rural tourism development in india

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Make rural cool again: How rural tourism can become an opportunity for local communities

Rural tourism can facilitate a harmonious exchange between the urban and the rural in a way that enriches both communities. here's why we must work to create a seamless passage between the two.

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Zarina Screwvala is the co-founder of the Swades Foundation & works full time as its Managing Trustee & Director. The Swades Foundation operates with the single-minded focus of empowering rural India through holistic and sustainable growth using its unique 360-degree model. The foundation has 270 full time staff serving 2000+ hamlets impacting over half a million people. Zarina was a co-founder of the media company UTV, where among other ventures, she created and launched several TV channels including Hungama, Bindass & UTV Movies. Zarina has a deep interest in philosophy and is a member of New Acropolis.

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Unless you’re a textile enthusiast, chances are you haven’t heard of Pochampally, a small village in Telangana known for its exquisite Ikat designs—especially on silk saris. In 2021, the village carved a larger niche for itself as ‘one of the best tourism villages’ according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). Telangana tourism expects tourist footfall to increase by 20-30 percent in the coming years, thanks to this recognition.

While Pochampally deservedly basks in its new-found glory, many villages in India have much to offer their visitors. Our villages are a treasure trove of indigenous cultures, beautiful landscapes, delectable cuisine, rich arts and crafts, and so much more—best experienced through the eyes and ears of the local communities. They make for refreshing alternatives to the urban traveller seeking authentic experiences—especially in the post-Covid world that has replaced commercial tourism with conscious, responsible and immersive travel.

Rural tourism can facilitate a harmonious exchange between the urban and the rural in a way that enriches both communities. Here’s why we must work to create a seamless passage between the two:

Create economic opportunities which help curb migration

Any slice of rural life is best savoured through the shared experience of the local community. From playing hosts at local homestays and offering authentic meals to being local guides for treks and camps, there are so many economic opportunities created with these unique travel locations. The Rajasthan state cabinet recently approved a Rural Tourism Scheme specifically with the larger goal of boosting the local economy and generating employment. The scheme offers multiple exemptions and incentives to local entrepreneurs, with the aim of job creation and curbing migration of communities to the cities.

Also Read- Fun and Games: How sports tourism is picking up pace in India

Boost farm incomes

More than 50 percent of rural India makes a living out of agriculture and allied activities. Yet, so many of us city slickers have no access to this defining lifestyle. Rural tourism is an excellent way to get a taste of the charming Indian farm life with farmlands associated with rural tourism programmes—such as the one initiated by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board. It allows one to live on a farm, stay in authentic homes built in the traditional style, give a hand to the local farmer in the fields and very importantly, savour some farm-fresh ingredients cooked in authentic local style, seated under the shade of a spreading farm tree. Not only does this make for a priceless experience, but it also helps farmers diversify their income through farm activity. MP’s Ladhpura Khas near Orchha was one of the three villages nominated for the “Best Tourism Villages” by the UNWTO. The third one is Kongthong, known as the whistling villages in Meghalaya.

Preserve arts, crafts, and culture

Most indigenous arts and cultures in India are a precious legacy passed down over generations. The lack of awareness and platforms to showcase these discourage the younger generation from pursuing the age-old cultural legacies. But these can get a much-needed fillip if made accessible to the new generation of mindful travellers who understand their value. Bamboo and cane craft in Arunachal Pradesh, Madhubani in Bihar, Warli in Maharashtra, Pattachitra in Odisha, and Dokra in West Bengal—the list is endless.

Support infrastructure

Recognising its potential, the Ministry of Tourism, in 2021, formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for the Development of Rural Tourism in India, which includes upgrading our villages’ digital, social, and physical infrastructure. Creation of an eco-system conducive to the flourishing of a destination thus ensures that the perks of development reach grassroots communities that otherwise don’t feature high on the administration’s radar.

Offer an authentic, mindful experience for the visitor

For those of us who want to shake off city life and find solace in the slow-paced country setting, rural tourism opens up a world of home-grown experiences. It allows one to experience unparalleled hospitality and a rare opportunity to connect with the local people, food, culture, craft, and landscape. It allows you to immerse yourself—if only for a brief period—into the quintessential Indian village life.

Create pride in the minds of village communities

Perhaps the most important factor is the immense pride felt by the local community, who are, in essence, offering the best of their lifestyle to others. This allows them to see their own values, traditions and culture as something worth preserving.

The pandemic has made us rethink our ways of living and exploring. The travel industry, slowly recovering from its blow, is expected to reach $250 billion in India by 2030 and the path to that must take from the learnings of the past years. The National Conference of State Tourism Ministers held in Dharamshala in September 2022 affirmed through the Dharamshala Declaration’ its commitment to developing “sustainable and responsible and inclusive tourism.” It pledged to embody the philosophy of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ that would encourage more Indians to travel to the hinterlands and experience the nature and culture of rural India.

It is a goal that travellers, the tourism industry, governments, NGOs and local communities must collectively and mindfully nurture.

The writer is the co-founder of the Swades Foundation & works full-time as its Managing Trustee & Director.

The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.

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Promotion Of Rural Tourism in the Country

Ministry of Tourism has taken the following efforts for promotion of rural tourism:-

i. Formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Development of Rural Tourism in India - An initiative towards Atmanirbhar Bharat.  

ii.  The Rural Tourism Village portal was launched on 16 th February 2023. The website has information about the rural tourism destinations in India, Rural homestays in India, Government and Industry initiatives for rural tourism etc.

iii. Ministry of Tourism in partnership with Central Nodal Agency for Rural Tourism (IITTM) conducted the Best Tourism Village Competition. The final evaluation brought out 35 Best Tourism Villages of India.

iv. Rural circuit was identified as one of the thematic circuits for development of tourism related infrastructure under Swadesh Darshan scheme.

Ministry of Tourism in partnership with Central Nodal Agency for Rural Tourism (IITTM) has launched the Best Tourism Village Competition 2024 and Best Rural Homestay Competition 2024.

Features of the Competition are:

i.          To foster the promotion, growth and development of the Rural Tourism and Rural Homestays.

ii.         To strengthen the rural economy.

iii.        To enhance the capacity of the rural tourism villages and rural homestays.

iv.        Identification and recognition of the rural tourism villages and rural homestays.

The competition focuses on identifying the best practices of the rural tourism villages and rural homestays in relation to responsible and sustainable practices and their replication in the other villages and rural homestays. This competition will help in providing the national level platform to the villages and homestays for their promotion on the national level.

The competition also brings out synergy between the Central, State and local Administration to strengthen the multilevel governance at the village level.

This information was given by Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and DoNER Shri G. Kishan Reddy in Rajya Sabha today.

Prioritizing the barriers to tourism growth in rural India: an integrated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approach

Journal of Tourism Futures

ISSN : 2055-5911

Article publication date: 20 July 2021

Issue publication date: 14 September 2023

Tourism is one of the upcoming service industry in India with high potentials for future growth, particularly in rural areas. Many potential barriers are affecting the growth of tourism in rural India. Therefore, it is essential to explore and prioritize the barriers to tourism growth in rural India.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative and quantitative responses from “16” experts related to tourism and hospitality management from central India are collected for this study. An integrated Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) based framework is adopted to identify and relate significant barriers to tourism growth in India.

The result of the study identified many significant barriers and their importance to tourism growth in rural India.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study add to the knowledge base of tourism research in line with the previous literature. This study offers an in-depth understanding of barriers focusing on rural tourism growth and devising both the plan of action and the suggestive measures in dealing with rural tourism.

Originality/value

The study provides a robust framework by integrating Interpretive Structural Modelling(ISM) and Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) to explore and prioritizing the critical barriers to rural tourism growth in India. The results of this study can help the decision-maker to fundamentally improve the economy of India through the growth of rural tourism.

• Rural tourism

Jena, R.K. and Dwivedi, Y. (2023), "Prioritizing the barriers to tourism growth in rural India: an integrated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approach", Journal of Tourism Futures , Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 393-416. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-10-2020-0171

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, R.K. Jena and Yogesh Dwivedi

Published in Journal of Tourism Futures . Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

1. Introduction

Tourism is primarily an expression of natural human instinct for experience, education and entertainment ( Raghavendra et al. , 2016 ). Tourism is a very vast, vibrant, dynamic and growth-oriented industry in the world. The tourism industry is becoming one of the firmest-growing sectors of the global economy, which accounts for 11% of gross domestic product and employs more than 225 million people worldwide ( Raghavendra et al. , 2016 ). The tourism industry is also one of the top contributors to job creation across the world. The sector is contributing to nearly 10% of employment globally ( Market Width, 2019 ). India is recognized as the potential of tourism since its independence. Tourism was introduced as an economic boasting activity in 1950 ( Nair and Ramachandran, 2016 ). Domestic tourism boosted when people within India started to travel and visit their friends or relatives for pilgrimage and study ( Nair and Ramachandran, 2016 ; Abhyankar, 2013 ). The immense expansion of domestic tourism has strengthened its rich heritage and maintained unity in diversity. The tourism growth has led to enhancement in other economic activities such as job opportunities and infrastructure development, improvement in communication channels and attempts to alleviate poverty.

According to the Indian Brand Equity Foundation ( IBEF, 2019 ), tourism is one of India's largest foreign exchange contributors. More than 81.1 million people were engaged in tourism activities during 2017–18, which contributed to 12.38% of total employment in India. Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE) from tourism reached US$ 28.59 billion in 2018 ( Ministry of Tourism, 2018 ). The Government of India plans to achieve 20 million foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) by the end of 2020. The government is also planning to double its foreign exchange earnings in 2020. In the pursuit of achieving the target, India's Government has launched many initiatives such as ‘Incredible India!’ and ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. These initiatives have provided a focused impetus to the growth of the Indian tourism sector.

Eliminating poverty in rural area is becoming a challenge for many developing countries. According to a study by Chaudhry and Gupta (2010) , nearly about 75% of the worlds poor live in rural areas. It is, therefore, essential to identify different ways to eradicate poverty in these rural areas. Many countries, including India, have identified tourism as a tool for rural revitalization. Rural tourism preponderantly supports the preservation of local culture, heritage and traditions. As per Meena (2015) , the notion of rural tourism is to benefit the local community through entrepreneurial and employment opportunities. Rural tourism helps in poverty alleviation, conservation, development of local handicrafts and preserving the environment and heritage. Rural tourism also helps to bring people of different lifestyles, cultures and beliefs closer to one another and provide a more comprehensive outlook of their life ( Verma and Jain, 2018 ). Therefore, all stakeholders should identify and address the critical barriers to tourism growth in rural India.

Finally, the remaining paper is organized as follows. Section 2 is dedicated to the review of related work and the identification of research gaps. Section 3 outlines the Multi-Criteria Decision Making Techniques used in this paper, while Section 4 is devoted to the research methodologies used in this research. Results and their analysis are presented in Section 5 . Discussion of the result is presented in Section 6 . Finally, the paper is concluded in Section 7 by highlighting the research's contribution, limitation and future scope.

2. Literature review

Tourism growth helps increase countries' economies and solve the various socio-economic problems ( Morakabati et al. , 2012 ; Jane et al. , 2019 ; Paul Hanna et al. , 2019 ). On the other hand, tourism impacts society and the environment both positively and negatively. Therefore, the sustainability of tourism, particularly in the rural area, is becoming an essential topic for all stakeholders to improve the economy. Rural tourism has taken many different forms and is pursued differently in different areas ( Richard et al. , 2011 ). There are many economic and social reasons to promote tourism as a growth engine for rural prosperity ( Morakabati, 2013 ).

Moreover, rural tourism is being flattened out by the powers of globalization ( Tanahashi, 2010 ). Over the last few decades, the rural economy of many countries is showing a downward trend. Therefore many governments are giving more attention to the growth of the rural economy. The aim of promoting rural tourism is to increase local participation in creating and managing different tourism products. The nature of rural tourism products is very diverse. Tourism also facilitates a range of other benefits to rural areas like infrastructural development and offshoot enterprise opportunities. On the other hand, developing and managing rural tourism has many challenges and difficulties ( Jingjing Liu et al. , 2017 ). The thriving tourism development in the rural area depends on financial, logistic and economic issues. The above issues may further be compounded by political and economic obstacles ( Fletcher and Morakabati, 2008 ). Thus, to deal with these challenges, the barriers responsible for tourism growth in general (rural tourism in particular) need to be identified.

Furthermore, many researchers have identified barriers that cater to a specific tourism vertical ( Marzo-Navarro and Pedraja-Iglesias, 2009 ; Heung et al. , 2011 ; Rokni et al. , 2017 ; Jian et al. , 2019 ; Xiong et al. , 2020 ). Marzo-Navarro and Pedraja-Iglesias (2009) observed that the personal and structural factors are significant for wine tourism growth from a wine tourism perspective in rural areas. In medical tourism research, the policies and regulations, government support, costs and healthcare needs are the most significant barriers to medical tourism growth ( Heung et al. , 2011 ). Moreover, Rokni et al. (2017) found that government regulations, policy, promotion, language, and medical experts' number are significant barriers. Jian et al. (2019) found that economy, policies and regulations, marketing and government support and facilities are the main constraints for Macau's entertainment tourism growth.

