G20 meeting in Rann of Kutch to project rural, archaeological tourism

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• What is UNWTO?
• News Summary with respect to the First G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting

Why in News?

• For the first G20 Tourism Working Group meeting to be held in Rann of Kutch next week, India’s rural tourism and archaeological tourism potential will be projected to the world. 
• Participants in the 3-day meeting (which begins on February 7), in addition to delegates from member countries and guest countries, also include the United Nations’ World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO).

What is UNWTO?

• It is the leading international organisation and the United Nations (UN) specialised agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism as a driver of 
• Economic growth, 
• Inclusive development and 
• Environmental sustainability. 
• Its membership includes 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members and over 500 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.
• Established in 1975 (HQ – Madrid, Spain), UNWTO provides leadership and support in advancing knowledge and tourism policies and a source of tourism research and knowledge. 
• UNWTO’s work is based around five distinct pillars:
• Making tourism smarter through innovation and digital transformation;
• Making tourism more competitive through promoting investment and promoting entrepreneurship;
• Creating more and better jobs and providing relevant training;
• Building resilience and promoting safe and seamless travel; and
• Harnessing tourism’s unique potential to protect cultural and natural heritage and to support communities both economically and socially.

News Summary 

Focus of the meeting:

• Rural Tourism for Community Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation.
• To improve Rural and Archaeological Tourism with suggestions from international boards and best practices.
• What India will showcase during the meeting?
  • The Ladpura Khas village of Madhya Pradesh, Khonoma village of Nagaland and heritage sites like Dholavira will be showcased as success stories of rural and archaeological tourism by India.
  • India will also present the innovative model of community based Astrotourism that involves rural homestays and community spaces.
  • These are completely run by villagers and provide travellers an integrated experience of stargazing along with cultural immersion in the Himalayas.
• India’s achievements in rural and archaeological tourism:
  • The Ladpura Khas village was nominated as the Best Rural Tourism Village by the UNWTO. In this village, the State government developed homestays in villages under the Responsible Tourism Mission of the State.
  • Nagaland’s Khonoma Village will present the model of Ecotourism Management Board that develops Rural Tourism Products and promotes responsible travel.
  • Dholavira – the southern centre of the Harappan Civilisation, was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021.
  • Dholavira is believed to have been occupied around 3500 BC (pre-Harappan) till around 1800 BC (late-Harappan period). 
  • It is the fifth largest of eight major Harappan sites, including Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Ganeriwala, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Rupnagar and Lothal.
• Significance of the meeting: It will provide a vision, roadmap and guidance for accelerated growth of the tourism sector beyond pandemic based on the five key building blocks of –
  • Sustainability, 
  • Digitalisation, 
  • Skills, 
  • MSMEs and 
  • Destination management towards achieving SDGs.
• Next meetings:
  • The next tourism track meeting will be held in April in Siliguri/Darjeeling, while the third meeting will be held in May in one of the north Indian hill states, the final ministerial meeting will be held in Goa in June.
  • The idea is to cover and showcase the geographical expanse of the country – with Gujarat in the West to Siliguri in the North-East, going up till the northernmost regions.

Q1) Name some success stories of rural and archaeological tourism in India.

The Ladpura Khas village of Madhya Pradesh, Khonoma village of Nagaland and heritage sites like Dholavira are some success stories of rural and archaeological tourism in India.

Q2) Why is Dholavira famous for? 

Dholavira – the southern centre of the Harappan Civilisation, was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021. Dholavira is believed to have been occupied around 3500 BC (pre-Harappan) till around 1800 BC (late-Harappan period).  It is the fifth largest of eight major Harappan sites.

Source: G20 meeting in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch to project rural, archaeological tourism  |  TH