Abstract Rural tourism plays a significant role in enhancing the livelihood opportunities of local people in Mahabaleshwar by creating diversified income sources and promoting sustainable development. The region’s rich natural beauty, pleasant climate, agricultural landscapes, and unique cultural heritage attract a large number of visitors, thereby generating employment in sectors such as homestays, local transport, agro-tourism farms, handicrafts, food services, and guiding services. Rural tourism can provide a source of supplemental income for households within the community and reduce dependence on agriculture through the promotion of community-based businesses. For soil quality enhancement eco-friendly and/or organic-farming techniques are promoted through rural tourism development to assist communities in developing their sustainable businesses. There are also additional opportunities to maximize benefits of rural tourism development by providing training/development resources, infrastructure improvements, marketing support, and public/private partnerships to facilitate the creation of rural tourism enterprises. As an emerging example, rural tourism in Mahabaleshwar has the potential to be a major contributor to inclusive economic growth, resilience, and quality of life improvements in rural communities.
Gaikwad et al. (2026) studied this question.