Exploring the Challenges and Future of Indian Hospitality and Rural Tourism: A Sustainable Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to report on the major issues and future developments that the Indian hospitality, and rural tourism sector is likely to face. The study describes the key features and evolution of the Indian hotel industry. It also discusses what the industry needs to address in the near future, what major challenges it faces in the emerging global context, and how these changes will affect the development and management of human resources. There is no clear definition for the field of rural tourism, and studies have only partially mapped out the current state of knowledge in this domain. This study builds on previous research by employing a systematic quantitative literature survey to investigate rural tourism concepts and challenges in both developed and developing regions. The definition analysis reveals four key features of rural tourism: experiences, community-based elements, sustainable development, and location. Although location was highlighted as a crucial differentiator for rural tourism in both developed and developing contexts, the literature on developed countries tends to emphasize the experience dimension more than the literature on developing countries, which tends to emphasize sustainable development and community-based elements. The findings imply that both internal and external obstacles face rural locations. While external problems were determined to be stronger in developed situations, internal resource concerns pose the most challenges for both developed and developing contexts.