Agri Tourism - A Panacea for Rural Development

Abstract

In India, Agri tourism is an emerging concept. The pressures of urban life and the alienation and distance from the natural environment often force city dwellers to escape from their lonely and monotonous city life. In such cases, they feel that the rural location is an ideal place to release stress and to re-engage in a simple lifestyle that provides rest and complete peace for a period of time. Not only that, but also such tourism is widely accepted because it can shape up the rural community by providing financial and social benefits. Although the concept is relatively new one and it has recently gained immense importance around the world. India is a land of villages. A large section of India's population living in rural areas is still traditionally dependent on agriculture and allied activities. However, the income from agriculture is declining day by day and these villagers do not have enough alternative employment opportunities. Therefore, in order to increase the contribution of the agricultural sector, existing agricultural activities should be strengthened by providing additional income generating activities. Tourism will be a boon in this regard. Combining tourism with agriculture will help to increase the contribution of the agricultural sector to GDP and thereby facilitate economic development.