International Journal of Management (IJM)

Volume 11, Issue 10, October 2020, pp. 122-132, Article ID: IJM_11_10_013
Available online at http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/issues.asp?JType=IJM&VType=11&IType=10
ISSN Print: 0976-6502 and ISSN Online: 0976-6510
DOI: 10.34218/IJM.11.10.2020.013

© IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed

RURAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AND

PROMOTION IN POTENTIAL VILLAGES OF
TAMILNADU
Dr G. Saravana Kumar
Associate Professor, School of Commerce, Jain (Deemed to be) University,
Jayanagar, Bengaluru, India

Dr. R. Rajesh
Assistant Professor, School of Commerce, Jain (Deemed to be) University,
Jayanagar, Bengaluru, India

Dr. Prem Kumar

Assistant Professor, School of Commerce, Jain (Deemed to be) University,
Jayanagar, Bengaluru, India

ABSTRACT
India is an Agricultural Country and the majority of people are living in villages
and dependent mostly on agricultural income. Agriculture sometimes fails due to
natural calamities and no sufficient rains etc. Our Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi
said, “The Soul of India lies in villages!” Tourism has been a dynamic industry
growing continuously and providing employment opportunities for many. Rural
tourism has become a part of Alternative tourism now. Eventhough various types of
tourism are being promoted in India, still rural tourism has not been explored fully,
especially in Tamilnadu with so many villages, agriculture with ancient cultural
values, festivals and traditions provide unique tourism products for the offer to the
tourists. This study aims to bring out the potential tourism products of our villages in
Tamilnadu so that tour operators and tourism departments can promote rural tourism
to foreign and domestic tourists from the Northern part. The study brings out the
important villages in Tamilnadu with Unique tourism offerings that need to be
properly promoted by tourism stakeholders and DMO`s. Rural tourism can provide
additional income for the villagers, proving employment for the youth by training
them and improve the overall economy of the villages. The study makes some
suggestions to the tourism department for the promotion of rural tourism in
Tamilnadu. Sometimes many villagers are suffering without any income and they can
do many things related to tourism promotion and offerings like rural handicrafts, toys,
etc. The study is based on secondary data and a structured interview with identified
people in villages and also tour operators.

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 122 editor@iaeme.com

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3736694

 Rural Tourism Development And Promotion in Potential Villages of Tamilnadu

Key words: Rural tourism, Agritourism, Village tourism, Alternative tourism

Cite this Article: G. Saravana Kumar, R. Rajesh and Prem Kumar, Rural Tourism
Development And Promotion in Potential Villages of Tamilnadu, International
Journal of Management, 11(10), 2020, pp. 122-132.
http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/issues.asp?JType=IJM&VType=11&IType=10

1. INTRODUCTION
Tourism is one of the quick-growing industries and also one of the huge industries in the
world and has generated a revenue of 8.9 $ trillion revenue and contributed 10.3 % to world
GDP and also created 330 million jobs worldwide. One in ten jobs is created in the tourism
industry only and one out of four new jobs is from the tourism industry only (WTTC
Economic report, 2019).This shows the potential of the tourism department.
Village tourism has emerged as a new mantra for alternative tourism development. This
concept has already been tested in a developed country and proved to be the best result. There
are many things in our country and villages to meet the needs of tourists. The rural
population, its culture, heritage, arts, crafts, and visual landscape can attract tourists
irrespective of its tastes, feelings, and attitudes where almost 74% of the population lives in
its seven lakh villages. Rural tourism includes a variety of activities, natural or man-made
sites, handicrafts and heritage, facilities and amenities, transportation, marketing and
information systems (Sharpley 2004). “For rural tourism to be successful, collaboration needs
to exist amongst entrepreneurs” (Wilson et al., 2001). Effective integrated approaches to rural
research include acknowledging the main of locally constrained agendas to achieve
centralization, awareness of shared ideas and benefits for financial improvements, and
development of rural-friendly tourism plans. (MacDonald & Jolliffe, 2003). There are several
challenges when trying to develop rural tourism: the overall product package must be
adequate (Wilson et al., 2001).Well-developed areas are congested as people migrate for
livelihood from nearby towns and villages (Hein de Haas, 2008). This ultimately leads to the
unbalanced growth of tourism and creates many environmental issues for targets. India,
plagued by unregulated tourism, is now looking for less destructive approaches that are now
part of the nation’s sustainable development. One of the most interesting sustainable tourism
themes is rural tourism, which has recently become very popular in less industrialized
countries. With over 70% of India's population living in villages of over 6 million, there is
potential potential for developing tourism across the country to develop entrepreneurial skills
and create jobs for the local community. The lead to the preservation of the rich cultural and
historical art forms of the rural villages. In Tamilnadu there are several old villages which
strongly follow their tradition and culture and conduct various festivals, follow certain
traditions, folk dances, folk music etc. The “Jallikattu” event conducted during pongal festival
attracts lot of visitors and even foreign tourists at places like Alanganallur, Pala medu and
Avaniapuram. Various temple festivals also attract large crowds and tourists. Besides villages
have several traditional folk arts like drama, villu pattu and also martial arts like Silambam,
maan kombu sandai, surul kathi sandai, Vaal sandai which will be interesting attractions for
foreign tourists. These are Unique to the State of Tamilnadu and cannot be seen in other
countries, which makes it more special. There is vast scope for development of various
tourism products related to rural tourism in Tamilnadu hence let us discover the specific
villages of Tamilnadu and their Speciality tourism products.

