Rural and archaeological tourism of India

For the first G20 Tourism Working Group meeting to be held in Rann of Kutch. India’s rural tourism and archaeological tourism potential will be projected to the world.

Focus of the meeting –

• Rural Tourism for Community Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation.
• To improve Rural and Archaeological Tourism with suggestions from international boards and best practices.

What India will showcase during the meeting?

• The Ladpura Khas village of Madhya Pradesh, Khonoma village of Nagaland and heritage sites like Dholavira will be showcased as success stories of rural and archaeological tourism by India.
• India will also present the innovative model of community based Astrotourism that involves rural homestays and community spaces. Astrotourism is any kind of tourism that involves the night sky or visiting facilities related to astronomy like observatories.
• These are completely run by villagers and provide travellers an integrated experience of stargazing along with cultural immersion in the Himalayas.

India’s achievements in rural and archaeological tourism –

• The Ladpura Khas village was nominated as the Best Rural Tourism Village by the UNWTO. In this village, the State government developed homestays in villages under the Responsible Tourism Mission of the State.
• Nagaland’s Khonoma Village will present the model of Ecotourism Management Board that develops Rural Tourism Products and promotes responsible travel.
• Dholavira – the southern centre of the Harappan Civilisation, was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021.
• Dholavira is believed to have been occupied around 3500 BC (pre-Harappan) till around 1800 BC (late-Harappan period).
• It is the fifth largest of eight major Harappan sites, including Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Ganeriwala, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Rupnagar and Lothal.