Furthermore, available literature on tourism demand provides a variety of barriers to the growth of rural tourism. Galvasová and Holeček (2008) identified essential factors influencing the development of rural tourism. These factors are natural, historical, cultural and socio-economic factors. Demographic, economics and socio-political conditions, etc. are considered to be a social-economic factor. Natural factors include climatic conditions, flora and fauna, water etc. Toušek et al. (2008) found natural factors are one of the decisive localizing barriers of rural tourism. Cultural-historical monuments, cultural programs and cultural facilities are generally considered cultural and historical ( Krogmann et al. , 2021 ). The cultural heritage and collection of museums and galleries contribute to rural tourism ( Kathryn A. Boys et al. , 2017 ). Traditional meals can be counted as heritage features and traditional architecture ( Bessiére, 2008 ). The removal of economic and political barriers and providing adequate infrastructure that improved the accessibility to rural areas are among other factors that support the growth of rural tourism ( Ana-Elia et al. , 2018 ; Wijesundara and Ranasinghe, 2019 ). Melichová et al. (2018) found that accommodation providers' unavailability in local areas, representatives at the regional level, are significant hurdles for rural tourism development.

To identify the key barriers that influence the growth of rural tourism in India.

To develop a robust integrated research approach (DEMATEL and ISM) to prioritizing these barriers.

Based on similar studies and consultation with experts, 17 significant barriers to India's rural tourism are identified. Further, these 17 factors are grouped into eight categories based on their similarities and expert suggestion. The lack of access and connectivity (B1), lack of suitable and sufficient accommodation (B2) and lack of proper amenities (B3) ( Heung et al. , 2011 ; Jian et al. , 2019 ; Jane et al. , 2019 ) are included in the infrastructure category. All these barriers are significant for sustainable rural tourism in India. Similarly, the barriers like lack of a local brand of entertainment (B4), insufficient advertisement of tourism destination with local and international media(B5) and lack of promotion of old towns and heritage/historical sites (B6) ( Heung et al. , 2011 ; Vijayaragavan, 2014 ; Jian et al. , 2019 ; Jane et al. , 2019 ) are grouped under the “marketing and promotion” barrier category. Lack of strategic planning (B7), lack of effective coordination among stakeholders (B8) and unprofessional customer service (B9) ( Heung et al. , 2011 ; Jian et al. , 2019 ; Jane et al. , 2019 ) are assigned to the category called “Management”. This category has a significant effect on the growth of rural tourism. Another essential category responsible for rural tourism growth is “Government Attitude”. It includes two barriers, that is insufficient investment in the tourism sector (B10) and lack of support to innovation at the community level (B11) ( Heung et al. , 2011 ; Nunkoo, 2015 ; Jian et al. , 2019 ; Jane et al. , 2019 ). High tax in tourism product and services (B12), lack of security infrastructure and policies (B16) and lack of a comfortable and single window VISA system (B17) barriers are grouped under “Taxation”, “Security” and “Regulatory Issues” respectively ( Vijayaragavan, 2014 ; Raghavendra et al. , 2016 ). The barriers like “A limited number of experts (B13)”, “Shortage of trained local guide (B14)” and “Lack of communication ability (B15)” are categorized as “Expertise and manpower” ( Heung et al. , 2011 ; Jian et al. , 2019 ; Jane et al. , 2019 ).

3. Multi-criteria decision-making techniques

Most real-world problems deal with multiple data with different characteristics, for example some are objective or precise, and some are subjective or uncertain ( Belton and Stewart, 2002 ). Therefore varieties of statistical and non-statistical based decision-making methods have been developed by researchers to model these complex real-world problems ( Tomas Gal et al. , 2013 ). Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) is one of these techniques that have recently gained unprecedented popularity and a wide range of applications ( Maria et al. , 2018 ; Cinelli et al. , 2014 ; Velasquez and Hester, 2013 ; Amado et al. , 2012 ). MCDM methods have been used by many researchers in the domain of tourism ( Sheng-Li et al. , 2018 ). But the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and interpretive structural modelling (ISM) methodologies are used extensively to analyze complex socio-economic systems. Both the methods have a quite a number of disadvantages along with some excellent features. Different researchers adopt the integration of different methods and their variation to overcome these disadvantages. There are many versions of DEMATEL such as classical DEMATEL, fuzzy DEMATEL, grey DEMATEL, analytical network process- (ANP-) DEMATEL etc. ( Sheng-Li et al. , 2018 ). The ISM methods have been integrated with other MCDM methods for example analytic hierarchy process (AHP), VIKOR and DEMATEL etc.

There are many similarities between ISM and DEMITEL, such as both emphasize the cause–effect relationship. The prominence and relation matrix in DEMATEL is similar to the driving power and dependence matrix in ISM. On the other hand, many dissimilarities, such as ISM, presented the relationship in two possible ways (0 and 1). In comparison, DEMATEL examined the relationships with more than two possible ways (from 0 to 4) to present a more in-depth evaluation. Consequently, ISM is more macro-oriented, whereas DEMATEL is more micro oriented. Both methods complement each other to employ synergic benefits. The strength and weakness of ISM and DEMATEL are shown in Table 1 .

The details of the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) are being discussed in the following sub-sections.

3.1 Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL)

Determine the Important barriers , named       B = { B 1 ,   B 2 ,   … ,   B n } .

Generate Initial Direct-Relation Matrix. Collect expert opinion about the direct effect between each pair of elements. The pair-wise comparison marked by five levels: 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 to represent “No influence,” “Low influence,” “Medium Influence”, “High influence” and “Very high influence,” respectively. The initial direct-relation matrix A is a n × n matrix, in which a i j is denoted as the degree to which the element i affects the element j is denoted as A  = [ a i j ] n × n .

Normalize the Initial Direct-Relation Matrix. The normalized direct-relation matrix X  = [ x i j ] is obtained from eq (1) , and eq (2) give below:

Compute Total Relation Matrix. Eq (3) is used to obtain the Total Relation Matrix( T) :

Determine the influencing degree and influenced degree. The Influencing degree and the influenced degree are calculated by adding the row elements and column elements of matrix T . The influencing degree and influenced degree of barrier ( B i ) are calculated as follows:

Determine centre degree and cause degree. The cause degree ( n i )   is obtained by subtracting the influenced degree from influencing degree, whereas the centre degree ( m i ) is calculated by adding both influenced degree influencing the degree of the barrier:

Rank the barriers. According to the value of cause and center degree, each barrier is represented in a cartesian coordinate. It helps to analyze the importance of each barrier based on their actual order.

3.2 Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM)

Interpretive Structural Modeling is a robust technique used to identify the problem or issues in a complex system. It helps find the complicated relationship between various entities in a system ( Shih-Hsi et al. , 2012 ). It also identifies the complex relationships between the critical factors/barriers ( Shih-Hsi et al. , 2012 ). Interpretive structural modelling technique is an excellent choice to heightened perceptual insights into the complex system ( Chauhan et al. , 2018 ). In other words, interpretive structural modelling is a group learning process. It is suitable for both a single expert and a group of experts. ISM is used to predicate on the particular relevance of system elements, using matrix operations. It also systematically display the graphical representation of the theory and concepts ( Sage, 1977 ). Many researchers have discussed ISM implementation's relevance in the various domains ( Shih-Hsi et al. , 2012 ; Chauhan et al. , 2018 ).

Find the influencing barriers in the system , named     B = { B 1 ,   B 2 ,   … ,   B n } .

Construct adjacency matrix [ a ij ] based on the relationship between the influencing barriers :

Calculate the reachability matrix. The reachability matrix is calculated from the adjacency matrix(A) using eq (9) :

Draw Hierarchical Structure Diagram. Find Reachable set ( R i ) , Antecedent set ( A i ) and the Collective set ( C i ) using eq (10) - eq (12) :

Repeat step 4 until all barriers are eliminated. The hierarchical structure is obtained based on the order in which the barriers are eliminated.

3.3 Integrating ISM and DEMATEL

ISM and DEMATEL are the most used MCDM methodologies to clarify complex relationships between the factors/barriers in a multifaceted decision-making process. In this study, both DEMATEL and ISM methods' strength is integrated to identify and interrelation barriers more simplified, logical, and understandable. ISM method is known for the scientificity, integrity and operability ( Shen et al. , 2018 ). ISM is an essential exploratory tool ( Mishra, 2020 ) that aids practitioners in visualizing the implementation structure better. The ISM method analyses the intrinsic influence mechanism between structural factors effectively and meets the requirements of relevance, hierarchy and complexity of factors influencing India's rural tourism growth. The DEMATEL is based on matrices representing the contextual relation and strength of influence of the target system's elements. It converts the cause-effect relationship of elements into visible structural models. DEMATEL technique also used to classify factors into facilitators (cause) and dependent (effect) groups based on their interrelationships' intensity. Integrating DEMATEL and ISM have the following advantages: Firstly, DEMATEL methods are used to obtain the more detailed cause–effect relationship direct matrix using more options (e.g. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) instead of binary relationship (0,1) used in the ISM method. Secondly, the ISM method requires a large number of complex matrix operations to obtain the reachable matrix. The main objective is to reduce computational complexity by integrating the DEMATEL and ISM approach. Thirdly, the DEMATEL method is used to identify the cause and effect of rural tourism growth barriers.

The ISM methodology is used to obtain more in-depth information about the essential driving and dependent power of the barriers and their relationship. Various researchers have successfully used the integrated ISM and DEMATEL methods in their studies ( Trivedi et al. , 2021 ; Hassan and Asghar, 2021 ; Mahnaz Shakerian et al. , 2020 ; Chauhan et al. , 2018 ). Trivedi et al. (2021) used DEMATEL and ISM methods to analyze the cause–effect relationship among the barriers to maritime transport in India and further identify the vital influential barriers from an identified set of factors. Hassan and Asghar (2021) implemented integrated ISM-DEMATEL methods to determine the intensity of software project elements and their relationship. Mahnaz Shakerian et al. (2020) employed a hierarchical model to identify and relate the unsafe behaviour cognitive factors (UBCFs). Chauhan et al. (2018) analysed the barriers of waste recycling in India using the ISM-DEMATEL method. All the above studies have established the usefulness of the integration of ISM and DEMATEL.

Determine the barriers (B) affecting rural tourism in India , B = { B 1 ,   B 2 ,   … ,   B n } and Direct Influence Matrix

Calculate the Comprehensive Relation Matrix (T). T is calculated using the DEMATEL method ( Section 3.1 ).

Determine Total Relation Matrix (H) :

Calculate the reachability matrix ( K ) = [ k i j ] from the total relation matrix( H ):

From the reachability matrix (K), determine the Systematic Hierarchical Structure. Follow the steps (4–5) of section 3.2(ISM) .

4. Research methodology

This section elucidates the research flow, including research design, data collection processes, etc. used in this research.

4.1 Research flow

Step 1: The first step in the design flow is identifying the barriers to rural tourism growth in India. Initially, 19 barriers are identified from past literature. Based on the opinion of four local experts (two professors, one government official, one tourist), 17 barriers are selected for further analysis.

Step 2: The barriers finalized in Step-1 is sent to experts to obtain the association and relation between these barriers.

Step 3: The initial association matrix is feed to DEMATEL and ISM algorithms for further exploration.

Step 4: The results in the form of a DEMATEL plot and ISM digraph is obtained.

Step 4: Final set of barriers and their priorities are derived after comparing and contrasting the results.

In the present study, dozens of rural tourist destinations have been visited to understand the cons and pros of tourist places in central and south India.

4.2 Research methods

This subsection briefly outlines the research processes using an empirical case study.

4.2.1 Research subjects

There is always a big debate over the number of experts required to validate the result of MCDM based research. Hogarth argued that for MCDM research, the expert group should be between 6 and 25 people ( Hogarth, 1978 ). Hogarth's approximation was well supported by Ashton (1986) . Lin et al. (2016) even argued that the number of experts depends on experts' experience. They suggested fewer experts if experts have more than ten years of experience in the domain of study. Further, Asgharpour suggested that if the experts are homogeneous, 10–15 experts would be sufficient for any MCDM research ( Asgharpour, 2010 ). It is also observed from the past MCDM studies that 10–20 participants are good enough to validate the study results ( Luthra et al. , 2016 ; Mangla et al. , 2018 ; Shen et al. , 2018 ; Kefan Xie and Zimei Liu, 2019 ). Therefore, 30 experts from government officials related to tourism, academic experts and industry experts from hotel and MICE industries were invited to participate in this study. The experts were invited based on their expertise in MICE research and development and author('s) contact. Finally, 16 experts (Government (4), Academic (7) and Industry (5)) agreed to participate in this study. The present sample size can be considered satisfactory for any MCDM studies ( Luthra et al. , 2016 ; Mangla et al. , 2018 ). The experts were highly accomplished professionals from the different dimensions of rural tourism development. A Delphi method was used for data collection. During the data collection, the experts were contacted more than three times. The brief profile of experts are given in Table 2 .

