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L. Singh
nature and natural resources, market awareness and active participation. The present
study focused on different perspectives of rural tourism at Jyotisar.
The sustainable development concept was introduced by the World Commission on the Environment and Development (WCED 1987). It is defined by some
researchers as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Demir and Cevirgen
2006) and is envisioned as a path to management of all resources in such a way that
economic, social and visual needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity,
essential ecological processes, natural diversity, and life support systems.
Tourism has been one of the earlier and more active sectors that adapted to
the sustainable development concept. Sustainable tourism development could be
defined as all kinds of tourism developments that make a notable contribution without
compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs and desires
(Tosun 2001). The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO 1998) observed that a
cautiously planned, developed and managed tourism can bring substantial benefits
to local communities, such as employment, income generation, opportunities for
local capital investment, generation of local tax revenue, exchange of new skills and
technologies, new markets for local products, development and conservation of local
culture/heritage and overall development of the area. In this context, tourism has also
been recognized as a tool for sustainable development.
Although some researchers (such as Lamichhane 2011) observed that the excessive growth of tourism also brings some negative impacts caused by the everincreasing flow of tourists that threatens the cultural and natural heritage. But the
application of the sustainability principle in tourism planning and development at the
destination can be considered as a tool for decreasing the negative effects of tourism
to a minimum and ensuring the existence of the destination in the long term. Hence,
tourism can contribute to environmental, economic and socio-cultural enhancement
and sustainable development.
The present chapter attempts to spark this issue and plans to identify the role played
by rural tourism in sustainable development in the village of Jyotisar in the Kurukshetra district of India. The study has been extended to find out the awareness level of
locals regarding rural tourism and to measure the role of rural tourism in sustainable
development of the area. The chapter used both primary as well as secondary data
sources. The primary data were collected from 400 respondents consisting of locals
from the surrounding local communities and related stakeholders through a structured questionnaire. The awareness level of the respondents was noted by using closeended questions (Yes/No). The measurement of the respondents’ opinions regarding
the role of rural tourism in sustainable development in the area was based on the
five-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5), and
adopted the convenient sampling technique. Secondary data from various related
sources, such as books, reports, discussion with industry professionals, etc., were
collected to support the evaluation of existing rural tourism potential and benefits of
rural tourism promotion in sustainable development in the area. The collected data
were analysed by using suitable statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, mean
and standard deviation.
L. Singh
nature and natural resources, market awareness and active participation. The present
study focused on different perspectives of rural tourism at Jyotisar.
The sustainable development concept was introduced by the World Commission on the Environment and Development (WCED 1987). It is defined by some
researchers as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Demir and Cevirgen
2006) and is envisioned as a path to management of all resources in such a way that
economic, social and visual needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity,
essential ecological processes, natural diversity, and life support systems.
Tourism has been one of the earlier and more active sectors that adapted to
the sustainable development concept. Sustainable tourism development could be
defined as all kinds of tourism developments that make a notable contribution without
compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs and desires
(Tosun 2001). The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO 1998) observed that a
cautiously planned, developed and managed tourism can bring substantial benefits
to local communities, such as employment, income generation, opportunities for
local capital investment, generation of local tax revenue, exchange of new skills and
technologies, new markets for local products, development and conservation of local
culture/heritage and overall development of the area. In this context, tourism has also
been recognized as a tool for sustainable development.
Although some researchers (such as Lamichhane 2011) observed that the excessive growth of tourism also brings some negative impacts caused by the everincreasing flow of tourists that threatens the cultural and natural heritage. But the
application of the sustainability principle in tourism planning and development at the
destination can be considered as a tool for decreasing the negative effects of tourism
to a minimum and ensuring the existence of the destination in the long term. Hence,
tourism can contribute to environmental, economic and socio-cultural enhancement
and sustainable development.
The present chapter attempts to spark this issue and plans to identify the role played
by rural tourism in sustainable development in the village of Jyotisar in the Kurukshetra district of India. The study has been extended to find out the awareness level of
locals regarding rural tourism and to measure the role of rural tourism in sustainable
development of the area. The chapter used both primary as well as secondary data
sources. The primary data were collected from 400 respondents consisting of locals
from the surrounding local communities and related stakeholders through a structured questionnaire. The awareness level of the respondents was noted by using closeended questions (Yes/No). The measurement of the respondents’ opinions regarding
the role of rural tourism in sustainable development in the area was based on the
five-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5), and
adopted the convenient sampling technique. Secondary data from various related
sources, such as books, reports, discussion with industry professionals, etc., were
collected to support the evaluation of existing rural tourism potential and benefits of
rural tourism promotion in sustainable development in the area. The collected data
were analysed by using suitable statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, mean
and standard deviation.