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Tourism of Assam is based on wildlife, natural beauty, unique flora and fauna, holy shrines, lush green tea gardens, turbulent rivers, vibrant and colourful cultural festivals. Rural tourism is of remote place based on local community. In rural tourism people can enjoy the local tradition, culture,and even traditional food. hereby people get fresh air and natural environment free from the noise and air pollution of cities. Though Assam tourism has tremendous potentialities to be used as a source of economic development of the state’s economy, it is still facing some challenges. So, in this paper the investigator intends to study the major challenges facing by Assam tourism specially in rural areas and also will try to find out the solutions of the problems faced by tourism of Assam. The present study uses both primary and secondary data. To collect primary data five tourists spots of the state namely Pabitara, Manas, Hajo, SuryaPahar and Chandubi are selected. The overview of the tourism in Assam in general and the same in Pabitara, Manas, Hajo, SuryaPahar and Chandubi in particular have been analysed on the basis of secondary data. The tourist places of Assam have some challenges like lack of awareness of local people about the potentialities of the places, lack of promotion in social media, underdeveloped transport system, inadequate capital investment in this sector both by govt and private parties, lack of proper planning and development, insecurity and insurgency, political apathy, absence of well trained tourist guide etc. and of course infrastructural issues too.

1. To study the prospects and challenges of Rural Tourism in Assam

2. To suggest measures to meet the issues related to Rural Tourism in Assam.

Lane (1994), in his study on Rural Tourism mentions  that “The concept of Rural Tourism is tourism located in the rural areas i.e., the areas which are rural in scale, character and function reflecting the unique patterns of the rural environment, economy, history and location. In that sense, rural tourism is a tool which can increase the capacity of rural communities to control their rural milieu more gainfully.”

Mishra and Saudal (2008), in their study stated that, “the rural truism is actually an activity that takes place in the countryside. It includes farm/agricultural business enterprise, cultural, nature adventure and eco-tourism. As against typical tourism enterprise, a rural tourism enterprise has typical characteristics; it's experience-oriented; the location area is usually less inhibited, it's preponderantly in natural environments and it supports the preservation of culture, heritage, and traditions especially locally.

Sharpley and Vass (2006) in their study stated that, “Rural Tourism exists in some form or the other. In various tourist destinations, the main centres of attraction are located in rural areas; some of them are mountains, lakes, national parks, cultural sites and others. Apart from these tourist spots, this sort of tourism can also be extended to experiencing actual rural lifestyles and locals of the area may readily welcome tourists into their life. Rural tourism has emerged as an important means of addressing the complex socio-economic challenges of the rural communities following the decline of the traditional agricultural economy.”

Ramakumar & Shinde (2008) in their study on Tourism stated that “Rural Tourism is developing as one of the best options available with its proven results in the west, to promote incredible India both for local and foreign tourists. The current estimated market for rural tourism in India is around Rs. 4, 300 cores per annum. It has the potential of appealing to both foreign and local tourists.”

Bezbaruah, C.J. (2022) in his study on Rural Tourism stated that the rural tourism potentially in the state is high as 98.4 % of all the geographical areas of the state are rural. Rural tourism can turn out to be a boon for society as it will certainly help to develop the financial status of the host community.

Saikia, M. (2020) in his study on Problems and prospects of Tourism in Assam Stated that Assam has developed a considerable image as a tourism spot. It offers all the potentialities to become Assam as tourist destinations.  The study concludes that the prospects of Assam tourism exist through heavily dependent on economic and infrastructure development. To ensure all round development there should be collaboration from tourism authority and academicians, from the public sector and private sector and also from civil society and local community.

Tripathy, Abhishek in his study on challenges faced by the tourist in Assam stated that the tourism sector in Assam faces a lot of challenges that needs to address to attract more tourists.  These challenges include inadequate infrastructure, safety and security concerns, connectivity issue, untrained guides etc.

Mishra and Saudal (2008) in their study on rural tourism stated that rural tourism is actually an activity that takes place in the countryside. It is multifarious and should entail agricultural, cultural, nature adventure  and eco-tourism.

Method : In this paper descriptive method is used. The data for the study is secondary as the study is related tothe potentiality and the challenges of rural tourism in the state. 

Sample size:  A sample of 200 tourists has been randomly selected from 5 spot of Assam

The present study covers the following five spots:

1. Chandubi :  Chandubi Lake is a natural lake located in Rabha Hasong Council, Kamrup District of Assam. The lake is located at the foot of Garo Hills surrounded by Assam and Meghalaya. The lack attracts migratory birds during winter.

2. Hajo : Hajo is an ancient pilgrimage centre for three religions of Hinduism ,Islam and Buddhism. Hajo is home to a number of temples and sacred places including Hayagriva Madhava Mandir, Powa-mecca, Kameswar temple, Joy Durga Temple ,Dhopaguri Satra etc.

3. Manas: Manas National Park is situated in the Himalayan foothills. The park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as Assam rooted turtle, hidden hare, golden langur and pygmy hog. Manas is also known for its population of the wild water buffalo.

4. Pobitora:  Pobitora Wildlife sanctuary is situated on the bank of the Brahmaputra River in Morigaon district of Assam. It was declared in 1987 and covers 38.85 sq.km, providing grassland and wetland habitat for the Indian rhinoceros. It has a dense population of the Great Indian one-horned rhinoceros.

