ABSTRACT

Poverty alleviation is a major concern for all developing countries including India. It can be achieved through higher sectorial growth and ensuring that the poor have a stake in that growth. There is evidence of tourism contributing to the economic growth of countries. Tourism development often provides the dual advantages of generating employment and income while promoting cultural heritage and traditions leading to sustainable development. Today tourism is one of the largest service industries in India. An out of the box approach to tourism development is proposed, through “pro-poor tourism,” which focuses on unlocking opportunities for the underprivileged hitherto relegated to the bottom of the economic pyramid. With this vision, the paper aims to examine pro-poor tourism as a vehicle for development in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It highlights the current status of tourism in the country with reference to pro-poor tourism approaches as an effective instrument of poverty alleviation. The paper aims at gaining an insight into the actual and potential roles and motivations of various stakeholders in this endeavor of tourism for poverty alleviation.