Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and creativity have become key elements in urban economic growth. As
Richards and Wilson (2007) point out, destinations are replacing or supple-
menting culture-led development with creative development.
Tourism and Rural Regeneration
With downturns in rural economies, it is understandable that govern-
ments have given a great deal of attention to the economic benefits of tour-
ism, particularly for rural areas attempting to keep pace and adapt to the
globalised economy (Hall & Jenkins, 1998). As Grolleau (1994) suggests,
growing numbers of city-dwellers are 'getting away from it all' in the coun-
tryside and the advantages of rural tourism are that it is based on local initia-
tive, local management, has local spin-offs, is rooted in local scenery and it
taps into local culture. The development of rural routes and trails has been
used to link clusters of related attractions and build partnerships (Briedenhann
& Wickens, 2004). In theory, this emphasis on local can help to generate
regional development and, according to Sharpley and Sharpley (1997),
rural tourism is increasingly being used for socio-economic regeneration
and diversification.
While there is a wide range of definitions of rural in different countries,
Sharpley and Sharpley (1997: 20) describe rural as all areas, 'both land and
water, that lie beyond towns and cities which, in national and regional con-
texts, may be described as major urban centres'. For tourism to be described
as rural tourism then it should mirror the characteristics that signify a rural
area, including small settlements, low population densities, agrarian-based
economies and traditional societies (Sharpley & Sharpley, 1997). Lane (1994)
further details the difficulty in attempting to create a definition of rural
tourism as not all tourism in rural areas, is strictly 'rural'. Rural tourism
extends beyond farm-based tourism to include 'special-interest nature holi-
days and ecotourism, walking, climbing and riding holidays, adventure,
sport and health tourism, hunting and angling, educational travel, arts and
heritage tourism, and in some areas, ethnic tourism' (Lane, 1994: 9). Oppor-
tunities for rural tourism in the public sector often occur in national or pro-
vincial parks.
Sharpley and Sharpley (1997) outlined the benefits and costs associated
with developing rural tourism. As mentioned above, many of the businesses
associated with rural tourism are small and independently owned and there-
fore generate income for the local economy. By developing rural tourism, the
local economy becomes more diversified as jobs are created in tourism and
tourism-related businesses. Existing services and businesses are supported
while new businesses may be attracted to the area, further diversifying the
economy. One of the more significant components of the rural tourism prod-
uct in many industrialised countries is vacation farms. There is a long history
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