1 Research Scholar, Department of Commerce, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Eshwar Nagar, Manipal - 567 104, Karnataka
2 Associate Professor , Senior Scale, Department of Commerce, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Eshwar Nagar, Manipal - 567 104, Karnataka
3 Professor, Manipal Institute of Management, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Eshwar Nagar, Manipal - 567 104, Karnataka
Purpose: Agritourism is thought to be one of the tourism industry's most sustainable byproducts in the age of sustainable practices. India is adjusting to the notion that agritourism, a prospective and expanding sector of the tourism industry, could place the nation on the global agritourism map and transform the nature of the travel and tourist industry.
Methodology: This paper reviewed the trajectory of agritourism in India by adopting a narrative synthesis approach to consolidate the textual descriptions available in the public domain by using SANRA – Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (2019). The search yielded n = 552 results. N = 45 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, i.e., n = 18 tourism policies of Indian states and UTs, n = 15 gray literature, and n = 12 scientific articles.
Findings: Agritourism has a lot of potential, but it also confronts challenges like strained stakeholder relationships and a lack of awareness among businesses about sustainability. There is still no national enabling policy in place, despite intermittent efforts from a few states.Practical
Implications: Futuristically, a definitive roadmap could contribute toward the sustainable development of India’s agritourism sector. The sector also called for a contemporary yet effective framework through a National Tourism Policy that could encourage more farmers to indulge in sustainable agritourism while also promising outstanding hospitality to those seeking gratifying experience, peace, and tranquillity.
Originality: Our study pioneered in offering a definitive roadmap underscored by practical designs, pragmatic strategies, and consistent monitoring that could accelerate India's agritourism sector and revolutionize the rural prosperity of the country.
Komal Jenifer Dsouza, Ankitha Shetty, Rajasekharan Pillai K. (2024). Agritourism as the Epitome of India's Sustainability Culture : A Narrative Review. Indian Journal of Marketing, 54(7), 32–50. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2024/v54/i7/174015