Monchasa': An Initiative for rural based sustainable ecotourismdevelopment

Mahuya Roy,

Faculty Member, Dept of Tourism, Hotel, Hospitality & HeritageStudies

Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi

Introduction

Rural tourism focuses on participating in a rural lifestyle. Itis known that approximately 70% of the Indian population stillresides in the rural parts of the country and their livelihood isagriculture. Rural tourism allows the creation of an alternativesource of income in the non-agricultural sector for ruraldwellers. Rural tourism has gained a sudden prominence in Indiain the last decade and still much more is left to be explored.Tourism is one of the major earners of foreign exchange for thecountry. Rural tourism will definitely add more to what we earnin foreign exchange. Rural tourism will hasten the process ofdevelopment and give a chance to the village folks to interactwith the outside world .the products of rural artisans will finda ready market.Over the last two decades the concept of sustainable tourism hasbecome one of the major issues of pivotal importance in moderntourism. Nature based tourism is one of the main facets ofsustainable tourism. Nature tourism is the travel through andenjoyment of the natural world, its seasonal cycles and events,carried out in a manner that promotes the protection of naturaland human communities and consideration for those who willinherit our world. Nature –based ecotourism encompasses areaslike ecotourism, agro-tourism, rural and community-based whichare again forms of sustainable tourism. Rural tourism is aphenomenon becoming increasingly important in the new era of

tourism. The WTO (World Tourism Organization)seminar held inJune,2003 at Kielce, Poland, defined Rural tourism in thefollowing way – “Rural Tourism is engaged in by tourists seekingrural peace: it is tourism away from the mainstream tourismactivity. Visitors who wish to interact with the ruralenvironment and the host community, in a meaningful and authenticway, engages it in”

Rural Tourism in India

The basic concept of rural tourism is to benefit the localcommunity through entrepreneurial opportunities, incomegeneration, employment opportunities, conservation anddevelopment of rural arts, and crafts, investment forinfrastructure development of rural arts and crafts, investmentfor infrastructure development and preservation of theenvironment and heritage (Mishra, 2001). In Asia, especially inIndia, rural tourism in its true form is relatively new. Thepotential for rural tourism to be a major force in rural economicdevelopment resulting in poverty alleviation is yet to berealized to the fullest extent. In the Indian context, theconcept of rural tourism should be taking place by considering alot of sensitive issues in relation with socio-cultural impactson the rural societies. Some of these issues may be empowermentto rural womenfolk, distribution value chain and incomegeneration for rural community, commercialization of ruraltourism sites and socio-cultural conflict etc.

The development of a strong platform around the concept of ruraltourism is definitely useful for a country like India, wherealmost 74% of the population resides in its 7 million villages(Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, 2009). The richdiversity and variety that India has in terms of differentcultures in each province, the customs and traditions, colourfulfestivals, folk arts and handicrafts as well as performing artsand historical heritage make many rural areas in India aspotential rural tourism sites. In the Tenth 5 year Plan of theGovernment of India, tourism has been identified as one of themajor sources for generating employment and promoting sustainable

livelihood. The UNDP committed $ 2.5 million for the project.According to the project plan, the UNDP will help in areas ofcapacity building, involvement of NGOs, local communities andartisans forge strong community-private and public sectorparternships. The government decided to develop necessaryinfrastructure for facilitating rural tourism (Financial Express,2004).

The pilot project on endogenous tourism was rightly conceivedwith the involvement of central and state governments and allstakeholder. Concerned district administration and local NGOs andpartners. The central government pledged assistance to the statesamounting to Rs 0.5 million for developing a site for ruraltourism. The project conceives to establish common facilitycentres for craft persons and village ‘Vishram Sthals’ (resthouses for tourists). These ‘Vishram Sthals’ will be made usinglocally available materials and traditional skills and knowledgeof buildings and constructions. With a view to provide servicesof global standards, local communities will be trained indifferent aspects of hospitality, lodging and cuisine. (FinancialExpress, 2004).