4.2.2 Instrument development

Suitable instruments are developed to collect data for ISM and DEMATEL methods. The questionnaire consists of three parts. Part-1 contains demographic profiles. Part-2 asked the experts to rate the different barriers on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = not at all and 5 = very significant) of rural tourism growth. Part-3 asked the experts to fill the table for ISM and DEMATEL processes.

4.3 Data collection

A Delphi method was adopted to collect data from experts. The author played the role of moderators to obtained and compile responses for this research work. The survey was conducted from July 2019 to May 2020. The first round of responses was received on 13th August 2019. Table 3 summarised the scores related to rural tourism barriers in India based on the expert's opinion.

The mean scores of the barriers and their standard deviations to rural tourism growth in the Indian context are shown in Table 3 . All the mean values are more than 2.5, which shows the importance of each barrier selected for this study. The experts' responses to part-3 are compiled, and then the second round of questionnaires was sent to experts. After three rounds of opinion consolidation, the experts' final consensus was received on 18th May 2019.

5. Results and analysis

In this section, the barriers affecting rural India's tourism growth are analyzed using the integrated DMTATEL-ISM technique. The main objective is to explore each barrier's influence on the growth of rural tourism in India.

5.1 Establishment of the direct influence matrix

Based on expert consultation and literature analysis, 17 barriers influencing tourism in rural India denoted as B 1 ,   B ,   … ,   B n     are identified. Influence relationships between these barriers are determined through the Delphi method. A 2-points Likert-type scale questionnaire was designed and distributed among experts. The direct influence matrix ( X ) is obtained where x i j  = 0 indicates that barrier B i does not influence barrier   B j . x i j = 1 suggests that B i   influences on   B j . The direct relation matrix ( X ) is obtained by aggregating the judgment of 16 experts based on equation(15) ( Wu et al. , 2010 ): (15) x i j =   { 0 ,   n o   e x p e r t s   s u p p o r t     t h a t   B i   affects   B j 1 ,   ( 1 − 19 ) %   o f   e x p e r t s   s u p p o r t   t h a t   B i     affects   B j     2 ,   ( 20 − 39 ) %   o f   e x p e r t s   s u p p o r t   t h a t   B i   affects   B j 3 ,   ( 40 − 59 ) %   o f   e x p e r t s   s u p p o r t   t h a t   B i   affects   B j 4 ,   ( 60 − 79 ) %   o f   e x p e r t s   s u p p o r t   t h a t   B i   affects   B j 5 ,   m o r e   t h a n     80 %   o f   e x p e r t s   s u p p o r t     t h a t   B i     affects   B j

The direct relationship matrix is shown in Table 4 . The value (0–5) of each element x i j is obtained by experts opinion, of which x i j = 0 indicates a barrier B i does not influence barrier B j , and x i j = 5 reveals the barrier B i has a powerful influence on barrier B j . When i  =  j , x i j  = x i j = 0, and when i ≠ j , the value is x i j .

5.2 Determining the comprehensive relation matrix

The comprehensive relation matrix is calculated using Eq (3) of DEMATEL, as reported in Table 5 .

5.3 Determine causality, centrality, influenced degree and influencing degree

The causality, centrality, influencing degree and influenced degree of each barrier is calculated using the equation ( eq (4) - eq (7) ; section 3.1). The influencing degree ( f i ) of each barrier ( B i ) on other barriers is calculated using eq (4) . The influenced degree of the barrier denoted as e i , represented the far-reaching influence of other barriers on the barrier ( B i ) is calculated by eq (5) . The centrality of the barrier ( B i ) , that is m i , reflected the importance of the barrier i in rural tourism is calculated by eq (6) . Higher is the centrality; the more critical is the barrier. The causality of the barrier ( B i )   , that is   n i   , reflecting the pure influences of the barrier ( B i )   on other barriers and is calculated using eq (7) . For any barrier i , if n i > 0, the barrier imposed more considerable influences on other barriers and is called as “cause barrier”; if n i < 0, the barrier is more influenced by other barriers and is known as the “effect barrier”. The values of f i , e i , m i and n i are shown in Table 6 .

Table 7 listed the relations among various barriers that affect the growth of tourism in rural India. These barriers are found to have influencing degrees ranging from 0. 0 to 1.22. Eight barriers are relatively large influencing degrees (more than 0.2) and include: Lack of suitable and sufficient accommodation (B2); Insufficient advertisement of tourism destination with local and international media (B5); Lack of promotion of old towns and heritage/historical sites (B6); Lack of strategic planning (B7); Lack of effective coordination among stakeholders (B8); Insufficient investment in tourism sector (B10); High tax in tourism product and services (B12), Shortage of trained local guide (B14). Accordingly, Infrastructure, Marketing and Promotion, Management, Government attitude, Taxation, Expertise and human resources are grouped as the underlying barriers that affect rural tourism by affecting other significant barriers.

Influenced degree ( e i   )   denoted other barriers' comprehensive influence on barrier     B i . In the influenced degree ranking, lack of promotion of old towns and heritage/historical sites (B6), unprofessional customer service (B9) and lack of support to innovation at the community level (B11) are front runners. Improving these barriers can help create a positive loop for the growth of rural tourism in India.

Centrality ( m i )   represents the position of the barrier ( B i ) and shows its importance in the system. As shown in Table 4 , insufficient investment in the tourism sector (B10) is the most important, followed by a lack of support to innovation at the community level (B11) in the 2nd position.

Causality ( n i ) reflects the influences of the barrier ( B i ) on other barriers and can be classified as cause barrier and effect barrier. As shown in Table 6 , among the “17” influencing barriers, seven barriers (Insufficient advertisement of tourism destination with local and international media(B5); Lack of promotion of old towns and heritage/historical sites (B6); Lack of strategic planning (B7); Lack of effective coordination among stakeholders (B8); Insufficient investment in tourism sector (B10); High tax in tourism product and services (B12); “Shortage of trained local guide (B14)” are cause barriers, while the rest ten barriers are “effect” barriers. These seven cause barriers are of vital importance for the growth of tourism in rural India.

The causality value for any cause barriers is positive. These barriers are placed on the right side of Figure 2 . Seven out of 17 barriers are identified as cause barrier (B5, B6, B7, B8, B10, B12, B14), while the rest are identified as effect barriers. Among these 15 barriers, B5, B10 and B7 are seen as the primary causal barriers. These barriers are of great importance for the growth of tourism in rural India. Taking comprehensive steps to overcome these barriers can improve the overall rural tourism landscape in future. Barriers B1, B2, B3, B4, B6, B9, B11, B12, B13, B15, B16 and B17 are classified as effect barriers based on the n i score. Effect barriers deter the growth of rural tourism. The “effect barriers” are generally influenced by the cause barrier. The lesser score implies minimum influence. “Unprofessional customer services” is found to be having the least n i score (-0.46). This implies “Unprofessional customer services” is the least influencing barrier for the growth of rural tourism in India. In the causal relationship diagram ( Figure 2 ), the cause barriers are represented in the positive Y -axis and the effect barriers are shown in the negative Y -axis. The right-most barriers in the Figure 2 , that is Insufficient investment (B10), is the highly correlated barrier. In contrast, unprofessional customer service (B9) are the least correlated barrier positioned in the left-most corner of the Figure 2 .

5.4 Computing the reachability matrix

The Comprehensive Relation Matrix shows the mutual relationships between barriers but does not reflect the influence of barriers on itself. So, it is required to determine the complete influence matrix between the various barriers. Hereafter, the reachability matrix (K) is computed using the Total Relation matrix and the threshold value ( λ) . If the influencing degree of a barrier to other barriers more significant or equal to λ , the barrier can directly affect other barriers; if the influencing degree of a barrier is less than λ , the barrier does not influence other barriers. The main objective of determining the threshold value is to identify the major causes in a complex system. The value of λ is also the essence of every complex system ( Leveson, 2011 ). After several iterations, experts' advice and practical requirements, λ is chosen to 0.019 for this study. Table 7 shows the reachability matrix obtained for this study.

5.5 Structural levels of barriers

Using steps 4–5 of the ISM section and the reachability matrix obtained in the previous step, all barriers' structural levels are determined. Notably, the initial reachable set ( R i ) antecedent set ( A i ) and collective set ( C i ) of each barrier are obtained ( Table 8 ).

Subsequently, five barriers are removed from Table 8 and step “4” of the ISM section is repeated. The R i     A i     a n d   C i   for the rest of the barriers are obtained ( Table 9 ). It can be seen from Table 10 that barriers B3, B11 and B15 hold the equation   R i =   C i . Therefore, these three barriers are placed at the second level of the hierarchical structure.

Similarly, four barriers (B2, B8, B13 and B14) are deleted. By repeating the above step until all factors are removed, all barriers' structural levels are determined and presented in Table 10 .

Initially, 17 barriers affecting the growth of rural tourism in India are divided into six levels. The barriers in the 1st level are regarded as direct influencing barriers (B4, B6, B9, B16, B17), those in the 2nd and 3rd levels are called surface affecting barriers (B2, B3, B8, B11, B13, B14, B15), those in the levels 4th and 5th are called shallow influencing barriers (B1, B5, B7, B12) and those that are in the level 6 are called deep controlled barriers (B10).

6. Discussion

Nowadays, different stakeholders' attention to rural tourism development is conditioned by its very positive influence on the country's economy. Tourism growth can influence rural inhabitants' employment and sell local artisan products and preserve the green eco-system. Rural tourism development is further added to the revival of rural economic and social development in India. This study identified significant barriers, which directly or indirectly influence rural tourism development. The hierarchical structure obtained by the ISM model ( Figure 3 ) illustrated the most significant barrier to rural tourism growth in India. Insufficient investment in the tourism sector (B10) is found as one of the most significant barriers to rural development. That means facilitating rural tourism growth; the government must encourage investment in tourism sectors, particularly in rural areas. To support this cause, the Government of India has already liberalized its FDI policy in recent times. In pursuit of that, India's Government is also now focusing on attracting investment in the tourism sector. To attract foreign investments, India's government has allowed 100% FDI in the hotel and tourism industries. The hotels in and around UNESCO World Heritage sites are offered a five-year tax holiday to boost investment. These efforts have attracted US$ 12.35 billion FDI in hospitality sectors by March 2019. The government has also allowed 100% FDI in the Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) sector ( Singh, 2018 ). In 2018, the Union budget of India had announced a program named “Incredible India 2.0” to promote tourism. This program's main objective is to develop its rural hospitality sector through investments in tourism infrastructure. The government of Indias' other initiative like “Swadesh Darshan” and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) is also aimed to increase investments in the rural sector.

Further, barriers such as “Lack of access and connectivity (B1)” and “Insufficient advertisement of tourism destination with local and international media (B5)” influence each other interdependently and also act as significant barriers for rural tourism in India. Lack of accessibility to local tourist destinations is another obstacle to the growth of rural tourism in India. Therefore, the Indian government should encourage and promote e-ticketing for rural cultural sites, multi-lingual telephone helplines for tourists in rural areas, online databases for rural cultural programmes and different schemes to promote rural heritage sights reducing rail/bus/air ticket prices and improving seaports for cruise tourism.

From the ISM hierarchy structure, it is evident that the above-discussed barriers would lead to “Lack of strategic planning for promotion of rural tourism spot (B6)”, which further lead to “Lack of suitable and sufficient accommodation (B2)”, “Limited number of local experts (B13)” and “Shortage of trained local guide (B14)”. The hierarchical relationships also make a lot of sense, as the influence of barriers such as “lack of proper amenities in local tourist places”, “lack of support to innovation in community-level” and “lack of communication ability by local stakeholders” play an essential role in strengthening the tourism in India. Therefore, the government and local stakeholders must find ways to tackle these challenges/barriers. The above-discussed barriers also influence other barriers like “Lack of a local brand of entertainment (B4)”, “Policies and Promotion of old rural heritage/historical sites (B6)”, “Unprofessional customer service (B9)”, “Lack of security infrastructure and policies (B16)” and “Lack of easy and single window VISA system (B17)”. The Ministry of Tourism has been working with other ministries to ease the existing VISA system to make a robust and straightforward VISA system. In support of external affair, the Ministry has already implemented the “Tourist Visa on Arrival enabled with Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)”, renamed as e-Tourist Visa. Now there are as many as 150 countries have been listed for this scheme. More efforts are required to improve the current visa system efficiency further. To overcome problems like unprofessional services, the limited number of experts and a shortage of trained local guides, India's government should launch vocational/professional courses at different colleges and universities. This can help to develop professionalism among stakeholders to handle tourists in rural India.

This study contributes some meaningful inferences to the theory of tourism research. According to Collis and Hussey (2014) , the primary purpose of any study, mainly academic research, is to examine the research questions to produce some knowledge. As there has not been any influential research that prioritizes the crucial barriers to rural tourism growth in India, exploring such barriers through this study would help researchers understand the issues pertaining to rural tourism growth. From a theoretical point of view, this research is one of the first efforts to identify relevant barriers from various sources (i.e. research articles, websites/blogs, expert opinion on rural tourism, etc.) affecting India's rural tourism. Furthermore, none of the existing study has classified rural tourism barriers in India into various categories such as autonomous barriers, influencing barriers, influenced barriers, surface barriers, direct barriers, shallow barriers and linkage barriers to understand their nature. Based on experts' opinion, this study has computed the driving and dependence power for each barrier and assigned them to particular groups depending on their influences. This study has established the levels of various barriers and their interlinks using integrated MCDM techniques. This study has also prioritized the barriers to the growth of rural tourism in India. The DEMATEL method is used to identify the cause and effect of barriers to rural tourism growth. The ISM methodology provides more in-depth information about the essential driving and dependent barriers and their interlinks. Using integrated DEMATEL and ISM framework to rank the rural tourism barriers and further establish their interlink, this research has also contributed methodologically to rural tourism.

