Volume 7, Issue 3, March – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology

ISSN No:-2456-2165

SWOT Analysis of Rural Tourism in India

Dr. Richa Ginwal Dr. Daleep Kumar
Assistant Professor Assistant Professor
Dept. of Economics Dept. of Economics
D.S.B. Campus, Kumaun University, Nainital D.S.B. Campus, Kumaun University, Nainital

Abstract:- Tourism is one of the alternative ways that can II. TOURISM
create new jobs and reduce poverty for the communities
in the remote and resource scare regions. It can be helpful “Tourism” is a French word rooted in “Tour”. Tour
especially in the rual regions where there are less sources means rotational motion, travel, trip and circulation 3. The
of livelihood. As various forms of tourism are coming into travel has been an integral part of human life through ages.
picture rural tourism is one of them. Rural tourism plays The need and want to seek out new places, experience unique
an important role in regional development and thus in environments, the urge to know the unknown, to gain his
national development and diversification of national livelihood, to discover new land and for sheer thrill in seeing
economy. The present research paper is an attempt to find and enjoying the natural beauty the man started to move from
out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats one place to another. This insatiable wanderlust of man
of rural tourism in India. The study was primarily materialized into classical tours4. Tourism industry has now
focused on rural areas of India and the information was a days become one of the main pillars of the economy.
collected from various published and unpublished According to Morgan Roth, tourism exactly is when
secondary sources. It was analyzed during the study that “passengers are away from their residences to meet their
if the tourists are diverted towards rural areas it will personal, vital and cultural needs in the form of customers of
create lot of opportunities for rural people which will economic and cultural goods”5.
create new jobs and thus prevent migration. Also it will
exhibit a whole new picture of villages, which are in III. CONCEPT OF RURAL TOURISM
pristine form in front of the tourists. But as there are
opportunities for future development there are also some Rural tourism flow is defined for tourists who reside in
threats which if not catered properly can lead to major a village or around rural areas for leisure and obtain
problems in future. The paper will discuss these strengths, information to know living conditions and environment of
weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the field of rural local village6. Tourism at any place is determined by its
tourism. geography, climate, history, culture and natural environment.
A place rich in any of these factors attracts a lot of tourists.
Keywords:- Rural Tourism, SWOT, Development, There is only need to identify these niches for mass tourism.
Environment
Government of India explains Rural Tourism as: “Any
I. INTRODUCTION form of tourism that showcases the rural life, art, culture and
heritage at rural locations, thereby benefitting the local
India stands unique in South Asia for its tourism. With community, economically and socially, as well as enabling
rich heritage and its multitude attractions the country offers interactions between the tourists and the locals for a more
several activities for tourists from all over the world. enriching tourism experience can be termed as rural tourism.
Bestowed with distinct geographical entity India has several Rural tourism is essentially an activity that takes place in the
natural as well as artificial marvels that attract a good number countryside. It is multi-faceted and may entail
of tourists. As per encyclopedia Britannica, “tourism is the farm/agriculture tourism and eco-tourism. As against
act and process of spending time away from home in pursuit conventional tourism, rural tourism has certain typical
of recreation, relaxation and pleasure, while making use of characteristics, like it is experience oriented, the locations are
commercial provision of services. As such, tourism is a sparsely populated, it is pre dominantly in natural
product of modern social arrangements, beginning in Western environment, it meshes with seasonality and local events and
Europe in the 17th century, although it has antecedents in is based on preservation of culture, heritage and tradition” 7.
Classical antiquity1.
IV. TYPES OF RURAL TOURISM
Mahatma Gandhi had once said that “India Lives in its
villages”. Indian villages show the real picture of the country, As tourism is multi-dimensional so is rural tourism.
they are store houses to varied culture, traditions, natural Various dimensions of rural tourism are discussed as follows:
beauty, fresh environment etc. The stable rural tourism can  Agricultural Tourism - It is defined as tourism activities
improve the life quality of the host community and provide a connected with agriculture activities, like stays near agri-
worthwhile experience for the visitor and maintain the quality farms, connected with agrarian environment, using
of environment that the host and guest communities are agrarian products for recreation, sale and daily use.
dependent to it2.

