Tourism Stakeholders’ Perspective for the Lacunas and Challenges for Tourism: A Study on Hadoti Region, Rajasthan

Rationale: For a developing economy like India, the role of tourism industry is imperative in terms of mobilization of foreign currency into the economy and also to ensure the flow of money into the different economic processes which ultimately ensures several socioeconomic benefits. Principal benefits which are directly associated with the tourism industry are employment, income and foreign exchange, allied (medical, medical tourism; rural, rural tourism; agriculture, rural tourism; sports, sports tourism; handicrafts; infrastructure or real estate; banking and financial services; travel and transport; etc.) sectors’ development, etc. As the products and services associated with the tourism are mostly intangible and heterogeneous as they are service specific or oriented, it is always needed to be prone to tourist needs. In India, image of Rajasthan in tourism sector is incomparable due to its rich historical, cultural, and environmental heritage which get frilled and enriched through its incredible fairs, festivals, temples, and other handicrafts. Hadoti region in Rajasthan carries all the characteristics with the immense potential for tourism nourished through natural splendor, bravura forts, diverse flora and fauna, glorified historical contribution, palaces, festivals, rivers, water sports, biodiversity, thermal springs, hanging bridge, parks, advantage of education city, and many more other attractions. Hence, the region is not explored to be developed as the preferable tourist destination and that is why the tourist activities in their region are low. So it is required to empirically assess hoteliers, travel agents, and tour operators’ opinion for the lacunas and challenges in the development of tourism in Hadoti region of Rajasthan. Methodology: With the basic ideology of exploring the hoteliers, travel agents and tour operators’ opinion for the lacunas, and challenges in the development of tourism in Hadoti region of Rajasthan, a well-structured questionnaire was arrayed among the aforementioned target group respondents of Hadoti region (Baran, Bundi, Jhalawar, and Kota). In order to approach the respondents for their responses, strata and convenience sampling methods were followed successively. Further, the encoded dataset was statistically examined through different statistical tests to measure the significance or insignificance of established hypotheses. Conclusion: It was noticed that preservation of environment, cultural heritage, monuments, forts, ecology, local culture, and biological diversity is a very challenging aspect in Hadoti region. Perceptions and perspectives of the tourism stakeholders for the effect of challenges on tourism have close and significant relationship with the sociocultural, geopolitical, and technoenvironmental challenges and type of services (perpetual and seasonal service provider) they are associated with, which drives their perspective imperatively. It is also noticed that in Hadoti region (Kota, Bundi, Jhalawar, and Baran), sociocultural, geopolitical, and technoenvironmental challenges are approximately identical because the respondents carry the insignificant difference in their perspective about the effect of challenges in the overall prosperity of tourism in the region. Further, recommendation for the PPP for renovation or restoration heritage places, monuments, temples, and miniatures may also ensure beautification of the region. Government should also promote the schemes for development of traditional arts, handicraft, and other small-scale traditional heritage activities. It was also pointed by the respondents that the government has started taking the initiative for the tourism development in Hadoti region through integrating the Hadoti circuit with other tourist circuits of the state and country. Hadoti region has the full potential to be developed as the favorite tourist destination, if certain lacunas and challenges were managed by the localities and government in a satisfactory manner. Practical Contribution: Favorable tourism processes and practices bring multidimensional growth and prosperity followed with the socioeconomic advantages to region, state, and country through employment opportunities, international linkages, removal of regional disparities, flow of national and foreign currencies, restoration of heritages, developing the extinct cultural heritage and handicrafts, etc. So the study would be helpful to find the basic lacunas and challenges in the development of tourism in Hadoti region of Rajasthan which is to be taken into consideration by the local and state administration (DoT, RTDC, and semigovernment agencies) for improving the overall scenario of tourism in Hadoti.