Rural Tourism as a Catalyst for Sustainable Livelihoods: A Comparative Economic Analysis of Coorg (Karnataka) and Ananthagiri Hills (Telangana)

Rural tourism holds the potential to serve as a transformative tool for local economies, offering avenues for cultural preservation, community empowerment, and sustainable development. This study compares two rural tourism destinations in India—Coorg, Karnataka, a thriving tourism hub, and Ananthagiri Hills, Telangana, which remains largely untapped. Coorg’s tourism economy, contributing ₹400 crore in revenue from 2.7 million visitors in 2022, benefits from strong infrastructure, government support, and community involvement. In contrast, Ananthagiri Hills, with 1,00,000 visitors and ₹10 crore in revenue during the same period, faces challenges such as limited connectivity, lack of community integration, and insufficient marketing efforts. Through a detailed comparative analysis, this paper examines the key drivers of success in Coorg and identifies actionable strategies to unlock the tourism potential of Ananthagiri Hills for sustainable livelihoods.