Strengthening the sustainability of rural areas: the role of rural tourism and agritourism

The European territory is characterized by a strong presence of rural areas. While the primary sector still plays a major role in some regions, the importance of agriculture in the economic system of the EU-28 is declining. The inability in generating sufficient revenue has led the farmers, in many cases, at diversifying from the agricultural base, by engaging in a pluriactivity. In this context, Rural Tourism is one of the key opportunities in terms of potential growth for rural areas, in the wider context of the Sustainable Management and Promotion of Territory activities. This paper aims at studying the Rural Tourism, with the purpose to overcome the difficulties in defining analytically the Rural Tourism and Agritourism,  by setting up a comprehensive body of knowledge and a theoretical framework for future analysis and studies.