Question : Draft National Strategy and Roadmap for Development of Rural Tourism

(a) whether the Government has formulated a draft National Strategy and Roadmap for Development of rural tourism in India for an initiative towards Atmanirbhar Bharat and if so, the details thereof and main feature of the draft;
(b) whether the Government has assessed the potential of rural tourism in the country and if so, the details thereof;
(c) the schemes formulated for the promotion of rural tourism in the country along with the rural tourism projects implemented / sanctioned in this regard especially in Kolhapur, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Thane and Nandurbar district of Maharashtra;
(d) the rural tourism projects implemented/sanctioned in this regard State / UT-wise; and
(e) the number of villages identified and developed as rural tourist spots under rural tourism during the last three years and the current year State/UT-wise particularly in Maharashtra?

MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

(a) & (b): Yes, Sir. Ministry of Tourism has recognized the immense potential of Rural Tourism and has been actively working on promotion and development of this niche area of tourism. The Ministry of Tourism has accordingly formulated a Draft National Strategy and Roadmap for Development of Rural Tourism in India - An initiative towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. The strategy document focuses on the following key pillars:

(i). Model policies and best practices for rural tourism
(ii). Digital technologies and platforms for rural tourism
(iii). Developing clusters for rural tourism
(iv). Marketing support for rural tourism
(v). Capacity building of stakeholders
(vi). Governance and Institutional Framework

(c) to (e): Ministry of Tourism has identified Rural Circuit as one of the thematic circuits under Swadesh Darshan Scheme for development aimed at leveraging tourism as a force multiplier for revitalizing the rural economy and for giving both domestic and international tourist glimpse of the rural aspects of the country including Maharashtra.

The projects for development of tourism related infrastructure, including rural tourism, projects/ proposals are identified for development under the circuit in consultation with the State Governments/UT Administrations and are sanctioned subject to availability of funds, submission of suitable detailed project reports, adherence to scheme guidelines and utilization of funds released earlier.

Based on the above criteria, the Ministry has sanctioned following projects for development of Rural Circuits under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in the country:

(Rs. in Crore)

S. No.	State/Year 
of Sanction	Name of Project	Amount Sanctioned
1.	Bihar
2017-18	Development of Gandhi Circuit: Bhitiharwa-Chandrahia-Turkaulia	44.65
2.	Kerala
2018-19	Development of Malanad Malabar Cruise Tourism Project	80.37