Tribal Tourism for Sustainable Development in Himachal Pradesh:Issues and Opportunities

In Himachal Pradesh, human activity is dominated by rural life as 90% of the population lives in small villages, distant and tribal areas. The tribal districts of Himachal Pradesh consists of the districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti and some areas of Chamba districts. The tribal area is full of vast varieties of cultures, architecture and landscapes that give the diversified experiences to the visitors. Tribal Himachal is rich in culture and heritage and requires local commitment to the preservation and promotion of authentic places and traditions are clear advantage that tribal tourism offers. In tribal areas, cultural heritage tourism creates the opportunities for diversification and expansion in tourism-focused economic development. Tribal tourism in Himachal Pradesh reflects the real experience of traditional rural life. Tribal environments of Himachal Pradesh have been attracting tourists and tourism for many years, due to their ability to fulfill tourists' expectations such as: tranquility; beautiful landscapes; relaxation; sports and adventure activities; exposure to nature and to rural lifestyle and culture. This paper identifies the need and opportunities of sustainable development of tourism in tribal districts of Himachal Pradesh so that the benefits of tourism are availed by tribal people also. The paper also studies tourists' perspective on various attributes of tribal tourism and conducts factor analysis to indentify underlying attributes of tribal tourism. Finally it suggests some measures to enhance sustainable tourism development in tribal areas.