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Eugene(2020)has stated in his study on Puducherry tourism that craft tourism promoted by
establishing a permanent craft bazaar in the town has brought artisans face-to-face with

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 123 editor@iaeme.com

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3736694

 G. Saravana Kumar, R. Rajesh and Prem Kumar

tourists, where the tourists are able to see the artisans handicraft work and also get regular
income.
Balakrishnan C et al (2018) In their study on agritourism they said that people are more
concerned with how their food is produced and would like to meet with producers and talk to
them about what is going on in food production. Children who go to farms often do not see a
live duck or pig and do not pick a mango from a tree. This form of expanded agricultural
tourism is often referred to as “recreational farms”. These farms cater to the big-your-own
crowd, offering not only regular farm produce but also your own produce for food, open-pen
animals, train rides, and travel facilities.
Prof Desai Vaibhava & Dr Ali.M(2016) have revealed in their study on Rural tourism that
rural tourism makes rural community to directly engage in tourism by having direct control or
serving their culture as an attraction.
Dr.Iniyan (2015 )in his study of tourism in Tamil Nadu, he said that Tamil Nadu's art
shows are widespread across the state and have their own unique and cultural identity. This
uniqueness is the main reason they are attracted to the areas where they are performed.
International tourists in particular are interested and are interested in the ancient arts of Tamil
Nadu because they were trained with art and music with Western influence.
Dr UmakantIndolia(2013) his study of rural tourism said that the biggest potential benefit
of rural tourism. Tourism development means higher revenue and profit for tourism-related
businesses.
Chiranjib kumar & Sandeep kulshreshtha (2011) Both tourism and tourism have
encouraged rural people to become micro-entrepreneurs by promoting their arts and crafts,
food types, exhibitions, festivals and green organic farms, they said in their study on rural
economic development.
According to a 2010 report by the Ministry of Tourism, Indian tourism statistics are
defined as rural tourism “Any form of tourism that showcases the 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.”

3. RESEARCH FRAMEWORK & METHODOLOGY

The study is based on secondary data released from various private and government sources.
Quality research is used in the study using key researcher interviews and secondary data
published by various researchers, reports from the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India
and other accredited research institutes. Kumar (1989) argues that the mainstay of
communication is the interviewing of identified individuals who can provide the necessary
information and feedback on specific subjects requested by an investigator. According to the
author, only relevant and limited number of key informants from each village were
interviewed.
3.1. Key Informat Interview was conducted in 6 important potential villages of Tamilnadu
namely Chettinad, Kazhugumalai, kadambadi, Thandarai, Thadayan kudisai and Kurangani.
In each village destination atleast five key members were interviewed and the key persons
were selected like the Panchayat president, women self-help group president, village informal
head, folk arts person, educated youth and one form any kind handicrafts manufacturing
sector. This was to ensure equal representation was given from all the village population.
Besides two tour operators from nearby city was also interviewed.

