Ruralism takes root

One of the rules for winning the game is to identify one's strongest point and build on it. This is exactly what India's Ministry of Tourism is doing - going back to its roots and bringing rural tourism to the fore

With almost 74 per cent of its population living in rural India, it's hard to deny that the real India resides in its seven million-odd villages. So for visitors to really experience this country, they would have to go beyond the star hotels and live in the mud houses.

India's Ministry of Tourism has identified this aspect as a product, which while offering an unforgettable experience to visitors, also serves as a tool to revive the rural economy. This happened in 2002 when India announced its new tourism policy that was initiated with the purpose of promoting rural tourism so that economic benefits from tourism can reach the rural regions. Of course, this requires work - first develop rural tourism, improve accessibility and then promote it while ensuring that the benefits are channeled back to these areas.

Developing rural tourism usually means showcasing the ethnic arts, crafts, culture and lifestyle in its traditional setting, farm tourism, eco-tourism, and providing a platform for tourists to experience this. It also means promoting the concept of home-stays in the host community. But more importantly, success lies in how well the rural youth is trained in dealing with international and domestic tourists and maintaining tourism sites.

Development and partnership

Leena Nandan Joint secretary, Ministry of tourism

The ministry has identified 125 rural tourism sites so far and has associated itself with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is confined to 36 sites. According to the ministry, it is using this initiative to increase the number of sites and has already sanctioned 125 sites. It is also partnering with NGOs in this regard.

The ministry gives financial assistance to the state governments for projects after identifying key areas for development. The implementation is done through a convergence committee headed by a district collector. The scheme is involved with activities like improving hygiene, protecting the environment and building infrastructure are eligible through this scheme. The focus is also on tapping the resources available under different schemes of the department for rural development, state governments and other concerned departments of the Indian government. UNDP invests Rs 20 lakh per site for projects that it develops and the rest is taken care of by the ministry. It has allocated Rs 70 lakh per site to the district collectors for the remaining 89 sites.

Ties with trade

So far, the ministry has partnered only with UNDP for rural tourism. But as Leena Nandan, joint secretary, ministry of tourism, says, there is nothing that bars it from partnering with the trade. "We work with the trade and industry partners very closely. For example, when we launched and inaugurated the Pochampally project as a rural tourism site, the minister had taken tour operators with her. Now, the trade is taking tourists to Pochampally. The trade is with us every step of the way and they have been very responsive."

In fact, it is also being promoted by almost all adventure and nature tour operators. Mandip Singh Soin, MD of Ibex Expeditions, says, "We have been into rural tourism long before the ministry announced it, almost since the mid-90s. We have worked with NGOs and promoted the same in the Himalayan areas and places like Rajasthan. But the ministry has done a good thing by institutionalising it. What we do now is weave it in our itineraries in such a way that it becomes an important part of our packages."

When asked whether rural tourism is a profitable proposition for tour operators like him, Soin says, "It is profitable in the sense that it adds value to the experience of a tourist. It is for a good cause - the revenue earned goes to the grassroots, allowing our crafts to develop. For instance, in Kumaon we are involved with a War Widow project where women try and become economically independent by weaving shawls. We are associated with it even though it is public domain." Realising its potential, the newly-formed eco-tourism society has enlisted it as an important activity. But there is still one bottleneck - an absence of proper conclave by the ministry telling the industry how to find linkages.

Nevertheless, the ministry has been continuously working towards this cause and has launched a new marketing campaign. Its theme - the colours of India. Nandan says, "In both international and domestic campaigns, we have synchronised colours with the product where mustard yellow is rural tourism. We also have a dedicated website to promote rural tourism. Apart from this, we are organising a mega shopping festival that will integrate rural tourism with handicrafts."

This festival will be hosted by every region on rotation. The first of these is scheduled to be held in Bhubaneshwar and will be inaugurated by the minister. "We will begin with four festivals and increase it in time, taking it to Hyderabad and Aurangabad. But every festival will integrate rural tourism with shopping festivals," reveals Nandan. The ministry is currently earmarking funds for this and is working on the cost. The campaign will be launched shortly and will run on both electronic and print media.

Low investment, high value

Although there is no accurate information on the tourist arrival figures to rural India, it has been estimated that there has been an eight to ten per cent increase in arrivals on an average to these sites after the launch of the rural tourism scheme.

In terms of revenue, the ministry does have specific information. For instance, Hodka in Gujarat recorded earning of about Rs 8 lakh while a village in Raghurajpur generated an income of about Rs 15 lakh because of rural tourism. "One of our sites in Kerala has received a PATA award. So far, rural tourism has been a success story and there are more marketing initiatives in the pipeline. We are doing online promotions too, producing literature and putting it up as a new concept. We are really pulling our socks up and promoting event-centric rural tourism," adds Nandan.

This is being looked upon as a low investment-high turnover model. "We did not start with that idea. What we were looking at is ways in which we could benefit the community. So even when we are investing in building roads and infrastructure, it is an asset and will also benefit the local communities. Money is not at all a constraint but we do not want to turn these sites into urban jungles. We want to retain its flavour and traditions while improving basic conditions," she says.

Case study

Ambika Soni, Union minister for tourism and culture, admiring crafts at the Chaugan stall (Mandla district, Madhya Pradesh)

Karnataka tourism can be likened to a sleeping giant which has just woken up to the immense potential it has. It ranks fourth with 27 million domestic arrivals and 0.62 million international arrivals. Its 21 wildlife sanctuaries, five natural reserves, two World Heritage Sites and world famous waterfalls are proof that the state's tourism potential lies in its countryside. As part of its rural tourism project, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Karnataka in partnership with UNDP has identified Anegundi and Banavasi in north Karnataka to be developed for tourism.

The ancient city of Banavasi, earlier the capital of the Kadamba kingdom, has found references in Mahabharata. An amount of Rs 55 lakh has been sanctioned by the government of India for its development under the Rural Tourism Project. According to the state's tourism department, this amount would be utilised for developing: tourist clubs for information, transport system, improvement of roads, illumination of village, signage, construction of amphitheatre and solid waste management.

The government has also sanctioned Rs 20 lakh of which Rs 16 lakh were released for facilitating training, setting up information centres, health, sanitation and herbal medication preparation and creating awareness about environment and cleanliness for school children and residents.

Anegundi, which is part of the World Heritage Site is the second project in Karnataka to be identified under the Rural Tourism Project. According to the tourism department, Rs 54.80 lakh has been sanctioned by the Government of India and Rs 40 lakh has been released for the development of Anegundi. These funds would be used for beautification and maintenance purposes, waste management, water conservation, setting up signage, promoting locally-made crafts and souvenir shops, landscaping and tourist accommodation.