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What is rural tourism and what are its benefits?

Rural tourism means travelling to non urbanised places with low population. An incredible chance to connect with local communities, support them and immerse yourself in their local culture.

tourism rural

Joanna Joanna Roams Free - Ethical and Responsible Travel

Apr 18, 2023

rural tourism

A truly authentic and raw way to travel, rural tourism is on the rise, as more people seek tranquility and unique travel experiences. 

What is rural tourism and what are the benefits? 

Rural tourism is a form of tourism that goes beyond city breaks and popular tourist attractions.

Rural tourism is travel to natural places that are non-urbanised, often rely on agriculture and with low populations , such as villages and cottages, homestays, farms, and ranches or eco lodges. 

Possible sctivities when rural travelling are camping, hiking, outdoor sports and spending time connecting with the nature. 

It is related to ethical and sustainable tourism, travelling off the beaten path , outdoor activities and sports and spending time in nature. It has a great potential to make the travel more responsible and richer in experience.

Family in a stable with horses

When travelling in rural areas the traveller really gets to observe the local life, stay away from crowds and touristy prices, and grasp the benefits of being outdoors.

In developing countries, rural tourism has a great importance. It brings profit directly to families living in rural, otherwise non touristic, distant locations. It also brings opportunities for development. In developed countries it allows for relaxation and rest from otherwise busy lives. In any country, it helps to reduce bad effects of over tourism.

What are the different types of rural tourism?

At the top of a rock in a rural environment

Eco-tourism

This is travel to natural areas whilst being sustainable, responsible, and mindful of our impact on the host community and the planet.

This type of travel includes staying in eco lodges or eco hotels or other accommodations that use renewable energy.

It takes place in non-urban locations such as mountains, forests, or watersides , eco-tourism is a fantastic opportunity to connect with nature and travel off the beaten path.

This is a great option for all that   care about the planet and that try to leave as least of negative impact as possible. 

Community based tourism

Woman from a rural community in India holding a baby

Community tourism is focused on spending time with the locals. This is achieved by staying in guesthouses in rural locations , often with families that are underprivileged or/and marginalised.

This enables  cultural exchange for both sides. Community based tourism is a great concept for the hosts, as it not only allows them to broaden their horizons by making connections with people from all over the world, but also creates jobs and motivates the society to learn new skills and languages.

In this scenario, money made from tourists stays in the community and allows for development and other projects that will benefit the whole community.

Environmental volunteer tourism 

Being an environmental volunteer means giving back to the earth. It could include gardening, planting plants or trees, conservation, bio construction, clean ups and recycling and more.

An environmental volunteer leaves a positive impact and expands their environmental consciousness. Perfect concept for all nature lovers.  

Volunteering with Worldpackers is a great start, as even if you do not have much gardening experience you can still sign up to projects, and you will learn on the job!

Read this article to find out more about the Worldpackers experience. 

Outdoor sports tourism  

Myself practising rural tourism: hike to a volcano lake

Outdoor adventure tourism takes place in non-urbanised areas such as mountains, lakes, rivers, deserts, or other remote, distant places.

The outdoors offers many different activities such as: bikepacking holidays in the countryside , multiday hikes in the mountains, rock climbing, summiting volcanoes , kayaking, rafting and many, many more!

This is type of rural tourism is a great way to be more active, step out of your comfort zone and try new things! 

Check out this article on how to prepare for your next adventure!

Where to go for rural tourism?

To really get to know the local life , consider staying for longer and volunteering with Worldpackers .

This is an incredible opportunity to really get to know the place, live like a local, be a part of your host family, learn more about the local culture and history, and learn new skills!

The United Kingdom

Rural village in the UK

With 15 National Parks and 38 AONBs , the United Kingdom is the perfect destination for rural tourism.

There are opportunities to practise adventure sports in every park. UK’s National Cycle Network spreads all over the country and allows access to many rural areas that are rich in culture, history, and wonderful, unique landscapes. The British countryside is full of small villages with warm and welcoming communities. 

There are over hundred volunteering opportunities all over the United Kingdom! That includes England , Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland !

  • If spending a month living in rural Scottish village in exchange of some gardening work, sounds like a dream to you consider applying today! 
  • If you are an animal lover and would like to explore the local life in Wales you can help at this small and vegan animal sanctuary.
  • For those that are inspired to learn more about permaculture and natural farming, and would like to take care of small animals, you can apply for this experience in Northern Ireland. This project will expand your environmental consciousness and allow you to immerse in the local culture and the small, warm communities of rural Northern Ireland.
  • There are also opportunities available for those that prefer to be social and enjoy working with people. This hotel in the New Forest National Park, England is looking for volunteers that will take care of their guests. This opportunity is excellent for travellers that enjoy connecting with the locals, or would like to improve their English.

Colorfully dressed women from a rural community in India

With 64.61% of the country considered rural, India is another great destination for rural tourism.

Travelling through rural India  is an authentic and raw travel. This is where a traveller can really get to see the local life. Learn more about life in India and the struggles of Indians living in rural areas, that are often, unfortunately affected by poverty. Sacrifice some of your time to help local communities or the planet, by volunteering with Worldpackers in India .

  • Stay in the heart of the tea plantations and hills, and spend your time at a charity home for underprivileged people of all ages from India. Volunteer’s task include gardening, watering, teaching, housekeeping or nursing.
  • Explore the rural Indian Himalayas whilst volunteering with a local NGO. When volunteering at Rural Organisation for Social Elevation you will get the chance to   improve the health and education of underprivileged population of the area.
  • If you want to learn more about sustainable living whilst living on farm full of   tea plantations, coffee beans, pepper, cardamom, and fruits, consider this opportunity in rural India. This is a perfect location for those that like peace and tranquillity and spending time in the nature.

Rowboats in a turquoise lake sorrounded by mountains and pine trees

The USA is home to some of the most popular and most beautiful National Parks in the world. With 63 of them in total, and a lot of rural states, the USA is a country full of opportunities to practise rural tourism and volunteer at the same time. 

  • You can spend your time doing organic farming in the Matanuska Valley of Alaska. This is an incredibly beautiful part of this rural state, and this project will allow you to connect with nature and expand your environmental consciousness.
  • If you prefer to be warm, you can help with gardening in the Arizona desert. This activity helps to mitigate the impacts of the changing climate.
  • Live the ‘Wild West’ experience and help with daily activities at a ranch in Texas. Activities include taking care of animals, growing food all whilst living with a local family.
  • If your dream is explore the gorgeous Hawaiian state, you should consider becoming a farming helper on a sustainable and organic farm in Hawaii. A fantastic opportunity to learn more about sustainability, connect with nature and explore Hawaii on a budget .
  • Learn more about regenerative farming, tree corps and gardening when volunteering in a small village in Ohio. Great way to give back to nature, and connect with the local communities.

Read about the experience of traveling in the USA as a work exchanger in this article.

Here I mentioned some opportunities in the UK, India and USA, but there are tons of projects of rural tourism to volunteer around the world .

Men working in a rural field with a buffalo

Rural tourism, when well-managed, can really be successful and beneficial for local communities and the traveller.  However, there can be some negative impacts of rural tourism that are worth mentioning.

Some areas are not prepared or educated enough to host tourists. This can cause damage to the environment or directly to the communities. Most troubling negative effect of rural tourism is that it can increase housing prices and other living costs for the local communities. If badly managed, it can cause overcrowding and damage to the natural area. 

Hopefully this article has inspired you to widen your horizons and go beyond the tourist trail. Be a conscientious traveller and give back to the planet and hosts on your next trip by volunteering with Worldpackers. 

Subscribe to the Worldpackers Community for free and start saving your favorite volunteer positions until you are ready to get verified. 

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Create a free Worldpackers account to discover volunteer experiences perfect for you and get access to exclusive travel discounts!

Joanna Nowak

Joanna Roams Free - Ethical and Responsible Travel

Hey! My name is Joanna, and I have been travelling full time for over 3 years now. During my travels I like to explore the social, political and economic affairs of the countries I visit. I love to learn more about locals and their lives in their homes. I love to dive deep and get off the beaten path to see what the country is really like when the tourists are not looking. I value and always prioritise responsible and raw travel that leaves positive impact on the society and myself.

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tourism rural

Aug 27, 2022

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Nov 08, 2022

One of the great post on google. Thanks for Sharing.

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tourism rural

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Tourism Teacher

Why Rural Tourism Is The Next Big Thing

Disclaimer: Some posts on Tourism Teacher may contain affiliate links. If you appreciate this content, you can show your support by making a purchase through these links or by buying me a coffee . Thank you for your support!

Rural tourism is an important part of the tourism industry around the world. From walks in the Brecon Beacons , to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to eco tourism in The Gambia , many destinations rely on their rural tourism provision to bring in much needed revenue for the local economy.

But what does rural tourism actually mean? What is it all about? In this article I will explain what is meant by the term rural tourism, providing a range of academic and industry-based definitions. I will then discuss the importance of rural tourism, activities commonly found in rural tourism destinations and destinations offering rural tourism. I will also assess the positive and negative impacts of rural tourism.

What is rural tourism?

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Rural tourism is tourism which takes place in non-urbanised areas. These areas typically include (but are not limited to) national parks, forests , countryside areas and mountain areas.

Rural tourism is closely aligned with the concept of sustainable tourism , given that it is inherently linked to green spaces and commonly environmentally-friendly forms of tourism, such as hiking or camping.

Rural tourism is an umbrella term. The rural tourism industry includes a number of tourism types, such as golfing tourism, glamping or WOOFING .

Rural tourism is distinguished from urban tourism in that it typically requires the use of natural resources.

Rural tourism

As with many types of tourism , there is no universally accepted definition of rural tourism. In fact, the term is actually quite ambiguous.

When defining the term rural tourism it is important first and foremost to understand what is and what isn’t ‘rural’.

The OECD defines a rural area as, ‘at the local level, a population density of 150 persons per square kilometre. At the regional level, geographic units are grouped by the share of their population that is rural into the following three types: predominantly rural (50%), significantly rural (15-50%) and predominantly urbanised regions (15%).

The Council of Europe further state that a ‘rural area’ is an area of inland or coastal countryside, including small towns and villages, where the main part of the area is used for:

  • Agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and fisheries.
  • Economic and cultural activities of country-dwellers.
  • Non-urban recreation and leisure areas or nature reserves.
  • Other purposes such as housing.

Now that we know a little bit more about the ‘rural’ part, it is also important to understand what is meant by the term ‘tourism’. There are many definitions of tourism , but it is generally recognised that a tourist is a person who travels away from their home residence for at least 24 hours for leisure or business purposes.

It appears, therefore, that a person who travels to an area that is sparsely populated for more than 24 hours for leisure or business purposes is likely to qualify as a ‘rural tourist’.

The World Tourism Organisation , provide a little more clarity. They state that rural tourism is ‘a type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle / culture , angling and sightseeing’.

Dernoi states that rural tourism occurs when there are activities in a ‘non-urban territory where human (land-related economic) activity is going on, primarily agriculture’.

The OECD prescribes that rural tourism should be:

  • Located in rural areas.
  • Functionally rural, built upon the rural world’s special features; small-scale enterprises, open space, contact with nature and the natural world, heritage, traditional societies, and traditional practices.
  • Rural in scale – both in terms of building and settlements – and therefore, small scale.
  • Traditional in character, growing slowly and organically, and connected with local families.
  • Sustainable – in the sense that its development should help sustain the special rural character of an area, and in the sense that its development should be sustainability in its use of resources.
  • Of many different kinds, representing the complex pattern of the rural environment, economy, and history.

Gökhan Ayazlar & Reyhan A. Ayazlar (2015) have collated a number of academic definitions of rural tourism. You can see a summary of this below.

Rural tourism

Types of rural tourism areas

There are many different types of rural areas that are popular tourism destinations. These may be named slightly differently around the world. Here are some examples from the UK:

There are 15 National Parks in the UK which are protected areas because of their beautiful countryside, wildlife and cultural heritage.

A national park is a protected area. It is a location which has a clear boundary. It has people and laws that make sure that nature and wildlife are protected and that people can continue to benefit from nature without destroying it.

People live and work in the National Parks and the farms, villages and towns are protected along with the landscape and wildlife.

National Parks welcome visitors and provide opportunities for everyone to experience, enjoy and learn about their special qualities.

National Parks were first mentioned in 1931 in a government inquiry, however no action was taken. Public discontent led to a mass trespass on Kinder Scout (in the now known Peak District), five men were arrested. This led the Council for the protection for Rural England making and releasing a film in the cinemas calling for public help.