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 124 editor@iaeme.com

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3736694

 Rural Tourism Development And Promotion in Potential Villages of Tamilnadu

Figure 1 Research Plan

Basic Concept of Rural Tourism in India 1. Entrepreneurial Opportunities 2. Earnings
3. Job Opportunities 4.Protection 5.Protection for Infrastructure. This approach is accepted, as
the seventieth percentage of India refers to traditional India. Rural India has a lot to offer the
world. Rich in the traditions of art, crafts and culture, rural India can develop with important
tourist destinations. Creating a strong base around the concept of rural tourism will definitely
benefit a country like India.
Rural tourism was recognized in 2002 as one of the majority areas for the Indian
Department of Tourism. The 10th Five Year Plan identifies the basic objectives of rural
tourism:

1. To improve the standard of living of developing people.

2. To provide a better exploit for tourists

3. To maintain the standard of life, rich culture, handicrafts, folk tales and livelihoods, making
it a encouraging terminus for tourists.

According to Mod McDonald's Rural Tourism Assessment Project Report, consulting

firm, food issues are debate with the group prior to the RTAPR launch. The Ministry of
Tourism of the Government of India felt that one of the fundamental issues preventing tourists
from visiting selected places was the fear of foreigners. These developing areas had the
benefits of the old day's significance, crafts, culture, cuisine, and natural beauty. Facilities for

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 125 editor@iaeme.com

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3736694

 G. Saravana Kumar, R. Rajesh and Prem Kumar

pure water and on the way. Insufficiency of consciousness of the main of the site and the need
for regional guides.
Summary of the Informant Interview: The villagers from all six villagers expressed
positive responses and suggestions for development of rural tourism in Tamilnadu. Women
self –help groups informed that if government provides them with some more financial
assistance they could manufacture different types of handicrafts and sell to tourists directly.
They told they can make various types of coir hand bags which are eco friendly, embroidery
bags, soft toys, clay dolls etc. They wanted tourists to be brought to their village so that they
can see their manufacturing and buy.
The village president and agriculture farmers also suggested they would be happy to
welcome tourist and can show their cultivation, irrigation, dairy farm and also serve their
food. The folk arts performers were very much interested to promote their folk dances like
thappattam, karagattam, peacock dance, Poikkal kudhirai etc and also musical instruments
like mirudangam, violin, Nayanam, melam etc. Even some young girls were ready to play
veena and perform classical dance.
Finally the two tour operators form Madurai and Trichy informed that definitely many
foreign tourists are coming and they can certainly promote rural tourism to their clients and
also add in the brochure if Tamilnadu tourism also takes initiatives to promote the destination
by providing good infrastructure and roads. Special dance performances can be arranged and
tourists can also have food in the village. Village homestays can also be promoted as told by a
tour operator who already has a tie-up with a village home provider for rent. Hence the direct
interview survey with key service providers of the rural tourism community shows that there
is good response and potential for promoting rural tourism In Tamilnadu. Already rural
tourism was found active in some villages like Chettinad, kazhugumalai and less active in
other villages.
Questions were asked generally on:

1.what is their opinion on promoting rural tourism in their village?

2.What kind of support do they need from Government ?

3. If they can provide home stays for the tourists interested ?

4. Besides if they would like to tell anything else?

These were the main questions asked and almost all the village heads said they can
provide village stays in potential big houses in the village where they have spare rooms for
the guest.

