen as an alternate source of livelihood and employment. The main problems with
rural tourism are the same as with any rural development project. Can you scale up
these projects? Can you replicate them? And how do you make these projects stand on
their own without money being pumped in from outside? For this you need very strong
village-level institutions, which can take up the execution once the project has been
initiated."
According to Fabindia's Bissell, "If sites are selected with care, on the basis of potential
and core competency, and the project implementation focuses as much on the
'software' aspects of human development along with the 'hardware' of capacity building
and infrastructure development, there is every reason to anticipate a positive outcome.
As a multi-sectoral activity, using multiple services provided by a range of suppliers,
rural tourism is an area where a strong public-private partnership is of prime
importance, particularly given the number of ministries beyond tourism -- for example,
rural development, culture, environment and tribal welfare -- that could be involved."
‘ 
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Tourism growth potential can be harnessed as a strategy for Rural Development. The
development of a strong platform around the concept of Rural tourism is definitely useful
for a country like India, where almost 74% of the population resides in its 7 million
villages. Across the world the trends of industrialization and development have had an
urban centric approach. Alongside, the stresses of urban lifestyles have led to a
³counter-urbanization´ syndrome. This has led to growing interest in the rural areas. At
the same time this trend of urbanization has led to falling income levels, lesser job
opportunities in the rural areas leading to an urbanization syndrome in the rural areas.
Rural Tourism is one of the few activities which can provide a solution to these
problems. Besides, there are other factors which are shifting the trend towards rural
tourism like increasing levels of awareness, growing interest in heritage and culture and
improved accessibility, and environmental consciousness. In the developed countries,
this has resulted in a new style of tourism of visiting village settings to experience and
live a relaxed and healthy lifestyle. This concept has taken the shape of a formal kind of
Rural Tourism. Under this Scheme, thrust is to promote village tourism as the primary
tourism product to spread tourism and its socio-economic benefits to rural and its new
geographic regions. Key geographic regions are identified for development and
promotion of Rural Tourism. The implementation is done through a Convergence
Committee headed by the District Collector. Activities like improving the environment,
hygiene, infrastructure etc. are covered for assistance. Apart from providing financial
assistance, the focus is to tap the resources available under different schemes of
Department. of Rural Development, State Governments and other concerned
Departments of the Government of India.


  
  
 


The government¶s efforts to create a new paradigm for sustainable development of

tourism in India have resulted in several ³environment friendly initiatives´, union Tourism
Minister Kumari Selja .
The initiatives focus on rural tourism, capacity development, linking rural communities to
the mainstream with tourism projects and stressing on the conservation of vernacular
and rural architecture, she said.

³Our dedication towards according priority for tourism with inclusive growth is best
exemplified by our innovative rural tourism project that covers 166 rural sites across the
country,´ Selja said.

³Given that the year 2010 is being celebrated as the International Year of Biodiversity,
India as a member of the 14-country Marrakech International Task Force on
Sustainable Tourism Development contributed widely in enabling the transition to a
µUnited Nations Partnership for Sustainable Development¶ and subsequent fostering of
µGlobal Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC)¶,´ she said.

Selja said: ³The three pillars of sustainable tourism were environmental integrity, social
justice and economic development.´

In this context, she said eco-tourism was a niche product with major revenue and
employment generation capacities.

³Travel to eco-tourism destinations like national parks are growing but better
management of forests requires immediate attention,´ the minister said.

As a modest beginning, the government has set aside Rs.200 crore as a special golden
jubilee package for Goa to preserve its natural resources by restoring its ³erosion prone
beaches through sustainable forestry´.

The tourism ministry is spearheading interactions with industry stakeholders under the
µTigers: Our National Beauties¶ scheme to preserve natural habitats of tigers in eco-
tourism and rural destinations, she said.
The inaugural session of the workshop was attended by Sultan Ahmed, minister of state
for tourism, Ashok Khosla, chairman of the International Union for Conservation of
Nature, Anand Kumar, joint secretary of tourism, Sujit Banerjee, secretary, ministry of
tourism, Rajesh Gopal, member secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority,
Mandip Singh Soin, president of the Eco-Tourism Society of India, Jose Dominic,
founder of the Our Native Village Bangalore and several others.