As mentioned earlier, rural tourism in India should be developedconsidering a lot of sensitive issues that may have consideredsignificance on the socio-cultural aspects of rural communities.For example while developing rural tourism, it must be borne inmind that not all communities may be interested in such activityor within a community not all individuals may like to beassociated with it. Any form of tourism activity may be not bepossible at a rural tourism site or not all rural areas may besuitable for tourism due to security and other related reasons.Therefore while developing a rural tourism destination; emphasisshould be given to conserve the natural and cultural assets ofthe location, to capitalize on the position of heritage, culturaland traditional and to be in line with the increasing demand forecotourism (A F Ferguson & Co, 2001).

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, with the help ofState tourism departments has identified 31 villages across thecountry as tourist spots and providing Rs. 50.00 lakh as

financial assistance for each project. Besides, an additionalamount of Rs. 20 lakh would be provided for developing logisticfacilities and starting community participation centers throughself-help groups. Till June 2007 only 25 projects have beensuccessfully completed or are in the verge of completion in the16 states. The remaining projects are either not completed orhave been recently sanctioned. The implementation of this schemehas been done through a convergence committee set up under thedistrict collector. There are many other spots of potentialtourism interest where adequate infrastructure needs to bedeveloped. In the Annual plan 2006-2007, an amount of rs 439.00crore has been allocated for the purpose against rs 369.00 croreallocated in 2005-06 (Ramakumar and Shinde, 2008).

Majority of India resides in village and for the world to knowthe real spirits of India, it is essential to peep into the ruralareas. Rural India has a lot to offer to the world. TheGovernment of India, recognizing the importance of rural tourismin the overall growth of the tourism industry in India, startedthe process of development and marketing and promotion for ruraltourism. In this process, the government of India funded manyprojects to uplift the rural tourism industry in the country andnow wants to evaluate the condition of the rural tourism projectsat 108 of the selected locations. Ministry of tourism, Governmentof India, has launched a study to evaluate and understand theImpact of rural tourism projects which has been sanctioned, tounderstand the progress made in the projects till date and alsoto understand the socio-economic change brought in the lives ofthe artisans involved in the rural tourism projects and alsoamong the local population.

West Bengal Province:

West Bengal is a province in Eastern India that abounds bountiesof lush green countryside. The vast expanse of greenery of ruralBengal had been an element of admiration as well as source ofinspiration for poets, authors and writers of Bengal. In otherwords, it may be said that the richness in Bengali literaturewhich has helped it acquire international acclaim owes a lot torural Bengal as many of the literary works has been written inthe backdrop of it. Geographically speaking, the plains of Bengalalong the Ganges, the western fringes of the province, which isan extension of the Chottanagpur Plateau as well as the foothillsof the Eastern Himalayas or the ‘Dooars’, in North Bengal, allwhen put together unfolds a diverse picture of topography andculture.

According to the 2011 national census provisional results, WestBengal ranks as the fourth most populous Indian state with 7.5percent of the total national population. WB ranks as the secondmost densely populated state after Bihar. The child populationdecadal growth rate decreased to 13.93percentin between 2001 and2011 from 17.80 percent between 1991 and 2001.

The Tourism sector in West Bengal has recently got some attentiontowards development. Though still not among the leadingperformers in the country, the state tourism has been to woo sometourists largely because of the Darjeeling hills and theSunderbans. Historical/heritage towns like Murshdabad andBishnupur are slowly becoming known to tourists.

In the area of rural tourism some manifestations of developmenthave been felt. Ballavpur Danga in Birbhum district andMukutmonipur in Bankura district have been included as potentialrural tourism sites in the Endogenous Tourism Project taken upjointly by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, UNDP andthe Women’s Interlink Foundation (WIF). Besides, tourismfestivals like Poush Mela, Vishnupur Festival and the DooarsUtsav have been primarily aimed towards showcasing the ruralheritage of the state.

The heritage of Bengal includes both Hindu and Islamic monuments,dances like the Purulia Chau, folk music like the Baul, Bhatialiand Kirtans, classical music like the Bishnupur Gharana, severalfolklores, silk textiles, embroidery, cotton textile and the lastbut not the least, Terracotta, craft made from burnt clay, whichhas been the hallmark of Bengal’s heritage. Rural Fairs andfestival also form a part of Bengal’s rural culture like theJoydev-Kenduli Mela, Jagadhatri Puja, Bon Bibir Puja Puja etc.All these put together have made West Bengal a highly potentialarea for rural or ethnic or endogenous tourism.