This public pressure culminates in the 1945 white paper on National Parks, leading to the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. In 1951 the Peak District became the first National Park.

An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is exactly what it says it is: a precious landscape whose distinctive character and natural beauty are so outstanding that it is in the nation’s interest to safeguard them.

There are 38 AONBs in England and Wales. Created by the legislation of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949, AONBs represent 18% of the Finest Countryside in England and Wales. There are also 8 AONBs in Northern Ireland . Gower was the first AONB established in 1956.

Their care has been entrusted to the local authorities, organisations, community groups and the individuals who live and work within them or who value them.

Each AONB has been designated for special attention by reason of their high qualities. These include their flora, fauna, historical and cultural associations as well as scenic views.

AONB landscapes range from rugged coastline to water meadows to gentle downland and upland moors.

Sites of Special Scientific Interests are the country’s very best wildlife and geological sites.

SSSIs include some of the most spectacular and beautiful habitats; wetlands teeming with wading birds, winding chalk rivers, flower-rich meadows, windswept shingle beaches and remote upland peat bogs.

There are over 4,100 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in England, covering around 8% of the country’s land area. More than 70% of these sites (by area) are internationally important for their wildlife and designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) or Ramsar sites.

Special Areas of Conservation are areas which have been given special protection under the European Union’s Habitats Directive.

They provide increased protection to a variety of wild animals, plants and habitats and are a vital part of global efforts to conserve the world’s biodiversity.

Special Protection Areas are areas which have been identified as being of international importance for the breeding, feeding, wintering or the migration of rare and vulnerable species of birds found within European Union countries.

Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance, designated under the Ramsar Convention.

Wetlands are defined as areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.

Read also- – Types of tourism: A glossary – Domestic tourism explained – What is the ‘shut-in economy’? Understanding the basics – Cultural tourism: Everything you need to know – Insta tourism: An explanation – What is globalisation? – Business tourism: What, why and where

Local Nature Reserves are for both people and wildlife. They offer people special opportunities to study or learn about nature or simply to enjoy it.

There are now more than 1400 LNRs in England. They range from windswept coastal headlands, ancient woodlands and flower-rich meadows to former inner city railways, abandoned landfill sites and industrial areas now re-colonised by wildlife. In total they cover about 35,000 ha.

This is an impressive natural resource which makes an important contribution to England’s biodiversity.

Heritage Coasts represent stretches of our most beautiful, undeveloped coastline , which are managed to conserve their natural beauty and, where appropriate, to improve accessibility for visitors.

Thirty-three per cent (1,057km) of scenic English coastline is conserved as Heritage Coasts. The first Heritage Coast to be defined was the famous white chalk cliffs of Beachy Head in Sussex and the latest is the Durham Coast. Now much of our coastline, such as the sheer cliffs of Flamborough Head and Bempton, with their huge seabird colonies, is protected as part of our coastal heritage.

European Geoparks are areas in Europe with an outstanding geological heritage. There are two in England, the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the English Riviera in Devon.

What is rural tourism?

Tourism makes up just one (important) part of the rural economy.

Rural tourism provides valuable commercial and employment opportunities for communities that are confronted with the growing challenge of offering viable livelihoods for their local populations.

Without these opportunities, people may be forced to relocate to more populous areas, often resulting in separated families and economic leakage in the local community.

Let me give you an example- In northern Thailand , many tourists choose to go on hiking tours, staying in homestays and spending their money in the rural communities. This provides local people with work opportunities that they would not otherwise be exposed to. Many women leave their home villages in Thailand to work in the sex tourism industry , where they can earn a far higher wage to support their families. But with the growth of rural tourism, many women have been able to avoid moving to the red light districts of Bangkok and Pattaya and have instead been able to make an income in the rural areas in which they live.

Moreover, rural tourism can help to disperse tourism in highly populated countries. This directs tourists away from some of the more well-known, busy areas and provides work opportunities and economic activity in alternative areas. It also helps to combat the challenge od limited carrying capacities in some destinations and the negative environmental impacts of tourism .

Rural tourism

The rural tourism industry interlinks with a range of activity types, thus bringing economic benefit to a variety of areas. This is demonstrated in the figure below.

Rural tourism

The roles and responsibilities of organisations involved in the management of rural tourism

Rural areas need to be managed in order to preserve its natural beauty, without limiting activities of economic benefit.

There are many organisations in which have an interest in rural areas and how they are managed and used. These include:

  • National Trust
  • National Association for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (NAAONB)
  • English Heritage
  • Countryside Alliance
  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
  • Ramblers’ Association

The organisations involved in managing rural tourism will do things such as;

  • Promote rural pursuits
  • Give information
  • Offer advice
  • Provide revenue channels
  • Legal enforcement
  • Protect the environment
  • Protect wildlife
  • Educate people

Here is some more information about some of the major organisations that are involved with rural tourism:

Natural England is an Executive Non-departmental Public Body.

This means that although they are an independent organisation they have to report their activities and findings back to the Government (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, DEFRA).

Their purpose is to protect and improve England’s natural environment and encourage people to enjoy and get involved in their surroundings.

They cover the whole of the England and work with people such as farmers, town and country planners, researchers and scientists, and the general public on a range of schemes and initiatives.

Their aim is to create a better natural environment that covers all of our urban, country and coastal landscapes, along with all of the animals, plants and other organisms that live with us.

Natural England is the government’s advisor on the natural environment. They provide practical advice, grounded in science, on how best to safeguard England’s natural areas for the benefit of everyone.

Their work is to ensure sustainable usage of the land and sea so that people and nature can thrive. Yet continuing to adapt and survive for future generations to enjoy.

Their responsibilities include:

  • Managing England’s green farming schemes, paying nearly £400million/year to maintain two-third’s of agricultural land under agri-environment agreements
  • Increasing opportunities for everyone to enjoy the wonders of the natural world
  • Reducing the decline of biodiversity and licensing of protected species across England
  • Designating National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
  • Managing most National Nature Reserves and notifying Sites of Special Scientific Interest
  • One of Natural England’s initiatives includes Outdoors for All.
  • The Outdoors for All programme began in 2008 with an action plan called Outdoors for All?
  • This plan was in response to the Diversity Review which showed that some people were less likely to access the natural environment for recreation and other purposes.
  • The under-represented groups were found to be disabled people, black and minority ethnic people, people who live in inner city areas and young people.
  • In response Natural England are supporting other organisations in projects to get more of these under-represented groups to come to natural areas

VisitBritain is Britain’s national tourism agency, responsible for marketing Britain worldwide and developing Britain’s visitor economy.

Their mission is to build the value of tourism to Britain.

It is a non-departmental public body, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, they work in partnership with thousands of organisations in the UK and overseas – the Government, the industry and other tourism bodies – to ensure that Britain is marketed in an inspirational and effective way around the world.

Their current priority is to deliver a four-year match funded global marketing programme which takes advantage of the unique opportunity of the Royal Wedding, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Games to showcase Britain and attract new visitors from the tourism growth markets of Asia and Latin America and to reinvigorate our appeal in core markets such as the USA, France and Germany. This campaign aims to attract four million extra visitors to Britain, who will spend an additional £2 billion.

In 2010, Deloitte published a report on their contribution to the visitor economy. As part of the findings, the report demonstrates that their activity contributes £1.1 billion to the economy and delivers £150 million directly to the Treasury each year in tax take. They also create substantial efficiency savings – £159 million last year – on the public purse.

The National Trust was founded in 1895 by three Victorian philanthropists – Miss Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley.

Concerned about the impact of uncontrolled development and industrialisation, they set up the Trust to act as a guardian for the nation in the acquisition and protection of threatened coastline, countryside and buildings.

They work to preserve and protect the buildings, countryside and coastline of England, Wales and Northern Ireland , in a range of ways, through practical conservation, learning and discovery, and encouraging everyone to visit and enjoy their national heritage.

They also educate people about the importance of the environment and of preserving heritage for future generations, they contribute to important debates over the future of the economy, the development of people’s skills and sense of community, and the quality of the local environment in both town and country.

The National Trust conducted a survey in which they found that ‘Wildlife is alien to a generation of indoor children’. They found that one in three cannot identify a magpie, one of the UK’s most common and most distinctive birds, while half couldn’t tell the difference between a bee and a wasp.

They also found that just 53% could correctly identify an oak leaf – the national tree and a powerful symbol of England, 29% failed to spot a magpie, despite the numbers soaring three-fold over the past 30 years, only 47% of children correctly identified a barn owl, one in three failed to recognise a Red Admiral; Britain’s best-known butterfly.

When asked to identify fictional creatures, however, children’s abilities suddenly soared with nine out of ten able to correctly name Doctor Who’s enemies, the Daleks, a similar number were able to identify Star Wars’ Jedi Grand Master, Yoda.

The figures are clearly a cause for concern for parents. Asked about their own knowledge of nature, 67% of parents thought they knew more about wildlife when they were youngsters than their children do now, 65% felt that this was partly due to the fact that they spent too little time with their children as a family outdoors.

The survey, carried out across both urban and rural areas across the UK, is part of a major campaign in London to encourage families to spend more time together outdoors.

The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible for the protection and expansion of Britain’s forests and woodlands.

Their mission is to protect and expand Britain’s forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment.

They take the lead, on behalf of all three administrations, in the development and promotion of sustainable forest management. They deliver the distinct forestry policies of England, Scotland and Wales through specific objectives drawn from the country forestry strategies so our mission and values may be different in each.

As you know there are 15 members of the National Parks family in the UK and each one is looked after by its own National Park Authority. They all work together as the Association of National Park Authorities (ANPA).

The UK’s 15 National Parks are part of a global family of over 113,000 protected areas, covering 149 million square kilometres or 6% of the Earth’s surface. We are linked to Europe through the EUROPARC Federation – a network of European protected areas with 360 member organisations in 37 countries.

Each National Park is administered by its own National Park Authority. They are independent bodies funded by central government to:

  • conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage; and
  • promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of National Parks by the public.
  • If there’s a conflict between these two purposes, conservation takes priority. In carrying out these aims, National Park Authorities are also required to seek to foster the economic and social well-being of local communities within the National Park.
  • The Broads Authority has a third purpose, protecting the interests of navigation, and under the Broads Act 1988 all three purposes have equal priority.
  • The Scottish National Parks’ objectives are to also promote the sustainable use of natural resources, the sustainable economic and social development of local communities and more of a focus on recreation.

Each National Park Authority has a number of unpaid appointed members, selected by the Secretary of State, local councils and parish councils. The role of members is to provide leadership, scrutiny and direction for the National Park Authority.

There are also a number of paid staff who carry out the work necessary to run the National Park.

UK ANPA brings together the 15 National Park Authorities in the UK to raise the profile of the National Parks and to promote joint working. Country associations for the English and Welsh National Parks represent the National Park Authorities to English and Welsh governments.

Positive impacts of rural tourism

Rural tourism has many positive economic, social and environmental impacts if it is managed well and adheres to sustainable tourism principles. I have outlined some of the most commonly noted benefits of rural tourism below:

Employment generation is a common positive economic impact impact of tourism .

Rural tourism can create many jobs in areas where they may otherwise not be many employment opportunities.

These jobs may be directly related to the rural tourism industry, for example hotel workers or taxi drivers.

They may also be indirected related to the rural tourism industry, such as builders (who build the hotels) or staff employed to maintain and keep the area clean.

If more people are employed, there is more opportunity for wider economics benefits. This is because employees will likely pay taxes on their income.

Each destination has its own methods of taxation. But one thing that we can be fairly certain about, is that there will be some money made through taxes on tourism products and services.

The money raised through taxes can then be reinvested into other areas, such as healthcare or education. Tourism therefore has the potential to provide a far-reaching positive economic impact.

Rural tourism enables local people to set up and operate businesses. Rural areas often have less of the known chains and brands (think Costa Coffee, Hilton Hotel etc) and more independent organisations.

Businesses that are owned and managed locally are great because it enables much of the income raised from tourism to stay local and prevents economic leakage in tourism .

Rural tourism will often require the development of new infrastructure and facilities.

This is particular prevalent when it comes to transport networks. Inherently, rural areas are not well connected by public transport. Roads are often narrow and windy, meaning that traffic build up is common, particularly during peak times.

Rural tourism often results in the construction of new transport networks and infrastructure, among other public facilities and services. This is beneficial not only to the tourists who travel here, but also to the local community.

Rural tourism encourages cultural tourism and cultural exchange.