The workshop, divided into four sessions, addressed issues like µGlobal Trends on
Sustainable Tourism¶, µGlobal Sustainable Tourism Criteria and Tourism Sustainability
Council¶ and µGlobal Sustainable Tourism Criteria in Indian Context¶.

³Part of our blueprint to promote India abroad as a holistic tourist destination is

sustainable tourism. Rural tourism is integral to the sustainability criteria. We had
started with 36 UNDP-supported rural tourism destinations and the number has now
swelled to 166. The rise in the number of tourism destinations has seen a 300 percent
increase in livelihoods of the rural and ethnic communities engaged in rural tourism
projects across the country,´ Sujit Banerjee, secretary, ministry of tourism, told IANS.

He cited Samod, a heritage village retreat in Rajasthan, as an example. ³It has a thriving
local handicrafts industry supported by the government¶s rural tourism initiative,´ he
said.

Delivering the keynote address, Khosla said: ³The changing climate and rising sea
levels were going to imperil several tourism destinations across India.´

Citing figures, he said, nearly 15,000 sq km of area was turning into desert in India
every year and by 2030 ³the country will need the combined resources of three India to
support one nation´.

Melting glaciers were a threat to the Himalayan destinations and the latest Census
showed that the tiger population in India was as low as nearly 1410, he said.

³India has decide the model of tourism it has to follow to keep tourism self-sustaining,´
Khosla said.


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AGRI-TOURISM: INNOVATIVE INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITY FOR

ENTERPRISING FARMERS

Agriculture is backbone of Indian Economy. 85 percent of the population is directly or

indirectly dependent on Agriculture where as 26 percent of GDP comes from
Agriculture. 110 million farmers are dwelling in 6.25 lakh villages producing more than
200 MT of food grains feeding the country. More than profession, business, agriculture
is culture. Hence, adding additional income generating activities to existing Agriculture
would certainly increase contribution of Agriculture to national GDP. Serious efforts
need to be made in this direction. Agri-Tourism is one such activity.

Tourism is termed as instrument for employment generation, poverty alleviation and

sustainable human development. During 1999-2000, direct employment created by
tourism is 15.5 millions. Besides, tourism also promotes national integration,
international understanding and supports local handicrafts and cultural activities. During
2000, number of foreign tourists visited India is 26.41 lakhs. India⼌s share in world
tour market is just 0.38 percent. With this meager share, foreign exchange earned is
Rs.14,475 crores. Turnover in domestic tourism is much more than this. To promote
domestic tourism, thrust areas identified by Government of India are development of
infrastructure, product development and diversification, development of eco-adventure
sports, cultural presentations, providing inexpensive accommodation, streamlining
facilitation procedures at airports, human resource development, creating awareness
and public participation and facilitation of private sector participation. In this process,
important stakeholders are state and central department of tourism, Indian Institute of
Tourism and Travel Management, Tourism Development Corporations, foreign
embassies, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Indian Association of Tour
Operators (IATO), Tourists, Transport Operators Association, Indian convention
promotion bureau and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
Promotion of Agri-tourism involves some more important stakeholders namely Ministry
of Agriculture and line departments at state and central governments and farmers.
Promotion of Agri-Tourism needs conceptual convergence with Rural Tourism, Eco-
Tourism, Health Tourism, Adventure Tourism and culinary adventures. Greatest
advantage of Agri-Tourism are:

1). It brings major primary sector Agriculture closer to major service sector tourism. This
convergence is expected to create win-win situation for both the sectors.

2). Tourism sector has potential to enlarge.

3). Agriculture sector has the capacity to absorb expansion in Tourism Sector.

Scope for Agri-Tourism:- Agri-Tourism has great scope in the present context for the
following reasons.