Prospects of Rural Tourism in West Bengal :

The rural economy of West Bengal has improved especially in termsof agricultural production largely due to the effectivefunctioning of the Panchayat system (Rural/village administrativesystem in India). The most remarkable acceleration of growth

occurred in agriculture. Crop output in West Bengal was the mostrapidly expanding in India since the 1980s as a whole. (WestBengal Human Development Report 2004). However, there are certainparts in the state where we find extreme situations in terms ofpor economic conditions and low agricultural output. The southwestern part of the state which comprises the districts ofPurulia, Bankura,West Midnapur, Western Part of Burdwan, andBirbhum, is one of the three sub-regions in the state which facesproblems of development in terms of the state spans all theblocks of Birbhum and Purulia, and some blocks of Bankura,Medinipur and Bardhaman. These blocks are relatively isolated,with poor transport infrastructure, and therefore tend to bebackward (West Bengal Human Development report 2004). Lowagricultural output is caused due to poor soil quality and lowrainfall in this area. Poor soil quality results from thepresence of mostly the residual type and red laterite soil inthis region, both having low moisture retention capacity and lowfertility (due to presence of little organic matter). This makesthe area unfit for cultivation. Hence agriculture, like elsewherein the state, does not turn out to be one of the main means oflivelihood for the locals. Besides the government has also notdone enough to improve the infrastructure of these areas.Education and health, the two primary elements for social/humandevelopment today are also very much in a state of neglect.

Rural economy in West Bengal also includes the handicraft sector.This is a sector to which the south western part of West Bengalcontributes significantly. Places like Panchmura, Sonamukhi andSankra in Bankura district are examples of unique handicraftvillages contributing to the list of magnificent handicraftproducts of the province. Terracotta, a popular folk art ofBengal, is produced in Panchmurah and Bishnupur, both in Bankuradistrict. Stone carving is famous in Susunia village, Bankuradistrict.

There are a few successful cases of government initiatives andNGOs in developing and promoting sustainable rural tourism inWest Bengal. Help Tourism, the West Bengal Forest DevelopmentCorporation (WBFDC) and some other nature-based SMTEs havecontributed significantly towards the growth of responsible

nature based tourism in the state. Recently the Department ofTourism, Government of West Bengal, has taken a plan to start anew tourism initiative to develop Bishnupur, the temple town inBankura District and Panchmundi, both in South West Bengal, asrural tourism circuits (MSN INDIA, September, 2007). Aninnovative rural tourism initiative has been taken up through acommunity based tourism project called eco-friendly – familycentric tourism in Dooars and Cooch Behar region in North Bengalby the State tourism department in association with an NGO calledNational People’s democratic Centre. In 2003, a rural tourismproject at micro-level was taken up on Antpur, a village inHoogly district to promote the rural artisans of the village andto uplift their economic condition.

Aspects like rural sanitation and crime rate in West Bengal aresome of the strengths of the province towards development ofrural tourism. West Bengal has achieved a milestone by the UNICEFannouncing the state as a model for sustainable rural sanitation.This aspect will boost rural tourism from the tourist’s point ofview. (Business Line, 2004). The crime rate in the state is 82.6per 100,000, which was half of the national average. This is thefourth-lowest crime rate among the 28 states and unionterritories of India. (State Census 2001).

In terms of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), West Bengalranks sixth in India, behind Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, AndhraPradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. WB ranks second after Bihar interms of percentage growth of GSDP for 2011-12 and is well abovethe national percentage of 15.68.

State

No. ofProjectscovered

No. ofSuccessfulplusaverageProjects

Reasons for Success

No. ofUnsuccessfulProjects

Reason forfailure

ImportantLearning

WestBeng

5 2 Primaryreasons

3 Accessibility is an

Maintenanceof the

al for thesuccessof theprojecthere isthatvillageKamarpukar,DistrictHoogly isofreligioussignificance toBengalis.

