Tourism can offer rural residents business opportunities in activities that cater to the tourist trade.

Such locally-operated businesses, which may be seasonal, can provide local residents with

valuable opportunities to develop business skills and can give local crafters, farmers, and food

processors, among others, outlets to sell their products to local retail establishments. Farmers

growing fresh produce can take advantage of tourism to establish direct marketing channels for8

ready-to-eat products, which may also serve as outlets for processed foods such as jams, jellies,

breads, and preserves.

Heritage tourism refers to leisure travel that has as its primary purpose the experiencing of places

and activities that represent the past. A principal concern of heritage tourism is historical

authenticity and long-term sustainability of the attraction visited. Active local involvement is

also typically a key component of successful heritage tourism endeavors. Baldwin’s (1994)

study of a local heritage festival in northeastern Tennessee represents a good example of a

successful heritage tourism program that fostered community involvement in an economically

underdeveloped rural community. A different heritage tourism focus is provided by DeLyser’s

(1995) article on ghost towns, which emphasizes that such towns in the West may have rich

histories that can be attractive to potential tourists

A second major type of rural tourism activity is nature-based tourism/ecotourism (sometimes

called recreation-based tourism), which refers to the process of visiting natural areas for the

purpose of enjoying the scenery, including plant and animal wildlife. Nature-based tourism may

be either passive, in which observers tend to be strictly observers of nature, or active

adventure travel activities. McDaniel’s (2001) article of southwestern Virginia, which highlights

the tourism potential of the region’s scenic and abundant recreational activities, is a

representative example. Guglielmino (1998) cautions that although ecotourism represents a

viable economic development strategy for rural areas with natural resources, even successful

ventures require patience for local communities. Also, as noted by King and Stewart (1996),

undertaking ecotourism, unless managed carefully, can sometimes pit people against local

natural resources. This suggests a strong need for pursuing sustainable development in

ecotourism activities, as suggested by Lash (1998), who argues that the needs of the local

community, visitors, and the environment can best be met through a synergistic approach

between development and the environment that will not degrade the resource base

A third major form of tourism is agritourism, which refers to, “the act of visiting a working farm

or any agricultural, horticultural or agribusiness operation for the purpose of enjoyment,

education, or active involvement in the activities of the farm or operation” (Lobo, 2001). It

includes taking part in a broad range of farm-based activities, including farmers’ markets,

“petting” farms, roadside stands, and “pick-your-own” operations; engaging in overnight farm or

Paquetes en Peru

Peru destinations

Cusco Tours

ranch stays and other farm visits; and visiting agriculture-related festivals, museums, and other

such attractions. (See Dane (2001b) for a discussion of agritourism, including a listing of some

examples of this type of tourism.) Hilchey’s (1993a) publication provides a detailed discussion

of various farm-based tourism enterprises available to farmers in New York State. He notes that

long-term trends in consumer demand for tourism and recreation suggest that agritourism

enterprises can help provide an important niche market for farmers throughout the Nation.

Hilchey (1993b) also notes that three factors are often the key to successful agritouris