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 126 editor@iaeme.com

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3736694

 Rural Tourism Development And Promotion in Potential Villages of Tamilnadu

3.2. Basic Design of Rural Tourism Based on the English Tourism Council

Figure 2 Basic Structure of Rural tourism

4. RURAL TOURISM IN TAMILNADU

Ask all who are interested in travel and want to adventure new generation people and places
in a rural area, across the vast and diverse landscapes of rural Tamil Nadu. Every village in
Tamil Nadu has its own unique art and different styles of worship with regional immortal.
This goal of shaping a dynamic present from the ancient past includes more small-scale
villages that are known for their attractions to the beautiful heritage and traditional arts.
Karaikudi, Kasukumalai and Kurangini in Tamil Nadu are just a few of the rural areas in
Tamil Nadu that attract tourists. Tamil food is one of the elderly vegetarian cooking traditions
in the world. Created a unique variation of common food, and a few dishes of its own.
Travelers can enjoy Kumbakonam Degree Coffee in Thanjavur, Tindigul Talappakkattu
Biryani, Vadakari in Kanchipuram, and Chettinad Fish Colombo in Karaikudi. Rural Tourism
Possibilities in Tamil Nadu area some of the main developing rural tourist terminus in the
state of Tamil Nadu Chettinad - Karaikudi is the focal point of Chettinad. Karaikudi got its
name from the large number of cars in the area.

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 127 editor@iaeme.com

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3736694

 G. Saravana Kumar, R. Rajesh and Prem Kumar

The Chettinad region, which is part of the Sivagangai and Pudukottai districts, is a
prosperous community of Chettiars traders and bankers. Karaikudi, one of the 31 rural
villages identified by the Government of India as a state past tourist destination, is
traditionally known for its vibrant bungalows and mouth-watering food by the Chettiars of
Karaikudi. Many palaces and houses in Chettinad are converted into traditional hotels which
are also known as traditional hotels in Vilas (e.g.) Chidambaram Villas Kathipatti. Village
tourism practiced in Chettinad includes the following: overnight stay in Chettinad, daily
meals, and snacks reflecting the traditional cuisine of snacks.
Learning a New Craft / Creating Crafts Visiting beautiful surroundings seeing folk dance
Tadiyan Kudisai - Tindikul District This is an exotic tip masala round. After massaging the oil
with ginger oil, hot water is served in copper vessels for bathing. After that lunch will be
served on banana leaf along with Madurai traditional rural dishes. There will also be a
demonstration of traditional arts and crafts. Women tourists will be taught rural cooking
practices and wearing saris. Many efforts are being made to promote rural tourism. Some
important organizations are the DHAN Foundation, the Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) and the Travel Association of Madurai. Theerthamalai - Dharmapuri District As the
name Theerthamalai suggests, Theertham is a holy land with springs and temples. These
villages are ideal places for tourists.
Exploring nature, trekking activities and visiting the temple to see the culture and heritage
to enjoy the rural life and enjoy the rural food in the rural tourism practiced here. Aranya
Dharmapuri District Aranya is located in the Dharmapuri district. Homes are being built to
provide leisure to tourists. Meditation of Tamil Nadu Yoga - tree planting, beekeeping, animal
husbandry, composting (composting) Bird watching tradition Organic vegetables, fruits and
small grains And rural dishes made from healthy drinks are also served to the guest for
handicrafts such as bamboo crafts. Tamil Nadu has identified this place as a rural tourist
destination in the year 2008-2009. Kolli Hills - Namakkal District The Kolli Hills are located
in the Eastern Ghats, 45 km from Namakkal. The Kolli Hills are a natural paradise .Goli Hills
is an important choice for nature lovers, trekking enthusiasts, trekking clubs and meditation
practitioners in other hill stations in Tamil Nadu as it is non-commercial and low pollution.
Arabaleswarar Temple, Ettukkai Amman Temple, Horticulture Farm, Herbal Farm,
Pineapple, Agaya Ganga Falls, Boat House and View Point attract tourists. There are many
wild animals here. Private huts and resort type accommodation are provided for tourists.
Pallam - Kanyakumari District It is located at a distance of 9 km from Nagercoil in
Kanyakumari district. It is a fishing village in the district.

4.1. Role of Tamilnadu Toursim department in Tourism Promotion

Includes the Department of Tourism in the Tamil Nadu Tourism Secretariat and the
Directorate of Tourism which is responsible for formulating policies and implementing
projects for tourism development in the states. Tamil Nadu Tourism has decided to promote
and promote rural tourism in the villages to showcase the rural life, art, culture and heritage of
the rural areas and to benefit the local community economically and socially. The Rural
Tourism Plan was formulated in 2002 with a focus on improving tourism-related
infrastructure to help promote rural tourism. It was later completed as a pilot project by the
UNDP and the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Government of India for
Endogenous Rural Tourism. The Government of India is expanding the Skill Development
Program for Service Providers (CBSB) to rural areas. Tamil Nadu Tourism has identified
rural tourism areas for development, which have been developed as a phase. Strategies for
tourism development in Tamil Nadu are as follows: Identification of new tourism potential for
development and upgradation and development of locations of local importance. Providing

