COVID-19 Pandemic and Tourism: Rethinking the Role and Scope of Tourism in Rural Development | truCSR

Written by: Rebecca Shibu
Edited by: Yamini Peter

Tourism is as old as people. People have traveled through histories and now, they will continue to do so. India's "Athithi Devo Bhava" has been one of the most renowned tourism campaigns which welcomes people to its land, so they experience, become part of it and take back memories from it. Considering guests as an equivalent of God themselves speaks volumes of India's approach to hospitality.

Development through tourism emerged as a whole sector which actively generated cultural exposure and employment opportunities long back in history. According to the Economic Impact Reports by the World Travel and Tourism Council shows that Tourism made up to 10% of the global GDP until 2019 which is three times larger than the agricultural sector itself. It also surpasses the business that is brought through oil exports, food products and automobiles as shared by UNWTO. It also promotes the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). COVID-19 changes everything for the sector.

Source: World Travel and Tourism Council

Tourism Sector during COVID-19: A Snapshot

The Pandemic brings with it multiple and overarching effects on the world. The tourism sector specifically becomes the worst hit of all. To understand the numbers until the early months into the lockdown, the following image is reflective of the economic crisis and the surged global unemployment as a result. Furthermore, the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer shows that International Tourism was down 21% in Q1 and could decline by 60-80% over the whole year. 

Governments across the world have put restrictions travel, business activities and interactions between people so as to curb the spread of the virus. This has extensively brought the tourism sector to a standstill. According to a report by OECD on tourism policy responses to Coronavirus, it is shown that several countries are now entering a new phase while handling the re-opening of the tourism industry at the same time. This comes into effect as an attempt to revive stunted economies and development goals.

Source: World Travel and Tourism Council

Tourism and Rural Development 

Tourism has played a crucial role in economic, political, social and cultural growth. This is in light of the extensive opportunities of representation that communities receive through the sector. World Tourism Day, commemorated on the 27th of September each year is a global observance that is essential to foster awareness about the sector and celebrate its reach and contribution to the SDGs. The theme for this year is "Tourism and Rural Development" in one of the most critical moments for the world.

In order to diversify the rural economy, tourism contributes to the survival of the population with a definitive chance of socio-cultural growth and exposure. This year's theme directs us at an inclusive goal of development with the pledge of "no one will be left behind" by the United Nations through the SDGs 2030. Furthermore, the focus remains on the global commitment to an action-oriented approach by supporting persons with specific issues and impediments that they face.

Briedenhann and Wickens in their paper about the tourism route as a tool for economic development in rural areas show that it offers many advantages to communities. It places less of a cost-burden on local economies than building entirely new manufacturing industries. They go on to show that the communities also become self-sufficient in the process, becoming less dependent on investment support from outside. This helps marginalized and struggling communities to find avenues to develop sustainable means of bringing a potential year-round flow of income into the area.

Hence, tourism becomes part of effective strategies that are aimed at rural development. It creates the opportunity for agriculture and natural resources, small businesses, home-based business development, community resource development, youth engagement and much more depending on the needs of a specific community.

The COVID-19 crisis stressed the need to reinforce the tourism sector's resilience and aroused a sense of solidarity and interconnectedness among stakeholders in tourism. This crisis has demonstrated both the fragility of the natural world and the need to protect it, as well as the intersections between the economy, culture and the environment like nothing in history before. It is an opportunity to accelerate sustainable consumption and patterns of development and to strengthen better tourism. Within the burgeoning industry discussions and research about tourism and COVID-19, there is a unanimous call to see and use the pandemic as a transformative opportunity, keeping the rural communities at the forefront.

Rethinking, Rebuilding and Re-opening

• Trust Building
  
  
  The comprehensive strategy for re-opening needs to be focused on building the trust of the consumers. Efforts by the government to revamp the sector needs to be to an extent that safety is kept as one of the primary lookouts. Amongst the communities itself, the measures of safety need to be practiced extensively for them to be open for tourists. Jeopardizing lives only leaves a stain on the future prospects of the area for tourism.
  