Many people from a range of destinations will travel to rural areas for tourism. This provides opportunities for locals and tourists to get to know each other and to learn more about each other’s cultures.

There are many positive social impacts of tourism . One impact is that rural areas are encouraged to share their traditions and customs with the people who are coming to visit the area.

This encourages the revitalisation and preservation of traditions, customs and crafts.

Because rural tourism usually relies on the environment that is being visited, there are often schemes put in place to protect and conserve areas.

This includes giving an area natural park status or declaring it an area of outstanding natural beauty, for example.

It also includes implementing management processes, such as reducing visitor numbers or condoning off particular areas.

Negative impacts of rural tourism

Whilst rural tourism does have many advantages, there are also disadvantages that must be taken into account. Here are some of the most common examples:

Tourism is often seasonal and comes in peaks and troughs. In the UK, for example, countryside areas are busier on weekends than on weekdays and there are more tourists during the school holidays than there are during term time.

This can place lots of pressure on public services. Hospitals may be overwhelmed during the summer months, when hotel occupancy rates are at their highest. Roads may be gridlocked on bank holiday weekends as city-livers flee to the countryside for some fresh air.

The presence of tourism can result in increases in land and housing prices. This can have a negative effect on the local population.

Some people may feel that they need to relocate because they can no longer afford to live in the area, known as gentrification.

Other people may have a lower quality of life (i.e. have a smaller home, less disposable income) than they would have had if there was no tourism.

As I mentioned before, rural tourism can be subject to overcrowding and congestion. This is particularly prevalent during peak times such as Christmas, the summer holidays and weekends.

Another concern of rural tourism is that there may be too much development in an area. This can impact the appeal of a destination to both tourists and locals.

Some development may not be in keeping with the traditions of the area. If a new theme park is built (because they are often in rural areas), for example, this would likely completely change the area. It would bring with it a different type of tourist and the associated developments (hotels, food outlets etc).

Rural tourism management techniques

In order to maximise the positive impacts of rural tourism and minimise the negative impacts, it is imperative that appropriate management techniques are adopted. Below I have outlined that practices that are seen throughout the world:

Unfortunately, many rural tourism areas are not accessible to all. Enabling wide-scale access is an important part of ensuring that tourism is fair and sustainable.

The equality Act 2010 states that ‘Tourism providers should treat everyone accessing their goods, facilities or services fairly, regardless of their age, gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, religion or belief, and guard against making assumptions about the characteristics of individuals.’

Here are some great examples of accessibility in rural tourism: – New Forest Access for All – Peak District access for All – Parsley Hay cycle centre

As I mentioned earlier, a lack of transport links to gain access to the destination is a common problem in the rural tourism industry. Organisations can work with local and regional governments to improve local infrastructure. They can also organise their own transport options, such as buses or tours.

In some cases, restrictions to access are necessary in order to ensure that areas are preserved. This is the case, for example, at Stone Henge, where the area is roped-off to prevent tourists from touching the stones.

Similarly, many areas will ask tourists to stick to designated paths or walkways, to prevent damage to the natural environment.

In order to encourage sustainable tourism development , many organisations will invest in training programmes and schemes to up-skill members of the local community.

This is common amongst hotels, facilities and attractions should employ people from the local community.

Training helps to ensure that organisations have more satisfied staff, who are more likely to stay in the position. This keeps costs and turnover of staff down for the company. Happy staff are also likely to work harder and be more productive in their job, which in turn helps the organisation and the overall economy to yield greater economic outcomes.

Example: LandSkills East offer a Bursary to suitably qualified and experienced applicants to help meet the cost of higher level training in management, business and leadership skills. Applicants should be interested in developing their skills in order to steer the future of the land based and rural sector in the East of England and the rest of the UK. Bursary funding covers 50% of the cost of the training activity. This can be from £500 to a maximum of £3000 pounds. This could be to attend conferences, workshops, work placements, research, formal training or post-graduate level qualifications in areas related to the industry. The following industries are eligible for bursary funding: -Agriculture and Livestock -Arable and non Food Crops -Food and Production Horticulture -Viticulture -Environmental Conservation -Food Diversification and Supply Chain -Rural Crafts e.g. timber framing, thatching -Land-based Research and Development

Community-based tourism is often found in rural areas. This is because there is often a close-knit community.

Community tourism fosters the growth of locally owned and managed businesses. It also encourages businesses that are directly involved in the tourism industry (i.e. a hotel) to work with other local businesses (i.e. a local farmer).

Partnerships between local business helps to maximise the economic advantages of rural tourism and minimise economic leakage in tourism .

Areas will have traditional artefacts that demonstrate their history, culture and traditions. These could be from, for example, the Celtic, Romans & religious era’s.

Many of these will be protected or put into museums i.e. The Chiltern Open Air Museum , based in the AONB – The Chilterns.

Places that facilitate the promotion of traditional artefacts such as this are often given charitable status. This means that they can obtain money from sponsorship, funding and membership.

As I have mentioned several times throughout this article, public transport infrastructure is often one of the downsides of rural tourism. Therefore, rural tourism destinations can try to implement various strategies and developments in attempt to improve this.

One such technique is the Green Travel Plan. This is an effective Travel Plan helps to reduce pressure on the local infrastructure, contributes to keeping local pollution to a minimum and enables the widest range of people to have good access to work and services.

Areas can also try to encourage sustainable travel.

Sustainable travel is any form of transport that keeps damage to our environment to a minimum and normally has the added advantage of being a healthier alternative for the user.

Methods of sustainable transport include: walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing, or using vehicles that minimise carbon emissions and other pollutants, such as electric and hybrid cars, and cars which run on cleaner fuels such as LPG.

Some destinations will implement traffic management schemes in order to make their tourism sector more sustainable.

This could be in the form of encouraging destinations to have visitor travel plans in place and to work with businesses and accommodation providers to promote things to enjoy that require reduced travel.

Destinations and public transport operators may aim to develop ‘hubs’ from which there is a concentration of car free options with car parking (e.g. walks, cycle hire, bus and rail services). This would integrate with public transport, accommodation and other visitor experiences.

Others may identify and share best practice in rural public transport that meets the needs of visitors and communities e.g. Smart ticketing; electric bikes; car clubs.

A completely car free rural area and low carbon initiatives will be difficult to implement. This means accepting that some car use is necessary for rural tourism but encouraging more initiatives that increase dwell times at destinations, reduce mileage and length of car journey, such as walks and itineraries that are integrated with public transport and visitor experiences.

It is also important to encourage sustainable transport options when visitors arrive at their destination, for example, encouraging accommodation to link to cycle hire firms, cycle racks, and cycle friendly venues for visitors to bring their own bikes.

There are various sites and properties that are protected against demolition and further building but must be preserved and repaired where necessary.

Footpaths are included in the conservation projects and many destinations have developed footpath networks in attempt to protect the larger area from tramping, littering etc.

Example- Today the Lake District attracts over 12 million visitors per year. This large number of visitors puts the environment under great pressure. It has been estimated that over 10 million people use the National Park’s paths annually. Many Lake District paths have become huge open scars, visible from miles away. Eroded paths are not only unsightly, but unpleasant to walk on and can lead to habitat loss as well as damage to the heritage, archaeological and natural history qualities of the area.

Repairing eroded paths is not the statutory duty of the Highway Authority, or anyone else, as long as they are still ‘open and fit for use’. The National Trust, the LDNPA and English Nature have worked together since the late 1970s to manage the problem.

In 1993 they formed the Lake District Upland Access Management Group (AMG). Their aim was to complete a detailed survey of eroded paths in theLake District. The initial surveys, which focused in particular on the popular central fells, identified 145 paths which were in need of repair.

By 1999, the whole of the National Park had been surveyed and 180 paths had been identified as being in need of repair. The huge scale of the problem highlighted the need for a long term management solution.

This led to the formation of the Upland Path Landscape Restoration Project (UPLRP) a 10 year project (2002 to 2011) which sets out to repair the majority of landscape scars caused by the erosion of fells paths in the Lake District.

This technique involves digging stone into the ground to form good solid footfalls. This ancient technique is used extensively in the central fells using stone which is naturally occurring.

There are many different rural tourism activities that people can take part in and many reasons that a person may be motivated to be a rural tourist.

tourism rural

Motivational reasons may include:

Many people choose to undertake rural tourism because they enjoy traditional pursuits. These may include:

There are also a number of modern pursuits that are packaged and sold as part of a rural tourism holiday. These include:

  • Mountain biking
  • Quad biking
  • Water sports
  • Team-building

There are also many special interest holidays that take place in rural areas, such as:

  • Heritage tours/activities
  • Wildlife spotting/visiting/petting
  • Sightseeing
  • Canal cruising
  • Photography
  • Horser riding
  • Pony trekking
  • Winter sports

Lastly, rural tourism can be the perfect ground for educational opportunities, which may include:

  • Geography field trips
  • Team building

Rural tourism destinations

In recent years I have taken part in rural tourism activities in a number of countries around the world . Here are some of my favourites:

One of my favourite rural travel destinations is Meteora in Greece.

Meteora is an area of Greece that features extraordinary rock formations. The area is abundant with slender stone pinnacles. Many of these pinnacles house ancient Byzantine monasteries on top.

The area is simply magical! And I’m not the only one who thinks so… this part of Greece has been the setting for a number of films, including one of my favourites- Avatar.

Canada offers the perfect rural tourism holidays!

We did a road trip through the Rockies a couple of years back and absolutely LOVED it! There is so much to do and the scenery is just spectacular.

You can read all about our trip to Canada with a baby here.

Rural tourism is very popular in Sri Lanka.

The main area of appeal are the tea plantations. These areas are rich with history and offer a number of tours where tourists can learn about the history, culture and physical production of tea.

This made for a great addition to our Sri Lanka with a baby itinerary.

Rural tourism in Australia is very popular.

Some people choose to visit the mountain or countryside areas for recreation. Others commit to volunteer tourism projects or undertake working holidays. WWOOFING is also very popular in Australia.

Many people choose to visit the ‘outback’, which offers many rural tourism opportunities. Australia is a popular destination for road trips and it is common for tourists to drive around the country using camper vans or other road transport.

It is evident that rural tourism deserves a place in the tourism industry!

Rural tourism is popular the world over and has the potential to have significant economic impacts in rural areas. As I have explained, careful management is important in order to ensure that the positive impacts are maximised and the negative impacts are minimised- there are a number of different stakeholders that play a role in this.

The rural tourism industry has significant value to the tourism industries and economies of countries around the world. If you would like to learn more about rural tourism, I have suggested some texts below.

  • Rural Tourism -This book describes, analyses, celebrates and interrogates the rise of rural tourism in the developed world over the last thirty years, while explaining its need to enter a new, second generation of development if it is to remain sustainable in all senses of that word.
  • Rural Tourism and Enterprise: Management, Marketing and Sustainability – This textbook examines key issues affecting rural enterprise and tourism.
  • Rural Tourism: An International Perspective – This edited collection questions the contribution tourism can and does make to rural regions.
  • Rural Tourism: An Introduction – This text provides a comprehensive, stimulating and up-to-date analysis of the key issues involved in the planning and management of rural tourism.
  • Rural Tourism and Recreation: Principles to Practice – This book reviews both the theory and practice of rural tourism and recreation.
  • Rural Tourism and Sustainable Business – This book provides the latest conceptual thinking on, and case study exemplification of, rural tourism and sustainable business development from Europe, North America, Australasia, the Middle East and Japan.
  • Rural Tourism Development: Localism and Cultural Change – This book links changes at the local, rural community level to broader, more structural considerations of globalization and allows for a deeper, more theoretically sophisticated consideration of the various forces and features of rural tourism development. 

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Bachelor's degrees, dual bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, dual master’s degree, how can tourism contribute to rural development.

tourism rural

This question has been answered by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in the document UNWTO Recommendations on Tourism and Rural Development. A Guide to Making Tourism an Effective Tool for Rural Development.

tourism rural

This question has been answered by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in the document UNWTO Recommendations on Tourism and Rural Development . A Guide to Making Tourism an Effective Tool for Rural Development.

As stated in the guide:

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of tourism in rural development is more relevant than ever. Tourism in rural areas offers important opportunities for recovery as tourists look for less populated destinations and open-air experiences and activities. At the same time, communities in rural areas are, in general, much less prepared to deal with the direct and indirect impacts of crisis.

Urbanization is a prevalent trend throughout the world. According to the United Nations, by 2050 68% of the world population will live in urban areas and cities will produce 85% of global economic output, leaving behind a staggeringly high human and environmental impact and imposing a high cost on surrounding rural areas. This trend contrasts with the fact that 80% of all people living in extreme poverty live in rural communities.

