engleski

Sustainable local economy : entrepreneurship in rural tourism

The importance of developing entrepreneurship in tourism in rural areas is reflected in the conservation of traditional customs, culture and gastronomy ; in encouraging residents not to leave rural areas ; and in raising quality of life in the countryside. Developing entrepreneurship in rural areas, particularly entrepreneurship in tourism, is an excellent way to enhance the quality of living standards of rural residents, while providing urban dwellers with opportunities for staying in rural areas. Entrepreneurship in rural tourism is poorly developed as a result of a long process of neglecting rural areas and focusing efforts on coastal tourism in Croatia. Consequently, the thematic offering of family farms is insufficiently developed and there is a no systematic approach to promoting family farms The purpose and aim of this paper is to analyse the characteristics of entrepreneurship in rural areas in two Croatian counties to obtain a clearer picture of the state of entrepreneurship, which could ultimately serve as a platform for future plans for entrepreneurial development in rural areas. Research was carried out on a sample of 200 entrepreneurs in rural areas of two Croatian counties (Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and Istria County). The limitations of the research include the size of the sample, as well as the fact that research did not include the opinions of guests who chose services and facilities in rural areas. Future research would need to study that segment by continuously surveying the attitudes of both guests and destination managers, taking into account all stakeholders in a destination.

rural tourism ; community development ; entrepreneurship ; sustainability

working papers