| Sandeep Kumar Soni Research Scholar Sant Gahira Guru Vishwavidyalaya Ambikapur, Sarguja (C.G.) | Dr. Seema Mishra Assistant Professor and Head of Department (Geography) Holy Cross Women’s College Ambikapur, Sarguja (C.G.) |
Abstract
Surajpur and Surguja districts are found in the northern part of Chhattisgarh and are blessed with natural sceneries, spiritual hubs, archeological sites and rich tribal culture. Although these districts are endowed with various tourism resources, they are yet to establish a niche in the state tourism. The current paper evaluates the developmental potential of tourism in terms of inter districts tourism circuit-based approach, whereby in a systematic and interrelated network, several destinations are incorporated to increase the flow of tourists and development in the regions. The study relies on the observations of various tourist places and on the secondary data, comprising of formally recognized tourist sites, as well as the statistics of tourist arrivals (2020 to 2024) in the administrative reports of the Tourism Department, Government of Chhattisgarh. The results indicate that despite the constant increase in the general tourist inflow in the state since the COVID-19 period, the share of Surajpur and Surguja is comparatively low. The paper suggests religious, natural and archaeological-historical tourism circuits to be developed together. It finds that the systematic planning, the improvement of infrastructure, marketing strategies and the involvement of the community can help make the region an emergent tourism center in northern Chhattisgarh.