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 128 editor@iaeme.com

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3736694

 Rural Tourism Development And Promotion in Potential Villages of Tamilnadu

facilities for recreational and adventure sports at selected tourist destinations. Organizing
exhibitions and festivals in Tamil Nadu and abroad Appointing marketing agents inside and
outside the country. Create quality guides. Tourism promotion also creates employment in
urban and rural areas. This could arrest a large number of rural people migrating to urban
centers.
Discover Tamil Nadu Campaign (2012-2016) A special campaign was launched by
Discover Tamil Nadu in 2012, under which it was proposed that the Department of Tourism,
Government of Tamil Nadu would organize special events to promote festivals and festivities
and rural tourism. . Arts and crafts will be complemented by organizing a sales-
demonstration. Food festivals will be organized to promote the new names of Chettinad,
Kongunadu, Madurai and Tirunelveli cuisines. These events take place in an important tourist
spot.
Problems in Implementing the Rural Tourism Plan The following bottlenecks have been
identified from the study on the policies and programs of the Government of Tamil Nadu
towards rural tourism.
1. The Rural Tourism Project has many stakeholders such as administrative voluntary
organizations
2.Obstacle as far as tourism activities are concerned.
3. Supportive budgets and employee support A bottle-neck for the project to effectively
monitor their progress.
4. The successful completion of projects on such sites may be adversely affected. 10. No
tourism plan has been developed for rural tourism projects.

Table 1 Rural tourism Project Evaluation cum Status report 2010

LOCATION
Chettinadu (Karaikkudi dist)
Sivaganaga
Devipattinam (Navabhashnam), Median
District Ramanathapuram)
Kombai dist ,Theni
Kazhugumalai (Thoothukudi)
Kurangini Village, District
Theni
Thadiyankudissai, District
Dindigul
Theerthamalai, District
Dharmapuri
Thirupudaimarthur, District
Tirunelveli
Source: AC Nielsen`s report on Evaluation cum impact study of Rural tourism Projects, 2010.
OVERALL Reason for success or failure/ Recommendations for the project
Average
Hardware components must be The project needs proper publicity
Moderate success completed and project advertising to generate interest among tourists
must be incorporated into project to visit this place
components.
The partial completion of the All components need to be
components and the maintenance of completed in a quick way, and
the components did not result in an proper publicity for the project is
average estimate for this project. needed to generate interest among
tourists visiting this place.
Failure The implementation of hardware All components must be completed
and software components has not in a fast track.
yet begun.
Moderate success The project has been moderately The project should be promoted to
successful with the proper generate interest among tourists.
implementation of all components.
It needs to improve tourist arrivals
to be a complete success
Moderate success None of the public awareness of this The project needs proper publicity
project is the main reason for its to generate interest among tourists
moderate success. to visit this place.
Un-Successful Hardware component Hardware tasks must be completed
implementation has not yet begun. properly.
Moderate success Improper implementation of Proper ideological development of
hardware components has not the project is required.
resulted in any improvement in the
rural environment.
Median Completion of software components It is necessary to fully implement
and poor maintenance of hardware the required software components
components and maintain the hardware
components.

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 129 editor@iaeme.com

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3736694

 G. Saravana Kumar, R. Rajesh and Prem Kumar

4.2. UNDP Initiatives (United Nations Development Program)

It is approximate that rural tourism can generate an additional revenue of Rs 4,300 crore.
UNDP: Under a joint venture between the Ministry of Tourism and UNDP, 36 villages in
India were developed in 2017 for rural tourism development, including two villages from
Tamil Nadu, Karaikudi (Sivaganga District) and Kajukumalai (Thoothukudi District). Taken
for skill development. The World Tourism Organization (WTO), with its release "Tourism
2020 Vision", estimates that there is a high potential market for rural tourism.
The government has 10th Five Year Plan has declared tourism as an important source for
job creation and sustainable livelihood improvement.

