Sustainable Development of Pilgrimage Tourism in Jammu Region: An Investigation of Rural Residents’ Attitude

Tourism is a socio-economic activity and has evolved into one of the largest and fastest growing industries of the world. While the economic benefits of tourism are well known, the research evidence indicates that the benefits of tourism are rarely equitably distributed among the key stakeholders. In this context, sustainable tourism development (STD) as a long-term approach development aims to balance social and economic objectives with environmentally sound management. The sustainable development as a strategic tool requires a process of planning and management that brings together a series of interests and stakeholders’ concerns in the form of planning and development. Therefore, keeping in view the importance and relevance of stakeholder cooperation for sustainable tourism development, and the residents being the key stakeholders, this research examines the rural residents’ attitudes towards the impacts of the pilgrimage tourism. The results of the research points out that the sustainable development is important for responding to the current problems as caused by tourism development, as well as to address the needs of future generations.