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Fontefrancesco, M.F.; Pili, M. Rural Tourism from a Comparative Perspective: Trends in Europe and Oceania. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59577 (accessed on 04 March 2026).
Fontefrancesco MF, Pili M. Rural Tourism from a Comparative Perspective: Trends in Europe and Oceania. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59577. Accessed March 04, 2026.
Fontefrancesco, Michele Filippo, Martina Pili. "Rural Tourism from a Comparative Perspective: Trends in Europe and Oceania" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59577 (accessed March 04, 2026).
Fontefrancesco, M.F., & Pili, M. (2026, March 03). Rural Tourism from a Comparative Perspective: Trends in Europe and Oceania. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/59577
Fontefrancesco, Michele Filippo and Martina Pili. "Rural Tourism from a Comparative Perspective: Trends in Europe and Oceania." Encyclopedia. Web. 03 March, 2026.
Peer Reviewed
Rural Tourism from a Comparative Perspective: Trends in Europe and Oceania
This is a peer-reviewed entry published in Encyclopedia Journal, full entry can be found at 10.3390/encyclopedia6020048

Rural tourism is defined as a tourism activity in which the visitor’s experience is linked to agricultural activities, rural lifestyles, and traditional cultures. In many geographical contexts, especially in Europe, because the rural economy is so deeply tied to family farming, this form of tourism is referred to as “agritourism”, even though agrotourism is a specific subset of rural tourism defined by the integration of tourism with a working farm or agricultural operation. The entry delineates the transformative dynamics of rural tourism in the context of global shifts towards personalized, experiential travel. It examines how contemporary tourists increasingly seek authentic and immersive experiences as a response to the superficiality of mass tourism. This trend leads travellers to engage deeply with local cultures, thereby fostering connections with community life and prioritizing sustainability. Amidst challenges such as environmental degradation and overtourism, rural tourism emerges as a viable alternative, offering unique, less-congested destinations that cater to travellers’ desire for exclusivity and genuine discovery. The paper traces the historical evolution of rural tourism from its European origins in mid-20th-century agricultural practices to its current status as a vital component of rural development strategies. Through a comparative analysis of two distinct regional scenarios, Europe and Oceania, this article elucidates how local contexts shape tourism practices. The analysis highlights the pivotal role of gastronomy in enriching tourist experiences and emphasizes the need for digital literacy and eco-effectiveness in rural tourism operations. Although the entry does not provide a comprehensive global perspective on rural tourism or a quantitative environmental account of the sector’s impact, it ultimately conveys that rural tourism is a critical engine of regional vitality and sustainability, illustrating the juxtaposition of historical roots and contemporary trends that define this evolving sector.

rural tourism authenticity experiential travel community engagement
As recently pointed out by the World Tourism Organization, consumption in contemporary tourism is undergoing a structural transformation driven by emotional and experiential imperatives [1]. Contemporary tourists are no longer satisfied with standardized, “off-the-shelf” packages. Instead, there is a marked preference for the “flex” approach: personalized, adaptable itineraries that allow for spontaneity [2]. A critical trend shaping this new market space is the transition in engagement modalities. Using a widespread metaphor [3], travellers are moving from a “surfing” modality characterized by superficial observation and rapid consumption of places, to a “diving” modality. In this deeper approach, travellers seek immersive experiences that allow them to integrate with local cultures and communities [4] rather than remaining external spectators and, faced with issues such as environmental degradation, over-tourism, and the erosion of cultural identities [5], they appear increasingly attracted by smaller-scale solutions, intrinsically focused on local communities. This creates a specific demand for destinations located “off the beaten path”, resulting in a conscious rejection of the homogenization inherent in mass tourism in favour of unique, less crowded locations that offer a sense of genuine discovery [6]. This contemporary traveller’s pursuit of authenticity is sustained by ethical awareness, a need for direct interaction with host communities [7], and the rising “wellness wave”: a trend prioritizing mental and physical health through relaxation and disconnection from urban stress, but at the same time, the desire for “instagrammable” moments and an aesthetic authenticity for their social narratives in the picturesque and unspoiled nature of settings [8].
These trends have created space for rural tourism to grow. Accordingly, the United Nations World Tourism Organization has defined rural tourism as “a type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle/culture, angling and sightseeing.” In the context of the transformation of global tourism, rural environments are positioned as ideal destinations for “constructive tourism.” [2], where they are an active element of the therapeutic experience, satisfying the growing demand for nature-based activities and isolation from mass gatherings, a preference that has notably intensified in the post-pandemic era [9]. Thus, rural tourism offers a counterbalance to the extractive nature of high-density tourism models [10] and aligns with tourists’ inclination toward issues such as ecological sustainability [11].
Overall, despite the operational challenges associated with limited local governance capacity, the need for specialized entrepreneurial expertise, and the establishment of appropriate physical and digital infrastructure [12], rural tourism represents a structural alternative to the mass tourism model, in which the visitor experience is designed to be immersive, fostering a connection between the tourist and the rural reality through an active participation in local life that includes staying in farmhouses, participating in agricultural activities, engaging with local lifestyles, partaking in traditional practices, enjoying local gastronomic specialities, and exploring natural environments [13].
Historically, the sector emerged in Europe in the mid-20th century, gaining significant traction in the 1960s and 1970s as a specific response to industrialization and rural economic decline [14]. Initially, it served as a purely economic survival strategy to generate supplementary income for agricultural sectors that were stagnating due to rapid urbanization and the exodus of rural populations. However, the model has evolved significantly from a niche economic alternative into an integral component of rural development strategies that encompass social and environmental dimensions, so that it is increasingly framed as a fundamental expression of regenerative tourism—a model that seeks not just to minimize harm, but to actively restore local ecosystems and social fabric through visitor engagement [15].
To better understand this evolving sector, this entry, written in form of a narrative review [16] (see Supplementary Materials), aims to fulfill the following specific objectives:
  • To trace the historical evolution of rural tourism from a survival strategy to a sophisticated lifestyle expression.
  • To analyze the role of gastronomy as a primary cultural anchor in rural destinations.
  • To compare the institutionalized, policy-driven model of Europe with the market-driven, “New Frontier” model of Oceania.
  • To identify the specific digital and ecological competencies required for future operational success.
In the following paragraph, this entry further explores how rural tourism has changed. It then examines and compares the specific trajectories that characterize the two distinct continental scenarios: Europe and Oceania. Comparing these two places can help us clarify the sector’s emerging outlook and anticipate future opportunities and challenges.