Finally, to summarise, this research is one of the first efforts to conduct a comprehensive study to prioritize the barriers responsible for rural tourism growth in India. Prior research on rural tourism in India neither identify barriers nor establish causal links between these essential barriers. This paper tried to fill these gaps in current research by prioritizing and linking various significant barriers from various sources using integrated DEMATEL and ISM techniques. The discussion concluded with a hope that future studies in rural tourism can empirically validate such links among barriers using an appropriate framework and primary data.

6.1 Academic implications

The hierarchical structure of barriers influencing rural tourism growth in India is inferred using an integrated DEMATEL – ISM techniques. The robustness of results obtained using the DEMATEL – ISM method is based solely on mathematical modelling. DEMATEL method is used (1) to divide the influencing barriers to cause barriers and effect barriers, (2) to identify the importance of the barriers in the growth of rural tourism in India. ISM is used to decompose the nonlinear and complicated interlinked barriers. Based on their influencing nature, ISM disintegrated these barriers into six hierarchies. These six hierarchies of barriers established in this research provide a holistic scenario for understanding the importance of India's rural tourism growth barriers.

Additionally, this study's influencing/influenced barriers are based on both the past literature and expert's opinion using the Delphi method. Combining two data sources to identify the barriers is more reliable and authentic than a single source. Further, recognized barriers would facilitate policymakers in the growth of rural tourism in India. However, in contributing to the theory, the straightforward integration of the DEMATEL and ISM techniques is logically sound in analyzing the barriers to rural tourism growth.

6.2 Managerial implications

The hierarchical structure provides a visualization of interrelationships and interdependences among the influencing/influenced barriers to tourism growth in rural India. It can serve as a useful reference for the growth of tourism in India. Based on the finding and analysis, the corresponding countermeasures are proposed to improve tourism's footfall in rural India. Figure 3 shows that the direct barriers influencing tourism growth are marketing and promotion, management, regulatory issues and safety measures. Reducing these barriers is the most direct and affordable means to improve tourism in rural India. In reality, however, it is not always possible to improve these direct barriers, but it can be managed by changing/reducing other influencing barriers to direct barriers. The direct barriers are also affected by the surface influencing barriers.

The surface influencing barriers do not directly affect rural tourism growth but register their influence through direct barriers. The improvement of surface influencing' barriers is a practical and feasible way to improve rural India's tourism growth. But the shortcoming is that the improvement potential of these barriers is very negligible in this case. Furthermore, shallow influencing barriers to tourism development are more concealed and often have little to do with the growth. These influencing barriers are often challenging to relate directly to tourism growth. But it affects the growth of tourism through surface barriers. The scope of improvements in these surface barriers is more practical and feasible. The impact of profound influencing barriers such as “marketing and advertisement”, “accessibility and security” etc., is found not directly reflected in the growth of rural tourism in India, but on other aspects that directly impact the growth. Minimizing these barriers can substantially improve the existing environment for tourism development. Working on these barriers can help to enhance the tourism eco-system effectively and continuously.

Further, to address these barriers related to the economic and political eco-system are more complicated to address. In summary, a practical and feasible way to improve the rural tourism in India is to enhance the surface and shallow influencing barriers like “Insufficient investment in the tourism sector”, “lack of access and connectivity and insufficient advertisement of tourism destinations in media”, while gradually and subtly improving the awful influencing barriers like “policies and promotion of old rural heritage/historical sites”, “lack of support to innovation in community-level”, “limited number of experts, shortage of trained local guide” etc. Ultimately, working on these barriers will fundamentally improve India's economy through the growth of rural tourism. Proper management of potential barriers found in the study can bring various benefits in future, such as rural employment, higher government revenues and the transformation of rural resources into a modern service industry; otherwise, it can damage many rural indigenous societies.

7. Conclusion

Growth in rural tourism in India can help in economic development. The government should recognize the importance of rural tourism in India and provide a healthy, sustainable environment for the stakeholders. All the stakeholders should give data to decision-making bodies to identify factors/barriers responsible for India's rural tourism growth. Furthermore, the government should provide adequate support and cost-effective infrastructures to foster rural tourism growth.

The integration of ISM and DEMATEL analyses the interrelationship between different barriers that affect rural tourism growth. This integrated approach divided the barriers to cause barriers and significant barriers based on the causality score. Further, the causal relations among these barriers are established. Again, the significance of the different barriers is obtained using a centrality score. Finally, these barriers are classified into “direct influencing barriers”, “surface barriers”, “shallow barriers” and “controlled barriers”.

The barriers that affect rural tourism growth in India have a very complex hierarchical structure. The barriers with high causality are placed in the upper layers of the structure. The analysis shows that insufficient government support is the root cause of low rural tourism growth in India. Accordingly, significant action should be taken to improve other indirect barriers, e.g accessibility, safety and security, marketing and promotion, local facilities etc. Therefore, all the stakeholders should work jointly to promptly reduce these root barriers with an effective and timely response to improve rural India's tourism footprint.

Flow of proposed methodology

The cause-and-effect relation diagram

The hierarchical model of the influencing Barriers of Rural Tourism Growth in India

Comparative strength of each (ISM and DEMATEL) methods

Experts' profile

Mean score of crucial barriers to smart city development

The direct relation matrix

The comprehensive relation matrix

Results of influencing and influenced degrees, centrality and causality

Reachability matrix

Reachable set, antecedent set and collective set of each barrier in the first round

Reachable set, antecedent set and collective set of each barrier in the second round

Structural levels of all barriers in the hierarchical structure

Appendix Survey Questionnaire

(a) Graduate; (b) Postgraduate; (c) Doctorate; (d) If any other, please specify______

(a) 5 years; (b) 5–10 years; (c) 11–15 years; (d) 16–20 years; (e) >20 years

(a) Private sector; (b) Public sector; (c) If any other, please specify___________________

Section B – Please choose only one choice in each question as follows:

Kindly indicate the impact of the following barriers on rural tourism growth in India in 5-points Likert scale (1-not at all,2- slight impact, 3- moderate impact,4-significant impact and 5-very significant impact). Please tick (√) in the appropriate column)

Section C – Contextual relationships between different barriers (Used in Delphi process)

Kindly fill the following table to represent contextual relationships between different direct influence matrix barriers to India's rural tourism. The direct influence matrix( X ) is obtained where x i j  = 0 indicates that barrier B i does not influence barrier   B j . x i j = 1 suggests that B i   influences on   B j . For example, if you think that barrier (B1) influences barrier (B2), insert one(1), otherwise zero(0).

Please do this exercise to fill (0/1) for all the cells indicated below

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Rural Tourism

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Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has launched National Strategy and Roadmap for the Development of Rural Tourism in India and National Strategy for the promotion of Homestays in India to leverage India's rural heritage in creating a vibrant and responsible tourism segment by creating engaging rural experiences thereby promoting indigenous jobs, and preserving local culture and heritage.

To facilitate an enabling environment comprising of Government, Industry, NGO, Community for development and promotion of rural tourism in the Country.

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• Published: 31 March 2023

The benefits of tourism for rural community development

• Yung-Lun Liu 1 ,
• Jui-Te Chiang 2 &
• Pen-Fa Ko 2  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  10 , Article number:  137 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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• Business and management
• Development studies

While the main benefits of rural tourism have been studied extensively, most of these studies have focused on the development of sustainable rural tourism. The role of tourism contributions to rural community development remains unexplored. Little is known about what tourism contribution dimensions are available for policy-makers and how these dimensions affect rural tourism contributions. Without a clear picture and indication of what benefits rural tourism can provide for rural communities, policy-makers might not invest limited resources in such projects. The objectives of this study are threefold. First, we outline a rural tourism contribution model that policy-makers can use to support tourism-based rural community development. Second, we address several methodological limitations that undermine current sustainability model development and recommend feasible methodological solutions. Third, we propose a six-step theoretical procedure as a guideline for constructing a valid contribution model. We find four primary attributes of rural tourism contributions to rural community development; economic, sociocultural, environmental, and leisure and educational, and 32 subattributes. Ultimately, we confirm that economic benefits are the most significant contribution. Our findings have several practical and methodological implications and could be used as policy-making guidelines for rural community development.

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Introduction

In many countries, rural areas are less developed than urban areas. They are often perceived as having many problems, such as low productivity, low education, and low income. Other issues include population shifts from rural to urban areas, low economic growth, declining employment opportunities, the loss of farms, impacts on historical and cultural heritage, sharp demographic changes, and low quality of life. These issues indicate that maintaining agricultural activities without change might create deeper social problems in rural regions. Li et al. ( 2019 ) analyzed why some rural areas decline while others do not. They emphasized that it is necessary to improve rural communities’ resilience by developing new tourism activities in response to potential urban demands. In addition, to overcome the inevitability of rural decline, Markey et al. ( 2008 ) pointed out that reversing rural recession requires investment orientation and policy support reform, for example, regarding tourism. Therefore, adopting rural tourism as an alternative development approach has become a preferred strategy in efforts to balance economic, social, cultural, and environmental regeneration.

Why should rural regions devote themselves to tourism-based development? What benefits can rural tourism bring to a rural community, particularly during and after the COVID pandemic? Without a clear picture and answers to these questions, policy-makers might not invest limited resources in such projects. Understanding the contributions of rural tourism to rural community development is critical for helping government and community planners realize whether rural tourism development is beneficial. Policy-makers are aware that reducing rural vulnerability and enhancing rural resilience is a necessary but challenging task; therefore, it is important to consider the equilibrium between rural development and potential negative impacts. For example, economic growth may improve the quality of life and enhance the well-being index. However, it may worsen income inequality, increase the demand for green landscapes, and intensify environmental pollution, and these changes may impede natural preservation in rural regions and make local residents’ lives more stressful. This might lead policy-makers to question whether they should support tourism-based rural development. Thus, the provision of specific information on the contributions of rural tourism is crucial for policy-makers.

Recently, most research has focused on rural sustainable tourism development (Asmelash and Kumar, 2019 ; Polukhina et al., 2021 ), and few studies have considered the contributions of rural tourism. Sustainability refers to the ability of a destination to maintain production over time in the face of long-term constraints and pressures (Altieri et al., 2018 ). In this study, we focus on rural tourism contributions, meaning what rural tourism contributes or does to help produce something or make it better or more successful. More specifically, we focus on rural tourism’s contributions, not its sustainability, as these goals and directions differ. Today, rural tourism has responded to the new demand trends of short-term tourists, directly providing visitors with unique services and opportunities to contact other business channels. The impact on the countryside is multifaceted, but many potential factors have not been explored (Arroyo et al., 2013 ; Tew and Barbieri, 2012 ). For example, the demand for remote nature-based destinations has increased due to the fear of COVID-19 infection, the perceived risk of crowding, and a desire for low tourist density. Juschten and Hössinger ( 2020 ) showed that the impact of COVID-19 led to a surge in demand for natural parks, forests, and rural areas. Vaishar and Šťastná ( 2022 ) demonstrated that the countryside is gaining more domestic tourists due to natural, gastronomic, and local attractions. Thus, they contended that the COVID-19 pandemic created rural tourism opportunities.

Following this change in tourism demand, rural regions are no longer associated merely with agricultural commodity production. Instead, they are seen as fruitful locations for stimulating new socioeconomic activities and mitigating public mental health issues (Kabadayi et al., 2020 ). Despite such new opportunities in rural areas, there is still a lack of research that provides policy-makers with information about tourism development in rural communities (Petrovi’c et al., 2018 ; Vaishar and Šťastná, 2022 ). Although there are many novel benefits that tourism can bring to rural communities, these have not been considered in the rural community development literature. For example, Ram et al. ( 2022 ) showed that the presence of people with mental health issues, such as nonclinical depression, is negatively correlated with domestic tourism, such as rural tourism. Yang et al. ( 2021 ) found that the contribution of rural tourism to employment is significant; they indicated that the proportion of nonagricultural jobs had increased by 99.57%, and tourism in rural communities had become the leading industry at their research site in China, with a value ten times higher than that of agricultural output. Therefore, rural tourism is vital in counteracting public mental health issues and can potentially advance regional resilience, identity, and well-being (López-Sanz et al., 2021 ).

Since the government plays a critical role in rural tourism development, providing valuable insights, perspectives, and recommendations to policy-makers to foster sustainable policies and practices in rural destinations is essential (Liu et al., 2020 ). Despite the variables developed over time to address particular aspects of rural tourism development, there is still a lack of specific variables and an overall measurement framework for understanding the contributions of rural tourism. Therefore, more evidence is needed to understand how rural tourism influences rural communities from various structural perspectives and to prompt policy-makers to accept rural tourism as an effective development policy or strategy for rural community development. In this paper, we aim to fill this gap.

