Rivers have been of fundamental importance in human history.

Water from the rivers is a basic

natural resource, essential for various human activities. Therefore, the river banks have
attracted settlers from ancient times. These settlements have now become big cities. Using
rivers for irrigation, navigation, hydro-power generation is of special significance-particularly to a
country like India.

Very important. Most of the ancient townships and cities were built on the banks of rivers. They
are the best source of water for farming and day to day usage. Eg : Kaveri, Krishna, Godavari
etc.

Tourism in South Asia is fast emerging as a diversified sector, reviving economies in more ways
than one. Tourism is now a major contributor to the service sector of many national economies,
including that of India. Few could have foreseen that India’s rich cultural history and naturally
endowed flora and fauna would one day place the country at par with the most sought-after
destinations across the world. India’s rivers have added to the innumerable attractions, making
them the latest hotspots on India’s tourism map.

A country best experienced through its distinguished spiritual heritage and mystic traditions
expressed in myriad forms, India is fast emerging as a popular spiritual tourism destination – a
promising segment of India’s organized tourism sector. River Tourism and Rural Tourism have
immense potential as unique aspects of Nature Tourism in India, thereby contributing to the
growth of the local economy.

Rivers are among the most striking features of India’s landscape. India derives its name itself
from the magnificent Indus River. The much talked about Interlinking-of-Rivers Project has
brought into prominence several majestic Indian rivers. The Sindhu Darshan programme, which
seeks to make visitors aware of the cultural richness of India and importance of being in India,
has contributed to the rejuvenation of Ladakh’s economy. Consequently, this trans-Himalayan
region has recorded a substantial increase in tourist arrival in the last five decades.

Inspired by the success of the Sindhu Darshan initiative, the Government of Arunachal Pradesh
launched the Brahmaputra Darshan to project the Brahmaputra River as a symbol of culture,
communal harmony and vitality in India. Experts hope that the Brahmaputra Darshan will also
emerge as a major tourism activity in the state, making substantial contributions to the
exchequer. The Ganga Darshan evolved from the desire of Hindu devotees to visit the sacred
Ganga River. The profound faith of tradition-bound Indians is now sustaining the economic lives
of those pursuing micro economic activities along the banks of the river. Jawaharlal Nehru
described the Ganga River as a “symbol of India’s memorable past which has been flowing into
the present and continues to flow towards the ocean of the future.”

Along these and other large rivers across the country, enterprising individuals seek to market
the panoramic view. The Panchayats concerned are keen to develop scenic sites along the
rivers and make arrangements for the availability of basic facilities in villages for these nature
tourists.
Why River Tourism? Experts foresee threats to river systems if carrying-capacity norms are
violated with an unmonitored increase in the number of tourists. Planned well, River Tourism
can be used as a medium of education to spread environmental awareness through the use of
three concepts - Nature Tourism, Adventure Tourism and Culture Tourism. While eco-tourism
and leisure tourism are among the most popular, Rural Tourism has yet to gain ground despite
high potential due to inadequate planning.

Not long ago, a group of Hindu monks at Lucknow launched a protest against the district
administration for its indifferent silence over the continued pollution of the Ganga River. The
unacceptably high levels of pollution in the river prevent devotees from performing Kalpavaas, a
ritual in which devotees spend an entire month in Allahabad, at the confluence of three rivers
and drink Ganga jal (water) as a part of the ritual. In Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, a movement
led by the seer Swami Swaroopanandji was launched against a unit of Shaw Wallace Company,
for its alleged role in the pollution of the Narmada River. While the Narmada still remains less
polluted than many other Indian rivers, insensitive socio-environmental behaviour of the
devotees would inevitably pollute the waters unless they are given environmental education.
The River Tourism could become a learning experience for tourists, appealing to their sense of
rationality to aid the drive against pollution of these sources of human life.

Thousands of families living along the river banks and ghats support themselves by earning
from micro-economic activities that are generated by the constant arrival of tourists. People
living in villages close to banks of the Narmada River regard the river as a mother, believing that
the waters have miraculous strengths. Narmada Darshan, sensitively designed and promoted,
can strengthen the economies of the villages located along its banks. States like Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka and Maharashtra, where rivers make geographical distinctions, can also consider
developing River Tourism to add an additional. remunerative dimension to their local
economies.

The World Tourism Organization estimates 1.6 billion international tourists traveling across the
world in 2020, as compared to 0.57 billion in 1995. Of this, South Asia is expected to have a
share of 0.2 billion. FICCI es