Rural Tourism

Rural Tourism
Any village can be a tourist attraction, and most villagers are very hospitable across the globe. Agriculture is becoming highly mechanized and therefore requires less manual labor. This is causing economic pressure on some villages, leading to an exodus of young people to urban areas.
Rural Tourism focuses on participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism.
Benefits
Rural tourism allows the creation of an alternative source of income in the non-agricultural sector for rural dwellers. The added income from rural tourism can contribute to the revival of lost folk art and handicrafts. It is an ideal and natural method of rural and urban economic exchange.
Relevance in developing nations
Rural tourism is particularly relevant in developing nations wherein farmland has become fragmented due to population growth.
Relevance in developed nations
Rural tourism exists in developed nations in the form of providing accommodation in a scenic location ideal for rest and relaxation.
Nepal (Rural Tourism)
Nepal - is one of the poorest countries in the world. It suffers from corruption; the economics is in a deplorable state and human rights are violated. Tourism in this country plays a very important role. Nepal is very popular among the professional travelers and bag packers. It attracts tourists by both: ancient history and unbelievably beautiful nature, rafting is very popular there.
Quite recently, there has appeared a very special kind of tourism - rural or village tourism. It gives a possibility to get acquainted with probably the main treasures of the country: culture, customs and traditions. As a rule, tourists in Nepal repose on the specially built resorts and singly made tents. Rural tourism allows them to get in the everyday life and culture of the local residents.
The majority of the population in Nepal lives in the villages and a tourist has a possibility to stay in one of those. He will be able not only to watch sidewise the life in the village, but also to participate directly in it. The way of life of resident population doesn't change, influenced by the tourists, it remains the same. Tourists eat the dishes common to the ordinary residents, they have the possibility to take participation in the rural living.
There is one more important reason why this kind of tourism compares favorably with the traditional one. Money, spent by tourists is given straight to the population. If the rural tourism develops further, it will be able to play an important role in country's development, decreasing the poverty level. Local administration greatly supports this kind of tourism.
Tourism Council plans to launch a project on the forest planting and environmental protection, in order to give the tourist industry incentives for development. However, it is worth mentioning that specialists see a particular danger in rural tourism: it can destructively affect the culture and way of life of the local population.
Nepal was mentioned in the list of the best amusing touristic incidents of the year 2007 because of their airline company "Nepal AIr" that sacrificed two goats to solve technical problems with their plane.