TRENDS AND PATTERNS IN THE GROWTH OF TOURIST FLOW IN KHAJURAHO BUNDELKHAND DURING THE LAST TWO DECADES

Acclaimed as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Khajuraho temples, famous for their erotic sculptures and nagara-style architecture attracts tourist population for several decades. Kandariya Mahadeva temple being the most famous among the 22 temples at Khajuraho, this Hindu temple is the largest and arguably the most prepossessing temple of the medieval groups of shrines and temples found in Khajuraho. Witnessing a swarm of foreign and domestic tourists all year round, in the last 10 years, there has been a recessive pattern seen among the foreign travellers in Khajuraho mostly due to infrastructural challenges and scarcity of essential amenities from the tourism industry. This paper addresses the challenges faced by the tourism industry and understanding the growth pattern of tourists’ influx at Khajuraho in the past two decades. Based on the findings, a conclusive inference has been framed that shall help the tourism department to arrest challenges and revive the old popularity of the place.