4.3. DHAN (Development of Human Action)

The NGO, which promotes village with 280 categories around the area, operates in Karaikudi,
Kasukumali, and Tiruputhaimadu and has held out four thousand, two hundred fifty members
through self-help categories and action categories. In 2008-2009, the Foundation received the
National Tourism Awards and the 2011 Jundal Prize for its contribution to the promotion of
rural tourism. They also provide a tour package for freedom fighters round and jade beds.
Tamil Nadu Tourism has decided to promote rural life, art, culture and heritage in the
villages, to benefit the local community economically and to establish and promote social
interactions between tourists and locals for a mutually enriching experience. Tamil Nadu
Tourism has identified some villages on a trial basis to promote rural tourism. They are
below:

4.3.1. Kadambadi
The village has a beautiful lake with boating facilities and offers refreshing Ayurvedic or
Siddha massage.

4.3.2. Thandarai
It is an Irulas tribal village, 50 km south of Chennai, in the pristine beauty of rural Tamil
Nadu. Thunder is named after The Irula Tribal Women's Welfare Society (ITWWS), which is
a loving mentality to the local community.

4.3.3. Kurangani
Kurangani village (400-6500 m) in the Western Ghats shows the spice tourism pattern, culture
and natural attractions of Tamil Nadu.

4.3.4. Chettinad
The basic concern is the use of local material, style and skill in support of tourism here.
Interested locals are eagerly offering homestays to visitors. The range of handicrafts here is
interesting, from wooden doors and antiques. There are Pillayarpatti, Vairavan, and Sri
Meenakshi Sundareswarar temples in and around the place.

4.3.5. Kazhugumalai
It is an archeological site, with 8th century Jain rock sculptures and sculptures. You can find
artificial reefs on boat rides about 50 minutes from the beach. Vettuvankoil and Kandasamy
Temple are other important places. During Pongal, the area is a virtual feast.

4.3.6. Thiruvidaimaruthur
The architectural and historical heritage of the Atalanathar Temple attracts visitors along with
its beautiful beauty.

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 130 editor@iaeme.com

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3736694

 Rural Tourism Development And Promotion in Potential Villages of Tamilnadu

4.3.7. Theerthamalai
Theerthamalai is a pilgrimage center, which is located in the Harurtaluka of Dharmapuri
district. The main attraction of the place is the ancient Sri Tirthagirishwarar Temple dedicated
to Lord Shiva at the foothills.

5. CONCLUSION
This study finds that there are several types of rural tourism products available for offer to the
tourists and village people are ready to work and welcome tourists to their village, which will
give them employment and income opportunities. Community stake holders both men and
women have shown their support for tourism promotion in their village except for few old
people above the age of 70 who were afraid of the consequences since they could not
understand the tourism values. All the stake holders have shown positive response. There are
variety of tourism products available in the villages like folk arts, martial arts, agriculture
activities, village food, ponds and natural beauty places, handicrafts, festivals, folk dances etc.
Discussion on Results : Our findings are supported by previous research done by Dr Rani
& Dr Jayakumar (2011) on stakeholder`s support for tourism in Karaikudi has revealed that
there was active participation support from stakeholders irrespective of gender. Further there
was positive relationship between impact of tourism and support for tourism except for few
elderly people majority of the stakeholders supported tourism. As per study made by
Saravanan and Y Rao (2013 ), Rural tourism found to provide sustainable livelihoods for the
local village people. Government support and monitoring of the projects is needed to provide
proper access and infrastructure to reach the places with proper signboards. It also reiterates
the fact as told by Kumar.GS & Soni.NG (2020) that tourist look for different place to visit
other than the usual place like their residence area to explore new things. In this context, rural
tourism will certainly provide new refreshing experience to the tourists. Many tour operators
and even UNWTO will also promote the rural tourism in Tamilnadu in a big way.