Rural youth are one of the most vulnerable groups due to the lack of gainful employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in agriculture and related rural economic activities. At the same time, they are also the most crucial when addressing rural development. Nearly 1 billion of the world’s 1.2 billion youth aged 15-24 reside in developing countries and 88% of youth in developing countries live in rural areas; 75 million of them are unemployed.

Tourism has proven to be a tool for economic diversification and a major employment engine with a multiplier effect on other sectors that contribute to rural development . Tourism in rural areas can particularly benefit traditionally disadvantaged groups such as women – who make up 54% of the workforce in the tourism sector compared to 39% for the whole economy – youth and Indigenous people.

The recommendations proposed by the UNWTO are grouped into the following areas:

  • Placing tourism as a strategic pillar in policies for rural development
  • Tourism for the benefit and wellbeing of rural communities: building a fair, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable sector
  • New opportunities for tourism and rural development: innovation, technology, and digitalization
  • Product development and value chain integration for a sustainable and enhanced travel experience
  • Fostering sustainable policies and practices in rural destinations  

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Home > Books > Rural Areas - Development and Transformations [Working Title]

Tourism and Rural Development

Submitted: 21 December 2022 Reviewed: 20 March 2023 Published: 21 June 2023

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.111400

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Rural Areas - Development and Transformations [Working Title]

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Tourism development and the arrival of tourists have created new social and economic functions and opportunities for the residents of the villages. On the other hand, the development of residential constructions and changes in the type of traditional rural houses and their materials have created new jobs in rural areas. Although tourism has positive and favorable effects for rural areas in the recent decades, different negative effects have been imposed on the rural environment, especially in the environmental sector. Rural tourism as a subset of tourism can have effects in different dimensions not only for a country but also for rural communities. In order to this type of tourism to be in the proper process for the sustainable development of rural areas, the principles of sustainable development based on economic, social, and environmental dimensions and based on a systemic approach should be emphasized in all its stages and processes. In this chapter of the book, the relationship between tourism and rural development is emphasized through the approaches of entrepreneurship, participation, marketing, business, environment, and technology. Tourism has caused the mentioned economic and social approaches to be improved in the villages and various developments have taken place in this field.

  • rural tourism
  • development
  • entrepreneurship
  • participation
  • environment

Author Information

Hojat ollah sadeghi *.

  • Faculty of Geographical Sciences and Planning, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

Skandar Seidaiy

  • Faculty of Geographical Sciences and Planning, Department of Geography and Rural Planning, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

*Address all correspondence to: [email protected]

1. Introduction

In the last century, tourism has developed so much that it has been noticed as an industry all over the world. This industry can easily compensate problems such as unemployment and lack of income in countries and cause income creation, job creation, private sector growth, and infrastructure development in countries. This is the reason why today governments are trying to expand tourism in their country with correct and calculated planning [ 1 ]. Tourism is a complex phenomenon and due to its activity, it has consequences in social, political, cultural, and economic fields. The large volume and complexity of providing tourist services has led to the development of the travel and tourism industry [ 2 ]. Through its content and role, tourism represents a distinct field of activity and an essential part in the economic and social life of most countries in the world [ 3 ]. The tourism industry generates significant economic benefits for the host community or tourist destination. Particularly in developing countries, one of the primary motivations for a region to introduce itself as a tourist destination is the expected economic improvement [ 4 ]. Therefore, tourism has economic, social, and cultural benefits for the host community and even the tourists themselves, and these effects on a geographical area include job creation, income diversification [ 5 ]; participation, improvement of infrastructure, improvement of facilities, and environment [ 6 ].

There are various types of tourism, one of the most popular of which is rural tourism. The importance and popularity of this type of tourism is such that experts in the field of tourism believe that villages will become one of the most important destinations for tourists in the future [ 7 ]. This type of tourism shows the life, culture, art, and heritage of rural areas and benefits the local community socially and economically [ 8 ]. It also provides connections between tourists and local communities to enrich the tourist experience.

One of the most important strategies to solve the problems and challenges of rural areas is rural tourism resources. In recent decades, rural tourism has been considered as an approach for the economic development of sensitive places, especially in rural areas [ 9 ]. Tourism can have both positive and negative aspects on the livelihood of destination communities [ 10 ], which depends on various conditions and factors. Therefore, one of the strategies for the development of rural areas is to promote tourism activities, in such a way that the impact of tourism activities on rural communities and the environment has been recently noticed. The research results [ 11 ] show that if rural tourism is managed well, it can contribute significantly to the development of the rural community; otherwise, it brings negative results on the environment and the rural community. Therefore, today efforts are focused on supporting rural tourism in order to improve the quality of tourist accommodations and using information and communication technology to restore, protect, manage, and promote the great natural and cultural heritage in rural areas [ 12 ] and it is tried to use the tourism development strategy to solve rural challenges such as poverty [ 13 ], migration, improving income, diversifying jobs [ 14 ], reducing pressure on nature [ 15 ], improving the quality of life, improving the level of technology [ 16 ], improving environmental and physical conditions [ 17 ], population stability, improving public services, and socioeconomic stability [ 9 ]. Therefore, tourism as a rural development strategy, if planned and has a systematic framework, can have benefits and positive effects. Of course, what is more important in this field is knowing the important sources of tourism, because every rural area has its own capacities, tourism development should be planned based on these capacities.

In this research, an attempt has been made to point out some of the effects and developments of tourism in rural areas. Mentioning these issues can show the role of tourism in rural changes and development.

2. Research approach

The data collection method is divided into two types: theoretical literature review and based on the personal experiences of the authors. In the past years, the authors have had a large part of their studies on tourism and rural development. The result of their survey and theoretical research has formed the important and great part of this study. Mental exploration in authors’ studies along with theoretical researches in this field forms the contents of this research. Tourism has highly dependent on the place and environmental attractions and cannot know the place well without field research. Therefore, in this research, the main emphasis is on the recognition and views of the authors on tourism, the village, and their relationship with each other according to previous investigations.

3. Rural tourism and development

3.1 the concept of rural tourism.

In the definition provided by the World Tourism Organization, it emphasizes the link between the activity and experience of visitors with a wide range of products based on nature, agriculture, fishing, and the lifestyle of villagers [ 18 ]. Rural tourism can be defined as a tourism product whose approach emphasizes the importance of supply management and marketing activities. Rural tourism, as a tourism product, is a complex offering of a settlement (or a group of settlements) that includes special elements of hospitality and attractiveness, and these elements are organized into special products [ 19 ]. Based on this definition, we can enumerate the characteristics of rural tourism, one of the most important of which is the village-based activities and products of rural tourism, which must have certain characteristics. In this type of tourism, tourists are particularly interested in communicating with local communities and are interested in getting to know the lifestyle of local people [ 20 ]. Also, rural tourists tend to participate in the usual activities of the villagers’ life. That is why small and home businesses are emphasized in this type of tourism. Rural tourism as an approach or concept is used when rural culture plays a key factor of its product. In fact, rural tourism depends on the characteristics of the region where the tourism activities take place [ 21 ].

Rural tourism refers to a structured form of tourism in which tourists stay for some time in villages and surrounding areas (often traditional villages in remote areas) and get information about villages, local culture, ways of life, and customs of the people. These tourists often participate in some rural activities as well. In this type of tourism, the villagers themselves are the owners and managers of the tourism facilities and in this way directly benefit from the benefits of tourism [ 22 ]. According to “the World Conference on Rural Tourism” rural tourism includes all types of tourism with facilities and welfare services in rural areas, which allow the use of natural resources and attractions along with participation in rural life (farm and agricultural work( [ 23 ]. Tourism village is an efficient solution to increase the income of villagers ( Figure 1 ) [ 19 ].

tourism rural

The main factors in tourism.

3.2 The relationship between tourism and rural development

Rural tourism is one of the solutions for the social and economic development of rural communities. Due to the limitations of rural areas and the increase in the population of villages, the capabilities of rural tourism can be used to increase employment. Also, the natural and cultural attractions of the villages can attract the attention of tourists [ 24 ]. Rural tourism as a supplemental income can help increase the welfare of rural residents, reduce migration, and develop rural areas. Tourism increases the quality of life of residents and reduces the difference between rural and urban areas. It seems important to note that tourism cannot be the dominant part of the development of a region, but it may be a driving force with other branches of the region’s economy [ 19 ].

According to the changes that have happened intellectually, culturally and socially in the world in the last few years, the needs of tourists have changed and unlike the past, today’s tourists are looking to experience new spaces, among which nature tourism in rural spaces plays an important role [ 23 ]. Therefore, rural areas are considered a good field for the development of this type of tourism due to the abundance of natural and rich resources they have, and on the other hand, due to its nature, tourism is a very good opportunity for the development of rural areas and it can helps to revitalize villages, create employment, and income for local people [ 7 ].

Rural tourism will help to preserve the natural and cultural heritage and provide opportunities for women and youth. Research indicates that the urban population is expanding both globally and within the country, and it is predicted that by 2050, around 86% of the world’s population will be urban dwellers [ 25 ]. Therefore, according to the conditions of urban life, the need to travel in nature and rural areas will be much more. This is where rural areas become important in providing tourism opportunities to expanding urban communities. In addition, this urban population provides a very good market for rural tourism. Tourism can play an important role in diversifying the rural economy and its expansion in rural areas contributes to the stability of the population and economy of these areas and provides the basis for achieving sustainable rural development [ 26 ]. As the research of Premovic et al. (2018) also showed, the most interesting destinations for modern tourists are rural tourism destinations with untouched nature and special human values, and tourism can play an important role in maintaining and promoting rural destinations and rural development [ 27 ].

3.3 Tourism as a strategy for sustainable rural development

It can be said that tourism is a new approach (category) in rural development texts, including the approach of sustainable development, which like development, has various dimensions and effects. Therefore, the development and growth of rural tourism is often proportional to its contribution to the social and economic reform of rural areas [ 28 ]. Therefore, different views and theories can be expressed about tourism in rural areas and how it is related to rural development [ 23 ].

As some people consider tourism as the only way to grow and develop rural areas, they emphasize that the current direction of growth is led by tourism. Therefore, tourism is the main element of moving toward the revival and reconstruction of rural areas, and some people know it as a part of the tourism market and believe that it can be compared with other forms of tourism such as sun, sea, sandy beaches [ 29 ]. Some also believe that tourism can be considered as a philosophy for sustainable rural development and, from this aspect, can be presented three important views.

3.3.1 Tourism as a strategy for rural development

Rural tourism as a development strategy.

The transformation of less developed rural areas [ 23 ].

3.3.2 Tourism as a policy for the reconstruction of rural areas

In this strategy, tourism is emphasized as a main part for rural reconstruction, even in areas where tourism activities have not flourished in the past. Proponents of this theory believe that they are able to reduce the excessive reliance of rural producers on agriculture and use them in new economic opportunities. For example, in Eastern Europe, more emphasis is placed on tourism as a tool to rebuild villages after the decline of agriculture, while in Africa, more emphasis is placed on diversification of less developed rural areas.

Rural tourism as a reconstruction policy.

Reconstruction against the decline of agriculture.

Developing and improving tourism products [ 28 ].

3.3.3 Rural tourism as a strategy for sustainable development and protection of natural resources

Sustainable tourism policy in today’s world is a comprehensive approach that wants the long-term growth of the tourism industry without damaging the natural ecosystems. It also emphasizes that in the form of tourism development, humans will be able to modify or manipulate certain aspects of the environment in a positive or negative direction. For this reason, during the past few years, the concept of sustainable tourism has been advanced and common to some extent in order to respond to the threats of unorganized tourism. Sustainable tourism has studied tourism across most borders and has established a triangular relationship between the host community and its land on the one hand and the guest community (tourists) on the other hand. In the past, in this triangular relationship, the tourism industry had the first place. Currently, rural tourism aims to adjust the pressure and crisis between the three sides of the triangle and establish a balance in the long term. Also, this part of tourism aims to minimize the cultural and environmental damages, provide the satisfaction of the visitors, and in the long term, provide the preparations for the economic growth of the region and a way to obtain a balance between the final growth of tourism and the needs of protection and maintenance of natural resources ( Figure 2 ) [ 30 ].

tourism rural

The effects of rural tourism.

