International Journal of Management (IJM) Volume 11, Issue 11, November 2020, pp. 1906-1911. Article ID: IJM_11_11_181 Available online at http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJM?Volume=11&Issue=11 Journal Impact Factor (2020): 10.1471 (Calculated by GISI) www.jifactor.com ISSN Print: 0976-6502 and ISSN Online: 0976-6510 DOI: 10.34218/IJM.11.11.2020.181

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AN OVERVIEW OF RURAL TOURISM IN BHAIRABKUNDA OF , ()

Subung Mochahari Research Scholar, Department of Commerce, Gauhati University, Assam, India

ABSTRACT It is evident that Tourism sector has a capacity to stimulate different sectors of the economy. Rural tourism is one of the main priorities to develop the tourism sector in many developing countries. During the last decade, the Tourism sector has shown a tremendous growth, promoting business and generating employment. Rural Tourism, an inevitable part of it, focuses on the participation in the activities of rural lifestyle, culture, natural beauty, art, heritage, traditions, customs, food, dress and religion at rural location or rural areas and thereby favouring the local communities socially and economically. It also enables the interaction between the tourists and rural masses, enriching tourism experience. The region for the study is Bhairabkunda, a place located in the Udalguri District of Assam- a tri- junction of Assam, Aurnachal Pradesh and Assam. The place is also a meeting point of three rivers viz. ‘Jampani’, ‘Bhairabi’ and ‘Jia Dhansiri’. With its manmade forest and the immense natural beauty it has become one of the most favoured tourist destinations. The present paper makes an attempt to explore varied prospects and constraints of Rural Tourism, and its role in the rural economy development in Udalguri District of Assam. For, the purpose of the study, a well-structured methodology has been adopted to collect primary and secondary data and suitable statistical tools have been applied for analysis. Key words: Rural Tourism, bhairabkunda, prospects, challenges, rural economic development. Cite this Article: Subung Mochahari, An Overview of Rural Tourism in Bhairabkunda of Udalguri District, Assam (India), International Journal of Management, 11(11), 2020, pp 1906-1911. http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJM?Volume=11&Issue=11

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1. INTRODUCTION Tourism is a people‟s activity of travelling or moving to a place outside of a usual environment for leisure, fun, vacation, recreation, business or other purposes. As a trend, it has given opportunities for the growth of new business organisations, thereby promoting employment and contributing to the economic development of the country. Rural tourism focuses on the participating in rural lifestyle, culture, natural beauty, art, heritage, traditions, customs, food, religion, dresses, and religion at rural location, thereby favouring the local communities economically and socially. It also enables interactions between the tourists and the local people, enriching rural tourist experience. Relaxation, recreation, leisure, fun etc. is important in human life, as it helps in the growth of focus in one‟s daily business, which leads to increase in productivity. Modern urban population encounters daily busy schedule and to get rid of such a hectic life for a while, people prefer to travel to rural areas and enjoy and experience the beauty of the rural areas. A rural tourism is “A multifaceted activity that take place in an environment outside heavily urbanized areas. It is an industry sector characterized by small scale tourism business, set in areas where land use is dominated by agricultural pursuits, forestry or natural areas” (Report of Department of Tourism, 1994). “Rural tourism may be defined as a Variety of visits away from home to locations outside main town and seaside resorts, by the holidays, day trip, and business trips or to visit friends and relatives” (Government of England). “Rural tourism is a form of tourism in which the guest get to enjoy the unique culture or village life through participation in events or experience the local cuisine or buying ethnic goods and in the process also improve the welfare of the local people” (Rajesh K. Aithal). Finally, according to the report of Ministry of tourism, India Tourism statistics 2010, rural tourism is defined as “Any form of tourism that showcases the rural life, art, culture and heritage at rural locations thereby benefiting the local community economically and socially as well as enabling interactions between the tourists and the locals for a more enriching tourism experience” Rural tourism helps in the growth of rural economy by providing employment opportunities and enhancing development. The government of Assam is also taking various steps to promote and develop rural tourism through the Department of Tourism. Taking into account various infrastructural developments, Assam government is planning to launch „Aamaar Aalohi‟ (Our Guest) Rural Home-stay Scheme to tap rural tourism to provide accommodation for tourists.

