Benefits of Rural Tourism
The rural countryside can be the last hold out against cola, jeans, Toyotas and Chelsea. As cities homogenize cultures and people, and every other destination looks similar. So those who want to celebrate the fantastic differences among the over seven billion people fitting into the world the rural countryside is the ideal destination.
Small villages are good to visit, instead of big cities. These laid-back places offer wonderful discoveries for visitors. It is a different joy to encounter people who truly represent their own localities and are proud of these.
It’s something else to be able to see many of the produce that often end up in the city supermarkets. For city folks, seeing bananas grow in the farm and having a taste of these fruits straight from the tree is quite an experience.
Rural tourism is an industry that allows visitors to experience the ways of life that they can hardly find in cities. It’s different; it’s more authentic experience. And it brings many benefits, both to visitors and the local community:
• Generates employment and income for the residents of remote villages. This is most especially beneficial to women who often have no new opportunities to earn income away from home.
• Creates a market and appreciation for local products and services… and keeps them alive.
• Encourages conservation and care of natural resources such as the rivers, forests, mountains as well as local fauna and flora, birds, fish and almost extinct animals. When these are valued as living assets to attract income, they are usually cared for.
• Provides incentives to preserve some of the old customs and traditions, crafts, traditional festivals, architecture, food and other practices unique to certain communities.
• Given that services are often provided by residents of the village, rural tourism benefits the village in that there is greater cooperation among villagers as they operate the local enterprise of providing for tourists.
• Provides opportunities for mutual sharing of cultures. Hopefully, these encounters will result in greater understanding among peoples and closer ties to the global family.
• Helps slow urban drift as it gives a better economic future for families in rural areas. (goglobaltoday.com)