3.4 Tourism and rural environment

Tourism activities have complex and extensive relationships with the environment; because one of the important features of the environment is that it is an attraction for tourists [ 31 ]. On the other hand, most of the activities related to the development of tourism infrastructure and services, such as roads, hotels, restaurants and camps, may be incompatible with the environment [ 32 ]. Also, the excessive development of tourism leads to increased pressure on tourist destinations and changes in the physical texture and socioeconomic structure of the host society [ 33 ]. In addition to the social and economic consequences of the development of tourism, positive and negative environmental consequences can also be seen in various regions.

Tourism boom in every rural area also brings environmental effects, which can cause irreparable damages if the negative effects of tourism continue. The presence of tourists in the rural environment can have two positive and negative aspects. The presence of tourists in rural areas will provide positive changes in increasing environmental awareness, improving the network of rural roads, increasing visual appeal and improving rural architecture, improving the quality of residential buildings, improving the quality of religious buildings, and improving the condition of sanitary waste disposal [ 34 ]. Also, the presence of tourists in rural areas causes negative changes in natural landscapes, water pollution, air pollution, change in microclimate or local air, soil erosion, loss of diversity of plant and animal species, destruction of natural resources, increasing garbage and waste materials, and increasing illegal construction [ 35 ]. Therefore, tourism in rural environments can have extensive changes and transformations, which are from different aspects, including environmental, economic, social. These developments can have two positive and negative aspects, and its impact on the rural environment depends on various factors, including the type of tourism management.

3.5 Tourism entrepreneurship and rural development

In the tourism approach, entrepreneurship is very important. The role of tourism entrepreneurs can be vital for the development of rural areas. Therefore, it is necessary to find a new means of livelihood and an alternative for entrepreneurs. Environmentally responsible entrepreneurship can be presented based on resources and experiences derived from nature and should specially emphasize the extraordinary values of renewable natural resources [ 36 ]. Nature-based entrepreneurship can have the following characteristics: nature-based, native, local, handicraft, personal.

Companies that are active in the field of nature-based entrepreneurship are usually small. Small-scale tourism enterprises have the potential to provide the necessary force in communities to help transform local resources into tourism products and services [ 37 ]. Tourism entrepreneurship in the rural sector has the following effects.

1. Increasing employment. 2. Increasing per capita income at the national and local level. 3. Increasing national production. 4. Developing exports. 5. Cultural and artistic effects [ 38 ].

Creation of handicraft production workshops for women, including carpet weaving, rug weaving, cloth weaving, etc.

Creating industrial workshops for young people, such as making all kinds of equipment suitable for the environment, etc.

Creation of special industries for packaging rural products in agriculture and industries.

Setting up small industrial companies, women entrepreneurs in traditional sectors such as making and producing dolls and toys.

Creating companies in the field of tourism villages.

Setting up handicraft sales centers in tourist villages in line with entrepreneurship.

Providing various services to tourists and creating service entrepreneurship, for example, in the field of accommodation, nutrition, health, tourist guidance [ 39 ].

The ability to discover opportunities, provide the necessary financial resources, identify the best places and sites, hire designers for physical development, provide human resources needed to manage physical facilities and services for the development of tourism is very important [ 40 ]. Due to the constant and successive changes in the needs of tourists, the tourism industry needs innovative and creative solutions to survive and develop, which is achieved through entrepreneurship [ 41 ].

In today’s world, entrepreneurship is one of the most important aspects of tourism, which is increasingly important [ 42 ]. Because the changes made in the combination of income generation and society’s economy are among the factors that show the necessity of entrepreneurship in tourism more and more. It can be said that entrepreneurship in rural tourism means using creativity and innovation in tourism-related activities. It should be noted that simply having innovation and creativity alone will not lead to the emergence of entrepreneurship, unless it is combined with managerial capabilities and functions [ 43 ].

In rural tourism entrepreneurship, it is believed that economic, political, and social conditions exist as a motivating force for progress, and entrepreneurial activities must be supported by society and governing institutions [ 44 ].

Encouraging creativity, encouraging innovation and its development, increasing self-confidence, creating and developing processes, creating wealth in the tourism sector and finally in society and increasing public welfare.

Increasing the profits and capital of investors and ensuring the well-being of the tourism sector and ultimately social well-being.

Transformation of values and transformation of their nature in creating new values in tourism.

Filling gaps in the labor market, that is, new decisions are made according to the transformation of the labor market conditions and the provision of new opportunities. Transition from economic stagnation, compensating for economic backwardness and facilitating the process of rural growth and development.

Preventing the backwardness of the economy during the crisis and the inability of economic sectors to create employment.

Cultural development and elimination of social anomalies by establishing communication with different tourists in rural areas [ 37 ].

3.6 Tourism and rural businesses

Business can be defined as a state of employment in general, including activities that include production, purchase of goods, and services with the aim of selling them in order to earn profit [ 45 ]. One of the topics that can be the basis for new jobs and businesses in villages is tourism business. Therefore, rural development is more dependent on the phenomenon of tourism businesses than in the past. Institutions and personalities promoting rural development consider new businesses as a strategic intervention that can accelerate the process of rural development, but it seems that they agree on the need to expand rural economic enterprises [ 37 ].

Tourism businesses are a central force for achieving economic growth and development. Without it, other development factors will be wasted. Accepting this point alone cannot lead to rural development and promotion of economic activities. There are non-agricultural uses of existing resources such as tourism and examples of diversification into non-agricultural activities in the fields of water resources, forest lands, construction, existing skills, and local capabilities, all of which are appropriate for new rural businesses. This issue has a lot of power in the tourism issue, because both directly and indirectly, it creates new businesses in the field of tourism [ 46 ].

What can be used to define the category of rural entrepreneurship includes business. This definition can be put forward in this way “Innovative use of village resources and facilities in order to hunt business opportunities.” Due to the small size of the villages, these types of businesses are on a small scale and are often between 10 and 20 people, and due to the predominance of agricultural and workshop activities, they have special efficiency. According to the changes of the current era and the entry into the information society, rural tourism businesses have also undergone changes and transformations and all kinds of service, production, and industrial and information technology businesses can be seen in it [ 47 ].

Among the specific examples of business in the tourism sector, ecotourism can be mentioned. Ecotourism is one of the opportunities of sustainable tourism, the growing process of which is accelerating, and its enthusiasts are increasing day to day, both as hosts and as guests. In recent years, various ecotourism centers have been established. Ecotourism, in simple terms, is “creating and developing local and simple accommodation and catering conditions in different areas of old rural contexts, whose architecture is compatible with the natural environment, and has services such as providing traditional and local food and drinks [ 47 ]”.

Building a local residence or hotel is another example of tourism capacities in the field of business [ 36 ]. Rural tourism businesses include various cases, but in general, food, accommodation, medical and transportation businesses can be mentioned.

3.7 Technology in rural tourism

Information and communication technology or ICT plays a key and important role in the tourism industry and its integration with tourism is vital for its success [ 48 ]. ICT empowers consumers to identify, order, and purchase tourism products and supports the globalization of the industry by providing tools to develop, manage, and distribute offers.

Information and communication technology, especially the Internet, empowers the new tourist to gain information with a special credit of money and time [ 37 ]. These searchers are not interested in crowded packages and are more interested in planning and making their own choices. Because packages containing tour information are lost through the production of dynamic packages produced by active companies in favor of independent organized tourism facilities. In a situation where people’s patience is very low, permanent applicants do not want to delay and wait. The key to success is quickly identify the needs of the applicant and provide them with the daily services and facilities in a way that satisfies their needs [ 49 ]. Impact and high speed of ICT in rural tourism, infrastructure, and application software are critical. ICT allows customer relationship management and supply chain management to combine into one resource that facilitates a variety of operations, product selection, ordering, research, tracking and payment, and reporting with one of these. On the other hand, the development of ICT has caused a change in supply and demand. Unique options, quality of information, personal leisure time, and tourist behavior are among the factors that increase the functionality of ICT. Information and communication technology has also increased the quality of travel, so that more searches are made about travel and more information is obtained in this field, which is possible to better understand the needs of customers and provide them with the required services.

Therefore, today’s world has inevitably become a global village with wide and deep connections. On the other hand, with the passage of time, tourism has become an income generating and saving industry for different countries. In such a way that the incomes from it in some countries are several times the oil rich incomes of other countries [ 50 ].

The need to pay attention to tourism and use new technologies in order to expand it and use its countless economic benefits for countries and follow the relationship between the development of information and communication technology and the development of tourism has made it necessary [ 49 ]. Tourism, in relation to the technological and economic platforms resulting from globalization, is considered a solid principle in economic policies in the third millennium.

The developments resulting from the above discussions in relation to tourism have led to the formation of electronic tourism on the one hand, and on the other hand, to the formation of virtual tourism. With the rapid growth of information technology in the framework of the electronic exchange system, marketing and travel have become faster, more cost-effective and have opened up new markets in the tourism industry [ 51 ].

In general, the use of information and communication technology and its expansion in the field of tourism supply and demand caused tourists to evaluate and check the status of destinations before traveling and form a virtual experience in the framework of the tourist perspective. Also, this has provided the grounds for the democratization of choosing destinations for travel, which has been facilitated on the basis of liberalism resulting from globalization. This shows the flexibility of providing the tourism product in relation to the supply, which crystallizes the timely production of the post-Fordism production method. In other words, the tourism product in a special variety includes responding to the personal and high demand of tourists and enables tourists to choose tourist destinations for travel in line with their personal motivations and desires [ 23 ].

The development of information and communication technology in tourism can lead to the development of rural tourism [ 52 ]. The development of ICT in the rural tourism sector has been booming and expanding during the last two decades. ICT can be very effective in the sustainable development of rural tourism. This influence can be seen in various dimensions of information, advertising, introduction of tourist attractions, production of tourism database, marketing of rural products, protection of natural environment in line with tourism development, etc. In order to be able to use the development capacities of information and communication technology in rural tourism, first of all, different infrastructures in this field should be provided in the villages [ 51 ].

In general, information and communication technology in sustainable rural development and especially the development of rural tourism can bring about extensive social, economic, and environmental changes. The effects of this approach in rural areas lead to their economic prosperity. Because there are various capacities in the field of tourism and economy that technology can be useful in this field. Of course, there should be proper management in this field so that the negative consequences of technology do not disturb the life of the rural community and do not threaten the tourism of these areas. Information and communication technology can play a significant role in the prosperity of handicrafts, which is one of the sectors of rural tourism. This is because purchasing various products, including handicrafts, is one of the most important revenue-generating industries in tourism [ 23 ].

The first step in communication and information technology in rural tourism is to create a strong and usable database. This bank consists of objectives, products, and suitable facilities in this field. The existence of a database is one of the tools of this technology, and with its use and regular planning, extensive activities can be carried out at a high speed. The costs associated with creating a database can be very high compared to not establishing it and instead focusing on the growth and promotion of the industry.

4. The first step

Knowing government organizations related to the tourism industry, NGOs and tourism companies, recreational tours, student tours, people interested in tourism, and recording this information in the database is the first step. For example, assume the above groups are customers and the tourism organization is the marketer. The first activity of a marketer is to know the objectives, strong communication, and accurate identification of the market in order to be able to provide the best type of goods according to their demands by receiving the opinions and demands of the customers [ 23 ].

5. The second step

Accurately knowing the tourist attractions of rural areas and collecting their detailed information and registering them in the database. These attractions can be divided as follows: historical, natural, recreational, pilgrimage, industrial, scientific, research, sports, therapeutic, exhibitions and other natural factors such as weather, soil, mineral resources [ 23 ].

6. The third step

Collecting all the information available in rural areas such as hotels, restaurants, camps, streets, medical centers, banks, bank tellers, residences, accesses is the next step. After collecting information and registering them in the database, the first stage of this technology in the field of tourism has been completed [ 23 ].

6.1 Environmental approach in rural tourism

All human activities, including tourism, occur within and depend on the environment [ 7 ]. Therefore, tourism activity and the environment are two inseparable phenomena that will have diverse effects on each other. In fact, from this point of view, the relationship between tourism and the environment is not only a negative relationship, but its extent is emphasized by defining the acceptance capacity of the environment and environmental considerations. Of course, unreasonable population growth along with various problems in the field of sustainable development such as poverty and inequality, lack of proper education and health, environmental problems, desertification, soil erosion, weather, biodiversity extinction, problems related to waste materials exposed to destruction are all significant issues [ 23 ]. In order to avoid the absolute destruction of the environment, all people (both officials and people) at the global or national level, and especially at the local level, must understand the important fact that progress and development in any sector, including tourism, must have a sustainable process and its fruits will benefit not only the current generations but also the future generations.