2. OBJECTIVES The present paper attempts to attain the following objectives during the course of research.  To explore the potential of the study area with respect to rural tourism.  To study the various challenges or constraints in the study area.  To find out the impact of rural tourism upon the locals.

3. METHODOLOGY The study is based on exploratory research design. The primary data has been collected through field survey and participant observation. For the secondary data various articles, journals, reports, official websites, news articles, etc. have been consulted

4. STUDY AREA The location of the study area is „Bhairabkunda‟ a place in Udalguri District of the state of Assam and in the boarder of Assam, and . It is also the transit place for eastern province of Bhutan. It is situated at a distance of 22 km north from district

http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJM 1907 [email protected] Subung Mochahari headquarter of Udalguri district and near the Bhutanese town of „Daifam‟. The river „Jampani‟, originating in Bhutan, merge with the „Bhairabi‟ river, to form a river „Jia Dhansiri‟. „Dhansiri‟ is one of the major tributaries of „Brahmaputra‟. The meeting place of river looks like a „kunda‟ (worshipping place of Lord Shiva). Thus, probably it got the name „Bhairabkunda‟.it also has the Shiva temple in the territory of Bhutan but mainly the Indian devotees visit the place. It also has the irrigation project covering five development blocks viz. Udalguri, Rowta, , Mazbat and Bechimari under Udalguri civil sub-division to an area of 41.683 hectares. Further, the place also boasts of a manmade forest under JFMC (Joint Forest Management Committee) which has been created by the villagers of six villages, in collaboration with the forest department. The total area now comprises of 450 hectares, and is a shelter to various species of animals and birds, hence contributing to its potential for rural tourism.

5. LITERATURE REVIEW The researcher has come across the following literature: Khound (2013) has examined the potentials and constraints of rural tourism on three shyamgaon, i,e. Na Shyamgaon, Balijan Shyamgaon and betbari Shyamgaon of Titabor of Jorhat district of Assam. The paper has identified various potentials of study area,. viz, Three Buddhist Vihars, Cultural tourism, Village based tourism and Agricultural tourism. Also, the constraints highlighted in the paper are lack of proper communication facilities, insufficient financial support, maintenance, lack of guest house, lack of trained tourist and more importantly lack of awareness of the local people. The researcher opined that, the study area has a potential of rural tourism which can contribute to the rural economic development. Mili (2014) has made an overview study of Tourism in Tipam phakey village of Naharkatia in dibrugarh district of Assam. The paper describes the scope of eco-tourism, culture and village based tourism. The researcher has explored various site in the study area, viz,. Buddhist monastery, rain forest, Buridihing River, Bird watching site at Merbil, Tipam Mountain, Deomhalee pahar, Dighalighat Nagaghat and Sitakunda etc. Some of the barriers identified by the researcher are language barriers, insufficient financial support, lack of communication facilities etc. The researcher has highlighted socio-economic impact in the paper such as employment to youth, boosting of handloom industry, preservation of natural resources and exchange of revenue.

6. DISCUSSIONS AND FINDINGS 6.1. Potentials of Bhairabkunda as a tourist destination Pilgrimage tourism: Pilgrimage tourism is associated with man‟s search for spiritual significance. Bhairabkunda has a popular „Shiva temple‟ in the province of Bhutan, and it is also a meeting point of river „Jampani‟ and „Bhairabi‟ to form another river „Dhansiri‟. This meeting point looks like a „kunda‟ (worshipping place of Lord Shiva). The Hindu devotees from the country visit this place in „Makar Sankranti‟, to take bath in the meeting point of three rivers and offer puja at the temple. Forest tourism: Bhairabkunda has a manmade forest of 450 hectares spread across the area, and it was started as an initiative of JFMC (Joint Forest Management Committee) in Udalguri. Villagers of six villages, viz, Sonaigaon, No. 1 Majorgaon, Goraimari, Sapangaon, No.2 Majorgaon and Bhairabkunda joined hands with the forest department to regenerate the stretch of barren sandy forest land in 2007. With the passage of time this place has emerged as home to various species of animals and birds, gradually becoming a ray of hope to the nature lovers.

