Rural Tourism Through the Community Participation and Sustainable Development: An Empirical Study from Silk Route, East Sikkim

Abstract

Abstract: Tourism destinations often are dependent on natural and cultural/heritage resources to form their attractions bases, which are linked to the economic vitality of local communities. Tourism industry can generate income and holistic development of a region. Rural tourism provides an economic incentive to the local people who are residing in these regions. It also adds an ethnic flavor to the consumer’s (tourist) taste. Silk Route in Sikkim is popularly known as ‘Silk Route” in Sikkim tourism map. It is one of the best rural tourist destinations of Sikkim. The silk route is very popular among the tourists. The landscape is beautiful and wonderfully thrilling. The lush greenery, panoramic view of hills and the simplicity of the indigenous inhabitants attracts the urban tourists to this place. The paper attempts an empirical presentation addressing the concept of rural tourism, which is an emerging perception on tourism introduced recently into the Indian tourism sector. This paper try to explore the potentiality as a rural tourist destination, and how such rural or Ecotourism can be an instrument to empower indigenous communities in a particular area and provide community development through economic and social benefits to the local communities for their well-being. This finding can be exemplified elsewhere as an approach on sustainable development of rural tourism through the community participation and management practiced at village level.