(1). An inexpensive gateway:- The cost of food, accommodation, recreation and travel is
minimum in Agri-Tourism. This widens the tourist base. Present concept of travel and
tourism is limited to urban and rich class which constitute only small portion of the
population. However, the concept of Agri-tourism takes travel and tourism to the larger
population, widening the scope of tourism due to its cost effectiveness.

(2). Curiosity about the farming industry and life style:- The urban population basically
which has roots in villages always has curiosity about sources of food, plants, animals,
raw materials like wood, handicrafts, languages, culture, tradition, dresses and lifestyle.
Agri-tourism which revolves around the farmers, villages and agriculture has the
capacity to satisfy the curiosity of this segment of population. Agri-tourism provides
scope for re-discoursing the rural life which is rich in diversity.

(3). Strong demand for wholesome family oriented recreational activities â¼³ villages
provide recreational opportunities to all age groups i.e. children young, middle and old
age, male, female, in total to the whole family at cheaper cost. Rural games, festivals,
food, dress and the nature provides variety of entertainment to the whole family.

(4). Health consciousness of urban population and finding solace with nature friendly
means â¼³ Modern lifestyle has made the life stressful and average life span has
comedown. Hence, people are in constant search of pro-nature means to make life
more peaceful. Ayerveda which is pro-nature medical approach has roots in villages.
Indigenous medical knowledge of villagers is respected. Organic foods are in greater
demand in urban areas and foreign countries. In total, health conscious urban
population is looking towards pro-nature villages for solutions.

(5). Desire for peace and tranquility:- Modern life is the product of diversified thinking
and diversified activities. Every individual attempts to work more, in different directions
to earn more money to enjoy modern comforts. Hence, peace is always out of his
system. Tourism is the means for searching peaceful location. Peace and tranquility are
inbuilt in Agri-tourism as it is away from urban areas and close to nature.

(6). Interest in natural environment - Busy urban population is leaning towards nature.
Because, natural environment is always away from busy life. Birds, animals, crops,
mountains, water bodies, villages provide totally different atmosphere to urban
population in which they can forget their busy urban life.

(7). Disillusionment with over crowded resorts and cities - In resorts and cities, over
crowded peace seekers disturb each others peace. Hence, peace is beyond cities and
resorts. Even though efforts are made to create village atmosphere in the sub urban
areas through resorts, farm houses, it looks like a donkey painted with tiger colour.
Artificiality is highlighted and not satisfying.

(8). Nostalgia for their roots on the farm â¼³ Cities are growing at the cost of villages.
Villagers are migrating to cities in search of jobs and seeking comforts of modern life.
Hence, yesterday⼌s villagers are today⼌s urbanites. Deep in the heart of
urbanites lies the love and respect for their ancestors and villages. Hence, visit to
villages satisfies their desire. This is also expressed through the hatredness of urbanites
to flat culture and love for farmhouses located in the outskirts of cities. Any opportunity
to visit villages and spend time with family is dream of any urbanite. But, minimum
decent facilities are always problem. Agri-tourism attempts to overcome this problem.

(9). Rural recreation â¼³ Villages provide varieties of recreation to urbanites through
festivals and handicrafts. Villagers (farmers) lifestyle, dress, languages, culture /
traditions which always add value to the entertainment. Agriculture environment around
farmers and the entire production process could create curiosity among urban taught.
Places of agriculture importance like highest crop yielding farm, highest animal yielding
farm, processing units, farms where innovations tried add attraction to the tourists.
Agriculture products like farm gate fresh market, processed foods, organic food could
lure the urban tourists. As result of this Agri-atmosphere in the villages, there is scope to
develop Agri-tourism products like Agri-shopping, culinary tourism, pick and own your
tree / plot, bed and breakfast, pick and pay, bullock cart riding, camel riding, boating,
fishing, herbal walk, rural games and health (Ayurvedic) tourism.

(10). Educational value of Agri-Tourism:- Agri-tourism could create awareness about

rural life and knowledge about agriculture science among urban school childrens. It
provides a best alternative for school picnics which are urban based. It provides
opportunity for hands on experience for urban college students in Agriculture. It is a
means for providing training to future farmers. It would be effectively used as
educational and training tool to train agriculture and line department officers. This
provides unique opportunity for education through recreation where learning is fun
effective and easy. Seeing is believing, doing is learning and most importantly
experiences are USP of Agri-tourism.