issue Naxal

presence inMukutmonipur, DistrictBankura isanotherreason fordrivingaway oftourists

projects isrequired tokeep up themomentum

Properadvertisingis required

 In india tourism destinations are found in different stages ofwhat is termed as the Product Life Cycle. For example, a regionlike Digha – Mandarmoni, a city like Darjeeling – Kalimpong havereached a maturity level. They require no more promotion and havesimilarly exhausted their carrying capacity (infrastructural,environmental or social impacts). On the contrary, the otherrural regions which are struggling hard to promote theirattractions and develop their tourism products. The same is thecase with many rural parts of India, even after having enoughpotential to attract both domestic and foreign tourists. After asuccessful two years operation of “Monchasha” a report says, itis acting as a peaceful eco-friendly oasis in a vast desert ofover developed, over promoted, over polluted and over populatedtourism spots where mood of leisure is lacking. In reality it isexperienced that, a tremendous crisis is still present in theweekend tourism all over at Bengal. So this is the right time tostart this type of small projects.

 Continuous living with a fast life makes people partlymechanical resulting different abnormal effects. Familycommitments, work pressure, money issues increase the anxiety andstress level in a human. To recover and manage up with the stress

there is very little time left to require care of the health.Hectic schedule results to some common diseases like coronaryheart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure,hypertension, infection of urinary tract etc and a ton of healthproblems. Moreover, with a heavy workload, working parents haveto spend more time in the office with their pile of work ratherthan at home with their family. This has led to a lack ofcommunication among the family members and affected familyrelationships adversely.“Monchasha” is that type of arena wherepeople can talk to themselves, enjoy quality time with theirfamily or simply rejuvinate their mind.

 Rural india has much to offer to the world. Rural India for itsrich in traditions of arts, crafts, heritage, culture, can emergeas important tourist spots. Those in the developed world whohave a craze for knowledge about traditional ways of life, arts &crafts will be attracted to visit rural india if the concept ofrural tourism is marketed well. According to demand by the guestsat“monchasha” they have recently started fields like “sahajiya” –the cultural centre & “nabya nakshi” – the handicraft centre. Alive pottery has been launched and it is demonstrated by localpotters .

What is Monchasa?

Mon chasha” is the latest rural based sustainable ecotourismmodule operating with social responsibility over at villagePaushi, East Midnapore. “mon chasha” is a blend of authenticvillage culture, pure earthen tradition, cultural heritage of aspeed less rural life and a true sentiment of natural India.A comprehensive research is going on to find out suitablelocations for village tourism, database of like mindedtourists & their expectations, demarcate roles andresponsibilities among various stakeholders, complete packageto the guest families, scientific product development,provision and management of infrastructure, accommodation andfood facilities, promotional plans and more importantly about

the role of community for the strategic implementation ofproject.

“Mon chasha” is a journey, a theme of consciousness in globaltourism arena by creating a sustainable ecotourism module withsocial responsibility, based on rural bengal. Monchasa willcertainly uphold the flag of West Bengal tourism in thehospitality sector.

Why Monchasa is created?

Across the world the trends of industrialization and developmenthave had an urban centric approach. Alongside, the stresses ofurban lifestyles have led to a “counter-urbanization” syndrome.This has led to growing interest in the rural areas. Ruraltourism is one of the few activities which can provide a solutionto these problems. “Monchasha” has been created within a domesticarea of a most unpopular village to show the world that tourismcan sustain without an important site seeing spot as seabeach,mountain, jungle area etc. “Monchasha” is for those exhaustedpeople who are going through a very busy hectic schedule dayafter day. To them who are “going to be a part of tourism” is anot a luxury now-a-days but a very basic need and an earnest needfor a two days peace.

At the same time this trend of urbanization has led to fallingincome levels, lesser job opportunities in the total areasleading to an urbanization syndrome in the rural areas. Due tothe poor economic condition, rural people are facing lots ofproblem for their daily hand to mouth. Here “monchasha” is actingas a job generator, affecting a positive poverty alleviation.Since the very first day local labours are hired to make“monchasha” successful. Major purchases (daily requirement) fromthe local market affects a positive and practical ruraldevelopment in the grass root level of village Paushi.

