Sustainable Rural Tourism in Himalayan Foothills - Environmental, Social and Economic Challenges: A Study of Himachal Pradesh

This book discusses the development of the rural tourism industry in the Himalayan region, specifically in the region of Himachal Pradesh (HP), from the perspective of different stakeholders in the tourism industry. It examines the current status and trends of rural tourism in HP, discusses the challenges faced in response to the vulnerability of the Himalayas to global climate change, and evaluates the consequences of rural tourism on the socio-economic structure in HP to sustainably formulate a framework for promoting financial and social inclusion. This framework covers flexible strategies for planning rural tourism development, assesses the role of technology in the tourism industry in achieving the objective of social and financial inclusion, and identifies the factors influencing a tourist's decision to undertake rural tourism and develop a hierarchical relationship among those factors. The book will be of interest to students and researchers of sustainable rural tourism and tourism economics, as well as stakeholders from various sectors aiming to sustainably improve the ecological and economic fragility of the Himalayas due to climate change.


Prof. Suneel Kumar received his PhD in Tourism Marketing and Tourists Behavior from Himachal Pradesh University Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (India). He is Professor in Department of Commerce in Shaheed Bhagat Singh College at University of Delhi (India). Currently he is working on a major research project as a Co-Principal Investigator which is awarded by ICSSR, Ministry of Education, and Government of India entitled on 'Eco-Tourism : A Panacea For Sustainable Development In Himachal Pradesh'.  He is Principal Investigator and nodal officer of a major research project funded by National Commission for Women, Government of India, entitled on 'A Study on Working and Effectiveness of Women Police Stations (WPS) in Himachal Pradesh'. His current research interests lie in Tourism and Hospitality Management, Rural tourism, Sustainability, Eco - Tourism and green practices, Destination branding and Marketing. Prof. Suneel has published more than two dozen research papers in Scopus/ Web of Science/ ABDC/ UGC Care listed journals. He has published about one dozen chapters in the edited books published by Emerald/ Springer Nature/Francis & Taylor. Prof. Suneel has presented more than forty research papers in National and International conferences.