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Introduction
In several European countries rural tourism is a relatively important sector of the tourism industry. Rural tourism can be defined as at least one overnight leisure trip to a place situated in a rural setting or in a setting outside cities and tourist centres, aiming to participate especially in other than urban activities (e.g. shopping). The clientele for rural tourism is often mostly domestic, although lots of efforts are targeted to improve rural tourism internationalisation. In Austria, the association "Urlaub am Bauernhof" (farm vacation) is very successful, as can be seen by increasing number of members and beds: in 2009 3,200 agricultural tourism enterprises offered about 38,000 beds ([12] Grimm, 2009). The demand for rural tourism has grown over the last years and the market does not seem to be saturated yet ([31] Pinkel, 2007).
A typical Finnish rural holiday includes accommodation in a cottage, local food, sauna and some kind of nature activities, most often swimming, rowing and walking in the forest. Rural tourism establishments are often located in remote countryside, far away from neighbors. Villages and services (shops, restaurants, etc.) are often at a distance of several kilometers from the site. According to a study conducted by [18] Komppula (2005) Finnish rural tourists expect to have a peaceful, quiet and rush-free rural holiday. For many Finns, nature, particularly lake and forest scenery, is a self-evident part of a country holiday.
According to a study carried out in Austria, the main reasons for choosing a rural tourism destination are positive prior experience with rural tourism, the suitability of rural tourism for the whole family, it provides an instructive experience for children, rural tourism is relaxing, and rural tourism destinations are quieter than urban destinations. For Austrian rural tourism, Germany is still the main target market ([8] Egger et al. , 2008). These potential farm tourists associate farms with nature and animals as well as with relaxation and silence. The nature experience is becoming more and more important for over 90 percent of German tourists ([14] Herrmann et al. , 2008).
The internationalization of rural tourism businesses calls for a better understanding of what potential rural tourists in a foreign market may value and expect of their rural holiday. It can be argued...