Utility initiatives already introduced over at project “Monchasa”

Introducing solar and bio gas as alternate power usage forconservation of energy

Supporting rain water harvest application with the “JolDhoro - Jol Bhoro” system

Grey water collection from wash room and kitchen, recycleand reuse for gardening

Applying waste management by “collect and segregate dry/wetwaste for manure

Placing number of information board/kiosk for generalknowledge and message

Support organic firm cultivation with organic green compostand vermi compost

Couple of jersy cow and small poultry farm for dailymilk/egg/meat requirement

Introducing kitchen gardening with scientifically approveddrio irrigation sysytem

Local styled sweet water fish farming for daily requirementof monchasa visitors

Palm and bamboo plantation near the project site forproviding an ecological balance

Main objectives for the rural based eco-tourism “Mon chasa”

Invest in people and service to all delivering animportant message through tourism

Supporting green earth by declaring “mon chasa” projectsite as “no plastic zone”

Health support by the organic/green/drip farming module::from farm to platter

Major purchase from local market affecting ruraldevelopment and poverty alleviation

Job generation by hiring local labour (skilled/non-skilled & temporary/permanent)

Deep focus for the employment generation by offeringservice to the local villagers

Life to the local handicraft, direct support bypurchasing from the Self Help Groups

Balance psychological human growth from childhood withproper nature education

Conservation of energy by applying solar module as solarheater/solar lantern etc

Conservation of traditional cultural heritage with thesupport of local panchayet

Direct monetary support to Antoday Anath Ashram (Anorphanage beside mon chasa)

Utility initiatives going to be introduced in future for project “mon chasa”

A bi-cycle hiring point for the mon chasa guests tovisit & absorb the local village ambience

A sun dial (ancient styled time keeping watch) and atelescope point to watch the night sky

A butterfly park and an aquairum showing the type offish cultivation in the ponds of “mon chasa”

Introduction of back water river cruise through themeandering water strip beside “mon chasa”.

How to be a responsible eco traveller?

“Eco” is a fashionable label used widely in the tourismindustry. It sounds appealing, but much of what is marketedas “eco” is simply conventional tourism with somesuperficial changes

By exploring alternative travel choice,people can have anunique trip and avoid leaving negative mark onculture,economy and the environment while making positiveimpact on the people and places

Turn off light and unplug all household appliances that canbe left unplugged while guest is away

Utilise public transportation and alternate local modes oftransport (walking, cycling etc) as much possible. It is amore sustainable way to get around, and also a healthier andmore enjoyable way

Choose and try local cuisine. Locally produced foods aremuch tastier and more sustainable option

Use minimum amount of water needed for a shower/bath and donot let water run while shaving, brushing or washing. Reusebedroll/linen by requesting staffs not to change themeveryday.

Whenever possible, try to avail options that do not requirebatteries. Buy rechargeable batteries for an essentialtravel items such as camera, flash light, razor, batteryoperated sound system etc

Ask the resident manager about any environment policy andpractices running by the management

Learn a few words of the local language and use them whileinteracting with the local people

Read up on local conventions and dress appropriately. Inmany places, modest dress is important

Be respectful of local citizens’ privacy. Ask permissionbefore entering sacred place, homes etc

Be sensitive to when and where photograph is taken. Alwaysask first then act.

Respect the natural environment,never touch or harassanimals.Always follow designated trails

Never buy any handicraft or utility product made byprotected or endangered animals

Do not engage in overly aggressive bargaining when buyingsouvenir from local artisans

Check the management policy for offering tips.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Homestay Programmes and Rural Experience:

Homestay Programmes in rural tourism sites should be developed toprovide an everlasting experience to the tourist on one hand andon the other hand, to bring about substantial increase in theincomes of the locals and conserving the local culture andnatural heritage at the same time. The Gurukul concept may beintroduced in places like Panchmurah and Susunia Village whereskilled craftsmen and specialists are available in areas liketerracotta works, stone carving and cotton weaving. Instructionalstays can be organized involving learning programmes of variedlevels for tourists. In addition to homestays, accommodation totourists may be provided in the form of tourist huts built withan ethnic/local design and managed by local communities at thesites with assistance in technical areas from tourismauthorities. Professional Training agencies like private and

government food craft and catering institutes should play anactive role in meeting the training needs required by localcommunity

Role of Technology: ICT and Telecommunication:

