International Conference «Prospects for Development of Rural Tourism in Europe» Kielce, Poland, 20 April 2012

UNWTO 1.The UN specialized agency in the field of tourism Member States (44 Member States from the European region) and more than 400 Affiliate Members TOURISM Responsible Sustainable Universally accesible

International tourist arrivals and receipts evolution 25 mln. 2 billion USD 900 billion USD ArrivalsReceipts

Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Forecast 2012: 3% to 4% Outlook: World change (%)

International tourist arrivals to reach 1.8 billion by 2030

Long history of rural tourism events  CEU-ETC Joint Seminar on Rural Tourism (Israel, June 1996)  Seminar on Rural Tourism in Europe: Experiences and Perspectives (Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro, June 2002)  Seminar on Rural Tourism in Europe: Pathway to Sustainable Development (Kielce, Poland, June 2003)  Seminar on Rural Tourism in Europe: Guidelines for Development (Yaremcha, Ukraine, September 2003)  International Forum on Rural Tourism (Guiyang, China, September 2006)  First Romanian Congress on Rural Tourism (Alba-Iulia, Romania, May 2011)  Internatonal Conference on Sustainability of Rural Tourism (Belgrade, Serbia, February 2012)

Consumer’s behaviour changes 77%  Trips are shorter and closer to home and familiar destinations  Travel is organised individually instead of going for the organized trips  Cars, trains and coaches are preferred instead of planes  Country houses or similar are used instead of hotels  Increased concern for safety and security  More mature and experienced travellers  An aging population  An increased attention to the sustainable development of tourism

Benefits of rural tourism 77%  Conserve and create employment, helping to halt depopulation;  Enhance the role of women;  Diversify the local economy, creating wealth which compensates for declining agricultural income;  Help create and maintain the typical small business of the area;  Reroute tourism earnings to country communities – from a tourism planning viewpoint, the rural component helps to diversify the offer and reduce coastal overcrowding;  Conserve local services and stimulate their improvement;  Conserve the historic, architectural, gastronomic and cultural heritage of the area;  Conserve nature, maintain the landscape and improve the environment;  Enhance understanding and create friendships between locals and visitors.

Costs of rural tourism 77% 1.Economic - Pressure on public services - Increase in the price of land 2. Social - Breach of carrying capacities resulting in congestion and over-crowding leading to negative attitudes to tourists 3. Environmental - Potential for inappropriate development in terms of scale and design

Problems and challenges 77% Low population base; Limited financial resources; Lack of skills in professional organization; Insufficient knowledge of needs and interests of travellers; Mismanagement of balancing environmental protection with development; Unawareness of carrying capacity of a community; Lack of coordination between private and public sector;

To deliver a quality rural tourism product? 77% 1.To work together to a strategy  Setting the process going  Leadership and partnership structures  A clear strategy, well communicated

To deliver a quality rural tourism product? 77% 2.Delivering quality at all stages of the visitor experience  Marketing and communication  Welcome, orientation and information  Accommodation  Local produce and gastronomy  Attractions and events  Countryside recreation  Environment and infrastructure

To deliver a quality rural tourism product? 77% 3.Installing effective quality management and monitoring processes  Understanding visitors needs and seeing they are met  Setting, checking and communicating standards  Working with people on training and improving quality  Monitoring impact on the local economy, community and environment

European Union Priorities 77% Improving the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sectors Improving the environment and countryside Improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of the rural economy Building local capacity for employment and diversification Ensuring consistency in programming Complementarity between European instruments New challenges:  Combating climate change  Promoting renewable energies  Water management  Protecting biodiversity

Thank you! Zoltán Somogyi Executive Director for Member Relations and Services Visit us at unwto.org