Rural Tourism and Its Contribution to Sustainable Development in Jyotisar, Kurukshetra (Haryana), India

Leisure and tourist services in rural destinations are becoming popular activities that attract a heavy influx of visitors. Hence, the intended direction of tourism development at the rural destinations should be sustainable. The current chapter examines the village of Jyotisar in the Kurukshetra (Haryana) region of India with an aim to identify the role of rural tourism in sustainable development of the region. The chapter used both primary as well as secondary data sources. The secondary data was used to provide a theoretical framework, and the primary data was collected from self-administered questionnaires from 400respondents, consisting of residents and other stakeholders. The collected data was analysed through suitable statistical tools. The chapter noticed that the rural tourism at Jyotisar is in a growing stage with full potential to develop a well-known tourist destination. The study finds considerable benefits of rural tourism in Jyotisar, consisting of economic, socio-cultural and ecological enhancement of the area. The empirical investigation also noted the significant role of rural tourism in the attainment of sustainable development at the destination. However, some drawbacks-such as less community participation, poor cooperation among stakeholders, lack of tourism infrastructure and poor marketing strategies—were also found in the study area. The study provides implications to enhance the benefits of rural tourism and promote sustainable development.