Basic principles of Agri-Tourism : Agri-tourism should ensure the following three basic
principles.
1. Have something for visitors to see:- Animals, birds, farms and nature are the few
things which Agri-tourism could offer to the tourist to see. Apart from these, culture,
dress, festivals and rural games could create enough interest among forest in Agri-
tourism.
2. Have something for visitors to do:- Participating in agricultural operations and
swimming, bullock cart riding, camel riding, buffalo riding, cooking and participating in
the rural games are the few activities to quote in which tourist can take part and enjoy.
3. Have something for visitors to buy:- Rural crafts, dress materials, farm gate fresh
agriculture products, processed foods are the few items which tourist can buy as
memento for remembrance.

Three important factors which contribute to the success of Agri-Tourism

1. Farmer: Majority of the cases, farmer is less educated, less exposed and innocent.
For farmer, any outsider is a guest and treated wholeheartedly without any commercial
motive. Treating guest is pleasure for them than pain. He entertains the guest while
entertaining himself in the process. He is not like an exploitative natured businessman
which itself facilitate a clean tourism atmosphere
2. Village : Village, which is located far from the city lacks urban facilities, but blessed
with natural resources. The investment is made by nature in the form of water bodies,
fields, forest, mountains, deserts and islands. Community is more homogenous and
treating a guest is part of their culture rather than a profession leading to natural
environment required for urban tourist.
3. Agriculture : Rich resources in agriculture namely land, water and plants are unique
from place to place bringing diversity and creating curiosity. Each field is unique which
adds to the attraction of tourists. The way of cultivation and the products are great
attraction to the urban population. Indigenous knowledge of rural people is a wealth,
which adds to novelty and curiosity of urban population.
Combination of farmer, village and agriculture create a wonderful situation which
provides unlimited satisfaction to the tourist specially from urban areas.
Agri-tourism opportunities in India
§ Indian tourism industry is growing @10.1%. The World Tourism organization has
estimated that the tourism industry is growing at the rate of 4% a year and that by the
year 2010 there will be more than one billion tourist visit various parts of the world. But
Indian tourism industry is growing at the rate of 10% which is 2½ times more that the
growth rate at global level. By introducing Agri-tourism concept, not only present growth
rate is sustained but also this value addition contributes to further growth.

§ India has entered amongest the top 10 tourist destinations list (Conde Nast Travellor
â¼³ A leading European Travel Magazine). India is already established as one of the top
tourist destination in the world. Value addition by introducing novel products like Agri-
tourism would only strengthen the competitiveness of Indian tourism industry in global
market.

§ India has diverse culture and geography which provide ample and unlimited scope
for the growth of this business. India has diverse Agro-climatic conditions, diverse
crops, people, culture, deserts, mountains, coastal systems and islands which provide
scope for promotion of all season, multi-location tourism products.

§ There is an increasing number of tourists preferring non-urban tourist spots (financial

express). Hence, there is scope for promotion of non-urban tourist spots in interior
villages by establishing Agri-tourism centres. But, adequate facilities and publicity are
must to promote such centres.

§ Government initiatives and policies in X five year plan, allocation has been increased
from 525 crore to 2900 crores. Increased financial allocation reaffirms the government
commitment. The increased financial allocation by six times could be used for capacity
building of service providers, creation of infrastructure and publicity.
Market mix strategy : The proposed market mix strategy for the promotion of Agri-
tourism concept is as follows.

1. Product - The product in Agri-tourism is seeing, believing and ultimately experiencing.

This experience is unique and unmatched. The experience of climbing a tree , buffalo
riding in the pond and enjoying the sugarcane juice in the field itself are unique and
none of the million dollar tourist centres can create and offer such experiences.

