CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AND FARM TOURISM

Abstract

Agrotourism at the farm is the activity that creates a delicate balance between learning some skills, getting crafted products and trying to make them useful in a plant, zootechnical, horticultural or processing farm. Farmers often choose to turn their farms into agrotourism farms to get extra income but also to reduce the amount of waste and energy and to involve local people more in different traditional activities and to provide temporary jobs. There are three major elements that are found in farm agrotourism as a form of alternative educational, fun, or educational-fun tourism: the desire for independence, the creation of jobs for the farmer's family and the obtaining of additional income, the possibility of contributing to the sustainable development of the community and the possibility to diversify tourism products and services through the efficient use of all farm resources and to benefit from deductions from taxes and fees. The issues of rural and farm tourism development represent a characteristic feature of local tourism development and marketing management programs because in rural areas, the development of historical cultural tourism and the development of rural tourism go hand in hand.

Headnote

Abstract: Agrotourism at the farm is the activity that creates a delicate balance between learning some skills, getting crafted products and trying to make them useful in a plant, zootechnical, horticultural or processing farm. Farmers often choose to turn their farms into agrotourism farms to get extra income but also to reduce the amount of waste and energy and to involve local people more in different traditional activities and to provide temporary jobs. There are three major elements that are found in farm agrotourism as a form of alternative educational, fun, or educational-fun tourism: the desire for independence, the creation of jobs for the farmer's family and the obtaining of additional income, the possibility of contributing to the sustainable development of the community and the possibility to diversify tourism products and services through the efficient use of all farm resources and to benefit from deductions from taxes and fees. The issues of rural and farm tourism development represent a characteristic feature of local tourism development and marketing management programs because in rural areas, the development of historical cultural tourism and the development of rural tourism go hand in hand.

Keywords: rural area, sustainable development, rural tourism, tourism at farm

INTRODUCTION

Due to the fact that culture was one of the tools for the restructuring the big cities, the same thing was or is possible for the Romanian rural area, where agriculture is losing ground due to the development of services including those specific to rural and farm tourism. In order to stimulate and develop rural and farm cultural tourism it is suggested by the tourism and sustainable development specialists to be done in areas with vocation: (1, 4, 11, 18, 20)

- training studies;

- developing marketing strategies;

- development of new tourist products;

- promoting niche tourism;

- market diversification.

The issues of rural and farm tourism development and forms of niche tourism, including experimental tourism, that has as purpose to build skills through participation in farm activities of all kinds, represent a characteristic feature of local tourism development and management programs of marketing, because in rural areas, the development of historical cultural tourism and the development of rural tourism go hand in hand. Although some tourism specialists consider rural tourism to be synonymous with agrotourism or farm tourism, because it incorporates a number of specific activities such as (3, 7, 9, 10):

- experimental activities at the farm,

- adventure, in protected areas;

- adventure in farm, animal, agricultural, horticultural farms;

- traditional industry of agricultural raw materials processing;

- education, in the secrets of country life.

Agrotourism, farm tourism, experimental tourism, subcategories of rural tourism, have been defined as forms of tourism practiced in rural areas, consisting in the penetration of tourists to rural cultural attractions far from their place of residence with the purpose to: (2, 5, 6, 16, 17, 19):

- to gather information about activities in rural areas;

- to experience experiences related to country life, farm, nature park, reservation;

- to educate themselves in the secrets of production, processing of farm production;

- to meet their gastronomic needs;

- to meet their cultural needs. (8, 12, 13, 15, 21)

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Because at European level, culture has become the main tool of urban marketing, we believe that for the sustainable development of rural areas with tourist vocation from the analyzed area, where socio-economic changes, such as population migration and loss of agricultural land in favor of other uses, are required to be performed impact studies to develop marketing strategies that include rural cultural tourism and other forms of niche tourism, farm tourism, country tourism, village tourism, experimental tourism, with the purpose of providing a larger variety of services and tourist products/brands.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The simplest and most pertinent feature of rural cultural tourism with its niche forms related to farm activities is the one that through which it is created a delicate balance, between learning some habits and experiences, regarding:

- new experiences at the farm;

- participation in seasonal activities from the farm;

- learning to produce artisanal food products;

- getting in touch with local gastronomy;

- the possibility of producing products at lower prices for their own household;

- knowledge of the history and culture of the place;

- multiple ways of communicating with the farmer to get to know their own problems.

We find that among the characteristics of rural cultural tourism at least three major elements are found in farm agrotourism and experimental tourism as forms of alternative educational, fun or educational-fun tourism:

- desire for independence:

a). jobs for the farmer's family;

b). additional farm income;

c). the desire to be remembered in the area through unique experience and unique products.

- the opportunity to contribute to the sustainable development of the community:

a). the desire for success as other farmers;

b). the desire to meet the needs of the agrotourism market;

c). the need to socialize with the tourists coming to the farm;

d). the desire to educate consumers;

e). the urge to eat healthy products.

- the possibility of diversifying tourist products and services:

a). use of all farm resources;

b). increasing the value of products through traditional processing;

b). to benefit from deductions from taxes and fees.

