ISSN: 2319-7285
Godavari Jange
The success of the tourism sector in the postwar period has resulted in an industry which is characterized not only by growth but also by rapid change as many as 75 per cent of the world’s poor people live in rural areas. Top tourism destinations, particularly in developing countries, include national parks, wilderness areas, mountains, lakes, and cultural sites, most of which are generally rural. Thus tourism is already an important feature of the rural economy in these specific sites. It is self-evident that tourism will never come to dominate all rural areas, particularly in the developing world – there are vast swathes of rural areas for which tourism is not relevant for the foreseeable future. Between these two extremes are poor rural areas with some tourism potential, and an urgent need to develop whatever economic potential they have. Thus, an important question is whether more can be done to develop tourism within such rural areas, as a way of dispersing the benefits of tourism and increasing its sustainable rural tourism as a phenomenon and with a review of literature on rural tourism and rural development. Further the article brings the rural tourism industry, poverty impact, respect for nature and local cultures, attentive use of natural resources, sound working conditions, hospitality, supporting local economies, best local products: food, handicraft, culture, sustainable buildings and facilities etc. are becoming increasingly innovative managerial sustainable development of the industry in turn rural development of the country. The paper concludes that only by considering life cycle stage for sustainability and competitive position of the destination demands a distinctive strategy and approach to management can be the true elements of sustainable tourism are achieved