Tourism development policies should consider the principles and goals of sustainable development that can be considered in the concept of tourism projects. Another reason why the role of tourism should be examined is its complex relationship with the natural environment, which is stated in the 1972 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the World’s Cultural Heritage and Natural Environment. We must remember that heritage has a very broad concept that includes natural landscapes, archeological sites, and the built environment in addition to cultural and scientific behaviors and all of these are related to sustainable development and tourism management [ 53 ].

The relationship between rural tourism and the environment seems complicated, but this relationship includes activities that can have adverse environmental effects. Many of these effects are related to the creation of public infrastructure such as roads and different facilities such as residences, hotels, restaurants, shops [ 54 ]. The negative effects of rural tourism development can destroy environmental resources. But the tourism industry has a high potential to create beneficial effects on the environment with various cooperations in preserving the environment. It is a solution to increase awareness of environmental values and can act as a tool for financial protection of natural resources and increasing economic importance [ 7 ].

This industry has a high potential in increasing the protection of the environment and spreading the awareness of environmental problems, because rural tourism puts people in closer contact with nature and the environment. This communication itself can increase the awareness of environmental values and cause environmentally conscious behavior and activities to protect it [ 55 ].

Therefore, it is very important to mention that tourism does not always cause environmental problems. These problems are due to lack of proper management. In addition, in some cases where sustainable management of environmental resources has been carried out in rural areas, tourism has had positive effects on sustainable rural development and has also contributed to the economic prosperity of rural areas. The development of ecotourism in a number of tourist villages has not only harmed the environment there, but has also helped to preserve the environment and strengthen the economy of the villages. In general, tourism can have both positive and negative effects on the environment.

6.2 Tourism marketing and rural development

Currently, tourism and tourism marketing are becoming one of the main pillars of the rural economy. Also, development planners and policymakers refer to the rural tourism marketing industry as the main pillar of sustainable development [ 56 ]. In this regard, rural tourism is considered to be a part of the tourism industry, which can play an effective role in the development and development of villages and, as a result, development and diversification of the village economy, with proper planning and identification of opportunities.

One of the effective factors in marketing is advertisement. In general, lack of centralized advertising and marketing can be one of the obstacles to the development of the tourism industry [ 57 ]. Today, in the tourism industry, advertising should be used professionally as the most important tool. Because professional advertisement can be considered as a winning tool for the advancement of cultural goals inside and outside. Otherwise, it is a waste of time, capital, and energy [ 57 ].

Advertisements at the macro-level and relying on internal and external policies

Advertisements at the individual level and based on thematic issues

Advertisements at the macro-level and based on different devices of communication

Advertisements on a large scale and using the assistance provided by the government

Advertisements on a macro-level based on business needs from the private sector [ 23 ].

Determining the objectives of the advertisement

Avoiding tasteism and designing expressive and expressive form and content

Identifying suitable media for advertising

Allocation of sufficient funds

Applying innovative and new methods, in sync with today’s values and technology

Identify ways to reach effective advertising

Correct exploitation of advertising centers after choosing them [ 23 ].

So it is true that in today’s world, marketing efforts are much more important than production and sales. If a country has tourist facilities and attractions, but does not include the methods of introducing these attractions and potentials and offering them to the target market in its grand plan, it will definitely not be successful. On the other hand, considering the many problems that exist in some countries on the way to the growth and development of the tourism industry and attracting tourists, the role and importance of using professional and modern marketing and large investments in this regard becomes much more visible [ 58 ].

Of course, marketing is also true in the field of rural tourism, because rural tourism is a type of tourism. Taking a close look at the state of this type of tourism and the challenges facing it, it can be concluded that one of the main factors in rural tourism not being able to have a proper place is the lack of advertising and marketing in this field. Because rural geographical areas are virgin and attractive areas for tourists, but due to the weakness of marketing and the lack of extensive advertising with various methods of internet, media, television, etc., significant growth and development has not been formed in this field. Therefore, adopting favorable policies and laws in the field of rural tourism marketing is essential, because it can play a major role in the prosperity of this industry.

Rural tourism marketing cannot be evaluated properly. Because, firstly, marketing has not happened as it should for different products and different sectors, and what we have seen has been limited. Secondly, in other economic sectors of the village, including the agricultural sector, the villagers are currently facing different problems in selling their products. Therefore, tourism is also considered a part of the rural economy and is affected by its developments. Therefore, when there is no change in the marketing of other economic sectors of the village, tourism is not excluded from this situation [ 23 ].

As mentioned earlier, rural areas relying on their social, cultural, natural, handicraft, agricultural, animal husbandry, etc., capacities and attractions can bring about various developments in the field of tourism, and in order to form its basic and systematic framework, various factors should be considered. Marketing is one of the first actions and influencing factors [ 59 ].

To promote rural products, enhance the capacity of rural and nomadic communities to welcome and host tourists, ensure that local customs and cultures align with the development of tourism, establish a clear market for product sales, provide necessary services to tourists, carry out effective advertising and information campaigns to promote rural areas and address other related factors, are all crucial for attracting tourists to rural destinations.

All these actions are done if marketing is emphasized in rural tourism, Because all these things can be solved in the field of marketing. What can be inferred in rural tourism today is that marketing does not have such a strong position in this field and it seems that there was no accurate planning and foresight based on the sustainable development approach for this important factor in the field of tourism. Therefore, it is an undeniable necessity to pay attention to this issue in the discussion of rural tourism today.

6.3 Participation approach in rural tourism

In tourism in general and rural tourism as a service and human-oriented industry, the constructive role of people for development should not be overlooked. Looking at the people in this industry should not only look at the consumer and that only a certain group of society is responsible for production and supply. People should be involved in the development of this industry and decision-making and policies so that they participate in the implementation of programs and get to know the problems, obstacles, and benefits of this industry well. Among the various factors and elements in the development of this industry, people’s participation should be considered as the axis and indicator of development [ 60 ]. The importance of participation is especially evident in rural areas, and this issue depends on the views of the officials of each region, both public and private [ 61 ]. Attracting the participation of local people, as a visa for the youth of the region, will not only contribute to economic development and job creation in each region, but will also strengthen the cultural development and awareness of local values in the local people of the region. Also, since sustainable rural tourism seeks to improve the quality of life of local residents, enhance the experiences of tourists and protect the environment of the destination, it is inseparably related to people and society, and the participation of local communities is essential for the continuation and development of fundamental planning for the development and management of the tourism industry [ 23 ].

The participation of rural people in the development of tourism is part of a global movement, and for this reason, global programs such as the Comprehensive Tourism Program emphasize the development of tourism at the regional and local levels with the participation of local people. Experience has shown that the output of a large part of the tourism effects of studies of the attitudes of residents in host communities is the need to increase public participation and especially the attitude of developing the destination with a greater focus on the community. Of course, to achieve this, we need new cooperative attitudes in tourism [ 62 ].

Participation of the local community is a real element in the realization of tourism plans and solutions.

The participation of the local community contributes to the sustainable development of tourism in several aspects.

The participation of the local community increases tourism satisfaction and the continuation of tourism.

Local community participation is a way for tourism professionals to prepare better tourism programs.

Local community participation helps in fair distribution of tourism costs and benefits among community members.

Local community participation provides local needs.

The participation of the local community leads to the strengthening of the process of establishing democracy in tourism destination [ 23 ].

So, in general, the participation of rural people in the tourism process, from planning to executive and operational stages, is essential for the development of this sector. The presence and participation of local communities can solve problems and obstacles in this direction and provides the basis for maximum use of the capacities of the tourism sector in rural areas. The experiences of different countries, especially in East Asia, from the discussion of people’s participation in the development of rural areas confirm this issue well. In fact, achieving the sustainable development of rural tourism can only happen through the cooperation and active participation of people and officials of all institutions. Perhaps the biggest reason for the failure of rural development and tourism programs is the lack of people’s participation [ 23 ]. Therefore, the current situation of planning and development of tourism in rural areas on the one hand and the lack of proper results from these plans on the other hand, doubles the necessity of attention and emphasis on participatory planning.

6.4 Tourism development in sample villages

In the end, two tourism villages in Iran are introduced as examples, which have accepted changes and developments in terms of economy, infrastructure, culture, etc., as a result of the development of tourism.

6.4.1 Shayvand village in Khuzestan Province, Iran

Shayvand village is located in Khuzestan Province in the southwest of Iran. Shayvand village has unique attractions for tourism due to its proximity to the dam lake and the Karun river on one side and the Zagros mountain range with its oak forests, rivers, waterways, waterfalls, rocks, and the favorable nature on the other hand.

Shayvand region is a part of Shalo- and Mongasht-protected areas. Shayvand waterfall is one of the most important attractions of this village. The height of this waterfall is 90 meters and it is located on the eastern slopes of Mongasht Mountain. Although the existence of the waterfall has made Shayvand village known as a tourist village, in addition to all these beauties, there are ancient monuments in this village that prove its historical antiquity. Among these tourist attractions, you can visit an old caravanserai from the Safaviyeh period, a cemetery, a castle belonging to the third and fourth millennia BC, as well as Mohammad Imamzadeh, an old dungeon (it was once used as a prison and is 25 meters deep) and also mentioned prominent inscriptions around the village.

The tourist attractions of this village have attracted tourists and developed its tourism in such a way that part of the economic structures of the village have moved toward tourism and tourism plays an important role in the economy of this village. In addition, culturally and socially, due to the arrival of tourists, this village has received various impacts.

Among the most important changes in this village with regard to tourism development, we can mention the diversity of employment, handicrafts development, women participation, the improvement of the village environment, entrepreneurship, the improvement of the village road and technology development in the village ( Figure 3 ) [ 23 ].

tourism rural

Shayvand village.

6.4.2 Ziarat village in Golestan Province

Ziarat village is located seven kilometers from Gorgan city in Golestan Province of Iran, which is connected to Naharkhoran by a beautiful forest road. Ziarat village attracts tourists with its tourist attractions such as Imamzadeh, hot mineral water, waterfall, towering and green mountains, pleasant weather. Tourism development in this village has caused developments and changes in terms of facilities and services. Today, there are all kinds of services such as shops, local residences, hotels, repair shops, restaurants, banks, and other centers in this village and different needs of tourists are provided in different dimensions. Another noteworthy point about this village is the change in the architectural style of the houses, which are almost similar to urban houses in terms of architecture. In other words, its texture is close to urban texture.

Tourism in this village has had various effects, the most important of which are women employment, the development of handicrafts and indigenous crafts, income improvement, the increase of facilities, the increase of ecotourism houses, health promotion, youth entrepreneurship, Internet expansion, and people participation in tourism projects [ 23 ] ( Figure 4 ).

tourism rural

Ziarat village.

7. Conclusion

Rural tourism is one of the main structural and functional indicators of development programs in many countries of the world and is an important part of economic activities and creating infrastructure to achieve sustainable development. Rural tourism is a type of tourism in the rural environment that emphasizes the traditional culture and texture of the village, rural arts and industries, and traditional customs and it can play an effective role in the development of rural areas by proper and principled planning, identifying its advantages and limitations. Rural tourism brings benefits to the society of rural areas. When tourists visit rural areas, they support the local economy and contribute in different ways. Rural tourism contributes to the development of rural areas and the standard of living of host communities.

Rural tourism is a type of growing tourism and it is not just about staying at a farm or visiting rural areas, it is more than that. Rural tourism works for the benefit of the host community of rural areas as well as the surrounding natural environment through the preservation and protection of natural resources. Creating diverse jobs, improving income, improving services and facilities, cultural interactions, modifying behavioral patterns, improving infrastructure, creating suitable housing, environmental changes, women’s participation, entrepreneurship, marketing, growth of local handicrafts, selling products, etc., are the most important the effects of tourism development in rural areas.

Tourism can be very effective in rural development through various drivers. The relationship between tourism and rural development can be improved through entrepreneurship, partnership, marketing, business, environment and technology approaches. In other words, rural areas have various economic and social capacities, and adopting the appropriate approach and framework for their exploitation is considered an important issue. In this direction and for rural development based on tourism, appropriate approach should be adopted according to local conditions and natural and human characteristics. Therefore, tourism has caused the economic and social approaches mentioned in the villages to be improved and various developments have taken place in this field. Therefore, entrepreneurship can provide favorable platforms for the development of tourism through the creation of diverse economic and social structures in the tourism sector, because entrepreneurship is based on creativity and innovation, and considering that tourism is also moving toward creativity in the current era, and these two approaches, entrepreneurship and tourism, can complement each other. Also, we cannot ignore the important role of technology in this field, because technology also plays an important role in accelerating various services and processes of tourism and rural development. Community-based participation, importance to environmental issues, and creating businesses suitable for tourism in rural areas are also other economic and social approaches to tourism development in rural areas. The result of adopting and implementing these approaches in rural areas with a focus on tourism can lead to the development of rural areas.

