Rural Tourism-Prospects in Rustic Bengal

Abstract

Rural tourism, a “could be variant of Ecotourism”, is a relatively new branch  of activity that has been becoming inscreasingly popular in the developing countries in the recent time. Despite Bangladesh being the heartland of an array of  distinctive endowments, rural tourism is still in it’s budding stage. The current  study probes to  explore the problems and prospects of the growth of rural tourism in Bangladesh that could play an important role in sustainable development of rural societies. Rural tourism not only connects the visitor from the frenetic present with the traditional assets of communities but also bring socio-economic and environmental benefits to the area concerned. But this promising sector requires sound planning procedures with emphasis on the development of infrastructure, strengthening security measures, promoting tourist attractions, encouraging private sector participations and ensuring sustainability. Thus an effective framework to upgrade rural tourism can be developed which can turn out to be a befitting vehicle for rural or overall development of the whole nation.

Keywords: Rural Tourism, Bangladesh.