2. Price â¼³
a). Customer segment pricing â¼³ Domestic and foreign tourist could be priced
differently as the capacity to pay is different. For a bullock cart riding, a foreign tourist
can pay one dollar where as a domestic tourist can pay only one fourth.

b). Location pricing â¼³ Pricing in Agri-tourism depends upon location and importance.
Agri-tourism which just offers agriculture and rural life as attraction can charge normal
pricing. Where as Agri-tourism spots which are very close to established tourism
centres like temple towns, hill stations, around big citres can go far little bit higher
charging due to added value. As the pricing in established tourism places are high, it
works out to be cheaper for tourist to stay and enjoy in Agri-tourism spots.

c). Time pricing â¼³ Agri-tourism units can charge higher in peak season i.e. November
to January and change less during rest of the period. During rural festivals or at the time
of important events Agri-tourism units can charge more, even though it is during off
season.

3. Place â¼³ The place where tourists are accommodated also influence the pricing. It
the tourists are accommodated in villages itself with the farmer, the charging can be
less where as accommodation in farms cost high. Because, exclusively for tourist
purpose infrastructure is created in farm whereas existing facilities are used in farmers
house in village.

4. Promotion â¼³ Promotion of Agri-tourism and strategic alliance can takes place at
three levels.
(i) Alliance with airlines, tour operators and foreign embassies. This alliance brings
foreign tourists and upper middle class urban tourists into Agri-tourism fold. It may not
be possible for individual farmers to take up this task. Government can assist the Agri-
tourism units through promotion and co-ordination activities through central and state
tourism departments.

(ii) Alliance with hotel industry â¼³ Large number of domestic tourists can be attracted
through alliance with hotel industry. The hotel industry can be used to promote Agri-
tourism concept.

(iii) Promotion by Agri-tourism units â¼³ Basically the promotion takes place through
mouth to mouth and local publicity given by Agri-tourism units. As the absorption
capacity of each unit is very less, direct marketing with little aggressive mode is enough
for a Agri-tourism units to survive. They can go for combined publicity on cost sharing
basis and also publics the Agri-tourism potential in other part of the country. But,
promotion of this group approach needs initial government interventions.

5. Policies â¼³ Some of the policy initiatives of urban government would surely help
promotion of Agri-tourism . They are
(i) Building brand identity ⼜Incredible India⼠.
(ii) Rs.60 crore budget for promoting brand
(iii) X five year plan budget increased from Rs. 525 to 2900 crores.
(iv) An allocation of Rs.50 lakhs per village for village tourism has been proposed.
(v) The states are encouraging private public partnership in tourism sector.

6. Positioning â¼³ Ultimately Agri-tourism concept has to be positioned in the minds of

tourists as ⼜Come, pluck a fruit, smell a flower, run in the fields, lie on the hay and
be lost in rural Indiaâ¼ .

Entertainment Agri-tourism : Agri-tourism involvement in agricultural operations create

joyful experience to the tourist. Agri-tourist involvement in milching, harvesting
competitions, tree climbing, edible adventure, bullock cart race, buffalo race in wet fields
namely Kambala in Karnataka, shooting a coconut target, fishing etc could generate
enormous joy atleast cost. There is enough scope to charge entry fee to farmers,
providing feed and accommodation on payment basis and charging the participation of
Agri-tourist during rural games would also generate income to the farmers.

Some successful entertainment farming enterprises and techniques in Agri-tourism -

