ETHICAL/ Rural Tourism – A Genuine Vacation Trend

The term rural tourism may sound quite simplistic at first but it is actually quite complicated to pin down to a simple definition and must be separated from other non-urban aspects like agri-tourism and industrial heritage tourism. Rural tourism can have urban elements, such as the style and management of the complexes but the location and pursuits are generally centered within the countryside and the holidays must represent the culture, history and landscape of that particular area. Rural tour...

With an average of thirteen farms closing every day in Austria, there is a need for a sustainable agro-tourism to counter the rate of enterprise contraction. This need is felt and addressed by the farm holiday and agricultural tourism marketing and developmental group called Austrian Farm Holidays. The group is a private non-profit organization that runs with the partial support of the Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth and the Ministry of Agriculture, and that of its member farms. The result...

According to Chinese local authorities, a new style of tourism dubbed "happy farms" which attracted 900-million-plus visitors in the year 2013, reported revenues of US$4.7 billion for rural areas. In comparison, rural tourism received more than 720 million visitors in 2012 – according to the Chinese National Tourism Administration – bringing incomes of 216 billion yuan, roughly US$ 35.68 billion. Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture reveal that some 1.5 million "Nongjiales" or happy fa...

Central Portugal is rewriting the book of local tourism with the help of an EU community-based initiative known as the Schist Villages Network Program or SVN, for short. Started in 2000, the program has sparked a vibrant local tourism industry covering 19 municipalities with a geographical span of 6,555 square kilometers. It incorporates 27 villages, supports over 100 tour and travel related enterprises besides benefiting close to 300,000 people. Counting SVN’s Blessings to the Schist Village...