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Cultural tourism: Bhairabkunda shares its borders with Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan, and it is the transit point of the eastern province of Bhutan. Tourists can visit the town of „Daifam‟ in the eastern province of Bhutan, and enjoy their local cuisine, and evidence their religion, beliefs, lifestyle, economy, and dresses, etc. and can buy their local products. This town is also popular for wine trading. Besides this, one can enjoy the various aspects of Bodo culture, the tribal residents of the Indian part of the studied area. During the picnic season, local people set up a regular market in the banks of the river „Dhansiri‟ and one can experience and enjoy local products. Agriculture tourism: The main cultivation of the villagers is rice. But tea and rubber cultivation is another source of cultivation to some of them. The beautiful view of paddy field, tea gardens and rubber gardens are another source of tourist attractions. Natural beauty: Bhairabkunda has a complete package of natural beauty; the meeting place of the river „Jampani‟ and the river „Bhairabi‟ to form the river „Dhansiri‟ and its crystal waters, the green hills attached to it and the open space with rocks makes the place immensely beautiful. It is one of the best places in the region to experience and enjoy nature. This place is one of the most favoured destinations for leisure to the people residing in that area. Many married couples and youngsters can be seen visiting and spending time and enjoying the natural beauty of this place. Thus, it has also capacity to attract tourists from different region. Adventurous: It has a scope for adventurous tourism as it has a hilly places and the forest. Therefore it is possible for traking and hiking and other adventurous activities Picnic spot: Picnic is understood as a meal taken outdoors as a part of excursion – ideally in a scenic surroundings such as parks, hilly areas, rivers etc. From the month of December to March, many people wants to go for a picnic with their family, friends, colleague, etc. to enjoy a meal outside of their usual environment. Bhairabkunda is an attractive and favourable place for picnic lovers, The River „Dhansiri‟ with its crystal waters, surrounding rocks and an open spaces, the hills beside it, depict an overall full package of natural beauty. This place is one of the most favoured picnic spots for the people living nearby. However people from different parts of the country also visit this place for picnics and other recreational activities.

6.2. Constraints The studied area has huge potential to be a good tourist destination. But there are certain constraints or barriers which prevent it from becoming a good tourist destination.  Communication problem: Communication and transportation is one of the major problems affecting the region since „Bhairabkunda‟ is located in a remote area. Further, lack of proper transportation facilities connecting it to the major towns of the district adds to the problem.  Maintenance issue: Due to ignorance of people and insufficient funds the area is found with used plastic bags, broken glass bottles which impact the environment.  Accommodation issues: Recently a guest house has been made inside the manmade forest for tourists, but it is unable to satisfy the accommodation needs of the tourists.  Awareness problem: Many people of this region are not aware of the tourist potential of this place and other tourist related facilities.  Lack of business planning skills.  Lack of basic education of the locals.  Lack of physical infrastructures.  Language hindrance.

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6.3. Measures After analysing the prospects and challenges of Bhairabkunda on the basis of the data collected. The following measures are recommended for the development of rural tourism in Bhairabkunda in the Udalguri district of Assam.  Communication: The transportation system to the place may be developed to ensure convenience to travel for the tourists.  Infrastructure: Infrastructures may be developed in Bhairabkunda to make it more beautiful and attractive to the tourist  Publicity: More publicity may be made about the prospects and potentials of Bhairabkunda.  Awareness: Awareness program may be held, to aware the local people about the prospects and potentials of Bhairabkunda, and aware those about the hospitality and facilities needed to the tourist.  Market Place: Market place may be set up in Bhairabkunda for the convenience of tourist as well as local people, where the local people may display and sell their local products.