In other words, the result of these changes and effects can lead to sustainable tourism development and the framework of rural sustainable development with regard to tourism can be very effective. Therefore, rural tourism can be a very important factor in shaping sustainable rural development, and this issue is realized through various social, economic, and environmental factors and indicators ( Figure 5 ).

tourism rural

The sustainable development of rural tourism.

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  • 54. Rasekhi S, Karimi S, Mohammadi S. Environmental impacts of tourism a case study of selected developing and developed countrie. Journal of Tourism Planning and Development. 2016; 5 (16):71-94. Available from: https://tourismpd.journals.umz.ac.ir/?_action=articleInfo&article=1237&lang=en&lang=fa&lang=en
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  • 58. Safari Siahkalroodi E, Abbasi E, Nasimi MA, Saiedi P. Presenting a rural tourism marketing model with a qualitative approach theme analysis (case study: Rudsar city). Journal of Studies of Human Settlements Planning. 2022; 15 (4):45-65. Available from: https://jshsp.rasht.iau.ir/article_688091.html?lang=en
  • 59. Badri A, Hesam M, Cheraghi M. An analysis of the factors impacting rural tourism marketing in a metropolitan rural area from the viewpoints of experts case study: Northern part of the Tehran metropolis. Tourism Planning and Development. 2014; 2 (7):82-105. Available from: https://tourismpd.journals.umz.ac.ir/?_action=articleInfo&article=591&lang=en
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© 2023 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Rural Tourism

The concept of rural tourism is by no means well defined and is subject to a number of interpretation. Fleischer and Pizam associate rural tourism with the ‘country vacation’ where the tourist spends the vast proportion of his/her vacation period engaging in recreational activities in a rural environment on a farm, ranch, country home, or the surrounding areas.

OECD defines the rural area as , ” at the local level, a population density of 150 persons per square kilometer is the preferred criterion. At the regional level, geographic units are grouped by the share of their population that is rural into the following three types: predominantly rural (50%), significantly rural (15-50%) and predominantly urbanized regions (15%).

The Council of Europe employed the term ‘ rural area ‘ to denote the following characteristics:

A stretch of inland or coastal countryside, including small towns and villages, where the main part of the area is used for:

  • Agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and fisheries.
  • Economic and cultural activities of country-dwellers.
  • Non-urban recreation and leisure areas or nature reserves.
  • Other purposes such as housing.

According to Dernoi , rural tourism might be conceived as tourism activities in a ‘non-urban territory where human (land-related economic) activity is going on, primarily agriculture: a permanent human presence seems a qualifying requirement’.

The OECD states rural tourism should be:

  • Located in rural areas.
  • Functionally rural, built upon the rural world’s special features; small-scale enterprises, open space, contact with nature and the natural world, heritage, traditional societies, and traditional practices.
  • Rural in scale – both in terms of building and settlements – and therefore, small scale.
  • Traditional in character, growing slowly and organically, and connected with local families.
  • Sustainable – in the sense that its development should help sustain the special rural character of an area, and in the sense that its development should be sustainability in its use of resources.
  • Of many different kinds, representing the complex pattern of the rural environment, economy, and history.

Types and Forms of Rural Tourism

Any forms of tourism that showcases the rural life, art, culture, and heritage at rural locations, thereby benefiting the local community economically and socially as well as enabling interaction between the tourists and the locals for a more enriching tourism experience can be termed as rural tourism.

A variety of terms are employed to describe tourism activity in rural areas: agritourism, farm tourism, rural tourism, soft tourism, alternative tourism, eco-tourism , and several others, which have a different meaning from one country to another, and indeed from one country to another.

The term ‘rural tourism’ has been adopted by the European Community (EC) to refer to all tourism activity in a rural area.

Types and forms of rural tourism are following as:

Agritourism: although often used to describe all tourism activities in rural areas, more frequently either term relates to tourism products which are ‘directly connected with the agrarian environment, agrarian products or agrarian stays’: staying at farm, whether in rooms or camping, educational visits, meals, recreational activities, and the sale of farm product or handicrafts.

Farm Tourism: explicitly farm-related and most usually associated with tourism involving staying in farm accommodation and seeking experiences from farm operations and attractions.

Wilderness and Forest Tourism: tourist explores the wilderness and natural beauty of the rural area. It may be implicitly included within notions of rural tourism, or they may be regarded as separate. In wilderness and forest tourism, tourists travel to the natural habitat of plants and animals.

It mostly encompasses non-consumptive interactions with wildlife and nature, such as observing and photographing animals in their natural habitats. Wilderness and forest tourism includes various tourism activities such as wild photography, safari, bird watching, trekking, and hiking etc.

Green Tourism: green tourism refers to tourism in the countryside or green areas. It is more commonly used to describe forms of tourism that are considered to be more environmentally friendly than traditional, mass tourism . In rural areas, green tourism is an important form of rural tourism.

Green tourism is portrayed as an approach to tourism development which seeks to develop a symbiotic relationship with the physical and social environment on which it depends and implicitly seeks to attain sustainability ideals.

Ecotourism: it is a form of nature tourism (tourism to natural, unspoiled areas) which assumes active promotion of environmental conservation and direct benefits for local societies and cultures, together with the provision for tourists of a positive, educative experience. Ecotourism is a group of sustainable tourism activities occurred in the natural environment.

Rural Tourism Activities

Various estimates suggest that tourism in rural areas makes up 10 to 20% of all tourism activity, and a Eurobarometer survey reported that 23% of European holidaymakers choose the countryside or rural areas as a destination every year.

Various cultural and nature-based activities occur in rural areas. The rural environment has a long history of being managed for recreational purposes, and this symbiotic relationship has had important impacts on both environment and activities.

A range of tourism and recreation activities are found in the countryside. We can categorize these activities on the bases of their nature. Types of rural tourism activities are following as:

  • Cultural activities
  • Water-related activities
  • Health-related activities
  • Aerial activities
  • Passive activities
  • Sporting activities
  • Hallmark events
  • Business-related activities

Touring include various tourism activities such as hiking, horse riding, touring in gypsy caravans, motorized touring, small village/town touring, cycling, adventure holiday or wilderness holidays.

Various cultural related tourism activities are found in rural areas. Archaeology, restoration sites rural heritage studies, museums, courses in crafts, artistic expression workshops are some examples of the cultural activities of rural tourism.

Fishing, swimming, river tourism, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, speedboat racing, sailing are some examples of water-related activities of rural tourism .

A variety of sporting activities of rural tourism are found in rural areas. Some examples are potholing, rock climbing, orienteering, Tennis, Golf, low-intensity downhill skiing, and hunting.

Health-related activities such as fitness training, assault course, spa and health resorts are the popular activities of rural tourism. A large group of tourists travels to rural areas for the sole purpose of health improvement through health-related tourism activities.

Passive activities such as relaxation holidays in the rural milieu, nature study in outdoor settings including birdwatching and photography, landscape appreciation are also some famous activities of rural tourism.

Importance and Benefits of Rural Tourism

Rural tourism is an important form of tourism sector which plays an important role and gives many benefits to rural areas community. When tourists travel to rural areas, they support the local economy and helps in various way. Rural tourism helps in the development of rural areas and living standards of host communities.

Some importance and benefits of rural tourism are following as:

  • Provides a source of new, alternative or supplementary income and employment in rural areas.
  • Rural tourism spurs infrastructure development in rural areas.
  • Help to reduce gender and other social power
  • Encourage collective community
  • Reinvigorate local culture.
  • Instill the sense of local pride, self-esteem, and identity
  • Contribution to conservation and protection.
  • Increase the living standards of the local community.
  • Assists refurbishment and re-use of abandoned properties.
  • Provide opportunities for retaining population in areas that might otherwise experience depopulation.
  • Enable areas to be repopulated.

Rural tourism is a growing form of tourism. It is not just farm stays or visits to rural areas. It is more than that. Rural tourism benefits the host community of rural areas as well as surrounding natural environment through preservation and conservation of natural resources.

Rural Tourism Issues and Challenges

The major issues and challenges of rural tourism need to preserve the environment an natural resources, the need of education, proper understanding for both tourists and local people, and the need to generate a democratic movement which helps people at all levels to participate in tourism development.

Some important issues and challenges of rural tourism are following as:

  • Economic Leakages.
  • Local price inflation.
  • Distort local employment structure.
  • Seasonal patterns of demands.
  • Manufacture or distort local ‘culture’ for commodification and staged authenticity.
  • Destroy indigenous culture.
  • Natural habitat destruction of rural wildlife.
  • Littering, emission and other forms of pollution.
  • Congestion.

The cooperative system in rural tourism can be an effective approach in bringing positive impact in rural areas. Local people can monitor and control the negative impacts of rural tourism on their own society, if they have an equal stake and authority in management and development.

Characteristics of Rural Tourism

The concept of rural tourism has a noble cause. It is another kind of sustainable tourism that exploits resources in rural regions, causes little or no harmful impact, and generates increasing benefits to rural areas in term of rural productivity, employment, improved distribution of wealth, conservation of the rural environment and culture, local people’s involvement, and a suitable way of adapting traditional beliefs and values to modern time.

Some characteristics features of rural tourism are following as:

  • Seasonality
  • Fragmentation
  • External market needed
  • Co-operation needed between internal and external market
  • Role of women
  • Economic role: side income for farmers and other entrepreneurs in the rural area.

Rural tourism could help in boosting the local performing arts and help conserve the local culture and can prevent rural migration. Rural tourism could attract the tourists by providing an excellent glimpse of the village ambiance with local cuisine.

Rural Tourism Development

Rural tourism development is more than just a planned process. Using an actor-oriented approach, it can be seen as a dynamic, on-going socially constructed and negotiated process that involves many social actors who continuously reshape and transform it to fit it to their perceptions, needs, values, and agendas.

Rural tourism development attracted increasing in the 1990s and a growing literature has contributed to our understanding of it as an evolving phenomenon.

According to Long and Lane, rural tourism has moved into its second phase of development, it’s first having been characterized by growth in participation, product and business development, and partnership. In their review of rural tourism development, Long and Lane argue that rural tourism- at least in Europe and North America – is entering a more complex phase of expansion, differentiation, consolidation, and understanding.

Its second predicted to be more complex, and is likely to be, given the questions that remain regarding its place in policy, its integration in practice, and its dynamic role within the restructuring countryside and within wider tourism development processes.

As tourism continues to be developed in rural areas in order to counter the economic decline in the primary production sectors, the need for sustainable forms of development is recognized. Since the early 1990s, the concept of sustainable tourism development has achieved almost universal acceptance as a desirable and appropriate approach to, and goal of, tourism development.

Rural tourism development has been driven by the need for economic growth and diversification and it is important, therefore, that tourism’s potential contribution to rural economic growth is not diluted by the over-specificity of principles of sustainable tourism.

UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

UNWTO Identifies Priorities for Boosting Rural Tourism Potential

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UNWTO Identifies Priorities for Boosting Rural Tourism Potential

  • All Regions
  • 17 May 2023

UNWTO has launched a new report to determine the status of rural tourism in its Member States and identify the main challenges and opportunities of tourism as a driver for rural development from a policy perspective.

" Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective - Results of the UNWTO Survey on Tourism for Rural Development to Member States " represents the first baseline document of UNWTO on tourism and rural development with the participation of Member States worldwide.   

Key Findings: Rural Tourism for Opportunity

  • More than half of all Member States (59%) stated that rural tourism is a priority
  • Almost all Member States (96%) foresee a better future for rural tourism in the upcoming years
  • The creation of new jobs, improvement of livelihoods and fighting depopulation were the most frequently-cited opportunities offered by tourism for rural areas
  • Member States also identified the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage and environmental protection as among the biggest potential benefits of rural tourism  

Main Challenges in Rural Areas   

The UNWTO research also identified three main challenges associated with realizing the potential of tourism for rural development:

  • The "infrastructure gap" in rural areas. Deficiencies in roads, ports, airports and other infrastructure that allow access to rural areas remain a challenge for the surveyed countries.  
  • Rural depopulation. Seasonality and farming product competitiveness add to this challenge, increasing the instability of rural businesses, which prevents the retention of population and human resources.
  • The lack of education and training, as well as skills development, in addition to the capacity to attract and retain workforce talent.  

