Tourism is one of the trendiest recreational activities of the modern era. It sometimes may get harsh on your pocket, but it will be every penny worthwhile on your soul. To define in formal terms, tourism is the process of spending time afar from the usual setting or habitat. It could be for any purpose – business, leisure, recreation, meditation, et cetera. But the motive remains the same – pleasure and relaxation. While there was a time when visiting famous tourist spots was happening a lot, there has been observed a shift in trend over the last decade.
As the generation of the young has changed, so has the adrenaline. People have now begun to believe in finding hidden gems, undiscovered places, or remote areas with no connectivity to the world. It is very acceptable and obvious. Change in lifestyle that keeps every individual busy through days and nights, and fast-paced lives have affected the vision towards life. People have begun to take pauses and it has made tourism unusual. This brings in the picture of declining urban tourism. But then, what is getting toured if not cities? And does it affect the economy?
Also read: Rural Places that can be Visited in India
Tourism has a lot of benefits to the host. It dramatically improves the economy of a country. It creates employment and helps develop infrastructure. And if urban tourism declines, it may affect all of the above factors. But not if we look at it from a completely different angle, which brings us back to our first question – What is being toured? What should be toured?
Rural Tourism focuses on visiting the village areas and actively participating in that lifestyle. A usual individual in an urban household may not be able to imagine the difference in lifestyles of urban and rural people even in the 21st century. While a city boy may be studying or gaming till 1 a.m., a rural kid is still off to bed by 9 p.m. In our villages, the peace and the pace are still intact. The serenity of the environment and freedom in the air is a thing to enjoy at least once in a lifetime. Rural tourism provides just the opportunity. Any rural area may be famous for its authenticity of taste and richness of culture.
It is unimaginable how vivid and wide our culture is and how rich our experience can be within different rural areas of a state. It showcases the life of a rural household and includes hard work such as farming. It provides privacy due to less density of population and geographic isolation. The cost of living is also reasonable which adds to making rural lifestyle better than urban.
The rural lifestyle is not sedentary and is safer from a health-wise point of view. A load of physical work and larger open areas for playing, exclude the possibility of having a sit-in lifestyle, which significantly improves the functioning of the heart. A rural vacation is a perfect getaway from the hastiness of the urban lifestyle. It connects one to nature and still is able to bring challenges and keep one motivated. It brings scenic views that never fail to amaze us, as an incentive. National parks, countryside, Ghats, etc may also come under rural tourism.
The aesthetic of rural tourism cannot be understood via videos. One has to go experience it by oneself. This in-depth exploration of these remote places may not be mentioned in any guides but an experience of them could be moving.
Coming back to our next question that is how it affects the economy?
First things first, it helps develop the economy of the rural area. It supports micro businessmen, self-employed rural people, creates employment in the otherwise limited opportunity area, and much more. Apart from this all, it has the potential to majorly contribute towards the economy of the country. It should not go unnoticed that people have started liking peace more than pace. The greater inclination towards visiting the unusual and adventurous develops the practical hope of larger turnover. It may also be added that bringing the spotlight to rural tourism will not only benefit the economy but the infrastructure of rural areas while keeping the rural touch intact.
Rural tourism is much facilitated also. It is easier to convince rural people to host and mediate. It brings us to our next benefit of rural tourism – connection. It is important to find some semblance of life’s purpose in the visited area. It helps to retain the memories near and dear. A welcoming environment is seen to be cherished more than a formal one.
The rural tourist industry also includes a number of tourism like golfing, woofing, etc. While this may be an artificial setup, it is safe to say that it promotes conservation of the environment or even its appreciation. It is a place for conservationists and activists. It also protects many species of flora and fauna that are endangered or may even be undiscovered as yet. Visiting the rural areas and an increase in tourism in such places will enrich the area and decline the rate of urbanization, therefore, declining a sequence of adverse environmental effects which come along with it.
A nature-lover should not shy away from exploring rural places. It is a mandate that a place once experienced and liked is spread like wildfire by the word of mouth and can bring about exponential income to the area.
Rural tourism in itself is a lesson about living life and enjoying the little moments. Being relaxed is also challenging and has the potential to mold a person in accordance with nature. It may change one’s whole perspective of life and provide enriching experiences. Rural tourism thoroughly approaches all the reasons why one would want to travel. And since they have been discovered, why not uncover them?
