Rural Tourism

Explained simply, rural tourism is tourism in the countryside. The place of consumption is the prime criterion for deciding whether tourism is rural or not. Any tourist, whatever his or her place of origin, consuming any product or services in a rural area qualifies as a rural tourist. The two-by-two matrix in Figure 1 showing the place of origin of tourists and the place of consumption illustrates the meaning of rural tourism.

Figure 1 Rural Tourism

Source: Ardhendu Shekhar Singh, Dilip Ambarkhane, and Bhama Venkataramani

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development defines rural tourism as “tourism taking place in the countryside.” This definition also has rurality as the central point. Bernard Lane adds different dimensions to rural tourism, such as location, functionality, size, and tradition. In addition, ...