Other challenges include limitations in accessing financial systems, restrictions in the development of innovative tourism products in rural areas, managing the impacts of degradation of natural resources, and limitations in handling data, digitalization, and knowledge management. 

UNWTO: Advancing Tourism for the SDGs

In terms of how tourism can help in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNWTO Member States emphasized the potential of rural tourism for advancing SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

The report was launched during the 118th Session of the UNWTO Executive Council in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  It forms part of the work of UNWTO's Tourism for Rural Development Programme , established to develop initiatives and programmes to grow the sector in size and relevance as well as to monitor it in destinations worldwide.

Related links

  • Download the News Release in PDF
  • “Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective - Results of the UNWTO Survey on Tourism for Rural Development to Member States”
  • UNWTO: Rural Tourism
  • Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO
  • Executive Council - 118th session

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Guide for rural tourism.

Guide is created with primary purpose to provide useful tools for women from rural areas willing to start a business in rural tourism

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The Guide for rural tourism deals primarily with rural tourism on rural farms (agritourism) and provides a wealth of useful information, advices and recommendations that can be practically applied very simply.

Rural tourism has a high potential to stimulate local economic growth and social change because of its complementarity with other economic activities, its contribution to GDP and job creation, and its capacity to promote the dispersal of demand in time (fight seasonality) and along a wider territory.

UNWTO understands Rural Tourism as “… a type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle / culture, angling and sightseeing”.

If you are interested in starting the business in rural tourism, you can access the knowledge base and test your skills and potentials HERE .

All tools are available in English, Serbian, Croatian and Slovene.

Guide is created within the project “New Sustainable Rural Tourism Learning Opportunities for Women in Border Areas – New Low” which is implemented within Erasmus+ Programme.

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Sabah’s rural tourism efforts draw attention in Europe

  • Sabah & Sarawak

Thursday, 07 Mar 2024

Related News

Amanah hoping to contest in upcoming Sabah election

Amanah hoping to contest in upcoming Sabah election

Sabah local authorities told to reduce the number of squatter colonies, ‘don’t delay resolving sabah water woes’.

Bangkuai (left) exchanging ideas with Wong (right), ECTAA president Frank Ostdam (second left) and director of Dutch Association of Travel and Tours Frank Radstake (second right) at the Matta “Sustainable Exchange" session.

KOTA KINABALU: Europeans are impressed with Sabah’s aggressive efforts to promote community-driven tourism in rural areas.

The initiative by state tourism authorities had earned praise from the European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Association (ECTAA).

ECTAA secretary-general (European Union) Erik Dresin said such initiatives are commendable because of the emphasis given to sustainability in its implementation.

"Environmental protection is imperative, including in the rural areas, to ensure sustainability in tourism," Dresin said.

He was speaking at a "Sustainability Exchange '' session organised by the Malaysian Travel and Tours Association (Matta) on the sidelines of the Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) Berlin, the world's largest travel trade shows in the German capital.

Dresin was responding to a discussion by Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai and its chief executive officer Julinus Jimit on the development of community-based (COBT) tourism in the rural areas of Sabah at the session.

Bangkuai told the session that Sabah's COBT initiative had raised greater awareness among the rural folks on the need to protect and conserve the environment to ensure sustainable tourism.

"Sabah's COBT is not just about a community coming together to develop rural tourism as a source of income, but it has also generated awareness on preserving nature," he said.

Bangkuai, who was also state Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister, called on the ECTAA to support Sabah's community-based tourism efforts by promoting it among its members.

Jimit, in his presentation, said Sabah's aggressive development of COBT was in response to the growing popularity of nature-based tourism.

"We invite international visitors to come to Sabah to indulge in the beauty of nature in a rural setting and experience our diverse culture and tradition," he said.

Matta president Nigel Wong, who moderated the session, said a truly sustainable and responsible tourism should make destinations better for people to live in as well as to visit.

Also present at the session was ECTAA president Frank Oostdam.

Tags / Keywords: Rural Tourism , ITB Berlin , Community Based , Tradeshow , European Union

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COMMENTS

  1. What is rural tourism and what are its benefits?

    Rural tourism is a form of tourism that goes beyond city breaks and popular tourist attractions. Rural tourism is travel to natural places that are non-urbanised, often rely on agriculture and with low populations, such as villages and cottages, homestays, farms, and ranches or eco lodges.

  2. The benefits of tourism for rural community development

    The role of rural tourism. The UNWTO defined rural tourism as a type of tourism in which a visitor's experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activity ...

  3. Rural Tourism

    Rural Tourism. Rural tourism has a high potential to stimulate local economic growth and social change because of its complementarity with other economic activities, its contribution to GDP and job creation, and its capacity to promote the dispersal of demand in time (fight seasonality) and along a wider territory. UN Tourism understands Rural ...

  4. Why Rural Tourism Is The Next Big Thing

    What is rural tourism? Rural tourism is tourism which takes place in non-urbanised areas. These areas typically include (but are not limited to) national parks, forests, countryside areas and mountain areas. Rural tourism is closely aligned with the concept of sustainable tourism, given that it is inherently linked to green spaces and commonly environmentally-friendly forms of tourism, such as ...

  5. Tourism and Rural Development

    Tourism and Rural Development. Tourism's many benefits must be felt outside of urban areas for the sector to fulfil its potential to provide opportunities for all: That was the key message of World Tourism Day 2020 as UNWTO united the global community around the theme of "Tourism and Rural Development". Around the world, tourism is a ...

  6. Why the Future of Sustainable Tourism Might be Rural

    Rural tourism, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO) new publication, "Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective," is defined as "a type of tourism activity in which the visitor's experience is related to a wide spectrum of products linked to nature activities, agriculture, ways of life and rural cultures…Rural tourism activities take place ...

  7. How can tourism contribute to rural development?

    A Guide to Making Tourism an Effective Tool for Rural Development. As stated in the guide: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of tourism in rural development is more relevant than ever. Tourism in rural areas offers important opportunities for recovery as tourists look for less populated destinations and open-air experiences and ...

  8. Tourism and Rural Development: Challenges on The Ground

    In 2020, UNWTO created the Tourism for Rural Development Programme to help rural territories make sustainable tourism a driver for development and well-being. Through initiatives such as the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO, we seek to recognize and raise awareness of tourism's role in the rural agenda, providing

  9. UNWTO Recommendations on Tourism and Rural Development

    Abstract: 2020 marks the 'Year of Tourism and Rural Development', a theme shared with this year's World Tourism Day. The sustainability of tourism in rural areas will only be successful if a comprehensive, inclusive planning strategy is adopted and implemented based on a multi-action and multi-stakeholder participatory approach.

  10. Technical Note: Tourism and Rural Development

    Tourism, Rural Development and COVID-19: Facing up to an unprecedented challenge. Communities in rural areas are, in general, much less prepared to deal with the direct and indirect impact of the COVID-19 crisis. This is due to a variety of factors, including population age, lower income levels, relative lack of economic diversity, the ...

  11. PDF The benefits of tourism for rural community development

    In the literature, rural tourism has been shown to bring bene ts such as stimu-fi lating economic growth (Oh, 2005), strengthening rural and regional economies (Lankford, 1994), alleviating ...

  12. Rural tourism

    Rural tourism is a tourism that focuses on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism. Many villages can facilitate tourism because many villagers are hospitable and eager to welcome or host visitors. Agriculture has become more mechanized and requires less manual labor.

  13. Rural tourism: A systematic literature review on definitions and

    Rural tourism is functionally rural and provides the opportunity for tourists to directly involve, experience, enjoy and learn the unique cultural, natural and historical attractions and activities provided by the local communities in rural areas, with cooperation from the government and businesses in order to provide socio-economic benefits ...

  14. Unwto Recommendations on Tourism and Rural Development

    the role of tourism in rural development is more relevant than ever. Tourism in rural areas offers important opportunities for recovery as tourists look for less populated destinations and open-air experiences and activities. At the same time, communities in rural areas are, in general, much less prepared to deal with the direct and indirect ...

  15. How can tourism help to revitalize the countryside? Content analysis

    Rural tourism is an important way to promote sustainable economic development and boost the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside. The key to promoting rural tourism development lies in solving the development path problem. In this paper, we extracted high-frequency keywords from the text of 2021 World Tourism Alliance—Case of Tourism Contributing to Rural Revitalization through ...

  16. Rural Tourism

    To leverage India's rural heritage in creating a vibrant and responsible tourism segment by creating engaging rural experiences thereby promoting indigenous jobs, and preserving local culture and heritage. Mission . To facilitate an enabling environment comprising of Government, Industry, NGO, Community for development and promotion of rural ...

  17. Rural Tourism

    Tourism, Rural. M. Cawley, in International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2009 Power Relationships. Rural tourism incorporates a wide range of stakeholders including tourists and recreationists, tour operators, businesses, policy institutions, resource providers, and local residents among whom power relationships exist to varying degrees relating to both public and private resources.

  18. Tourism and Rural Development

    Tourism development and the arrival of tourists have created new social and economic functions and opportunities for the residents of the villages. On the other hand, the development of residential constructions and changes in the type of traditional rural houses and their materials have created new jobs in rural areas. Although tourism has positive and favorable effects for rural areas in the ...

  19. Rural Tourism

    Rural Tourism. Rural tourism may be defined as the movement of people from their normal place of residence to rural areas for a minimum period of twenty-four hours to the maximum of six months for the sole purpose of leisure and pleasure. Rural tourism refers to all tourism activities in a rural area. The concept of rural tourism is by no means ...

  20. Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective

    Tourism for Rural Development Programme, seeks to place tourism as a driver to stimulate local economic development, reduce inequalities and empower rural communities. The positive impact of tourism in rural areas is clear thanks to its direct impact and its unique ability to complement other economic activities, its importance

  21. Walla Walla moves forward into next phase of Rural Tourism Program

    Guy Glaeser, executive director of Visit Walla Walla, initially spearheaded filling out the application for the region to become the next recipient of the Rural Tourism Program.He said it has been ...

  22. The benefits of tourism for rural community development

    The role of rural tourism. The UNWTO defined rural tourism as a type of tourism in which a visitor's experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activity, agriculture, rural lifestyle/culture, angling, and sightseeing.Rural tourism has been used as a valid developmental strategy in rural areas in many developed and developing countries.

  23. UNWTO Identifies Priorities for Boosting Rural Tourism Potential

    More than half of all Member States (59%) stated that rural tourism is a priority; Almost all Member States (96%) foresee a better future for rural tourism in the upcoming years; The creation of new jobs, improvement of livelihoods and fighting depopulation were the most frequently-cited opportunities offered by tourism for rural areas

  24. Guide for rural tourism

    Rural tourism has a high potential to stimulate local economic growth and social change because of its complementarity with other economic activities, its contribution to GDP and job creation, and its capacity to promote the dispersal of demand in time (fight seasonality) and along a wider territory.

  25. Rural tourism promotion policy and rural hospitality enterprises

    This paper examines the impact of rural tourism policy reform on hospitality and restaurant enterprises in rural areas in Japan. In early 2016, the Japanese government introduced a policy to encourage the participation of nonfarm enterprises in the rural hospitality industry. Using a nationally representative dataset of rural hospitality ...

  26. Sabah's rural tourism efforts draw attention in Europe

    KOTA KINABALU: Europeans are impressed with Sabah's aggressive efforts to promote community-driven tourism in rural areas. The initiative by state tourism authorities had earned praise from the ...

  27. Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective

    Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective. Tourism has high potential to stimulate economic growth and social change in rural areas because it contributes to local economies, support other products value chains, distributes benefits across both seasonal and geographic grounds, and promotes the conservation of cultural and natural ...

  28. GIS positioning based on optical sensing detection and simulation of

    With the development of rural tourism, more and more people begin to pay attention to how to better plan their travel itinerary, so as to better experience rural tourism. In the process of tourism route planning, there are often problems of accurate positioning and unreasonable route planning, which limit the development of rural tourism scenic spots. Therefore, this paper aims to propose a ...

  29. Deputy stresses how ethnic culture can boost rural income

    Ethnic group culture can enrich rural tourism, and thus plays an important role in rural vitalization, said Yu Wulin, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, on the sidelines of the ...

  30. Homestay Scheme In Mathura To Promote Eco-Tourism, Uplift Rural Economy

    National. Homestay Scheme In Mathura To Promote Eco-Tourism, Uplift Rural Economy. The organisation's vice-president Shailjakant Mishra said pilgrims will be able to pay obeisance in the temples ...