Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2 9
GEOGRAPHIES OF RURAL
TOURISM
Current progress and paradoxes
Gunjan Saxena
Introduction
This chapter traces the current progress and paradoxes in geographies of rural tourism by high-
lighting the discourses and practices relating to 'multifunctional rural development' that have
made actors' social, cultural and moral values central in shaping the profi le of tourism in rural
areas. A key feature of multi-functionality is that besides producing food and fi bre, the agricul-
ture sector plays a key role in the provision of public goods such as scenery, biodiversity, cultural
heritage and recreational and educational opportunities. This entails a re-examination of the role
of productive and consumptive needs in the construction of the 'new countryside'. Thus one of
the current challenges for rural tourism research is to rethink many of the assumptions, models
and frameworks outlining rural activation and diversifi cation of business activity that has made
the future of rural people increasingly connected with other branches of the economy that are
alternative to agriculture. While tourism may bring some form of economic prosperity to a rural
region, there is a growing research not just on economic considerations, but also a concern for
the social, cultural and environmental facets of a destination when there are increasing visitor
numbers (Ilbery
et al.
, 2007; Shaw and Williams, 2004). It has been proposed that rural tourism
can revitalise conventional concepts and views on tourism and bring in a new dimension in
sustainable development, thereby making it a key player in alleviating poverty, empowering
communities and addressing long-term structural inequalities (Ashley
et al.
, 2001; Hall, 2004).
The fact that rural settings are no longer a passive component, a mere 'playground of urban
population' (Hall and Page, 1999: 216), means that there is a need to understand the tensions
between the values that people hold about the countryside and the practicalities involved in
producing, shopping and buying 'rural' (Sims, 2010; Verbole and Cottrell, 2002). The
progress in 'tilting' the focus of rural tourism to address socio-economic, cultural issues is
defi ned by some of the following paradoxes, namely:
The sector can be fragile even under favourable conditions, tending to reinforce the
economic dominance of metropolitan regions (Hájek, 2002; Lane, 1998).
The extent to which it can shift the balance of economic power within farm households
and help open up rural employment provision is contested (Argent, 1999; Siiskonen, 1996;
Verbole, 2000).