The remainder of this paper is organized as follows: the section “Literature review” presents the literature review. Our methodology is described in the section “Methodology”, and our results are presented in the section “Results”. Our discussion in the section “Discussion/implications” places our findings in perspective by describing their theoretical and practical implications, and we provide concluding remarks in the section “Conclusion”.

Literature review

The role of rural tourism.

The UNWTO ( 2021 ) defined rural tourism as a type of tourism in which a visitor’s experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activity, agriculture, rural lifestyle/culture, angling, and sightseeing. Rural tourism has been used as a valid developmental strategy in rural areas in many developed and developing countries. This developmental strategy aims to enable a rural community to grow while preserving its traditional culture (Kaptan et al., 2020 ). In rural areas, ongoing encounters and interactions between humans and nature occur, as well as mutual transformations. These phenomena take place across a wide range of practices that are spatially and temporally bound, including agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, farm tourism, cultural heritage preservation, and country life (Hegarty and Przezbórska, 2005 ). To date, rural tourism in many places has become an important new element of the regional rural economy; it is increasing in importance as both a strategic sector and a way to boost the development of rural regions (Polukhina et al., 2021 ). Urban visitors’ demand for short-term leisure activities has increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic (Slater, 2020 ). Furthermore, as tourists shifted their preferences from exotic to local rural tourism amid COVID-19, Marques et al. ( 2022 ) suggested that this trend is a new opportunity that should be seized, as rural development no longer relies on agriculture alone. Instead, other practices, such as rural tourism, have become opportunities for rural areas. Ironically, urbanization has both caused severe problems in rural areas and stimulated rural tourism development as an alternative means of economic revitalization (Lewis and Delisle, 2004 ). Rural tourism provides many unique events and activities that people who live in urban areas are interested in, such as agricultural festivals, crafts, historical buildings, natural preservation, nostalgia, cuisine, and opportunities for family togetherness and relaxation (Christou, 2020 ; Getz, 2008 ). As rural tourism provides visitors from urban areas with various kinds of psychological, educational, social, esthetic, and physical satisfaction, it has brought unprecedented numbers of tourists to rural communities, stimulated economic growth, improved the viability of these communities, and enhanced their living standards (Nicholson and Pearce, 2001 ). For example, rural tourism practitioners have obtained significant economic effects, including more income, more direct sales, better profit margins, and more opportunities to sell agricultural products or craft items (Everett and Slocum, 2013 ). Local residents can participate in the development of rural tourism, and it does not necessarily depend on external resources. Hence, it provides entrepreneurial opportunities (Lee et al., 2006 ). From an environmental perspective, rural tourism is rooted in a contemporary theoretical shift from cherishing local agricultural resources to restoring the balance between people and ecosystems. Thus, rural land is preserved, natural landscapes are maintained, and green consumerism drives farmers to focus on organic products, green chemistry, and value-added products, such as land ethics (Higham and Ritchie, 2001 ). Therefore, the potential contributions of rural tourism are significant and profound (Marques, 2006 ; Phillip et al., 2010 ). Understanding its contributions to rural community development could encourage greater policy-maker investment and resident support (Yang et al., 2010 ).

Contributions of rural tourism to rural community development

Maintaining active local communities while preventing the depopulation and degradation of rural areas requires a holistic approach and processes that support sustainability. What can rural tourism contribute to rural development? In the literature, rural tourism has been shown to bring benefits such as stimulating economic growth (Oh, 2005 ), strengthening rural and regional economies (Lankford, 1994 ), alleviating poverty (Zhao et al., 2007 ), and improving living standards in local communities (Uysal et al., 2016 ). In addition to these economic contributions, what other elements have not been identified and discussed (Su et al., 2020 )? To answer these questions, additional evidence is a prerequisite. Thus, this study examines the following four aspects. (1) The economic perspective: The clustering of activities offered by rural tourism stimulates cooperation and partnerships between local communities and serves as a vehicle for creating various economic benefits. For example, rural tourism improves employment opportunities and stability, local residents’ income, investment, entrepreneurial opportunities, agricultural production value-added, capital formation, economic resilience, business viability, and local tax revenue (Atun et al., 2019 ; Cheng and Zhang, 2020 ; Choi and Sirakaya, 2006 ; Chong and Balasingam, 2019 ; Cunha et al., 2020 ). (2) The sociocultural perspective: Rural tourism no longer refers solely to the benefits of agricultural production; through economic improvement, it represents a greater diversity of activities. It is important to take advantage of the novel social and cultural alternatives offered by rural tourism, which contribute to the countryside. For example, rural tourism can be a vehicle for introducing farmers to potential new markets through more interactions with consumers and other value chain members. Under such circumstances, the sociocultural benefits of rural tourism are multifaceted. These include improved rural area depopulation prevention (López-Sanz et al., 2021 ), cultural and heritage preservation, and enhanced social stability compared to farms that do not engage in the tourism business (Ma et al., 2021 ; Yang et al., 2021 ). Additional benefits are improved quality of life; revitalization of local crafts, customs, and cultures; restoration of historical buildings and community identities; and increased opportunities for social contact and exchange, which enhance community visibility, pride, and cultural integrity (Kelliher et al., 2018 ; López-Sanz et al., 2021 ; Ryu et al., 2020 ; Silva and Leal, 2015 ). (3) The environmental perspective: Many farms in rural areas have been rendered noncompetitive due to a shortage of labor, poor managerial skills, and a lack of financial support (Coria and Calfucura, 2012 ). Although there can be immense pressure to maintain a farm in a family and to continue using land for agriculture, these problems could cause families to sell or abandon their farms or lands (Tew and Barbieri, 2012 ). In addition, unless new income pours into rural areas, farm owners cannot preserve their land and its natural aspects; thus, they tend to allow their land to become derelict or sell it. In the improved economic conditions after farms diversify into rural tourism, rural communities have more money to provide environmental care for their natural scenic areas, pastoral resources, forests, wetlands, biodiversity, pesticide mitigation, and unique landscapes (Theodori, 2001 ; Vail and Hultkrantz, 2000 ). Ultimately, the entire image of a rural community is affected; the community is imbued with vitality, and farms that participate in rural tourism instill more togetherness among families and rural communities. In this study, the environmental benefits induced by rural tourism led to improved natural environmental conservation, biodiversity, environmental awareness, infrastructure, green chemistry, unspoiled land, and family land (Di and Laura, 2021 ; Lane, 1994 ; Ryu et al., 2020 ; Yang et al., 2021 ). (4) The leisure and educational perspective: Rural tourism is a diverse strategy associated with an ongoing flow of development models that commercialize a wide range of farming practices for residents and visitors. Rural territories often present a rich set of unique resources that, if well managed, allow multiple appealing, authentic, and memorable tourist experiences. Tourists frequently comment that the rural tourism experience positively contrasts with the stress and other negatively perceived conditions of daily urban life. This is reflected in opposing, compelling images of home and a visited rural destination (Kastenholz et al., 2012 ). In other words, tourists’ positive experiences result from the attractions and activities of rural tourism destinations that may be deemed sensorially, symbolically, or socially opposed to urban life (Kastenholz et al. 2018 ). These experiences are associated with the “search for authenticity” in the context of the tension between the nostalgic images of an idealized past and the demands of stressful modern times. Although visitors search for the psychological fulfillment of hedonic, self-actualization, challenge, accomplishment, exploration, and discovery goals, some authors have uncovered the effects of rural tourism in a different context. For example, Otto and Ritchie ( 1996 ) revealed that the quality of a rural tourism service provides a tourist experience in four dimensions—hedonic, peace of mind, involvement, and recognition. Quadri-Felitti and Fiore ( 2013 ) identified the relevant impact of education, particularly esthetics, versus memory on satisfaction in wine tourism. At present, an increasing number of people and families are seeking esthetic places for relaxation and family reunions, particularly amid COVID-19. Rural tourism possesses such functions; it remains a novel phenomenon for visitors who live in urban areas and provides leisure and educational benefits when visitors to a rural site contemplate the landscape or participate in an agricultural process for leisure purposes (WTO, 2020 ). Tourists can obtain leisure and educational benefits, including ecological knowledge, information about green consumerism, leisure and recreational opportunities, health and food security, reduced mental health issues, and nostalgia nurturing (Alford and Jones, 2020 ; Ambelu et al., 2018 ; Christou, 2020 ; Lane, 1994 ; Li et al., 2021 ). These four perspectives possess a potential synergy, and their effects could strengthen the relationship between rural families and rural areas and stimulate new regional resilience. Therefore, rural tourism should be understood as an enabler of rural community development that will eventually attract policy-makers and stakeholders to invest more money in developing or advancing it.

Methodology

The literature on rural tourism provides no generally accepted method for measuring its contributions or sustainability intensity. Although many statistical methods are available, several limitations remain, particularly in terms of the item generation stage and common method bias (CMB). For example, Marzo-Navar et al. ( 2015 ) used the mean and SD values to obtain their items. However, the use of the mean has been criticized because it is susceptible to extreme values or outliers. In addition, they did not examine omitted variables and CMB. Asmelash and Kumar ( 2019 ) used the Delphi method with a mean value for deleting items. Although they asked experts to suggest the inclusion of any missed variables, they did not discuss these results. Moreover, they did not assess CMB. Islam et al. ( 2021 ) used a sixteen-step process to formulate sustainability indicators but did not consider omitted variables, a source of endogeneity bias. They also did not designate a priority for each indicator. Although a methodologically sound systematic review is commonly used, little attention has been given to reporting interexpert reliability when multiple experts are used to making decisions at various points in the screening and data extraction stages (Belur et al., 2021 ). Due to the limitations of the current methods for assessing sustainable tourism development, we aim to provide new methodological insights. Specifically, we suggest a six-stage procedure, as shown in Fig. 1 .

Steps required in developing the model for analysis after obtaining the data.

Many sources of data collection can be used, including literature reviews, inferences about the theoretical definition of the construct, previous theoretical and empirical research on the focal construct, advice from experts in the field, interviews, and focus groups. In this study, the first step was to retrieve data from a critical literature review. The second step was the assessment of omitted variables to produce items that fully captured all essential aspects of the focal construct domain. In this case, researchers must not omit a necessary measure or fail to include all of the critical dimensions of the construct. In addition, the stimuli of CMB, for example, double-barreled items, items containing ambiguous or unfamiliar terms, and items with a complicated syntax, should be simplified and made specific and concise. That is, researchers should delete items contaminated by CMB. The third step was the examination of construct-irrelevant variance to retain the variances relevant to the construct of interest and minimize the extent to which the items tapped concepts outside the focal construct domain. Variances irrelevant to the targeted construct should be deleted. The fourth step was to examine intergroup consistency to ensure that there was no outlier impact underlying the ratings. The fifth step was to examine interexpert reliability to ensure rating conformity. Finally, we prioritized the importance of each variable with the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP), which is a multicriteria decision-making approach. All methods used in this study are expert-based approaches.

Selection of experts

Because this study explores the contributions of rural tourism to rural community development, it involves phenomena in the postdevelopment stage; therefore, a few characteristics are essential for determining the choice of experts. The elements used to identify the experts in this study were (1) the number of experts, (2) expertise, (3) knowledge, (4) diversity, (5) years working in this field, and 5) commitment to participation. Regarding the number of experts, Murphy-Black et al. ( 1998 ) suggested that the more participants there are, the better, as a higher number reduces the effects of expert attrition and rater bias. Taylor-Powell ( 2002 ) pointed out that the number of participants in an expert-based study depends not only on the purpose of the research but also on the diversity of the target population. Okoli and Pawlowski ( 2004 ) recommended a target number of 10–18 experts for such a purpose. Therefore, we recruited a group of 18 experts based on their stated interest in the topic and asked them to comment on our rationale concerning the rating priorities among the items. We asked them to express a degree of agreement or disagreement with each item we provided. We adopted a heterogeneous and anonymous arrangement to ensure that rater bias did not affect this study. The 18 experts had different backgrounds, which might have made it easier for them to reach a consensus objectively. We divided the eighteen experts into three subgroups: (1) at least six top managers from rural tourism businesses, all of whom had been in the rural tourism business for over 10 years; (2) at least six academics who taught subjects related to tourism at three different universities in Taiwan; and (3) at least six government officials involved in rural development issues in Taiwan.

Generating items to represent the construct

Step 1: data collection.

Data collection provides evidence for investigation and reflects the construct of interest. While there is a need to know what rural tourism contributes, previous studies have provided no evidence for policy-makers to establish a rural community strategy; thus, it is essential to use a second source to achieve this aim. We used a literature review for specific topics; the data we used were based on the findings being presented in papers on rural tourism indexed in the SSCI (Social Sciences Citation Index) and SCIE (Science Citation Index Expanded). In this study, we intended to explore the role of rural tourism and its contributions to rural development. Therefore, we explored the secondary literature on the state of the questions of rural development, sustainable development, sustainability indicators, regional resilience, farm tourism, rural tourism, COVID-19, tourist preferences, and ecotourism using terms such as land ethics, ecology, biodiversity, green consumerism, environmentalism, green chemistry, community identity, community integration, community visibility, and development goals in an ad hoc review of previous studies via Google Scholar. Based on the outcomes of this first data collection step, we generated thirty-three subattributes and classified them into four domains.