Each Rural tourism site should be promoted with minimuminvolvement of middleman like tour operators/intermediaries whodictate tour itineraries and financial returns. Villageauthorities like the Panchayats or associations formed by localcommunities should be engaged in preparing tours and promotionand marketing in consultation with the provincial and Federaltourism departments. ICT applications in Tourism now encompassareas like community-based tourism and rural tourism. Theinternet may come of a lot of use as creation of innovativewebsites could provide the opportunity to the local communitiesto market their attractions directly online to potentialcustomers. The concept of e-Community Based Tourism may beintroduced at rural tourism sites. E-CBT or electronic community-based tourism is a concept where local communities at destinationare able to mobilize themselves towards CBT (community-basedTourism) and with access to internet can theoretically engagedirectly with global tourism markets, bypass the intermediaryinformation-handlers to attract visitors and retain a largerproportion of tourism receipts(Harris.R. and Vogel.D, 2006).Therefore rural tourism communities could make use of e-commerceapplications or e-Tourism in fostering their CBT operations(Harris,2003). Websites can enable rural tourism lodgings toaccess markets quickly and to become international (Vrana, V. andZafiropoulos,K, 2009).

A website is an important tool for marketing strategy for anystate. It is a part of branding initiative to educate consumerson the culture, people and experiences unique to that particularstate. An interactive website increases visitation (Government ofIndia, Ministry of Tourism, 2005). A better infrastructure forICT(Information and Communication Technology) in rural Bengal is hencerequired. Establishment of sustainable Rural MultipurposeCommunity Telecentres will be the first step towards promoting e-CBT. The e-CBT concept may well fit in Pathra which already has a

telephone exchange and power facility. Rural NGOs, IT relatedgovernment departments, the telecommunications department as wellas private sector IT companies will have to play an importantrole in this respect. Private participation in this area will berequired not only in installation and maintenance aspects butalso for training and skill development in IT. Leading private ITtraining and educational institutes of India like like the NIITand Aptech Computer Education can play a major role in e-ruraltourism projects by imparting IT education to stakeholdersespecially local community members.

Compatible Public-Private Sector Partnership:

Selling and distribution channels of rural tourism sites as wellconduction of rural tourism activity should be streamlined. Thereshould be three channels of distribution. Firstly, through WestBengal Tourism and Indian Tourism, selling rural tourism tourpackages or tour packages including rural tourism sites.Secondly, by governmental and non-governmental organizations likeWBFDC (West Bengal Forest Development Corporation) and HelpTourism etc. which have proven track record in sustainabletourism in the state. Thirdly, the local community associationsthrough major tourism portals like incredibleindia.org,exploreruralindia.org and website of West Bengal Tourism as wellas websites of organizations like WBFDC or Help Tourism.

Conduction of rural tourism activities at these potential sitesshould preferably be done only by West Bengal Tourism, IndianTourism, WBFDC or non-governmental organizations/privateoperators only with a proven track record of carrying outsustainable tourism in the state or country like Help tourism.Private tour operators with no track record in the related areamay be restricted only to certain activities that will notdictate and divest financial returns from local communities. Itis recommended that NGO’s and private parties having presenceacross the state, relevant experience in project implementationand community mobilisation for atleast 5-10 years should only beselected (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, 2007).

Training needs of rural womenfolk on EntrepreneurialOpportunities:

Rural tourism must involve active participation of women inmatters of decision – making as the womenfolk are one of thestakeholders in any developmental activity. One of the main aimsof such kind of tourism activity should be to bring benefits tothe womenfolk economically by means of providing thementrepreneurial opportunities. This will raise their standards ofliving. Upliftment of the economic standards of the women will inturn help them in having good health facilities and education.Rural tourism projects need to be considered as rural self-employment generation schemes especially for the womenfolk. Ruralself-employment generation schemes for women require to besupported by banks in rural areas like NABARD, urban serviceproviders and by local self-help groups.

Rural Infrastructure:

Rural infrastructure like well-built village roads, sanitationand high standards of hygiene wayside amenities, use of renewableenergy sources, electrification, telecentres and provision ofadequate security, is essential. Governmental authorities likeWest Bengal Tourism or the State Department of Tourism along withthe local panchayats should take a leading role in infrastructuredevelopment. As rural tourism requires relatively lessinfrastructure and therefore low investment, it will turn out tobe a feasible option for the state government. Privateparticipation needs to be encouraged at a small scale in buildinginfrastructure.

