AN OVERVIEW OF CULTURAL HERITAGE TOURISM: WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO KARNATAKA, INDIA

Cultural heritage tourism as travelling to experience the places, artefacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present, cultural, historic, and natural resources all make up heritage tourism sites. Cultural heritage tourism in Karnataka aims to recognize the importance of the cultural heritage products for continuity of culture and the balance within cultures. It generates local employment and business both directly and indirectly in the tourism sector and in various support and resource management sectors. The tourism sector is considered as an important vehicle for socio economic development of the concerned communities. The tourism sector stimulates improvements to local transportation, communication and other basic community infrastructure of Karnataka. This state is one of the important destination states in India for cultural heritage tourism for domestic and international tourists alike. Almost all districts of this state are replete with heritage products. This paper deals with availability of heritage products in Karnataka, the present status and trends in the flow of heritage tourists to Karnataka and the challenges and opportunities of cultural heritage tourism.