Because more and more people in the national area want to see where the foods on the market come from, the direct experience at the farm or the agrotourism farm, regardless of its profile, makes them appreciate the effort needed to produce and process these agrotechnological and horticultural products so that today is talked about, an economy of direct agrotourism experience that has the following characteristics:

- the pleasure of reaching the farm;

- the joy of spending free time in nature;

- the pleasure to consume, what has been prepared, picked, processed in the agrotouristic farm;

- finding a genuine crop of milk, meat, vegetables, fruits;

- the feeling of sharing the experiences;

- the feeling of localization, in an individualized space;

- the sense of rurality;

- the feeling of return to origins, agro-pastoral life, celebrations, traditions, wedding customs, passage.

The consumer of rural and farm tourism is characterized by the following features:

- the need for communication/development with people from other cultural backgrounds;

- the need for involvement in some farm activities;

- the need to know the farmer's family environment.

It differs and differentiates itself from other categories of tourism consumers through a series of attributes, the most significant being the ones listed below:

- a high level of education, which makes it eager to know some activities and processes that take place in farms;

- belonging to higher socio-professional categories;

- availability for average expenses;

- family with 2-3 children.

The rural and farm agrotourism market is a market that can be gained through efforts to improve accessibility, farm accommodation, leisure infrastructure and reception quality (1, 4, 11, 18, 20, 22).

Beyond the specific features of the four tourist markets: of culturalhistorical tourism, sustainable tourism (ecotourism), ecumenical and pilgrimage tourism, rural tourism, agrotourism and farm tourism, experimental tourism, we believe that these must be addressed in an integrated marketing management concept because the degree of interaction between markets is high because:

- ensures the superior capitalization of the natural and anthropic, cultural, traditional and ecological heritage;

- requires the best management to be implemented in the coordination of agrotourist farm production;

- requires tourism planning of the territory;

- oblige the improvement of information management flow through public-private partnerships;

- requires improvement of marketing's management;

- it offers advantages in reducing the risk of addiction;

- increase the flexibility of the rural and farm tourism offer;

- diversify practices on the same tourism market;

- contributes to the sustainable development of communities and areas with tourist vocation.

Due to the fact that, for the development of the rural and farm tourism activities, the application of the best management, it will have to include the management of the rural and farm tourism activities at two levels:

- management of the sustainable development of the rural area, carried out by the local administrations, comprising the permanent management and presupposes:

a). arranging infrastructure, public, commercial;

b). organizing activities, cultural, ethno-folklore, celebrations of community, events;

c). publishing of maps, leaflets, marking farms with agrotourist vocation;

d). promoting localities and agrotourism farms.

- management of agrotourist farm, implemented and perfected by the farmer:

a). developing good relations between farmers and tourists;

b). direct collaboration with tourism operators;

c). efficient management of farm activities;

d). the specialization of agrotourism services and products;

e). planning and organizing services;

f). making programs, educational-fun in accordance with the specific area;

g). promotion of farm products and brands through mass media, etc.;

The development of an adequate management in agrotourism farms involves, among other operations, the preservation of agricultural, zootechnical and horticultural activities, close to traditional farming, authentic customs, milk or meat processing, craftsmanship in capitalizing on local resources, to be successful in the business.

CONCLUSIONS

We consider that by practicing rural cultural tourism with its niche forms, agrotourism, farm tourism, at country, village tourism and farm tourism, a delicate balance is created between the cuts regarding rural life, the farm, and the learning of some skills, regarding obtaining milk products, horticultural and meat products and try to make you useful in a vegetable, zootechnical, horticultural or processing farm by gaining experience in approaching, caring, feeding, interacting with animals.

Farmers often choose, thanks to the multitude of demands, to open their farm gate for tourists and turn them into agrotourism farms, to earn extra income but also to reduce the amount of waste, of energy and involve more locals in different traditional activities and to provide temporary jobs, contributing to the sustainable development of the area.

For the development of rural cultural tourism with its niche forms, it is necessary to apply at the farm level the best management, which should include the management of rural and rural tourism activities at two levels, of the sustainable development of the rural area sustainable development, carried out by the local administrations and agrotourism farms implemented and perfected by the farmer.

Sidebar

NOTES ON THE AUTORS

Cornelia PETROMAN, Professor at the Banat's University of Aricultural Sciences and Veterinary of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agricultural Management, Calea Aradului, 119, Timisoara, Romania.

Cipriana SAVA, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Management in Tourism and Commerce Timişoara, „Dimitrie Cantemir" Christian University. Email: [email protected]. She holds a PhD. in Management and is the author of a large number of books, articles and studies in the field of tourism, regional and rural development. Cipriana Sava is alsoa member in „Asociaţia Româna de Ştiinţe Regionale" (ARSR), in the „European Regional Science Association" (E.R.S.A.), in the „Science Association International" (RSAI) and in the "Romanian Association of Tourism Journalists" (AJIR).

Marínela Lidia BOLD - PhD student at the Banat's University of Aricultural Sciences and Veterinary of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agricultural Management, Calea Aradului, 119, Timisoara, Romania.

Diana MARIN - Lecturer at the Banat's University of Aricultural Sciences and Veterinary of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agricultural Management, Calea Aradului, 119, Timisoara, Romania.

Loredana VĂDUVA - Assistant at the Banat's University of Aricultural Sciences and Veterinary of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agricultural Management, Calea Aradului, 119, Timisoara, Romania.

Ioan PETROMAN, Professor at the Banat's University of Aricultural Sciences and Veterinary of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agricultural Management, Calea Aradului, 119, Timisoara, Romania.

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