6.4. Socio economic impact  Employment: Rural tourism contributes positively to the employment opportunities to the people of the local village.  Income: By attracting the tourist from different places gives the opportunity to earn incomes to the local people living therein.  Boost to handloom industry: Handloom industry in rural Assam is a very old and popular village based industry, it can be said as a tradition of rural Assam. The rural tourist may give a boom to the handloom sector. Traditional attires especially of women has the capability to attract tourist. People, often found to be interested in purchasing garments, which is helping in gearing up the local handloom products.  Preservation of natural resources: Tourism in local areas is helping in preserving the rural eco system, since it forms the base to the tourism sector, also a part of the development funds are used in creating social forest and preserving existing forest.  Involvement of women: it has been observed by the researcher the involvement of women in various activities, such as opening stalls/ shops, restaurants, etc. which is highly appreciated for the social change in the society.  Building up of good mind-set: it is also observed that the mind-set of the locals in the region is changing. The ignorance attitude which can be found usually in the villages of India is seen less in the studied area.  Education: The researcher has observed an enthusiasm in the locals in educating their children. Opening up a conversation about their issues and strong willingness to let their children to study. They also believe that the education can change their lives and even the society.  Dominance by men: The dominance towards the women by men has also been observed less.

6.5. Initiatives The local government has shown a concerned for the development of rural tourism, to enhance rural economic development, and therefore, has taken an initiative for rural tourism

http://iaeme.com/Home/journal/IJM 1910 [email protected] An Overview of Rural Tourism in Bhairabkunda of Udalguri District, Assam (India) festival. The festival known as „Bhairabkunda Tourism Festival‟ is held once in a year. The 8th Bhairabkunda tourism festival scheduled for 5 days was held from January16 to 20, 2020. The programmes held includes cultural exchange amongst two neighbouring states (Assam and Arunachal Pradesh) and the neighbouring country Bhutan. Also, other programmes held are seminars on eco-tourism, night stays, sports events, jeep safari, elephant safari, chopper safari, indigenous fashion show, indigenous food display, indigenous dress display, cultural night programmes by the locals and invited artistes.

7. SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS Rural Tourism is one of the important sector contributing to the economic development of rural areas. From the study we can say that Bhairabkunda has a huge potentials to attract tourists from different regions. The study has also found out that, there are various constraints which are preventing it as a most developed tourist destination. Focus has to be made in promotion and development of rural tourism to generate businesses and employment in rural areas, and enhancing the local population economically and socially. Steps may be taken to develop the infrastructure and communication system and creating awareness among the local people about the potentiality of the place and tourist related facilities. This effort may develop the Bhairabkunda in all round and make it as one of the most favoured destinations of tourists.

REFERENCES [1] Bhairabkunda. (n.d). Indian Village Directory. Retrieved from: https://villageinfo.in/assam/udalguri/udalguri/bhairabkunda.html [2] Das, J. (2014, November 17). New tourist guest house at Bhairabkunda. Assam Times. Retrieved from: https://www.assamtimes.org/node/12351 [3] Kapur, S. (2016). Rural tourism and economic development: Relevance and prospects in India. Rural tourism, economic development and employment. [4] Khound, J. M. (2013). Constraints and prospects of rural tourism development: An overview of tourism in Shyamgaon of Titabor of Jorhat, District (Assam). Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, 1(1), 27-31. [5] Mili, N. (2012). Rural Tourism Development: An overview of tourism in the Tipam Phakey village of Naharkatia in Dibrugarh district, Assam. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publication, 2(11), 1-3. [6] Thakur, S. (2011, December 25). Barren forest land regenerated at Bhairabkunda. The Assam Tribune. Retrieved from: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=dec2511/at092 [7] Thakur, S. (2016, December 19). Community conservation initiative at Bhairabkunda. The Assam Tribune. Retrieved from: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=dec1916/at056 [8] Trivedi, S. (2020). Potential and possibilities of rural tourism in Darbhanga district, Bihar. International Journal of Tourism amd Hotel Management. 2(2). 08-16. [9] Verma, S., & Jain, S. (2018). Rural tourism in India- Issues, challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts. 6(1). 20-29.

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