Paper short abstract:

Tourism, a global industry, has significance of social change and culture contact. The study explores the integrated profile of tourism and its impact on inhabitants of a village near Digha, the global tourists- spot of West Bengal. It ends with suggestive measures for the planners, policy-makers, administrators under the significance of eco-tourism.

Paper long abstract:

The anthropology of tourism is concerned with the social and cultural nature of tourism and the behaviour of tourists.. The present study, highlights the socio-economic interaction between tourists and local people in the background of the eco-cultural settings of the age-old tourism industry of Digha, at the bank Bay of Bengal. It analyzes the relational networks between the tourists and local peoples along with the villagers under study; the experiences counterpoised to everyday life; an opportunity for employment; a force for socio-cultural change; an emblem and medium of globalization as per objective of the present study. The study, finally aims the integrated domain of the industry and the village life like economy, culture, art, leisure time recreation with complex interaction around tourism. It also ends with some suggestive measures for planners, policy-makers as well as local administrators under the purview of the ubiquitous concept of eco-tourism from applied anthropological perspective.