  
  
• Prioritizing Domestic Recovery in the wake of COVID-19 
  
  
  Studies about consumer behaviour reveal that recovery of the sector will be slow, gradual and proximity-based. The move will be from domestic to regional to intercontinental travel. The report by the World Economic Forum shows that countries like India with a large domestic market are likely to have the advantage. The slow opening of channels will become the best approach. Establishing travel bubbles and corridors is one of the ways to avoid an immediate re-opening. Controlled re-opening gives the government and communities to understand their readiness to be open for business after months into the lockdown with shut operations. With the readiness to open the tourism, the domestic capacity needs to be prioritized so its recovery is stable and good enough to participate in the transactions within a globalized world. 
  
  
  
• Promoting Niche Tourism
  
  Keeping in mind the theme for this year and the pandemic, it is time to give a platform to niche tourism. India, as a country, stands in an advantage as identified by many thinkers and analysts given its medical tourism. An effective strategy to bring out the best of places and communities involved in the process will give opportunity and the required boost to promote tourism, both domestic and international. Promotion of niche tourism is a process, then, that will involve an extensive understanding of the sector itself. India's opportunities in tourism, in the past also, have been largely reliant on the wide cultural space and diversity that it has had to offer. Uplifting those through efforts can be fruitful in the long run. 
  
  
  
• Build Back Better for a Post-COVID World
  
  "Rebuilding" is the key to the season. In the last months of lockdown, rebuilding as an activity has been actively done. Besides thinking about the current scenario, there are uncertainties of the post-COVID world that has made rethinking, rebuilding and reopening more crucial. With the rest of the world still easing out on their travel bans, South Asia is yet to open up significantly and tourism is believed to be one of the most important factors in building back the economy. 
  
  Consistent public-private partnerships will need to be established as to comply with the health and safety standards. This also helps in the best communication of travel protocol and standard to travelers. Cooperation across sectors within and outside of the hospitality sectors will be necessary so to follow regulations. This cross-sectoral coordination will also further help in maintaining the quality of services provided as a whole.
  
  

In a post-COVID world, experiences will be taken into account. Rebuilding as an activity will also be done so as to be prepared for a future that remains uncertain in many ways. Coordination across sectors, sustainable partnerships and inclusive growth are fundamental. As much as the onus of lies on the government to strategize this rebuilding better, it also lies on all the stakeholders that work in remote places with the potential to be independent and thrive again. 

Resilience, hence, also gets built with how we choose to recover from the consequences of the pandemic. In a global crisis like this, inclusive development is pivotal. Rural development extends to ensuring a good quality of life with the economic wellbeing of the communities located in the spaces. In a time of extensive urbanization, the way of life and generation of livelihood have been questioned time and again. Through tourism, the balance needs to be maintained for rural India to have equal opportunities to better economic prospects and transform socially. The key factors, then, to be taken into account are trust-building, boosting domestic markets, understanding its needs and niches as a priority, opening sustainable business opportunities through tourism within rural areas and deepen public-private partnerships as a way forward.

This time can be viewed as a time to sustainably rethink the role and scope of tourism. How it contributes and its potential in understanding what rural India has to offer largely in the sector of tourism. This can be done by extensively studying and understanding the markets and prospects of development through the sector. In a diverse country like India, each geographic location stands out for its specialties. To enhance them and best equip them for a post-COVID world as a way forward are policy-based measures that still need to be taken. 

Lastly, for all the aforementioned methods of 'rebuilding and rethinking' to function, a participatory approach needs to be put into place where individuals and communities work out the plan of action with the support and strengthened collaboration with other stakeholders of the sector. With a large number of people living in rural India, the approach to development must go through them. The pledge of "no one will be left behind" will only stand true when the way forward to a stable recovery in the wake of COVID-19 is done after inclusive consultations and keeping the rural communities as the vanguards to this path of development.

----------------

truCSR is a social engagement platform run by a group of professionals with a passion for social development with a cumulative experience of more than 100 years in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (#CSR), finance, taxation, corporate and allied laws, corporate governance and strategic management. The platform seamlessly connects Implementers and Contributors to amplify the #CSRimpact and accelerate the process of social change with digital solutions. This platform is owned and developed by a company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 

If you are looking for projects from #nonprofit organizations in different thematic areas, write to info@trucsr.in - truCSR will coordinate end-to-end with the nonprofit community and share proposals with you as per the requirement.