what's rural tourism?

Answer 1

In Britain, an appreciable fraction of the total tourism spend is on holidays and day-trips spent in rural areas. People visit the mountains for walking; and for sight-seeing by car. The Lake District, Cornwall, and the Cotswolds are the #1 attractions. People go to stately homes and other National Trust properties and to the National Parks (and to areas of natural beauty in Scotland). They may stay on farms or in villages (especially in bed-and-breakfast) as a touring base. People go on spiritual retreats and on workshops for all kinds of 'inner recharging' purposes in country locations. Some recently built or converted business conference centres are also deliberately sited in country locations so that meetings held there can feel separate from everyday worklife. Tourism for sport, especially participant rather than spectator sport, also includes some rural activities such as angling, golf and horse riding.

It is broadly similar in the States, with the addition of activities possible and socially acceptable in that bigger country such as hunting (ugh!) and mucking in on a dude ranch.

You need to be conscious of your definition of "rural". You may or may not, for example, wish to use a narrow definition that allows camping and walking as "rural" activities but excludes beach holidaying and skiing. Beaches and ski mountains are in essence natural resources of the non-urban environment, but bring sizable numbers of people to them and they acquire towns. "Is a skiing holiday (vacation) in Aspen, Colorado an essentially urban or rural experience? Discuss!" What about a car trip to the New Forest? You rely 99% on urban-type infrastructure (roads, shops, eateries) for your experience, yet the core of the experience is rural (trees, heath, horses) and could not be experienced in a city.

Answer 2

Since the economies are opening up, so are the new avenues for economic upliftment.

The Govts. are trying to get benifit out of unexplored areas. Therefore one area which was untouched so far, was rural tourism.

The idea benefits both, the tourists and the rural people as well.

The tourists get to know about the rural culture, the folk music, local dance, festivals etc. and the rural people get employment and thus economic upliftment.

Answer 3

People visiting pastures and cows and going country on their vacations.