Rural Tourism: Emerging Trends & Possibilities In Indian Context Amid COVID 19

Abstract

Rural tourism is an emerging concept in India with a diversity of tourist attractions and facilities. Many tourists prefer rural tourism destinations as their first choice during COVID 19, as it has excellent opportunities for historical and cultural resources. This paper mainly focuses on the benefits, importance, and challenges of Rural Tourism in the Indian Context. In addition, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the recent trend of Rural Tourism during the current pandemic period. The basic concept of rural tourism was predicted with profit ensuing to the local community through commercial opportunities, income generation, employment opportunities, conservation and preservation of natural resources, and infrastructure development. The potential for rural tourism to be a major force in rural economic development is yet to be realized to the fullest extent. As a result, this paper emphasizes the concept and potential of rural tourism in India. This study is descriptive and based on secondary data from various sources like books, articles, research papers, newspapers, rural tourism websites etc. Based on the concepts, recommendations are provided and future research/industrial directions are discussed.