• Praveen Kiran Martis

Research interest has focused on the role of non-religious or secular festivals like music festivals, food festivals, sports festivals, etc. in encouraging tourism, promotion of place branding, preventing rural out-migration and depopulation, providing alternative employment and contributing to rural development. In the present study an attempt would be made to focus on the role of religious tourism in giving impetus to undertaking entrepreneurial initiatives and consequently the economic contribution made to the local economy and the welfare of the people. This article is a review article on the various studies conducted regarding religious tourism and the commercial opportunities that such tourism promotes and the implications of promoting religious tourism in Harihar.

Religious tourism, pilgrim, pilgrimage, entrepreneurship, shrines, out-migration, secular, depopulation, place branding, marginalization, peripherality, heritage tourism, religious vows,

"ROLE OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM IN THE PROMOTION OF COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 4, page no.62-67, April-2018, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1804473.pdf

"ROLE OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM IN THE PROMOTION OF COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 4, page no. pp62-67, April-2018, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1804473.pdf