Agritourism—A Business Reality of the Moment for Romanian Rural Area’s Sustainability

Abstract

The agritourism activity can be a characteristic reality of the present, considering rural area’s sustainability, being at the same time a business reality for rural entrepreneurs and a “must have” for rural communities that have tourism potential. It is a form of tourism, through which the tourist can receive a qualitative product at a reasonable price, but also a field that can ensure sustainable development over time, being at the same time environmentally friendly. The purpose of this scientific paper is to identify the aspects that make agritourism “a possible business reality of the moment”, for Romanian rural area’s sustainability. We take into account the following areas: Bran-Moieciu area—considered “the oldest” in terms of agritourism experience, and Apuseni Mountains area, with a great inclination and potential for this activity. The study conducted for these two areas is focused on several aspects: the degree of involvement in agritourism activities, considering the number of years and managerial experience, the analysis of the types of activities/experiences offered by agritourism structures, the identification of the main reasons/motivations for the orientation towards agritourism and the manner in which this field is perceived. Aspects related to the marketing-finance part of the agritourism business are also taken into account: customers, distribution channels, financial sources, shortcomings observed by agritourism business owners and possible action directions so as to improve the activity/agritourism product. Agritourism may be “a possible business reality of the moment” for the studied areas and not only, but in the future, the entrepreneur/farmer must be constantly updated because of the changing situations that appear on the market, be able to make sustainable decisions for his/her own business, which in the future will ensure its viability and obviously its long-term profitability and development, and in the same time rural area’s sustainability.

Political and Historical Determinants of the Differentiation of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems of Agritourism in Poland and Kazakhstan

“…However, while the entrepreneurship of young people who use online media daily is comparable, the mundane problems of setting up a business and transforming an existing farm into an agritourism farm face many more barriers in Kazakhstan than in Poland. Although in Poland or other similarly economically and socially developed countries [102,103], agritourism also faces many obstacles to development, they are not as fundamental as in Kazakhstan.…”

Progress in the Research of Features and Characteristics of Mountainous Rural Settlements: Distribution, Issues, and Trends

“…In this phase, the academic community placed high importance on the social and economic factors of mountainous rural settlements and explored their impact on the landscape and spatial functions of these settlements [122]. Some researchers analyzed the driving factors and mechanisms that influence the landscape characteristics of mountainous rural settlements, such as land use changes [123], population movement and migration [124][125][126], and the development of rural tourism industries [127], among others. Researchers paid particular attention to the impact of urbanization [128] on the landscape patterns of mountainous rural settlements, exploring methods for preserving and revitalizing the cultural and ecological characteristics of these settlements.…”

Socio-Economic Structure Consolidation of Rural Areas

“…Increasing rural development awareness should be emphasized especially by the local communities through fair opportunities, strengths and weaknesses display. The central European development agenda has increased the awareness towards emphasizing the rural environment, but the particular national problems are creating major imbalances within borders and across countries (Ciolac et al, 2021). Technological advancements for sustainable rural development have been mentioned in the scientific literature and are essential for uplifting ideas, solutions and methods for both agricultural and non-agricultural practices in order to promote a resilient rural ecosystem (Şerbu and Borza, 2014).…”