Responsible Tourism for the Development of Varanasi

Abstract

Tourism continues to be a major activity in India, which inevitably produces economic, political, social, cultural and ecological consequences. In India, Tourism has created employment opportunities for airline executives, hotel sales managers, structural engineers, city planners, horticulturists, computer programmers, artisans, textiles workers, etc. But in spite of its growth it has not reached out to the masses because the net benefits accrue only to limited segment of the society, to say, big business agents. It is an imperative duty of the so called richer class to reach out the benefits directly to the Pro-Poor People who are actually working into the tourism sector day and night. Thus, Pro-Poor Tourism (PPT)which is now renamed as Responsible  tourism that results in increased net benefits for poor people.

The aim of this paper is to review practical experience of responsible tourism strategies' in Varanasi and its relevance for conservation of cultural residues of the Heritage city in order to identify useful lessons and good practice. The research problem is based on the relationship between pro poor growth and tourism and it is established that tourism can directly affect the poor and their livelihood by involving them in tourism industry in Varanasi as it is a major tourist place.