Rural Tourism at a Glance!

1. Rural Tourism at a Glance! Tourism plays a major role in the income of every country and state. Over these years, tourism sector has witnessed growth and became the crucial cog in the income of the country. The tourism sector has the major role in the international commerce because of the huge amount of currency exchange. Maharashtra is the third largest state in the country in terms of population and area. Maharashtra in itself consists of mini-India. Being the capital, Mumbai is one of the most vibrant cities in Maharashtra. It is also an economic and entertainment capital of the country. Talking about foreign tourist arrivals (20.8%) Maharashtra is the leader of all India and one of the leading states for domestic tourist visits (7.2%). Maharashtra is the only region that offers different kind of tourist places for tourism. Pune is the educational hub of Maharashtra. It has huge cultural and historical background. The Western Ghats and the Sahyadri mountain range offers hill stations and water reservoirs with semi-evergreen and deciduous forests. Pune is situated in between the Sahyadri Mountain and the southern Ghats. There are many tourist spots near the Western Ghats; Morachi Chincholi is one of them. Below given is the share of top 10 States of India in Domestic Tourism in percent 1. Andhra Pradesh 20.0 % 2. Tamil Nadu 17.8 % 3. Uttar Pradesh 16.2 % 4. Karnataka 9.1 % 5. Maharashtra 6.4 % 6. Madhya Pradesh 5.1 % 7. Rajasthan 2.8 % 8. Uttarakhand 2.6 % 9. Gujrat 2.4 %

2. 10. West Bengal 2.2 % Source: India Tourism Market Research Division -2013 To maintain the tourism, Maharashtra Government has announced some policies. This is shortly mentioned below: 1.Achieve growth of 10% per annum and share of 15% in GSDP through tourism and tourism related activities. 2.Generate fresh investments in the tourism sector to the tune of INR 30,000 crore by 2025 3.To create 1 million additional jobs in the tourism sector by 2025. 4.Incentivize tourism units in the state by linking it to the Package Scheme of Incentives, 2013 of Industries 5.Key strategic interventions are identified and special incentives for respective intervention have been laid out. India is the country of villages. Maharashtra offers unique tourism through its rural landscape which is approximately 55% area of the state. The government of Maharashtra has taken initiatives towards promoting the rural tourism. This will help to increase growth in the state, thus improving the economic situation at the rural level. Maharashtra promotes Krushi Paryatan to promote the Indian farmer culture and regular life Mauli Krushi Paryatan near Pune is the sincere effort towards increasing the tourism. The Hurda parties, camping, and the rural games have been the main attraction of Krushi tourism in Maharashtra. Morachi Chincholi is the best holiday spot near Pune. There are few benefits of rural tourism mentioned as follows: 1. Agri and Rural tourism provide education to the public of the rural areas and promote the products of the farm and generate additional farm income. 2. Provide rural experience to urban residents. 3. Allow diversification of income opportunities to farms and ranches that can help buffer fluctuating markets and to stabilize it.

3. Pune’s contribution in the tourism of Maharashtra is makeable. As Pune has many historical places and rich cultural background it is the attraction for foreigners. Also, Pune has many suburb areas attached to it that resemble the earthy flavor of the city. Rural areas linked to Pune are the main USP of tourism of Maharashtra. Morachi Chincholi is one of the best Agri/Rural tourist places in India. All the statistics mentioned above are sufficient to elaborate the contribution of Krushi Paryatan in the GDP rate of the nation.