References

  1. WTO. Fifty Years of Tourism; World Tourism Organization: Madrid, Spain, 2026.
  2. Siino, M. La scelta del viaggio: Come cambia il consumo di viaggi turistici. In Sociologia dei Consumi Turistici; Lo Verde, F.M., Corvo, P., Pepe, V., Eds.; Pearson: Milano, Italy, 2023; pp. 157–193.
  3. Heinström, J. Fast surfing, broad scanning and deep diving: The influence of personality and study approach on students’ information-seeking behavior. J. Doc. 2005, 61, 228–247.
  4. Shah, C.; Shah, S.; Gibson, D. Demystifying agritourism development in Fiji: Inclusive growth for smallholders. Tour. Hosp. Res. 2022, 22, 131–148.
  5. Nurjaya, I.N. Legal Policy of Sustainable Tourism Development: Toward Community-Based Tourism in Indonesia. J. Tour. Econ. Policy 2023, 2, 123–132.
  6. American Express, T. 2023 Global Travel Trends Report; American Express Travel: New York, NY, USA, 2023.
  7. Mulyaningsih, T. A Systematic Literature Review of Development Rural Tourism. General Manag. 2023, 24, 34–48.
  8. Skyscanner. Travel Trends 2023: The Year of Price-Driven Decisions; Skyscanner: Edinburgh, Scotland, 2022.
  9. Gursoy, D.; Chi, C.G. Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on hospitality industry: Review of the current situations and a research agenda. J. Hosp. Mark. Manag. 2020, 29, 527–529.
  10. Rahman, A.Z.; Pradana, A.E.; Rakhma, N.A. Sustainable Tourism Development in Glawan Village: Balancing Infrastructure Growth and Environment Through Local Governance. Iop Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. 2025, 1537, 012001.
  11. Villanueva-Alvaro, J.-J.; Jiménez, J.M.; Saez-Martínez, F.J. Rural Tourism: Development, Management and Sustainability in Rural Establishments. Sustainability 2017, 9, 818.
  12. Xue, C.; Tu, Y.T.; Ananzeh, M.; Aljumah, A.I.; Trung, L.M.; Ngo, T.Q. The Role of Economic Conditions and Sustainable Rural Development on the Sustainability of Tourism Development: Evidence from China. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 2023, 30, 30588–30602.
  13. Ishak, F.A.C.; Muhammad, N.A.L.; Karim, S.A.; Abidin, U.F.U.Z.; Ismail, N.A.; Hanafiah, M.H. Staging Memorable Dining Experience in Food Tourism: A Narrative Literature Review of Ethnic Restaurants. Int. J. Acad. Res. Bus. Social Sci. 2023, 13, 282–304.
  14. Reid, D.G. Understanding rural tourism. In Handbook on Tourism and Rural Community Development; Mair, H., Ed.; Edward Elgar Publishing: Cheltenham, UK, 2023; pp. 29–40.
  15. Bellato, L.; Pollock, A. Regenerative tourism: A state-of-theart review. Tour. Geogr. 2025, 27, 558–567.
  16. Sukhera, J. Narrative Reviews: Flexible, Rigorous, and Practical. J. Grad. Med. Educ. 2022, 14, 414–417.
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Subjects: Economics
Contributors MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register : Michele Filippo Fontefrancesco , Martina Pili
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Online Date: 03 Mar 2026
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