Importance of "Service Management Skills" for Rural Entrepreneurs: A Case Study on Agri Tourism Entrepreneurs at Baramati, Maharashtra, India

Rural tourism in India suffers from two major problems; inconsistent service quality and lack of service orientation. The purpose of this book is to explore the importance of quality of service in rural tourism to study the gap in expected versus experienced services, to explore the service orientation of rural tourism entrepreneurs as well as to open the door for further studies in this area. Baramati Agri Tourism, Palshiwadi, Maharashtra was used as the study site for this book. The approach taken here emphasizes the importance of the service management skills. This was undertaken by conducting an exploratory study of both the tourists and the rural entrepreneurs in Baramati. The results revealed that friendly/quality services are significant factors in determining the overall satisfaction of a Tourist. It also indicates that although farmers are increasingly turning to Agri Tourism as a means to generate additional income, they lack many of the fundamental managerial competencies required for success. This book is a signal to address the skill deficiencies through farm advisory processes and through effective training and support of Agri Tourism providers.