Step 2: Examine the face validity of omitted variables and CMB

Face validity is defined as assessing whether a measurement scale or questionnaire includes all the necessary items (Dempsey and Dempsey, 1992 ). Based on the first step, we generated data subattributes from our literature review. However, there might have been other valuable attributes or subattributes that were not considered or excluded. Therefore, our purposes for examining face validity were twofold. First, we assessed the omitted variables, defined as the occurrence of crucial aspects or facets that were omitted (Messick, 1995 ). These comprise a threat to construct validity that, if ignored by researchers, might result in unreliable findings. In other words, face validity is used to distinguish whether the researchers have adequately captured the full dimensions of the construct of interest. If not, the evaluation instrument or model is deficient. However, the authors found that most rural tourism studies have not assessed the issue of omitted variables (An and Alarcon, 2020 ; Lin, 2022 ). Second, we mitigated the CMB effect. In a self-report survey, it is necessary to provide a questionnaire without CMB to the targeted respondents, as CMB affects respondent comprehension. Therefore, we assessed item characteristic effects, item context effects, and question response process effects. These three effects are related to the respondents’ understanding, retrieval, mood, affectivity, motivation, judgment, response selection, and response reporting (Podsakoff et al., 2003 ). Specifically, items containing flaws from these three groups in a questionnaire can seriously influence an empirical investigation and potentially result in misleading conclusions. We assessed face validity by asking all the experts to scrutinize the content items that we collected from the literature review and the questionnaire that we drafted. The experts could then add any attribute or subattribute they thought was essential that had been omitted. They could also revise the questionnaire if CMB were embedded. We added the new attributes or subattributes identified by the experts to those collected from the literature review.

Step 3: Examine interexpert consensus for construct-irrelevant variances

After examining face validity, we needed to rule out items irrelevant to the construct of interest; otherwise, the findings would be invalid. We examined the interexpert consensus to achieve this aim. The purpose was to estimate the experts’ ratings of each item. In other words, interexpert consensus assesses the extent to which experts make the same ratings (Kozlowski and Hattrup, 1992 ; Northcote et al., 2008 ). In prior studies, descriptive statistics have often been used to capture the variability among individual characteristics, responses, or contributions to the subject group (Landeta, 2006 ; Roberson et al., 2007 ). Many expert-based studies have applied descriptive statistics to determine consensus and quantify its degree (Paraskevas and Saunders, 2012 ; Stewart et al., 2016 ). Two main groups of descriptive statistics, central tendencies (mode, mean, and median) and level of dispersion (standard deviation, interquartile, and coefficient of variation), are commonly used when determining consensus (Mukherjee et al., 2015 ). Choosing the cutoff point of interexpert consensus was critical because we used it as a yardstick for item retention and its value can also be altered by a number on the Likert scale (Förster and von der Gracht, 2014 ). In the case of a 5-point Likert scale, the coefficient of variation (CV) is used to measure interexpert consensus. Hence, CV ≤ 0.3 indicated high consensus (Zinn et al., 2001 ). In addition, based on the feedback obtained from the expert panel, we used standard deviation (SD) as another measurement to assess the variation in our population. Henning and Jordaan ( 2016 ) indicate that SD ≤ 1 represents a high level of consensus, meaning that it can act as a guideline for cutoff points. In addition, following Vergani et al. ( 2022 ), we used the percentage agreement (% AGR) to examine interexpert consensus. If the responses reached ≧ 70% 4 and 5 in the case of a 5-point Likert scale, it indicated that the item had interexpert consensus; thus, we could retain it. Moreover, to avoid the impact of outliers, we used the median instead of the mean as another measurement. Items had a high consensus if their median value was ≥4.00 (Rice, 2009 ). Considering these points, we adopted % AGR, median, SD, and CV to examine interexpert consensus.

Step 4: Examine intergroup consistency

In this expert-based study, the sample size was small. Any rater bias could have caused inconsistency among the subgroups of experts; therefore, we needed to examine the effect of rater bias on intergroup consistency. When the intergroup ratings showed substantially different distributions, the aggregated data were groundless. Dajani et al. ( 1979 ) remarked that interexpert consensus is meaningless if the consistency of responses in a study is not reached, as it means that any rater bias could distort the median, SD, or CV. Most studies have used one-way ANOVA to determine whether there is a significant difference between the expected and observed frequency in three or more categories. However, this method is based on large sample size and normal distribution. In the case of expert-based studies, the expert sample size is small, and the assessment distribution tends to be skewed. Thus, we used the nonparametric test instead of one-way ANOVA for consistency measurement (Potvin and Roff, 1993 ). We used the Kruskal‒Wallis test (K–W) to test the intergroup consistency among the three subgroups of experts. The purpose of the K–W test is to determine whether there are significant differences among three or more subgroups regarding the ratings of the domains (Huck, 2004 ). The judgment criteria in the K-W test depended on the level of significance, and we set the significance level at p  < 0.05 (Love and Irani, 2004 ), with no significant differences among groups set at p  > 0.05 (Loftus et al., 2000 ; Rice, 2009 ). We used SPSS to conduct the K–W test to assess intergroup consistency in this study.

Step 5: Examine interexpert reliability

Interexpert reliability, on the one hand, is usually defined as the proportion of systematic variance to the total variance in ratings (James et al., 1984 ). On the other hand, interexpert reliability estimation is not concerned with the exact or absolute value of ratings. Rather, it measures the relative ordering or ranking of rated objects. Thus, interexpert reliability estimation concerns the consistency of ratings (Tinsley and Weiss, 1975 ). If an expert-based study did not achieve interexpert reliability, we could not trust its analysis (Singletary, 1994 ). Thus, we examined interexpert reliability in this expert-based study. Many methods are available in the literature for measuring interexpert reliability, but there seems to be little consensus on a standard method. We used Kendall’s W to assess the reliability among the experts for each sample group (Goetz et al., 1994 ) because it was available for any sample size or ordinal number. If W was 1, all the experts were unanimous, and each had assigned the same order to the list of objects or concerns. As Spector et al. ( 2002 ) and Schilling ( 2002 ) suggested, reliabilities well above the recommended value of .70 indicate sufficient internal reliability. In this study, there was a strong consensus when W  > 0.7. W  > 0.5 represented a moderate consensus; and W  < 0.3 indicated weak interexpert agreement (Schmidt et al., 2001 ). To measure Kendall’s W , we used SPSS 23 to assess interexpert reliability.

Step 6: Examine the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process

After examining face validity, interexpert consensus, intergroup consistency, and interexpert reliability, we found that the aggregated items were relevant, authentic, and reliable in relation to the construct of interest. To provide policy-makers with a clear direction regarding which contributions are more or less important, we scored each attribute and subattribute using a multicriteria decision-making technique. Fuzzy AHP is a well-known decision-making tool for modeling unstructured problems. It enables decision-makers to model a complex issue in a hierarchical structure that indicates the relationships between the goal, criteria, and subcriteria on the basis of scores (Park and Yoon, 2011 ). The fuzzy AHP method tolerates vagueness and ambiguity (Mikhailov and Tsvetinov, 2004 ). In other words, fuzzy AHP can capture a human’s appraisal of ambiguity when considering complex, multicriteria decision-making problems (Erensal et al., 2006 ). In this study, we used Power Choice 2.5 software to run fuzzy AHP, determine weights, and develop the impact structure of rural tourism on sustainable rural development.

Face validity

To determine whether we had omitted variables, we asked all 18 experts to scrutinize our list of four attributes and 33 subattributes for omitted variables and determine whether the questionnaire contained any underlying CMB. We explained the meaning of omitted variables, the stimuli of CMB, and the two purposes of examining face validity to all the experts. In their feedback, the eighteen experts added one item as an omitted variable: business viability. The experts suggested no revisions to the questionnaire we had drafted. These results indicated that one omitted variable was revealed and that our prepared questionnaire was clear, straightforward, and understandable. The initially pooled 34 subattributes represented the construct of interest, and all questionnaires used for measurement were defendable in terms of CMB. The biasing effects of method variance did not exist, indicating that the threat of CMB was minor.

Interexpert consensus

In this step, we rejected any items irrelevant to the construct of interest. Consensus measurement played an essential role in aggregating the experts’ judgments. This study measured the AGR, median, SD, and CV. Two items, strategic alliance (AGR = 50%) and carbon neutrality (AGR = 56%) were rated < 70%, and we rejected them accordingly. These results are shown in Table 1 . The AGR, median, SD, and CV values were all greater than the cutoff points, thus indicating that the majority of experts in this study consistently recognized high values and reached a consensus for the rest of the 32 subattributes. Consequently, the four attributes and 32 subattributes remained and were initially identified as determinants for further analysis.

Intergroup consistency and interexpert reliability

In this study, with scores based on a 5-point Likert scale, we conducted the K–W test to assess intergroup differences for each subattribute. Based on the outcomes, the K–W test yielded significant results for all 32 subattributes; all three groups of experts reached consistency at p  > 0.05. This result indicated that no outlier or extreme value underlay the ratings, and therefore, intergroup consistency was reached. Finally, we measured interexpert reliability with Kendall’s W . The economic perspective was W  = 0.73, the sociocultural perspective was W  = 0.71, the environmental perspective was W  = 0.71, and the leisure and educational perspective was W  = 0.72. These four groups of W were all ≧ 0.7, indicating high reliability for the ranking order and convergence judged by all subgroup experts. These results are shown in Table 2 .

The hierarchical framework

The results of this study indicate that rural tourism contributions to rural community development comprise four attributes and thirty-two subattributes. The economic perspective encompasses nine subattributes and is weighted at w  = 0.387. In addition, rural tourism has long been considered a possible means of sociocultural development and regeneration of rural areas, particularly those affected by the decline in traditional rural

activities, agricultural festivals, and historical buildings. According to the desired benefits, the sociocultural perspective encompasses nine subattributes and is weighted at w  = 0.183. Moreover, as rural tourism can develop on farms and locally, its contribution to maintaining and enhancing environmental regeneration and protection is significant. Therefore, an environmental perspective can determine rural tourism’s impact on pursuing environmental objectives. Our results indicate that the environmental perspective encompasses seven subattributes and that its weight is w  = 0.237. Furthermore, the leisure and educational perspective indicates the attractiveness of rural tourism from visitors’ viewpoint and their perception of a destination’s value and contributions. These results show that this perspective encompasses seven subattributes and is weighted at w  = 0.193. This specific contribution model demonstrates a 3-level hierarchical structure, as shown in Fig. 2 . The scores for each criterion could indicate each attribute’s importance and explain the priority order of the groups. Briefly, the critical sequence of each measure in the model at Level 2 is as follows: economic perspective > environmental perspective > leisure and educational perspective > sociocultural perspective. Since scoring and ranking were provided by 18 experts from three different backgrounds and calculated using fuzzy AHP, our rural tourism contribution model is established. It can provide policy-makers with information on the long-term benefits and advantages following the completion of excellent community development in rural areas.

The priority index of each attribute and sub-attribute.

Discussion/Implications

In the era of sustainable rural development, it is vital to consider the role of rural tourism and how research in this area shapes access to knowledge on rural community development. This study provides four findings based on the increasing tendency of policy-makers to use such information to shape their policy-making priorities. It first shows that the demand for rural tourism has soared, particularly during COVID-19. Second, it lists four significant perspectives regarding the specific contributions of rural tourism to rural community development and delineates how these four perspectives affect rural tourism development. Our findings are consistent with those of prior studies. For example, geography has been particularly important in the rural or peripheral tourism literature (Carson, 2018 ). In terms of the local geographical context, two contributions could be made by rural tourism. The first stems from the environmental perspective. When a rural community develops rural tourism, environmental protection awareness is increased, and the responsible utilization of natural resources is promoted. This finding aligns with Lee and Jan ( 2019 ). The second stems from the leisure and educational perspective. The geographical context of a rural community, which provides tourists with geographical uniqueness, advances naturally calming, sensory-rich, and emotion-generating experiences for tourists. These results suggest that rural tourism will likely positively impact tourists’ experience. This finding is consistent with Kastenhoz et al. ( 2020 ). Third, although expert-based approaches have considerable benefits in developing and testing underlying phenomena, evidence derived from interexpert consensus, intergroup consistency, and interexpert reliability has been sparse. This study provides such evidence. Fourth, this research shows that rural tourism makes four main contributions, economic, sociocultural, environmental, leisure, and educational, to rural community development. Our results show four key indicators at Level 2. The economic perspective is strongly regarded as the most important indicator, followed by the environmental perspective, leisure and educational perspective, and sociocultural perspective, which is weighted as the least important. The secondary determinants of contributions have 32 subindicators at Level 3: each was identified and assigned a different weight. These results imply that the attributes or subattributes with high weights have more essential roles in understanding the contributions of rural tourism to rural community development. Policy-makers can use these 32 subindicators to formulate rural tourism development policies or strategies.

