Climate-Resilient Rural Tourism and Women's Empowerment in Coastal Odisha: A Longitudinal Perspective

Abstract

Odisha Coast, incorporating the spiritual city of Puri and the eco-sensitive wetland of Chilika Lake, is at a vital crossroad between climate vulnerabilities and tourism-fueled economic ambitions. In this paper, we present a long-term analysis of the intersecting processes whereby climate resilience-focused rural tourism has been developed as an adaptation tool for communities, as well as for the empowerment of women in both locations. Through a mixed-method approach involving the review of policy documents, project reports, academic literature, and current examples from 1999, when the Super Cyclone hit Odisha, until 2026, the research identifies a process of progressive transformation of responses from emergency disaster mitigation to climate adaptation that incorporates a focus on gendered perspectives in rural tourism. As it turns out, although both locations experience different impacts of climate change, such as heat waves in the urban area of Puri or the salinization of soils in the case of Chilika, in both cases, self-help groups led by women have emerged as key actors in developing climate-resilient rural tourism. Women's resilience funds in Puri and mangrove restoration projects have interacted positively with the rising trend of homestays while community-led ecotourism in Chilika and water hyacinth craft enterprises represent the synergy between ecological restoration and women's empowerment. The paper recognizes four long-term trajectories – the growth and evolution of self-help groups, diversification of livelihoods in response to climate change, inclusion of women within tourism value chains, and development of gender-sensitive policies. At the same time, the research highlights some enduring structural barriers, such as caste-based exclusion, patriarchal traditions constraining women from taking part in lake-based ecotourism operations, and vulnerability to cyclones. In sum, climate-resilient rural tourism in coastal Odisha has advanced from pilot programs and experimental solutions to having significant positive effects on the local economy and women's empowerment but requires further scaling up and institutionalization through investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and implementing gender-sensitive policies.