Are we ready to go rural?

On World Tourism Day this year, focus was laid on rural tourism with eyes on India as the next big destination in this genre. But, that brings up some pertinent questions – what does rural tourism mean in India, do we match traveller expectations (both domestic and international) in this regard, and how far are we from truly tapping its potential?

Nisha Verma

The Ministry of Tourism claims that India has the right products for rural tourism. Many properties that are dedicated to rural tourism and specific products in this genre are usually catered to by inbound clients, and now some of them are repackaging rural tourism to suit the needs of domestic tourists.

Are we ready?

Steve Borgia, CMD, INDeco Leisure Hotels, believes that India has always been ready for rural tourism. “The only problem is, India does not realise its potential. We need to look at Agri and rural tourism together. We could have stopped the damage that we were doing consistently and continuously to our rural pockets. If rural tourism was promoted in the right manner, it would have been the best economic development tool for India’s rural regions,” he says.

Agreeing, Sunil Varghese, Director, Dune Wellness Group, shares, “Rural or agricultural tourism is indeed a practical concept and a golden opportunity to enhance the living standards of people in the villages. Our focus should be to incorporate the concepts of responsible tourism, eco-tourism and community-based tourism values in this effort. The traveller must be ready to ‘experience the experience’.”

Shoba Mohan, Founder, RARE India, feels that it is not so much about the country being ready for it as it is about the demography and geography of travellers. “For example,” she explains, “middle-aged urbanites would love to travel to rural landscapes for the sake of nostalgia, millennials would love rural immersions for their novelty, and parents with young children would like to take their children back to villages they have known to show them some of the village basics like governance. What we do as a country to protect our heritage speaks a lot about our integrity and commitment to our rural traditions.”

For Mani Mahesh Arora, Co-founder, Green People (The Goat Villages & Bakri Chhap), this new and upcoming genre of tourism is permeating into the segment of the elderly traveller for nostalgic reasons and into the segment of millennial travellers for exotic reasons. He goes on to add, “We are about to witness a paradigm shift in the space of tourism in India through rural tourism,” he adds.

Government support

In terms of the government’s preparation in promoting and supporting rural tourism in India, Kuldip Gadhvi, Founder, Kutch Adventures India, shares, “When it comes to the impact of promotions on rural India, local culture and environment, we have a lot to learn and do. We do not have strict policies or are not implementing them very well, or we are not as concerned about these subjects as we are about economic benefits. Perhaps economic benefit is a common motive for many people in the travel industry.”

But, Frank Schlichtmann, Founder, The 4 tables Project, does not think India is ready for rural tourism. “There is a philosophical question here about the merits of rural tourism as well as what it means. However, I see no efforts by the government and organisations to create a viable narrative around this topic,” The stresses.

Need to suit domestic travellers

While inbound tourists were always fascinated by authentic rural experiences, Borgia says that there is a need to repackage it for domestic travellers. “Traditionally, Indians don’t go to a place until foreigners start flocking there. The pandemic has done what pioneers could not do in rural tourism. COVID is driving urbanites to rural and remote regions. However, what is far more important in the repacking is that we need to be responsible, sustainable and avoid damaging villages.”

Even Mohan believes that pricing will be a concern for domestic travellers.

Chhotaram Prajapat, Owner, Chhotaram Prajapat Homestay in Jodhpur, shares that they are doing well in domestic tourism. “Our country is ready for rural tourism because nowadays, travellers are more interested in experiencing rural areas and people also want to support this,” he adds.

More than customisation, says Arora, a strong ‘expectation management’ is required for domestic travellers. “Glamourisation of rural vacations and living; low-carbon footprint travel; eco, cultural, farm and responsible tourism experiences is the need of the hour, along with integrating other avenues of economic development in rural India with tourism and hospitality,” he adds.

Rural, not necessarily local

Schlichtmann disagrees, saying, “In India, one is bound to the concept that the rural must highlight only their traditions. The government’s tourism concepts are also along these lines. We have many successful modern art events, but people can’t think beyond rural handicrafts. Good ideas come from fusing the rural with the urban.”