Forces of economic, social, cultural, environmental, and political change are working to re-define rural spaces the world over and broad global transformations in consumption and transportation patterns have re-shaped leisure behaviour and travel. This book of cases about rural tourism development in Canada demonstrates the different ways that tourism has been positioned as a local response to political and economic shifts in a nation that is itself undergoing rapid change, both continentally and globally.
This book aims to fill a gap in the current literature by tracing the rural transformation process and the development of rural tourism functions in Poland over the last 30 years. It examines the socioeconomic transformation between 1989 and 2019 that resulted in the formation and development of Polish rural tourism and the various practices associated with it. This timely topic is addressed in a central and eastern European context and sparks interest in further in-depth analysis due the diversity and magnitude of the transformation processes undertaken by the Polish rural areas. Since Polish rural areas constitute as much as 30% of the total rural areas in all new European Union member states, this book adds value through an in-depth statistical analysis of the pace of socioeconomic changes in Polish rural areas. It delves into the creation and consumption of tourism services locally, as well as the impact of global trends on the development of rural tourism in Poland. This book will be of interest to economists, sociologists, political scientists and postgraduate students across eastern and central Europe who deal with rural tourism issues.
The issue of maintaining a balanced relationship between tourism and the environment has received considerable attention since the 1970s. However, only in the 1980s and 1990s did it become a topic of systematic academic inquiry and research, distinguished from the broader area of the environmental impacts of recreation and leisure activities. This volume dwells on the environmental and economic impacts of tourism and is divided as follows: Part 1: Introduction and Overview Part 2: Tourism and the Environment: General Considerations Part 3: Regional Issues Part 4: Economic Issues Part 5: Policy Issues The work is complemented by a subject index.
Rural regions are experiencing fundamental challenges to their ways of life and social fabric, as traditional land-based occupations are in decline and younger and better-educated rural residents migrate to cities for greater work, social and cultural opportunities. Rural tourism offers a possible solution to the problems associated with lost economic opportunities and population decline that accompany the waning of agriculture. Many governments and regional authorities have embraced rural tourism as an opportunity to bring new money into rural regions, stimulating growth, providing employment opportunities and thus beginning to halt rural decline. However, the possibilities of rural tourism to promote rural regeneration have been criticised for being over-stated and unrealistic. Rural tourism has frequently been found to under-deliver in terms of expected economic benefits and job creation, and may sometimes exacerbate local hierarchies and inequalities. This edited collection questions the contribution tourism can and does make to rural regions. Drawing on a range of geographically diverse, research-driven case studies, the book is thematically organised to explore a variety of issues relevant to rural tourism, from the perspectives of local communities, businesses, government/policy makers and the tourists themselves.
Mountainous and rural areas throughout the world have continually been attributed with several hinderances including poverty, faulty governance, and susceptibility to natural disasters. However, with the recent development of tourism, these provinces have seen a strong rise in visitation. Despite this increase in economic sustainability, planners are still presented with many challenges as they try to balance developmental and ecological considerations. Global Opportunities and Challenges for Rural and Mountain Tourism provides emerging research exploring the integration of mountain tourism development and innovative practices for managing contemporary issues and challenges of tourism in these regions including socio-economic impacts, role of stakeholders, and promotional strategies for sustainable tourism development. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as cultural heritage, marketing strategies, and value chain systems, this book is ideally designed for travel agents, tour directors, tour developers, hotel managers, hospitality and tourism professionals, industry practitioners, researchers, geographical scientists, planners, academicians, and students.
The rural tourism sector has become a key driver for social and economic growth and a major source of income for developing and low-income countries in many parts of Asia. Rural tourism is progressively viewed as a solution, increasing the economic viability of marginalised areas, stimulating social regeneration and improving the living conditions of rural communities. Responsible rural tourism promotes conservation of the natural environment, protects the authenticity of culture, and offers socioeconomic opportunities and benefits for local communities. This book encompasses case studies from a range of Asian countries and examines both successful and failed attempts in developing responsible rural tourism, and the learnings that we can adopt and adapt for future responsible rural tourism in the region. It will be of interest to students, researchers, stakeholders and policymakers in tourism.
The steadily increasing popularity of tourism in both developed and developing countries has led to an intriguing debate around its role in sustainable development. In this concise overview, Johan Viljoen begins by defining rural tourism and examining international trends in rural tourism development in both developed and developing contexts. He then examines post-1994 tourism policy development in South Africa and shows how internal changes and the massive increase in international tourists visiting South Africa are shaping the development of niche tourism types. A useful primer for anyone working in tourism and development.
This text explores the role of tourism as a potential contibutor to socio-economic development in destination areas. Establishing a link between tourism studies and development studies, it considers what is meant by development, the processes through which development may be achieved and, in particular, a number of fundamental issues related to the use of tourism as a development agent. In so doing, it challenges conventional thinking about the relationship between tourism and development.
This book aims to fill a gap in the current literature by tracing the rural transformation process and the development of rural tourism functions in Poland over the last 30 years. It examines the socioeconomic transformation between 1989 and 2019 that resulted in the formation and development of Polish rural tourism and the various practices associated with it. This timely topic is addressed in a central and eastern European context and sparks interest in further in-depth analysis due the diversity and magnitude of the transformation processes undertaken by the Polish rural areas. Since Polish rural areas constitute as much as 30% of the total rural areas in all new European Union member states, this book adds value through an in-depth statistical analysis of the pace of socioeconomic changes in Polish rural areas. It delves into the creation and consumption of tourism services locally, as well as the impact of global trends on the development of rural tourism in Poland. This book will be of interest to economists, sociologists, political scientists and postgraduate students across eastern and central Europe who deal with rural tourism issues.
The second volume of this handbook develops on and extends the discussion in the successful first volume, published in 2012. This is a timely addition to the literature, drawing on the momentum that quality of life (QOL) research in tourism has gained in the 21st century and on the boom in the tourism industry itself. It focuses on four areas of growth in QOL research in the recent past: (1) travelers/tourists, (2) host communities, (3) service providers, and (4) the role of technology. The handbook helps management of tourism firms and policy makers develop specific policies and programs to ensure the most positive impact of tourism on tourists, host communities, and service providers. The comprehensive coverage of topics in this handbook makes it a state-of-the-art reference. Academics interested in QOL research in travel and tourism, tourism practitioners interested in applying the science of QOL in the tourism industry, as well as policy makers involved in regulating the industry will view the handbook as indispensable source of recent research.