This study offers the following five practical implications for policymakers and rural communities:

First, we argue that developing rural tourism within a rural community is an excellent strategy for revitalization and countering the effects of urbanization, depopulation, deforestation, and unemployment.

Second, our analytical results indicate that rural tourism’s postdevelopment contribution is significant from the economic, sociocultural, environmental, leisure, and educational perspectives, which is consistent with Lee and Jan ( 2019 ).

Third, there is an excellent opportunity to build or invest more in rural tourism during COVID-19, not only because of the functions of rural tourism but also because of its timing. Many prior studies have echoed this recommendation. For example, Yang et al. ( 2021 ) defined rural tourism as the leading industry in rural areas, offering an output value ten times higher than that of agriculture in China. In addition, rural tourism has become more attractive to urban tourists amid COVID-19. Vaishar and Šťastná ( 2022 ) suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic created a strong demand for rural tourism, which can mitigate threats to public mental health, such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, isolation, and insomnia. Marques et al. ( 2022 ) showed that tourists’ preference for tourism in rural areas increased substantially during COVID-19.

Fourth, the contributions of this study to policy development are substantial. The more focused rural tourism in rural areas is, the more effective revitalization becomes. This finding highlights the importance of such features in developing rural tourism to enhance rural community development from multiple perspectives. This finding echoes Zawadka et al. ( 2022 ); i.e., policy-makers should develop rural tourism to provide tourists with a safe and relaxed environment and should not ignore the value of this model for rural tourism.

Fifth, our developed model could drive emerging policy issues from a supporting perspective and provide policy-makers with a more comprehensive overview of the development of the rural tourism sector, thus enabling them to create better policies and programs as needed. For example, amid COVID-19, rural tourism created a safe environment for tourists, mainly by reducing their fears of contamination (Dennis et al., 2021 ). This novel contribution that rural tourism destinations can provide to residents and visitors from other places should be considered and built into any rural community development policy.

This study also has the following four methodological implications for researchers:

First, it addresses methodological limitations that still impede tourism sustainability model development. Specifically, we suggest a six-stage procedure as the guideline; it is imperative that rural tourism researchers or model developers follow this procedure. If they do not, their findings tend to be flawed.

Second, to ensure that collected data are without extraneous interference or differences via subgroups of experts, the assessment of intergroup consistency with the K–W test instead of one-way ANOVA is proposed, especially in small samples and distribution-free studies.

Third, providing interexpert reliability evidence within expert-based research is critical; we used Kendall’s W to assess the reliability among experts for each sample group because it applies to any sample size and ordinal number.

Finally, we recommend using fuzzy AHP to establish a model with appropriate indicators for decision-making or selection. This study offers novel methodological insights by estimating a theoretically grounded and empirically validated rural tourism contribution model.

There are two limitations to this study. First, we examine all subattributes by interexpert consensus to delete construct-irrelevant variances that might receive criticism for their lack of statistical rigor. Future studies can use other rigorous methods, such as AD M( j ) or rWG ( j ) , interexpert agreement indices to assess and eliminate construct-irrelevant variances. Second, we recommend maximizing rural tourism contributions to rural community development by using the general population as a sample to identify any differences. More specifically, we recommend using Cronbach’s alpha, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the overall reliability and validity of the data and results. It is also necessary to provide results for goodness-of-fit measures—e.g., the goodness-of-fit index (GFI), adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGFI), comparative fit index (CFI), normed fit index (NFI), Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI), standardized root mean square residual (SRMR), or root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA).

Numerous empirical studies have illustrated how rural tourism can positively and negatively affect the contexts in rural areas where it is present. This study reveals the positive contributions of rural tourism to rural community development. The findings show that using rural tourism as a revitalization strategy is beneficial to nonurban communities in terms of their economic, sociocultural, environmental, and leisure and educational development. The contribution from the economic perspective is particularly important. These findings suggest that national, regional, and local governments or community developers should make tourism a strategic pillar in their policies for rural development and implement tourism-related development projects to gain 32 benefits, as indicated in Fig. 2 . More importantly, rural tourism was advocated and proved effective for tourists and residents to reduce anxiety, depression, or insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this emerging contribution, rural tourism is becoming more critical to tourists from urban areas and residents involved in rural community development. With this model, policy-makers should not hesitate to develop or invest more in rural communities to create additional tourism-based activities and facilities. As they could simultaneously advance rural community development and public mental health, policy-makers should include these activities among their regional resilience considerations and treat them as enablers of sustainable rural development. We conclude that amid COVID-19, developing rural tourism is an excellent strategy for promoting rural community development and an excellent alternative that could counteract the negative impacts of urbanization and provide stakeholders with more positive interests. The proposed rural tourism contribution model also suggests an unfolding research plan.

Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Liu, YL., Chiang, JT. & Ko, PF. The benefits of tourism for rural community development. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 10 , 137 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01610-4

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Rural tourism: A driver of the rural economy in India

Infrastructure development is necessary for a rural destination to develop and sustain.

India is a country that possesses an abundance of riches, including wealth, power, and beauty bestowed by nature. It is a place where some regions are considered a paradise on earth. If one were to search the entire world for such a place, India would be the country they should look to. A country whose geographical journey begins from the snow-covered Himalayan mountains in the northern region, passes through the desert landscapes of Rajasthan, and then crosses the lush forests of Madhya Pradesh. Next, it sails through the extensive backwaters of Kerala before culminating in the crystal-clear waters of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This journey offers a thrilling experience through high-altitude terrains and peaceful lowlands.

Tourism is a vital industry that has become the fastest growing service sector in India. It has a positive impact on various aspects of development, including social, economic, cultural, educational, and political.

The industry employs both skilled and unskilled professionals, and its potential for expansion and diversification is vast. Apart from generating economic benefits, tourism plays a crucial role in enhancing India’s soft power by facilitating cultural interactions between Indian citizens and people from other countries. Such interactions foster regional cooperation and contribute to political stability in the region.

The travel and tourism industry is a rapidly growing sector globally, outpacing the global economic growth rate with a growth rate of 3.5 percent in 2019. This sector contributed a significant 10.4 percent to global GDP, providing employment opportunities for around 330 million individuals and accounting for 27.4 percent of global service exports. However, the COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the industry, causing the economy to come to a standstill and resulting in a decline in the sector’s contribution to global GDP and employment by 49 percent and 19 percent, respectively. In the domestic context, the sector played a significant role in the Indian economy, accounting for 6.9 percent of GDP, 5.8 percent of total exports, and 8.8 percent of employment in 2019.

India’s rich heritage and culture have not translated into significant success in the international tourism market, as the country holds only a marginal 1.2 percent share. This is due to limited tourism development in traditional cities and towns with historical, architectural, and cultural significance. Additionally, poor infrastructure and communication have contributed to the under-exploration of many magnificent tourist attractions, hindering sustainable growth in the industry. To address this issue, India requires a comprehensive approach to developing rural tourism, which holds the potential to drive the sector forward in the future.

Journey of partial success

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), “rural tourism” is a type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, rural culture, and sightseeing.

Rural tourism offers an alternative to busy urban tourist destinations, allowing visitors to enjoy a healthier and more culturally enriching experience. It can also serve as a buffer during times of overcrowding in popular tourist destinations by absorbing some of the tourist influx.

In India, the rural economy currently makes up 46 percent of the national income, with 68 percent of the population, 64 percent of total expenditure, and 33 percent of savings. This indicates the potential for rural tourism in the Indian market, particularly among millennials who are drawn to new cultures and unconventional, adventurous experiences.

The Ministry of Tourism has identified rural tourism as a niche area for the development of rural India. To promote local products and services through tourism, a national strategy framework has been drafted that aims to create employment opportunities and empower women. In 2014, the Government of India launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme to position rural tourism as a major driver of socio-economic sustainability and social integration in rural India.

Historically, pilgrimage and rural tourism have been interlinked and complement each other in generating employment and developing peripheral infrastructure.

To develop selected rural areas and provide hassle-free services to tourists, the Ministry of Rural Development launched the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban mission in 2016. NITI Aayog has identified certain islands, including four islands of Andaman and Nicobar and five islands of Lakshadweep, for holistic development. The development of the Lakshadweep model of sustainable tourism could make India a role model for the world without jeopardising the region’s fragile and sensitive biodiversity.

The Indian government has also allocated a significant amount of funds towards the flagship Swadesh Darshan scheme, with Rs 1,412 crore being set aside in comparison to Rs 600 crore in the previous financial year. As part of the revamped Swadesh Darshan scheme, 50 destinations spread across 15 states will be identified and promoted under India’s new tourism policy, which is primarily focused on destination tourism. Additionally, the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme will also receive almost the same amount of funds as the previous year, with Rs 250 crore being allocated towards it. To boost tourism in border villages, the government will facilitate tourism infrastructure and amenities through the Vibrant Villages Program. Furthermore, the approach towards tourism will be integrated with the art and craft sector. The Unity Mall will be established in state capitals or the most prominent tourism centres to promote and sell each state’s unique “one district, one product” (ODOPs), “geographical indication” (GI), and other handicraft products. Despite various developmental efforts undertaken by the government, rural destinations have been unsuccessful in attracting tourists.

Face of Adversity

Compared to urban populations, rural populations are not only impoverished but also less familiar with the concept of cultural and rural tourism. Additionally, they lack knowledge about how to market their cultural, artistic, and craft-related services to tourists. Poor transportation, insufficient infrastructure, and inadequate lodging further prevent these areas from being recognised as tourist destinations.

In rural areas, the main problem is that most people rely on agriculture or traditional artisanal businesses that do not provide sufficient income. This results in families struggling to make ends meet, with few earning members and high expenses. Due to cultural taboos and low literacy rates, many people are not able to explore other economic opportunities. As a result, rural migration has become a major issue in India.

One solution to this problem is to develop rural tourism, which can create new economic activities and increase demand for services. However, this can also bring challenges such as increased competition and crime. Therefore, it is important to carefully plan rural tourism development to ensure that local communities benefit and the environment and natural resources are protected.

To achieve this, education and proper understanding of both tourists and local people are essential. There also needs to be a democratic movement that allows people at all levels to participate in tourism development and decision-making. Overall, rural tourism has the potential to provide economic opportunities for rural communities, but it must be carefully managed to ensure that it benefits everyone involved.

Major challenges faced in rural tourism development in India are the lack of digital literacy, marketing, and proper tourism infrastructure. While technology can increase travellers’ confidence to travel, the low level of digital literacy in rural areas hinders the adoption of technology-based solutions. Despite having a higher number of internet users in rural areas than urban areas, almost 60 percent of the rural population does not actively use the internet. To address this issue, Indian tourism startups can provide digital literacy and simplified digital solutions to improve the livelihoods of local communities.

Moreover, extensive advertising through all media, especially social media, should be an integral part of rural tourism development. Advertising should be segmented, with each segment treating a different target group. Additionally, the quality and capacity of transportation and basic tourist infrastructure, such as toilets, parking, and lodging, are often substandard and unreliable in many rural areas. Therefore, developing community-based tourism infrastructure and attracting public-private partnerships can be a solution to this issue. Also, multi-modal connectivity in line with Gati Shakti should be launched to provide seamless connectivity to rural tourism sites. Infrastructure development is necessary for a rural destination to develop and sustain.

Navigating the future

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has launched a new initiative called “The Best Tourism Villages,” which aims to recognise villages with exceptional cultural and heritage assets. In 2021, Pochampally village, located in Telangana, was selected as one of the best tourism villages by UNWTO. This recognition has the potential to serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement for other villages that rely on tourism for economic development. It is recommended that the government focus on the North Eastern States, which have significant potential for instant growth in tourism. For example, Sualkuchi village, known as the “Manchester of the East,” is famous for muga, an exclusive golden silk yarn only available in Assam. Additionally, Mawlynnong village, inhabited by the Khasi tribe, is referred to as “God’s Own Garden” and is located in Meghalaya.

Rural tourism can play a crucial role in promoting local economic growth and bringing about social transformation. Therefore, it is essential for the government to recognise its significance and create a sustainable environment to support stakeholders. To facilitate rural tourism, the government should provide both financial and infrastructure support. A potential measure that could be implemented is the implementation of a unified tax system for tourist vehicles in India, which would simplify transportation logistics.

Furthermore, a collaborative approach involving multiple stakeholders and actions is necessary to bridge the gap between urban and rural development. This would require the convergence of various schemes from different ministries focusing on rural development, with the aim of promoting sustainable rural tourism.

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Rural Tourism

Rural tourism has a high potential to stimulate local economic growth and social change because of its complementarity with other economic activities, its contribution to GDP and job creation, and its capacity to promote the dispersal of demand in time (fight seasonality) and along a wider territory.

UN Tourism understands Rural Tourism as "a type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle / culture, angling and sightseeing.

Rural Tourism activities take place in non-urban (rural) areas with the following characteristics: i) low population density, ii) landscape and land-use dominated by agriculture and forestry and iii) traditional social structure and lifestyle".

Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism

With the vision of making tourism a positive force for transformation, rural development and community wellbeing, UN Tourism launched the ‘ Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism ’ initiative.

It seeks to advance the role of tourism in valuing and safeguarding rural villages along with their associated landscapes, knowledge systems, biological and cultural diversity, local values and activities (agriculture, forestry, livestock and/or fisheries), including their gastronomy.

