THE IMPACT OF FAIR TOURISM ON LOCAL ECONOMY – A CASE STUDY OF PATHARCHAPURI FAIR

Event tourism has now been recognized as one important form of tourism. It is especially effective in creating a
time bound drive in increasing the number of tourists and visitors. Fairs and festivals are a part of such event
tourism. In India, religious fairs attract thousands of people and play an important role in the economy. The
Patharchapuri fair is such a religious fair, held to honor a Muslim Saint, popularly known as Daata Baba. This
huge fair provides livelihood to hundreds of people who come here during the fair to ply their trade. This paper
seeks to create a profile of these people and highlight the economic importance of the fair. It also attempts to
suggest ways to better exploit this economic opportunity.