Innovative Income generating activity for Enterprising Farmers

Agriculture is backbone of Indian economy. This sector’s contribution towards GDP is decreasing and farmers are finding it
difficult to carry the agricultural activities without an additional income. Whereas tourism is termed as an instrument for
employment generation, poverty alleviation and development, Rural and Agri-Tourism brings in together the declining and booming
sector. Advantages of Rural and Agri-Tourism:
1. It brings major primary sector Agriculture closer to major service sector tourism expected to create win-win situation for both the
sectors.
2. Tourism sector has the potential to enlarge.
3. Agriculture sector has the capacity to absorb expansion in Tourism sector

The traveling consumer of today (let alone in the future) is very different from any other time in history. The most successful businesses in the travel industry are those that respond to the challenge through the use of technology, innovative marketing programs, better training of staff and by developing closeness and understanding of its customers/guests. The differences in travel patterns in the next century will be more related to what consumers are seeking in a travel experience than in how they travel. Today’s traveler, the well-heeled or footloose back-packer, is usually informed, educated, and more often than not, fully aware of what he or she wants from their travels. For them the optimization of time and money is the key and they prepare for their trip by researching their destination through the Web and the experiences of friends and fellow travelers. Mass media has responded to this shift and further fuelled the search for experiences through the promotion of a vast range of lifestyle/adventure programs which have evolved more recently into experiential voyeuristic docudramas referred to as reality programes. Attention is being turned to exploring new frontiers or daring to go where traditional thought did not allow. “New” tourists however, are increasingly being seen to be environmentally sensitive, displaying respect for the culture of host nations and looking to experience and learn rather than merely stand back and gaze. “New” tourists are participators not spectators. Things that would never appear on the list of the “mass” tourist such as adventure, getting of the beaten track and mingling with the locals are now the foundations of the new tourist experiences. Typically these tourists are turning away from travel and prefer to have a high level of involvement in the organization of their trip. Travel is no longer a novelty to the new tourist. Studies support what industry executives have been noticing for the last few years. People expect more out of their vacations than they used to and they are more adventuresome. Surveys done by the Canadian Tourism Research Institute indicate a high degree of interest in getaway vacations, ecotourism, cultural tourism and combining a business trip with a pleasure trip. Over the next ten years, tourism products and attractions will have to cater to visitors who are more demanding and discriminating, as well as more active and more purposeful in their choice of destination. There will be a shift in emphasis from passive fun to active learning, and the quality and genuineness of visitor experiences will be crucial to future success in a competitive market. An Acronym that is relevant to describe the ‘new’ tourist is REAL, which stands for: -Rewarding – Enriching – Adventuresome – Learning Experience A key underpinning concept for REAL tourism is authenticity of experience, which is often related to the environment and culture and seen to be unaffected by “mass” tourism. The New Tourists prefer to be regarded as travelers and not tourists. Some specific points which need to be kept in mind while dealing with the New Tourist are: This type of traveler requires a completely different marketing approach. They avoid conventional glossy marketing mechanisms and prefer to use reliable sources such as word of mouth referrals, their own independent research and trusted publications; They desire experiences as opposed to products and services; They can be called experiential traveler s, they extend across all age groups and traditional market segments;