An Empirical Study on Stakeholders Support for Rural Tourism-A Case of Karaikudi, Tamilnadu, India

The purpose of this study was to examine the stakeholder's participation and the support for tourism development in karaikudi, a rural tourism spot in the state of Tamilnadu. In addition, this study investigated whether community participation and support for tourism differed depending upon socio-demographic variables. The stakeholders actively participate in the tourism development irrespective of the gender. The elderly people show less participation when compared to younger ones. Accordingly the people whose length of residency greater than 20 years shows less support for tourism. There was a relationship between impact of tourism and support for tourism. It is found that community participation exists in different sizes and objectives, a future participation framework should provide an alternative for optimum involvement with a potential for a higher participation level. The findings could be helpful to government and marketers interested in positioning their rural tourism destination.