5. Surya Pahar : Surya Pahar is located about 12 km southeast of Goalpara and about 132 km northwest from  Guwahati. Surya Pahar is an archaeological site in Assam. The site is a hilly terrain where several rocks –cut Shivalingas, votive stupas and the deities of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain are scattered in an area of about one km.

Rural Tourism in Assam

Assam’s tourism has always been nature centric. Though the state had its struggles to emerge as a tourism destination after the independence, the tourism board of the state initially and mostly focused on the natural segment of tourism to draw tourists attention towards Assam. The natural elements of tourism in the state are undoubtedly one of the best spot in the country and also have been able to successfully draw a significant number of tourists every year. However, as the tourism market has changed over the years, depending on only one segment of the tourism would not be beneficial for state tourism. It is not that the state tourism has not given a chance to the other tourism segments at all. However, the prime focus has always been on the natural flora and fauna of the state.   Assam is economically backward yet naturally and culturally rich state of India.

Tourism, in general is one of the largest industries in the world generating billions of dollars every year.  In India there states which solely depend on tourism industry. The potentiality of becoming a state like this is high when we talk about Assam as a state, which is culturally and naturally very rich. Though there are various segments and aspects of tourism that are available to explore in the market, Rural Tourism is one of the segments which has the highest potential to grow and develop the state as well as its people. Hence, it becomes important to understand the nature of Rural Tourism and how it works. Rural Tourism, in simple language, is a type of community-based tourism, where the tourist gets involved with the host community and experiences the culture and tradition directly by participating in the process. As community-based tourism, rural tourism may both, directly and indirectly, affect the economical, socio-cultural, and environmental factors in a particular geographical location.

Rural Tourism, if planned and executed well, may create employment for the host community and eventually generate income for them. This type of tourism help rural people to rise their standard of living  and make them conscious about their living standard, education.  Through rural tourism local people get chance to earn their livelihood involving local and allied business and get a chance to meet people from other states even foreigners too.

With the continuous inflow of tourists, the rural area or the villages will see a rise in the income level of individual families, education and health infrastructure, etc. As the income of the local population grows, so will the prices of land, housing, and demand for other goods and services. These economic growths will ultimately help the government to see an upward growth in revenue generation for the state. Apart from the economic changes to the host community and the place, the environmental and other socio-cultural factors are to get affected as well.  

Challenges of Rural Tourism in Assam: 

Rural Tourism in Assam is still in starting level and a lot of planning and execution is required both at grassroots and in management levels. Rural tourism of Assam confronts with some problems.  Here some of the challenges of Rural Tourism---

a. Lack of Communication and Road Infrastructure: Lack of transportation and other communication services like mobile network and internet are  serious issue in the state.  Due to inconvenient connectivity most of the rural areas of Assam are cut off urban areas. This creates a gap between the tourism spot and the tourists.

b. Lack of Decent Accommodation Facilities: In rural areas there are no hotels or lodge like towns or cities, but still there must be provision for comfortable lodging and hygienic food that required for the tourists to stay. It is seen that in rural areas the number of hotels or lodges are very less and the existing hotels are not convenient to stay.

c. Lack of awareness among the host communities: In rural tourism, the big challenge is that the lack of awareness of the village community about rural tourism and its benefit. Most of the members of the host communities are not aware of the potential that it holds. They are quite ignorant of this concept except a few.

d. Lack of sufficient tour guides: The insufficient amount of tour guides from both the government as well as the private sector is another big challenge to rural tourism. Tourists are often found in a state of confusion without the proper guidance from tourism stakeholders. 

e. Lack of promotion of cultural integrity: Assam is full of diverse and vibrant cultural heritage. However, the lack of effective promotion and preservation of its cultural integrity can be a challenge.  Insufficient emphasis on showcasing traditional arts, crafts, music, dance forms and festivals can limit the cultural experiences offered to tourists. Proper promotion and preservation of the state’s cultural heritage can enhance its appeal as tourist destination.

Medical facility:  The  health care facility is the prime need of the rural tourism. While some areas in Assam have well –equipped medical facilities, others may lack proper healthcare infrastructure, including hospitals and emergency services. This can pose a challenge in ensuring the safety and well being of tourists, especially in case of emergencies or health issues.

f. Lack of ATM facility: Unavailability of ATM facility can create problem for tourists who rely on cash transactions in remote areas or less developed regions, tourists may struggle to find ATM’s to withdraw money or make necessary payments. This can cause inconvenience and limit tourists’ spending options.

Assam is a land of opportunities, especially when it comes to tourism. The rural tourism potentiality in the state is high as 98.4% of all the geographical areas of the state are rural. With this huge amount of rural areas, the potentiality of developing rural tourism in the state grows much higher than anything else. However, this needs a continuous approach and well-designed planning. Participation of both the public and private sector are required. The host community has to be well aware of the opportunities that they will get from rural tourism. Rural tourism can turn out to be a boon for society as it will certainly help to develop the financial status of the host community. Rural tourism also gives a window to the host community to showcase their cultural values to the outer world. The development of socio-cultural values, the economy of the society and the government are all interlinked with rural tourism. The only criterion which is required at the moment is to identify the true potentiality of rural tourism and act accordingly by both public and private sector tourism stakeholders. 

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