Tourism and Rural Development: Understanding Challenges on the Ground – Lessons learned from the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO Initiative

  Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective

Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective - Results of the UN Tourism Survey on Tourism for Rural Development to Member States

Compilación de buenas prácticas del turismo indígena – Enfoque regional sobre las Américas

UN Tourism Recommendations on Tourism and Rural Development

  UN Tourism Recommendations on Tourism and Rural Development – A Guide to Making Tourism an Effective Tool for Rural Development

AlUla Framework for inclusive Community Development through Tourism

The Framework provides guidance and inspiration to all governments, as well as all other key stakeholders in the tourism sector – including regional and local governments, the private sector, industry associations, civil society, communities and tourists – with the aim of fostering a truly holistic and integrated approach to inclusive community development through tourism.

  AlUla Framework for inclusive Community Development through Tourism

  AlUla Framework for inclusive Community Development through Tourism – Executive Summary

International Rural Tourism Development – An Asia-Pacific Perspective

  International Rural Tourism Development – An Asia-Pacific Perspective

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Rural Tourism and Rural development

2014, Electronic International Interdisciplinary ISSN Research Journal (EIIRJ)

This paper focus to probe the of rural tourism in India, how rural tourism can help rural society. It can have both positive and negativeimpacts on rural as well as urban communities. rural tourism means 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 can be termed as rural tourism. Rural Tourism is essentially an activity which takes place in the countryside. It is multi-faceted and may entail farm/agricultural tourism, cultural tourism, nature tourism, adventure tourism, and eco-tourism. 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 “counter-urbanization” syndrome. This has led to growing interest in the rural areas. Promotion of 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 would be identified for development and promotion of Rural Tourism.

Related Papers

SSRN Electronic Journal

Mrs. Asfiya Banu

Dr. Shikha Kapur

Atithi Devo Bhavah meaning 'The Guest is equivalent to God' is the adage used by the Indian Tourism to lure millions of Tourists from across the globe. India a land of diversities, is a haven for tourists from around the world. The Indian Tourism Industry has grown so phenomenally that it outperformed even the manufacturing, financial services and retail sectors. Today it is ranked at 38 th position in terms of foreign tourists' arrival and among top 3 medical tourism destinations in Asia. Nearly 70 per cent of the country's population lives in rural India. About 55-60 per cent of our population is farm-dependent implying more than half of the workforce produces just a seventh of the GDP and nearly two-third of India subsists on it. So there is a clear cut rural-urban divide and the rural India emerges as laggard in terms of development. Rural Tourism is an important type of tourism besides adventure tourism, cultural tourism, eco and sustainable tourism, pilgrimage tourism, wellness tourism and wildlife tourism. Rural tourism is gaining popularity both amongst tourists as well as the rural people. Rural Tourism takes place in countryside, in non-urban situation, offering opportunity to the stressed out tourists from urban areas/metros and foreign countries to be back in the lap of nature, to relax and rediscover their roots. The first hand experiences of simple rural life, steeped in traditional culture, unpolluted and natural environment revives the tourists! Rural tourism benefits the local rural communities economically through opportunities for rural enterprises, income generation and employment in their local areas without undertaking migration. Environmentally it conserves ecosystems and biodiversities and culturally it provides impetus to the development of rural arts and crafts, investment for infrastructure development while simultaneously preserving environment and heritage. The untapped potential of rural tourism has to be explored and used systematically for rural development and upliftment of the rural masses.

IOSR Journals

In this paper an attempt have been made to study how the rural tourism helps to generate sustainable livelihood in NorthEast India. The study is based onsecondary data. Development of rural tourism can be considered as a possible way to enhance economic empowerment and employment generation of rural communities through sustainable livelihood. Rural tourism is the showcase of rural life, art, culture and heritage, picturesquelandscape at rural locations or in villages. Rural tourism also the concept of homestay can provide direct benefits to the local communities or stakeholders, both economically and socially. It also enable interactions between tourists and local population for a mutually enriching experience. The government have taken various initiative and policies at central and state level to enhance tourism potential. Consequently there has been considerable growth of rural communities in North EastIndia through village tourism, natural tourism, cultural tourism etc. In this paper an attempt is made to study the potentiality of rural tourism and its various aspects in North East India for sustainable rural development.

Dr.Shiladitya Verma

Today, tourism is a major source of income for many countries and affects the economy of a country. Its importance was recognized in the Manila Declaration on World Tourism of 1980 as &quot;an activity essential to the life of nations because of its direct effects on the social, cultural, educational, and economic sectors of national societies and on their international relations.&quot; Tourism brings in large amounts of income in a local economy in the form of payment for tourists by the necessities of goods and services. It also creates opportunities for employment in the tourism sector. In the developing countries with the growth of tourism, there is also a concern for the sustainable environment as people have become more and more cautious about exploiting their natural resources. As a result, there is now increasing agreement on the need to promote sustainable tourism development to minimize its environmental impact and to maximize socio-economic tourism destinations. The aim o...

International Journal of Tourism and Travel, ISSN: 0974-2603

Dr. Shikha Kapur , Dr. Shikha Kapur

Atithi Devo Bhavah is the adage used by the India tourism to lure millions of Tourists from across the globe. Indian villages are unique socio-cultural spaces that vary from one after another but are intertwined on the ethos of this great tradition. Rural Tourism takes place in non-urban settings usually in countryside, offering an elixir to counter tension and " urbanization " syndrome to the weary, stressed out tourists from both within as well as foreign countries to help them relax and rediscover their roots. Since nearly 70% of the India's population is living in rural areas, it is expected to benefit the local rural communities economically through various opportunities for rural enterprises, income generation and employment. It helps in nurturing rural arts and crafts, rural infrastructure development while simultaneously preserving environment and cultural heritage.

Dr. Nilanjan Ray

This study aims at exploration of tourism, which acts to promote local economy, socio-cultural changes and life style of the people residing in and around the tourist locations in Kamarpukur. The purpose of this study is to explore issues and challenges of tourism at Kamarpukur and find also the impact of rural tourism to gain experience from art, culture, lifestyle etc, which in turn create a tremendous impact on local economy. Nonurban tourism includes specific services which are comprised of different social systems and which has the focus on complementary elements of regional product. In a pilot survey, it has been observed that tourism in Kamarpukur has also improved its civic amenities like communication, sanitations, transport facilities and standard of living for the people in general. To have leverage on tourism potential, it is necessary for rural and urban tourism destinations of Kamarpukur not only to promote them but also analyze the needs, perceptions, preferences, and...

EPRA International Journal of Agriculture and Rural Economic Research

With its rich cultural heritage, historical monuments, and natural resources, India is a world-renowned tourist destination. India’s tourism industry has emerged as a major economic driver, generating significant foreign exchange earnings. Tourism is a major global industry, contributing 11% of global GDP. Rural tourism in India has enormous potential due to India’s vast rural diversity. Rural tourism in India is envisioned to create jobs and a vibrant local economy by reviving old art and crafts and preserving rural India culture. A counter-urbanization syndrome has developed as a result of the stress of city living. This has sparked a surge of interest in rural areas. Other causes, such as increased wellness awareness, greater interest in heritage and culture, enhanced accessibility, and environmental sensitivity, are all contributing to the trend toward rural tourism. Following COVID-19, tourist recovery usually begins at a local level. Before there is a strong demand for foreign...

International Journal of Tourism and Travel

ridhi sharma

Potential of Rural Tourism in India-A Synoptic View India is a multi-destination country with a variety of tourist attractions and facilities. Traditionally known largely for its historical and cultural dimensions, tourism today is highlighted for its immense business opportunities. The recognition of rural tourism as an alternative to mainstream is a recent concept. The basic concept of rural tourism was envisaged with benefit accruing to local community through entrepreneurial opportunities, income generation, employment opportunities, investment for infrastructure development and preservation of the environment and heritage. In India, rural tourism in its true form is relatively new. The potential for rural tourism to be a major force in rural economic development is yet to be realized to the fullest extent. Therefore, with a view to underscore a clear potential of rural tourism in India, the present study has made an attempt to highlight the industrial potential for rural tourism and articulates a spectrum for conceptualizing rural tourism in India. The study mainly focuses on challenges and opportunities to rural tourism in India and future prospects for its sustainable development.

ajer research

There are a myriad of definitions for Sustainable Tourism, including eco-tourism green travel environmentally and culturally responsible tourism, fair trade and ethical travel.Tourism is one of the world's largest industries. For developing countries it is also one of the biggest income generators. But the huge infrastructural and resource demands of tourism can have severe impacts upon local communities and the environment if it is not properly managed.Rural Tourism is growing in terms of number of visitors and the Government of India focuses on it as an engine of growth. We believe that any rural tourism development plan needs to focus on sustainable development and take into account the priorities and needs of local people. This paper emphasizes the need for sustainable forms of tourism by outlining the possible socioeconomic , cultural and environmental impacts of current forms of Rural Tourism. The paper first explores the meaning of terms such as Rural, Rurality and Rural Tourism. It focuses on the genesis and growth of Rural Tourism, Rural Tourism in India, impacts of Rural Tourism and the need for sustainable Rural Tourism.The Tourism Department, Government of Assam in North East India, recognizing the value of tourism as an economic development tool, wanted support in developing adventure tourism responsibly and sustainably. With tourism to India growing at 13.5% per year, state policymakers saw the opportunity to draw more visitors to Assam, but were concerned about preserving important cultural and natural resources.It is clear that rural areas are an integral part of the modern tourism experience. It is a fact that in reality many forms of rural tourism are unable to conform to the guidelines of sustainable development. However with timely, accurate research and dissemination of information, proper planning, implementation and monitoring of policies as well as working towards strengthening of institutions will contribute towards the processes of achieving the principles and values of sustainable tourism in rural areas.

isara solutions

International Res Jour Managt Socio Human , AMIT KATOCH

Tourism brings great benefits to the local community in terms of economic, sociocultural and ecological aspects. And due to these perspectives, the tourism is being used as a catalyst to rejuvenate the rural economies with tourism potential which are struggling or lack avenues for livelihood. The research paper gives impacts of rural tourism after critically reviewing the literature. It gives the impacts of tourism on rural economies highlighting the two sides of the aspect. Also the paper highlights the drawbacks of rural tourism in India, which can be capitalized through effective planning and research.

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The prime minister said that congress has begun to talk about “igniting fire in india” after staying out of power for just 10 years..

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused the Congress party of having lost faith in democracy and claimed that it wants to push the country towards anarchy and instability. He was addressing a poll rally in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, effectively kick-starting his camapign for the Lok Sabha elections.

“ Congress doesn’t have faith in democracy now. Congress wants to push India towards anarchy and instability. In Karnataka , a Congress leader spoke about dividing the country into two parts. Shouldn’t those who talk about dividing the country be punished? Instead of punishing him, the Congress gave their leader an election ticket…,” the PM said, in an apparent reference to the remarks by Karnataka Congress MP DK Suresh.

In February this year, Suresh, the brother of Karnataka’s Deuputy CM DK Shivakumar , said that there was no choice but to demand a “separate country” for South India since Karnataka was not receiving “enough funds” from the Centre. Suresh is a three-time Lok Sabha MP from Bangalore Rural and has received a Congress ticket from the same constituency in the coming general elections.

The Prime Minister said today that Congress has begun to talk about “igniting fire in India” after staying out of power for just 10 years. “Will you not punish such people? This time, don’t let them be in the field,” PM Modi said, seeking a resounding mandate for the BJP in the coming elections.

#WATCH | PM Modi addresses a public rally in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand "After staying out of power for just 10 years, they (Congress) have started talking about igniting fire in India. Will you punish such people? This time don't let them be in the field. Congress doesn't have… pic.twitter.com/TX9wSEZPHb — ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2024

Seeking a historic third term for the BJP in power at the Centre, the Prime Minister spoke about the various initiatives taken by his government for the benefit of the people of Uttarakhand. “Neeyat sahi toh nateeje bhi sahi (The right intent delivers positive outcomes),” he said referring to the development of the state under the BJP’s rule.

Addressing the rally upon the PM’s arrival, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the Congress continues to make failed attempts to launch Rahul Gandhi and accused the party of diverting the allegations of corruption against Opposition leaders by targetting the Prime Minister.

“India has made history by reaching the South Pole of the Moon. But Congress keeps making failed attempts to launch its ‘Rajkumar’. When Modi ji says, “Bhrashtachar mitao”, then Congress says, “Modi ko mitao aur Gandhi parivar ko bachao.” Is this right?” Dhami asked.

The BJP currently holds all five Lok Sabha seats in the state. Modi’s visit will be followed up by that of BJP president JP Nadda on April 3. He is scheduled to address gatherings in Pithoragarh and Vikasnagar besides holding a roadshow in Haridwar on April 4.

Ajay Tamta is party candidate from Almora, a seat he has held since 2014. Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah is in the fray from Tehri, a constituency she has represented since a 2012 bypoll, while former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat is in the running from Haridwar. Polling for the five Lok Sabha seats in the states will be held in a single phase on April 19. The results are scheduled to be declared on June 4.

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