INTEGRATED VILLAGE TOURISM FOR RURAL SUSTAINABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT: A REVIEW OF VILLAGE TOURISM AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY OF KUMBALANGHI MODEL TOURISM VILLAGE

Abstract

Tourism is a multi-faceted activity of economic, social, cultural, and environmental inputs which cut across other conventional sectors in the economy. Tourism creates more job opportunities for a wide spectrum of job seekers from the unskilled to the specialized, even in the remote parts of the country. Village tourism is among the most polymorphous of all forms of Special Interest Tourism [SIT]. It unveils the village life, art, culture, and heritage at its locations, thereby benefiting the local community economically and socially by interacting with tourists and the natives of the place for a more enriching tourism experience. It also gives opportunities to the guests to enjoy the unique culture of village life through participation in events, experiencing the local cuisine, and collecting the ethnic goods, which in turn can improve the welfare of the local people. This paper provides an overview of village tourism and the sustainable development of the rural ecosystem through integral activity and thereby understands the influence of tourism development among the local community and overall in Kumbalanghi village.