Ajay Khajuria
It is well known that an emphasis on rural development generally pervades upon Government policy in an endeavor to achieve balanced development, and to neutralize the infrastructural and economic differences between urban and peripheral regions. In this effort, tourism has emerged as a potential game changer, as it has the unique ability to drive economic development and provide opportunities in relatively inconspicuous areas, which are off the beaten track and would otherwise remain at a disadvantage. This attribute assumes a special significance during these critical times of the pandemic, when tourists are more likely to prefer visiting open and undisturbed areas which carry a lesser risk of infections than crowded and more frequented places. To emphasize this aspect of tourism, presently being considered as one of the key sectors for driving economic recovery worldwide, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has adopted “Tourism and Rural Development” as the theme for World Tourism Day 2020, which is commemorated on 27 September every year to foster awareness about the importance of tourism among the international community.
Since, tourists are prone to different preferences while selecting their destinations, all tourist activity may not necessarily support rural development. However, one of the segments of the tourism market which does affect rural development revolves around the concept of ‘rural tourism’, which offers the visitor a ‘rural environment’ with a combination of experiences which include all activities and aspects of recreation in the countryside like, enjoying the environment and peace of rural areas, relishing scenic beauty and nature, understanding new cultures and meeting people with typically rural character, etc. This concept, however, is not entirely new to this sub-continent where the thousands of years old culture encompasses ‘Yatra’ to distant and remote places of pilgrimage, often at unique locations, as a means of uplifting the body, mind and spirit.
Another segment which also has a significant impact on rural development is based on the concept of ‘adventure tourism’. Comprising mainly the younger age group it includes adventure enthusiasts, who love to venture out into unexplored territory for the thrill of engaging in activities like mountaineering, para-gliding, skiing, river-rafting, trekking and camping, etc. to mention a few, which test their endurance and skill. This takes them to some of the remotest and sparsely populated regions, generally amongst the mountains, thereby creating opportunities for employment and other economic benefits for the local inhabitants.
‘Ecotourism’ is yet another emerging segment which has, perhaps, the potential of having a profound impact on rural development in times to come. Rooted in the concept of responsible and sustainable tourism it comprises tourists who, not only want to move away from the cities for acquiring new knowledge and experiences, but also want to ensure that their visit has a positive impact on the inhabitants and natural resources of the destinations. This signifies protection and conservation of the environment as well as empowerment and participation of the local communities as important beneficiaries of the tourist activity. Earnings from visitors too are expected to be ploughed back into preserving and conserving the natural environs and local cultural integrity. This, however, requires adoption of stringent norms by the host destinations.
Jammu and Kashmir, with a predominantly rural economy, and having a multitude of tourist attractions dotting its mountainous landscape has the potential to meet a variety of tourist preferences and is well placed to benefit from the above segments. A viable model for the development of rural and adventure tourism came to be evolved in the wake of tourist flow resulting from exposure across the country, given by popular Hindi films and cassettes on devotional Bhajan songs, to the pristine beauty of Kashmir, and the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage, in the sixties and seventies. This unique model successfully developed potential destinations in rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir into popular tourism destinations over three phases.
In the first phase the Department of tourism not only provided the basic infrastructure like roads, electricity, accommodation and other amenities, but also appointed the staff to manage the same as a marketing activity till the tourist traffic to the destination picked up. In the second phase, as the tourist flow to a destination increased sufficiently, the accommodation, catering and other amenities at that destination were handed over to the J&K Tourism Development Corporation for operations and management on commercial lines. While continuing to publicize and promote the destination handed over to the corporation, the department progressively moved on to new and virgin areas having tourism potential. Finally, in the third phase, as the destination became widely popular, incentives were given to the private sector for creation of additional tourist amenities as profit making ventures to meet the substantially increasing demand.
Effective use of the above model, brought scores of potential destinations in rural areas in Jammu and Kashmir on the tourist map. In fact, vibrant tourist destinations came into being at erstwhile rural locations of Katra, Patnitop, Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg, while other destinations like Mansar, Sanasar, Bhaderwah, Kokernag, Aharbal, Yusmarg and Manasbal, amongst others, continued to develop steadily and gain popularity as per their potential. Perhaps one of the most striking examples of the impact of tourism on rural development is Katra, the base town for the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage, which was a sleepy rural hamlet till the sixties. With some initial provision of basic infrastructural facilities for pilgrims by the Government, and with the coming into being of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in the eighties, Katra underwent complete transformation into a bustling pilgrimage tourism hub with the number of pilgrims/tourists visiting the Shrine, touching 10 million per year. This phenomenal increase impacted, not only the rural economy of Katra and its surroundings, but also created employment opportunities for the rural areas of the entire region including farmers, pony owners, labourers, workers and others.
After coming into being of the somewhat independent Tourism Development Authorities just after the turn of the millennium, however, the above model appears to have been relegated to the back burner. The non provision of staff for management of newly created amenities by the department as per the first phase remains an impediment in the development of dozens of potential destinations in rural areas, especially in Jammu province, where the predominant mountain terrain provides a high potential for promoting adventure and rural tourism. Similarly, trekking and other adventure sports activities have remained restricted in the absence of manpower like instructors and guides being available with the tourism authorities at base destinations.
Any serious attempt to kick-start tourism activity on a large scale would, therefore, require a review of the overall tourism policies and putting in place a concrete and viable strategy focused on promoting the relevant segments which tap the vast tourism potential of the rural and mountainous hinterland of Jammu region. This can enable languishing destinations to garner a due share of the tourism market which otherwise has been captured by hill resorts in nearby Himachal as well as in Uttrakhand. This will also facilitate the ultimate revival of tourism in Kashmir by ensuring continued flow of tourists right up to the valley’s doorsteps.
(The author is a retired KAS Officer and a former Director Tourism Jammu)
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