Suggestions to Tamilnadu Tourism & Ministry of Tourism, Indian department of Tourism

 There is a need to educate village people about the positive impacts of tourism and the
advantages of employment for youth and income opportunities, because some old
people are not aware of the tourism activities.
 Women Self help groups can be given more opportunities of selling their handicrafts
to tourists and some financial support can be given to them.
 Tourism department should market the rural tourism villages with more photos and
brochure information and also through websites, so that foreigners also will know
more about the villages.
 Tour operators can promote rural tourism packages for domestic and foreign tourists
and also include folk arts, martial arts in the program to engageand provideincome
opportunities to the skilled folk artists.
 Government can support SME`s to start new small business related to manufacturing
of toys, handicrafts and village themed paintings, souvenirs etc which will be much
admired by tourists. Beside there is lot of opportunities to provide Village home stays
and food service to the tourists, where SME`s can onvolve and provide employment
opportunities to rural youth. Ministry of tourism can provide training to the rural youth
in providing hospitality services to tourists.

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 131 editor@iaeme.com

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3736694

 G. Saravana Kumar, R. Rajesh and Prem Kumar

REFERENCES
[1] WTTC Economic report (2019)
[2] Sharpley, R. & Roberts, L. (2004), “Rural tourism- 10 years on”, International Journal of
Tourism Research, 6, 119-124.
[3] Wilson, S. Fesenmaier, D. Fesenmaier, J. & Van Es, J. (2001), Factors for Success in Rural
Tourism Development”, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 40(2), 132-138.
[4] MacDonald, R. & Jolliffe, L. (2003), “Cultural rural tourism: Evidence from Canada”, Annals
of Tourism Research, 30(2), 307-322.
[5] Sharpley, R. (2000), “Rural Tourism and the Challenge of Tourism Diversification: The Case
of Cyprus”, Tourism Management, 23, 233-244.
[6] Wilson, S. Fesenmaier, D. Fesenmaier, J. & Van Es, J. (2001), Factors for Success in Rural
Tourism Development”, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 40(2), 132-138.
[7] De Haas, H. (2008). The myth of invasion: the inconvenient realities of African migration to
Europe. Third world quarterly, 29(7), 1305-1322.
[8] Eugene, J. (2020). Vistas and Vivanta: Tourism Investment Initiatives in Paradisal
Puducherry, Asian Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Studies, 22-31.
[9] BalaKrishnan, C., Shree, M. R., & Asrafi, S. (2018). Indian agritourism industry-an
instrument of economic development. International Journal of Engineering &
Technology, 7(1.9), 287-289.
[10] Desai, V., & Ali, M. M. (2016). Rural Tourism: Understanding A Niche Tourism Segment
Through Literature Reviews. ZENITH International Journal of Multidisciplinary
Research, 6(2), 23-31.
[11] Iniyan, E. (2015). Tourism in Tamilnadu: Role of Cultural/Heritage Sites in Tourist
Satisfaction and Tourism Development. International Journal of Humanities & Social Science
Studies. ISSN, 2349-6959.
[12] Choudhary, C. K., Kulshrestha, S., & Choudhary(2011), A. Rural Economy Development and
New Venture Creation: Opportunities through Tourism Business.
[13] Annual Report of Department of Tourism – 1994
[14] India tourism statistics(2010) Ministry of tourism.
[15] Kumar, K. (1989). Conducting key informant interviews in developing countries (pp. 1- 26
40). Washington DC: Agency for International Development.
[16] AC Nielsen`s report (2010) on Evaluation cum impact study of Rural tourism Projects, on
behalf of Ministry of tourism, Government of India.
[17] Umakant Singh Indolia,(2012) International Journal, Rural Tourism in India, Potential and
Prospects, Haridwar.
[18] Rani, S. Y., & Jeyakumaran, M. (2011). An Empirical Study on Stakeholders Support for
Rural Tourism-A Case of Karaikudi, Tamilnadu, India. Asia Pacific Journal of Research in
Business Management, 2(7), 49-62.
[19] Saravanan, A., & RAO, Y. V. (2013). Economic Opportunity through Rural Tourism: An
Empirical Study. South Asian Journal of Tourism Research (SAJTH), 6(2).
[20] Kumar, G. S., & Soni, N. G. (2020). Assessment of Customer Satisfaction of Domestic
Tourists in Resorts. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Systems, 13(1).

http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/index.asp 132 editor@iaeme.com

Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3736694