Rural tourism is
among the most polymorphous of all forms of Special Interest
Tourism (SIT). The
diversity of attractions included within rural tourism embrace:
Indigenous and
European heritage sites
• Aspects of culture
(agriculture)
• Industrial tourism
(farm practices)
• Educetioanl
tourism
• Special
events
• Ecological attractions
• Adventure
tourism
• Wine tourism
Such diversity
represents major opportunities for rural areas that have turned to
tourism as a means of
supplementing diminished incomes
Definition
of Rural Tourism :
Any form 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. Rural tourism is essentially
an activity which takes place in the countryside.It is multi-faceted and may
entail farm/agricultural tourism, cultural tourism, nature tourism, adventure
tourism, and eco-tourism. As against conventional tourism, rural tourism has
certain typical characteristics like; it is experience oriented, the locations
are sparsely populated, it is predominantly in natural environment, it meshes
with seasonality and local events and is based on preservation of culture,
Geographic and demographic definitions:
“A
multi-faced activity that takes place in an environment outside heavily urbanized
areas. It is an industry sector characterized by small scale tourism business,
set in areas where land use id dominated by agricultural pursuits, forestry or
natural areas”
Product-related
definitions:
“The
Rural Tourism product could be segmented to include such product components as
rural attractions, rural adventure tours, nature based tours, ecotourism tours,
country towns, rural resorts and country-style accommodation, and farm
holidays, together with festivals, events and agricultural education”
Tourist
experience-related definitions:
“Rural
Tourism should be seen as offering a different range of experience to those
offered in big cities” and that “the emphasis in rural tourism is on the tourist’s
experience of the products and activities of the area”
Consequently,
rural tourism in its purest form should be:
1.
Located in rural areas.
2.
Functionally rural – built upon the rural world’s special features of small-
scale enterprise, open space, contact with nature and the natural world,
heritage, “traditional” societies and “traditional” practises.
3.
Rural in scale – both in terms of buildings and settlements – and, therefore,
usually small-scale.
4.
Traditional in character, growing slowly and organically, and connected with
local families. It will often be very largely controlled locally and developed
for the long term good of the area.
5.
Of many different kinds, representing the complex pattern of rural environment,
economy, history and location.
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