Accreditation and Certification:

An accreditation/certification system for rural tourism sitesshould be in place that will frequently assess measures andmonitor the performance of rural tourism sites in terms oftourist experience and quality services to tourists as well asconservation of local culture, heritage, environment and ecologyand socio-economic benefits/development of the local communities.The departments of tourism under the state and federal ministriesof tourism along with the state Forest departments, localadministrations (Gram Panchayat), international bodies onenvironment and tourism should form a strong and an effectivecommittee of experts and consultants to monitor the standards of

rural tourism sites through continuous assessment to ensure thatthings are carried out along the lines of sustainability.LAC(Limit of Acceptable Change) issues needs to be addressed inorder to measure the acceptable and achievable resource andsocial conditions. Innovative tools for attaining or maintainingdesired conditions can be explored through LAC (eg. Timing orseason of use, geographic spacing, and behavior of users, kind orlevel of management).

Financial Support and Capacity Building:

In addition to providing support to rural womenfolk inentrepreneurship, loans and other financial support should bemade available to local communities in general. Tax concessionsand other incentives should also be extended to them. Ruraldevelopments banks like the NABARD, UBI, BIRD, tourismdevelopment-related financial institutions like the TFCI(TourismFinance Corporation of India) as well as private financialagencies, banks and companies like HDFC will all need to play amajor role in financing rural tourism entrepreneurialinitiatives.

Training on catering and housekeeping services, soft skills, tourguiding skills, hygiene and sanitation etc, needs to beprovided .Private and public food craft institutes, travel andtourism training institutes, catering colleges are required toprovide necessary support to build skilled and trained workforcein rural areas. The departments of tourism, private touroperators having a proven track record in sustainable tourism,tourism NGOs and other authorities should actively take part inmeeting the training needs in rural tourism through workshops,training programmes and exhibitions.

The concept of self-sustainability should be instilled among thelocal community through effective mobilization and capacitybuilding. The local communities need to be equipped and trainedto manage the rural tourism site by their own. A villagecoordination committee has to be set up which will ensure activeparticipation of both genders especially women, disadvantagedgroups and unemployed youth in bringing effective communityparticipation, monitoring of all activities and maintenance of

the tourism sites. It should also be remembered that localcommunity members in rural areas exposed to tourism do not becomeentirely dependant economically on tourism but it should come asan additional/supplementary means of income generation. In otherwords, indigenous/traditional means of livelihood likeagriculture/farming, dairy, pottery etc should not be replaced bytourism activities. This is an aspect, which needs to beaddressed, as the issue of sustainability should be pivotalimportance in rural tourism.

Promotion and sustainability Issues:

A network of organizations should be established to promote anddevelop rural tourism in the most sustainable way. The networkmay be set up involving the state tourism department/West Bengaltourism in association with the Department of Tourism, Governmentof India, the WIF (Women’s Interlink Foundation), the UN(UnitedNations through UNDP) and local organizations engaged insustainable tourism like the Help tourism and West Bengal Forestdevelopment Corporation (WBFDC) along with other interestedparties like state and National level NGOs and self-help groups.The prime responsibility of this network is to ensure that ruraltourism sites do not reach a stage of “Commodification’ whereaspects such as tranquility, pastoral idle, rural way of life andrural arts and crafts become victims of commercialization andhence leading to unsustainable growth of rural tourism. Thenetwork has to carry out event-based promotion and facilitateexperiences the results in favourable word-of-mouth promotion.This network shall also require to work closely with thesuggested committee on accreditation and certification of ruraltourism sites.

The major challenges are need to preserve the environment andnatural resources, the need for education, proper understandingfor both tourists and local people, and the need to generate ademocratic movement which helps people at all levels toparticipate in tourism development. The Tourism Industry faceswith various challenges in the field of human resources; one ofthe crucial issues in this regard is the quality of manpower. The

industry is vitally faced with the demand for qualified qualitypersonnel. One of the key areas in terms of tourism development in WestBengal is creation of a more appropriate form of tourism toreplace “Mass Tourism”. Appropriate Tourism is a kind of tourismthat is more favorable and beneficial to the local community andthe challenge ahead for West Bengal’s tourism industry is toimplement and establish Appropriate Tourism at the ground level.

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