Existing and Potential Connection between Rural Tourism and Rural Development Empirical Approach

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Existing and Potential Connection between Rural
Tourism and Rural Development - Empirical
Approach

• Elisabeth Kastenholz - elisabethk_at_ua.pt
• Elisabete Figueiredo - elisa_at_ua.pt
• University of Aveiro
• Portugal

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Structure of presentation

• Context of rural tourism in Portugal
• Impacts of rural tourism on local development
• Different visions of rural tourism stakeholders
• Implications on destination management

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Rural tourism in Portugal
TER (turismo em espaço rural) combination of
paid activities and services provided in rural
areas, in establishments with family character
aiming at offering a complete and diversified
tourism product in rural areas so as to
preserve, restore and value the regions
architectonic, historical, natural and landscape
heritage (Dec.-Lei nº 54/2002)

• long historical roots, linked to tourism for
  health reasons and visiting friends and family
• more dynamism since 1990s, linked to EU funding
  of rural tourism projects, in Portugal mostly
  used restoring family properties, initially
  leading to an elite product provided in
  aristocratic buildings
• context of social and economic marginalization of
  rural areas
• new market visiting the Portuguese countryside,
  for what it represents, even if nostalgically
  idealized
• new residents sometimes acting as lifestyle
  entrepreneurs

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Rural tourism in Portugal
Evolution of TER Lodging Capacity (in beds), in
Portugal (1990 2006)
Evolution of TER Demand (in bednights), in
Portugal (1990 2006)
in 2006 1.010 units providing close to 10.800
beds (DGT, 2006)
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Rural tourism a tool for rural development?

• Rural tourism may play a significant role for
  the development of single rural areas, with
  potentially large multiplier effects, since these
  areas entire lifestyle is of interest to
  visitors who are willing to pay for nicely
  arranged products and services, providing an
  ideally unique experience of rural life.
• It has therefore been considered, mostly by
  politicians, as the panacea for solving rural
  areas problems and constraints (Ribeiro, 2003).
• However rural tourism cannot be held responsible
  for the entire rural development, eventually
  contributing to it, combined with a set of other
  economic and social activities.

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Rural tourism a tool for rural development?

• Lack of sufficient empirical evidence on the
  real economic impact of rural tourism in
  Portugal.
• However, some studies reveal a relatively modest
  contribution of rural tourism for rural
  development (Cavaco, 1999 Ribeiro Marques,
  2002)
• in generating local employment
• in providing well-paid employment and career
  opportunities
• in stimulating professional qualification and
• in promoting an articulation between units of
  rural tourism within the same area, as well as a
  coordination between rural tourism units and
  other rural activities and aspects
• in generating marketing strategies to promote
  rural destinations in an integrated way, taking
  into account the needs and interests of all
  stakeholders.

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Different visions of rural tourism stakeholders
The way people view rural areas is of
fundamental importance for the way they use rural
areas. There are an increasingly diverse set of
viewpoints or perceptions of rural areas what
they are, what they could be, what they should
be, and how they could be brought there.
Inevitably such a variety of viewpoints can
result in disagreement over goals and objectives,
and policies and methods of achieving such
goals. (Butler Hall, 1998 115)
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Different visions amongst rural tourists

• Survey of rural tourist in North Portugal
  (N2280) (Kastenholz, 2002)
• Urbans (22) less interest in the most
  typical aspects of rural areas (nature, walking
  paths, peace and quiet, isolation, rural life,
  historical and cultural heritage) the only more
  valued aspects were nightlife, sports/ recreation
  and variety of attractions/ activities.
• Rural Romantics (31) most interested in
  typical features of rural life (history and
  culture, a sympathetic, rural, calm, unpolluted,
  scenic and natural atmosphere), further valuing
  tourist information and sign-posting little
  interest in nightlife, sports/ recreation.
• Active Rurals (26), appreciating all aspects
  of a typical rural holiday, with emphasis on
  nature and culture, but additionally demanding
  more infrastructures and, particularly
  activities.
• Purists (21) seek a rural space as pure and
  natural as possible, valuing isolation,
  landscape, a calm and unpolluted environment.

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Further differences between rural tourist segments
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Different visions between rural tourists and
local residents
Survey on rural-urban perceptions of rural
environment and development in two rural areas
in North Portugal (Natural Park of Montesinho
Serra da Freita) (NV300/ NR421) (Figueiredo,
2003) Visitors are mainly from urban areas. Main
motivations for visitors landscape beauty,
contact with nature only some motivated by rural
life itself, such as the contact with local
people, the observation of traditional
architecture and the traditional economic
activities. Both rural areas are first and
foremost demanded and consumed as natural spaces
and not as living contexts.
Motivations for visiting the rural areas ()
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Different visions between rural tourists and
local residents
Socio-demographic differences between visitors
and residents Visitors are younger than
residents, more educated, with higher incomes.
One of the main conclusions a rural to live in
and a rural to visit.

• The rural lived
• emphasis on socio-economic development
• stronger disagreement with environmental
  protection rules
• local activities (e.g. Agriculture, mining)
  considered beneficial to rural environment
• rural is an everyday life context

• The rural visited
• emphasis on environmental protection
• identification rural nature
• local activities considered harmful to rural
  environment
• rural is an escape from everyday life

Different needs, interests and visions about
rural areas
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Conclusions and Implications

• In Portugal, there seems to be a modest impact of
  rural tourism on development in most rural areas,
  despite of existing potential.
• This may be linked to a poor strategic planning/
  orientation of the activity, with supply simply
  using EU funding for restoring private
  properties, however valuable and interesting this
  may be.
• Another problem is a poor understanding of the
  (heterogeneous) market, a lacking articulation
  between tourism actors and their insufficient
  integration into a global rural destination
  product, competitively defined and positioned.

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Conclusions and Implications

• Empirical evidence reveals distinct visions
  between different types of tourists and between
  tourists and residents.
• The weak understanding and integration of
  different stakeholders interests, perceptions
  and visions for the development of the rural
  areas are a major obstacle to a successful
  destination development.
• Different visions and expectations of rurality
  and rural development must therefore be carefully
  integrated in a comprehensive and consensual
  destination vision, holding what is promised to
  its visitors, since all stakeholders are truly
  involved and interested in a destination product
  that satisfies the largest number of those
  seeking it, intervening in its provision and
  affected by it.

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Thank you very much for your attention!