International experiences.
Agri-tourism is a viable income generating activities in many developed counties which
would provide lead to promote the same with modifications suiting to our conditions.
They are
§ Wineries with Friday happy hours.
§ Arts & Crafts Demonstrations.
§ Farm Store : Exhibition of farm equipments
§ Roadside Stand selling fresh farm products and craft items
§ Processing of farm products and sale
§ Demonstration of Agri-activities
§ Sheep Shearing.
§ Wool Processing.
§ Fee fishing / hunting.
§ Farm Vacations.
§ Bed and Breakfast
§ Farm Tours.
§ Horseback Riding.
§ Cross-country skiing.
§ Camping.
§ Bad weather - like desert, snow fields, heavy rainfall also attract Agri-tourists
§ Picnic Grounds.
§ A shady spot for visitors to rest ⼳ like a big baniyan tree
§ Educational Tours for school children, officers and progressive farmers
§ Farm Schools to teach a particular skill
§ Outdoor Schools which are mobile in nature teaching agriculture
§ Herb Walks.
§ Workshops on interesting, emerging agriculture topics
§ Festivals with wide publicity and sponsorship
§ Cooking Demos to satisfy housewives.
§ Pick-Your-own Pumpkin Patch.
§ Rent ⼳an ⼳ apple tree.
§ Moonlight activities.
§ Pageants.
§ Speakers who can attract Agro-tourist narrating Agricultural experiences.
§ Regional Themes like tribal coffee of Kerala, Andaman spices etc
§ Crop Art.
§ Pizza Farm.
§ Historical Recreations like highlighting a oldest farm etc.
§ Log Buildings.
§ Antique Villages.
§ Collection of old farm Machinery.
§ Miniature Village.
§ Farm Theme Playground for Children.
§ Fantasyland.
§ Gift Shop.
§ Antiques.
§ Crafts.
§ Crafts Demonstrations.
§ Food Sales.
§ Lunch Counter.
§ Cold Drinks.
§ Restaurant.
§ Theme ( apple town, etc.)

The issues which needs attention for the promotion of Agri-tourism are :
1. Publicity â¼³ It is difficult to provide publicity to a remote Agri-tourism unit. Hence,
either collectively such Agri-tourism operators can provide publicity or organizations like
ITDC, State tourism development corporations, NGOs, press and tour operators can
take up this responsibility

Information technology can play very important role in promotion of Agri-tourism. An

interactive website containing all details about Agri-tourism locations and a toll free 24
hours help line can provide necessary information to Agri-tourists.

2. Transport â¼³ Reaching the remote Agri-tourism units is the greatest challenge due to
lack of approach roads and poor transportation facilities in rural areas. Tele connectivity
is must which is yet to reach villages. Government should play important role in creating
these facilities namely roads, transport and telecommunication to rural areas specially
where Agri-tourism units are established on priority basis. This efforts could be effective
with private participation in partnership mode.

3. Accommodation â¼³ Safe and clean accommodation is must in Agri-tourism. Urban

and foreign tourists look for these minimum facilities. Orienting Agri tour operators on
one hand and providing incentive to such efforts on other hand is necessary. Regular
clean water supply and neat toilets are important. At the same time, it is necessary to
limit modern facilities in which Agri-tourist is not interested.

3. Networking â¼³ Networking public and private stakeholders at national and state level
to assist the Agri-tourism operator at remote place is necessary. This network can get
policy support, infrastructure and publicity to Agri-tourism units.
NETWORK OF STAKEHOLDERS IN PROMOTION OF AGRI-TOURISM

5. Capacity building of farmers â¼³ Farmer need to be oriented on maintenance of

facilities, hospitality and public relation which he is not aware.

6. Safety of tourists â¼³ Agri-tourism units are located in remote areas which lacks
roads, medical facilities, telecommunication and sometimes threat from theft and wild
animals. Hence, support of local population is must besides facilities for emergency
medical care.

7. Private â¼³ pubic partnership â¼³ Agripreneurs, farmers organizations, co-operatives,

NGOs and agribusiness companies can take up these ventures with the help of farmers
and government agencies tour operators. Transporters and hospitality industry would
also benefit in the process.

