This book brings together scholars from diverse geographical settings to share their conceptual and empirical research findings on rural areas, rural poverty, rural resource capitalization and responsible tourism development. The book comprises short case studies, and pictorial and numerical illustrations of significant rural sociocultural, and environmental and economic phenomena related to rural poverty and sustainable capitalization of rural resources. The book highlights the interpretation of socially constructed world rural landscapes, rural poverty, and the performance of tourism in relation to rural sustainability enabling readers to gain an elaborative understanding of the unique characteristics and features of rural landscapes, the impact of rural poverty and poverty alleviation programs on rural areas, the status of capitalization of rural resources and the role of tourism on sustainable rural development.

M.S.M Aslam is a Professor in Tourism Management at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, holding a PhD from Universiti Putra Malaysia. He teaches various subjects in the management discipline and the field of tourism at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He actively participates in various international conferences as the chair, keynote speaker, and editorial board member. His research appears in reputable journals, and he serves as chief editor or contributor for edited books, including the Handbook of Tea Tourism and Sustainable Tourism in the Global South. Additionally, he advises national and local tourism planning in Sri Lanka and consults for international NGOs.

Athula Gnanapala is a professor in Tourism Management and currently serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Management Studies at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. He holds a BSc in Tourism Management (1997), an MSc in Management (2003), and a PhD in Tourism Management from Xiamen University, China (2011). His scholarly output includes 25 books, over 40 journal articles, and more than 70 conference presentations. He also co-edits the South Asian Journal of Tourism and Hospitality. Additionally, he serves as a reviewer, consultant, editorial committee member for respected academic journals and a supervisor/examiner for postgraduate and PhD candidates.

Ushan Peiris is currently a Professor in Finance at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. He earned a BSc (Hons) in Financial Management (2006), an MSc in Financial Mathematics (2012), and a PhD in Economics from Universiti Putra Malaysia (2018). His academic research interests focus on Finance, Development Economics, and International Economics. Besides his undergraduate teaching, he also serves as a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Graduate Studies (Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka) and the Faculty of Engineering (University of Moratuwa). His preferred teaching modules for undergraduates and postgraduates include Financial Econometrics, Research Methodology, Operations Management, and International Trade and Finance.

Rudmi Jayawardena is a Senior Lecturer at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. She graduated with a First-Class B.Sc. (Hons) in Tourism Management in 2014 and completed her Master of Business Administration (Tourism) in 2019, both from the same university. She specializes in teaching e-Tourism, e-Hospitality, Hospitality Management, Tourism Marketing, Hotel Housekeeping, and general Management subjects. Her research focuses on sustainable tourism, cultural and heritage tourism, and e-tourism. She also serves as a resource person for multiple capacity-building programs organized by the provincial councils. Moreover, she has published several book chapters and journal articles in well-renowned scientific and scholarly publishing platforms.