SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF RURAL TOURISM: A CASE STUDY ON KUMBALANGI VILLAGE

– It is widely recognized that tourism is a sector with immense potential economic development and employment generation. Hence, tourism is seriously encouraged by the Governments the word over, particularly in the developing nations. International agencies like World Tourism Organization (WTO) estimate that nations like India and China would become the superpowers in the global tourism map by the year 2020. In spite of the excellent tourism resources in India, the country could not utilize its vast potential because only during the last two decades tourism has been getting due attention in India. While China has already attained a prominent position in global tourism, the progress of India has been slower. India has to traverse a long way to catch up with the top players, including China. In respect of Kerala state in particular – one of the states with the highest tourism resources in India – the situation is more chronic as Kerala’s performance in tourism has not at all been commensurate with its enviable tourism resources. A recent study of the present author has revealed the vast prospects of rural tourism for employment creation and economic development in the context of ‘Kumbalangi’ – a rural tourism destination in Ernakulam district of central Kerala and the first model tourism village in India. As a continuation of the earlier study, this paper makes an empirical study of the effects of rural tourism on the environment and local community.