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he Pragya project on Community-Based Ecotourism in Arunachal Pradesh is

harnessing the benefits of tourism for the indigenous people in the districts of West
Kameng and Tawang, through rural tourism enterprises. It includes:

* survey of tourism assets & resources, and community-based circuit design & tourism
planning
* establishment of community institutions for tourism management & capacity building
* development of guidelines & standards, and tourism management training for
tourism entrepreneurs in the communities
* establishment of tourism facilities, ensuring improved distribution of revenues in rural
areas
* development of select tourism assets & sites and their maintenance
* development of promotional material & marketing channels, and disseminating
information
* establishment of community institutions for heritage conservation & integrated
community development

 
 
 


Ü An in-depth field survey has been carried
out by Pragya members in the districts of West Kameng and Tawang, the only
districts to have been opened to tourism in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. The
various tourism assets and their compatible activities and allied industries have
been identified. Existing infrastructure & facilities have been mapped and gaps
identified. Host communities and the environmental &
cultural fabric have been assessed for their
capacity.A market survey has been carried out and
the potential demand estimated. A comprehensive
plan for the development of rural tourism in these two
districts has been prepared in collaboration with
potential stakeholders, including tour operators,
community members, culture associations, village heads Œ×
, and the local
administration. Circuits have been designed and tourism products (tourist activities,
attractions, packages) are in the process of being developed. Detailed plans for
marketing & promotion, and development of tourism infrastructure are also being
prepared in collaboration with local tour operators. The strategies and plans for the
development of the allied industries of handicrafts, horticulture and agroproducts,
cultural events, etc., will follow.

 




Ü Pragya has worked intensively in the area, building
awareness among the local population, working with them in assessing the
potential of the area and the communities for rural tourism enterprises, and in
developing the plans for establishing the community based ecotourism sector in
these two districts. Interactions are being organised between some target
customers and successful mountain tourism entrepreneurs in order to orient them
to the market requirements and service and hygiene standards expected.


 


  
  Ü Pragya has been instrumental in building
awareness on the rich cultural & natural heritage of the region and the necessity of
preserving them before tourism alters them beyond repair. Following meetings with
the village community, Heritage Preservation Councils (HPC) are being set up in
the villages of Sangti (West Kameng) and Shernup (Tawang). Officebearers,
including women, have been identified, and these bodies will be registered with the
District Administration, and their members trained.

  
 



Ü The inaugural activity of the Councils included
the adoption of one degraded patch of community-owned forest land per council,
for afforestation. Saplings of tree species, native to the region, were sourced from
the Forest Department and the planting was carried
out involving village elders, youth, women and a
highly enthusiatic bunch of school
children. Awareness is also being raised in the
community on the need for preserving and managing
the architectural heritage of the region expressed in
its ancient monuments. Dirang Dzong, an ancient fort-
cum-prison, for instance, has partially collapsed owing to neglect. Pragya has been
exploring financial and technical assistance towards its restoration.


 

 Ü In order to orient them towards proper visitor
and destination management as well as market requirements, local stakeholders of
tourism - tour operators, hotel owners and mountain guides, both existing and
potential, have been imparted training by the organisation in collaboration with
professional institutions/organisations of repute namely, Sita Academy, Radisson
Hotel and Mountaineering & Allied Sports Institute.


 


 


 
 Ü A group of
tourism stakeholders from the region were constituted into a band of µEco-
Professionals¶ with orientation and training in appropriate environmental
technologies (waste, water & energy) for sustainable tourism management. This
group was also facilitated to formulate a Code of Conduct in order to adhere to a
commonly agreed upon sets of do¶s and don¶ts in managing tourism and hospitality
in the region, that will ensure positive tourist experience and environment & culture
preservation.
     
  Ü Towards basic tourism
infrastructure creation & upgradation of existing facilities, the construction of model
village guesthouses and wayside amenities has been planned. Site selection for the
former has been conducted in two villages. To be constructed on land donated by
the community, it will be built using traditional housing material and architectural
design furnished with appropriate waste-water-energy management facilities. On
similar lines, select wayside amenities on the tourist circuit are to be adopted and
spruced up to tourism standards.




  Ü Strategies and processes will be developed for
marketing and promotion of the tourist destinations and products. Brochures, CDs,
and a website will be developed for tourist information and market development.
The material for these is in the process of being compiled. Networks are also being
set up with marketing agencies in tourist catchment areas.

 




 
Ü Community institutions, networks and
processes need to be instituted to focus on market development, infrastructure
improvement, and social and ecological interventions. These will ensure that the
effort is sustainable and contributes to the rural community as a whole.

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