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Volume 7, Issue 3, March – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
 Eco-tourism – It is defined by the International efficiency or financial resources12. Tourism being a business,
Ecotourism Society as “responsible travel to natural areas it becomes important to do the SWOT analysis of the sector.
that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of
the local people and involves interpretation and education. A number of researches have been conducted using swot
 Green tourism – It is a form of tourism involving visiting analysis in tourism. Daneshmehr H. et al. (2011)13 have
fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas, investigated the effects of ecotourism on rural development
intended as a low-impact and often small-scale alternative using SWOT analysis. The results showed that in theirstudy
to standard commercial tourism8. area, “beautiful and unique landscapes of the village”
 Heritage Tourism - Cultural Heritage Tourism (or component was strength beside “gardens and green areas”,
just Heritage Tourism) is a branch of tourism oriented “no government planning and investment” component was
towards the cultural heritage of the location where main weakness in the area, “more attention to planning and
tourism is occurring. The National Trust for Historic funding by authorities” component was the most important
Preservation in the United States defines heritage tourism external opportunity and finally “lack of management
as “travelling to experience the places and activities that knowledgeable about ecotourism issues” component was the
authentically represent the stories and people of the past,” main threat.
and cultural heritage tourism is defined as “travelling to
experience the places and activities that authentically Mark Twain has said, “So far, as I am able to judge,
represent the stories and people of the past and present.”9. nothing has been left undone by man or nature to make India
 Village Tourism- It is a type of tourism in which tourists the most extra-ordinary country that the sun visits on his
live in village families and participate in rural social and rounds”. The importance of tourism as a creator of job
economic activities10. opportunities can be understood from the fact that in India
every one million invested in tourism creates 47.5% jobs
V. SWOT ANALYSIS directly and around 85-90% jobs indirectly. In comparison,
agriculture creates on 44.6% jobs and manufacturing a mere
SWOT stands for strength, weakness, opportunity and 12.6% jobs. Moreover, tourism is the third largest foreign
threat. A SWOT analysis guides to identify these four exchange earner after gems and jewellery and readymade
characteristics and thus develop a fuller awareness of the garments14.
situation, which helps in strategic decision making. The
SWOT method was originally developed for business and VI. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
industry, but it is equally used in the work of community,
health, development, tourism, education and even for Development of responsible tourism is a significant
personal growth. challenge especially in a diverse country like India. However,
tourism is also one of the few available alternative pathways
“It is impossible to accurately map out a small that can create new jobs and reduce poverty for the
business’s future without first evaluating it from all angles, communities in the remote and resource scarce regions.
which includes an exhaustive look at all internal and external
resources and threats”, said by Bonnie Taylor, chief In the present study a SWOT analysis is done of rural
marketing strategist at CCS Innovations11. A SWOT tourism in India. Indian villages have great potential for rural
accomplished thus in four straight forward steps that even tourism and it is in many places emerging as the largest job
rookie business owners can understand and embrace. The creator sector.
strengths and weaknesses of a system are determined by
internal elements, whereas external forces dictate A SWOT analysis examines both internal and external
opportunities and threats. Strengths can be defined as any factors. The internal factors being strength and weakness and
available resource that can be used to improve its the external factors being opportunities and threats. The
performance. Weaknesses are flaws/shortcomings of any following table discusses the internal factors i.e. the strengths
system that may cause to lose a competitive advantage, and weaknesses of rural tourism.

Table 1.1 Internal Factors: Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths Weaknesses
Economic Indices
Generates employment, thus prevents migration and increases Lack of skilled and trained forces in villages
income of rural folks
Homestays have become beneficial to rural women who do Also, there are very few activities available for enjoyment and
not have earning source people do not want to travel long distances for few activities
Create local market for natives and provide natural and local The rural areas are located far away from main center thus
products to tourists (e .g. Handicrafts, fresh fruits, jam, jelly, people find it difficult to reach there, often regular tourists do
other local products etc.). not prefer to travel to far flung areas
Agricultural prosperity: increases local production. Low quality products- The products in these place are often
single use or are decorative items which are difficult to attract
tourists
Socio-Cultural Indices

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Volume 7, Issue 3, March – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
Mutual sharing of cultures results in greater understanding People often tend to forget their local custom and tradition by
among people adopting their ideas
Increased income elevates the economic status also resulting
in increasing social status
Village folks are friendly and cooperative, therefore a sense of
oneness arises
Environmental Indices
When natural resources generate income they are cared for Causes pollution: Increased tourists activities are increasing
and conserved (e.g. Forests, waterfalls etc.) waste material in rural area, thus harming natural environment
Pure and serene environment liked by those who want peace,
away from hustle bustle of city
These rural places are resource rich spots like rich in
architectural heritage, landscapes, folk culture, rural craft etc.
Institutional Indices
No proper channel adopted by government or tourism
department to divert tourists to these areas
No infrastructural facilities: Absence of proper roads is the
biggest hurdle to reach these places
Lack of public investment, government policies planning and
management

The table 1.1 above shows internal factors of rural tourism. It shows that there are 10 strengths against 9 weaknesses. From
the table given above

The following table will show external factors of rural tourism i.e. opportunities and threats.

Table 1.2 External Factors: Opportunities and Threats

Opportunities Threats
Economic Indices
There is scope to develop more adventure activities, spiritual tourism, Effect on agriculture: Local people are leaving
and medical tourism agriculture and adopting tourism
There are a number of employment opportunities that are still waiting
to be harnessed
Private individuals should be motivated to invest in these areas
The hussle- bussle of city life keeps people motivated for short
breaks so these village can be the centres of peace
The villages need a push towards product packaging and marketing
for the locally produced goods
Socio-cultural Indices
Increased interaction with tourists will develop new ideas The local culture and tradition will soon vanish,
because people are adopting foreign culture
Increase in crime
Environmental Indices
Forests are store houses of many medicines, thus they need to be Increased pollution in future will destroy the scenic
exploited beauty
There are many sites, landscapes that are still undiscovered and many Infrastructure development requires concretization,
heritage sites have lost importance due to ignorance of local which will lead to soil erosion, infertile soil etc.
government. These new areas can be regenerated.
Destruction and overutilization of natural resources
like forests, water resources
Institutional Indices
A little boost and guidance from the government can develop these
areas
Proper channel to divert tourists to these areas will help to increase
the number of tourists
These areas hold a lot of potential and energetic people, who only
require training programs to develop their skills

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Volume 7, Issue 3, March – 2022 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
The table 1.2 above shows external factors of SWOT, [5]. Rehmani, Seryasat, M., Hajari, B., Karimian, T. and
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consumption. It will protect the environment along with
generating income for the rural masses.
 Providing education, information and conducting
seminars, conferences, workshops at rural level will help
villages be aware with the changing needs of tourists.
 The tourists need diversified actitivities at one single
place, thus providing them all kinds of activities and
facilities at one place will attract tourists.

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