It’s 21st century and the world is almost up to its neck with big cities, skyscrapers, never-ending roadways and chaotic lifestyles. Now, while travelling you need to rejuvenate your soul and not glamorize your eyes.
The next big thing in travel is going to be rural tourism in India. Closer to man’s origin, nature’s care and spiritual presence, who isn’t pleased by rural life?
rural tourism in India Source
Imagine waking up to mesmerizing petrichor, sounds of flames crackling from an earthen pot on fire, the smell of a staple curry, sound of native women whispering in groups walking by, children playing with anything and everything they can access, open fields and a very welcoming presentiment.
But first, what is rural tourism in India in the true sense?
According to a Ministry of Tourism policy paper,“Any form of tourism that showcases rural life, art, culture and heritage at rural locations, thereby benefiting the local community economically and socially as well as enabling interaction between the tourists and the locals for a more enriching tourism experience, can be termed as rural tourism.”
Ministry of Tourism in India has laid a great deal of emphasis on the development of such rural tourism sites which boast of rich art, culture, handloom, heritage and crafts. These villages are affluent in both natural beauty and cultural splendor.
Major Types of Rural Tourism in India:
Agricultural tourism- Where you explore more about the agricultural industry and how farmers work with crops. Where open fields steal the show.
Food routes- Where wanderlust meets the variety that persists in our cuisine. It’s tourism all about food and knowing more about different staples of different places.
Community ecotourism- Where tourism is for a purpose. It is rather responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.
Ethno-tourism- Where you expand your horizons to view cultures different from yours. It is essential to know more about various ethnic and cultural lifestyles and beliefs.
Why Rural Tourism in India?
-You might want to go all rural while travelling if you’re knowledge thirsty. It gives you knowledge of agriculture, governance and what not.
-If you love working for various causes then volunteering independently or in association with organizations is something you might want to do.
-Our culture is so varied and vibrant than a whole lifetime is but too short to explore it completely. Rural tourism give you a great deal of exposure to different cultures that breathe in the interiors of India.
-Homestays with people you know or come across while your tour.
-All the art and craft enthusiasts can quench their craving for rustic art here. From traditional music and dance forms to Madhubani paintings and pottery, rural India has it all.
Raw Mornings (Source)
-You might want to draw or click your way through your rural travel if you’re an artist or photographer. Villages boast of some of the best scenes one gets to see in life.
-Villages are heaven to soul seekers. Away from the chaos of city, away from exhausting duties and closer to nature’s lap you can get to live life at its simplest.
Your search for a second home ends here.
Misconceptions- What rural tourism is not:
Rural tourism in India is discomfort.
NO. Traveling on an individual level depends totally on the place and personal choice. But traveling with an organization is comfortable by all means. A responsible organization conducts hygiene and sanitation training for locals and transforms the village into a cleaner place to serve the purpose of tourism.
Rural tourism in India is unsafe.
NO. Traveling individually must only be done if you are related to someone in the village or know the people you’re staying with absolutely well. Villages are very hospitable, safe and warm. If you’re traveling with an organization then it must be a professional and authentic one with a good number of eco-tourists.
Rural tourism in India is irrelevant in today’s era of urbanization.
NO. Tourism is all about going and seeing places that are new to you and grab your attention. Then be it big and glittering cities or small and cozy villages. Rural India has so much more to it.
Rural food and water are unhygienic.
NO. It’s not that living in cities we eat the best of food. Our fruits and vegetables are injected at every level with artificial colours and chemicals. On the other hand, villages survive on food grown in a more organic way. The rivers and streams are much cleaner there than here. No wonder rural people need minimal medications.
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It’s time you go discover what lies closer to your roots.
Because travel has a new face altogether that lies in our villages.
