Turismo y espacios ruralesconceptos, filosofías y realidades

Abstract

A great number of studies related to rural tourism are nearly always based on tourist criteria and pay little attention to the areas where this activity is located. In this sense, they consider these areas as mere sceneries of tourist activity. On the other hand, in research on rural areas it is unusual to find a detailed analysis of tourism from this sector point of view. Nevertheless, the tourist phenomenon can not be separated from the area where it is located and, to a greater extent, if we try to achieve a sustainable tourist development. This article tries to identify the transformation of rural areas due to their great influence on the development of tourist activity and on the contribution of tourism to rural development. After considering several criteria for the definition of rural tourism, and stressing the difference between the desirable models and the concrete developments, we have synthetically assesed certain aspects of the evolution of rural tourism in our country.