Volume 9
Issue 4
Economics
JOURNAL OF
POLISH
AGRICULTURAL
UNIVERSITIES
Available Online: http://www.ejpau.media.pl/volume9/issue4/abs-02.html
TOURISM AS A CHANCE FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Izabella Sikorska-Wolak
Department of Human Sciences,
Warsaw Agricultural University, Poland
ABSTRACT
Agritourism has taken an important role in the policy of multifunctional and sustainable rural development which has been launched in Poland for more than ten years now. It is supported by numerous economic and non-economic advantages resulting from rural tourism development, such as: generating new jobs, improving the income situation of farm families and other inhabitants, enhancing entrepreneurial attitudes, and developing rural infrastructure. Tourism development in rural areas may add to solving, or at least lessening many problems faced by rural areas and individual farmers. Possibilities to develop rural/ agritourism are considerable because of outstanding natural and cultural qualities of rural Poland as well as constantly increasing interest of city dwellers in this form of recreation and holiday making. A survey carried out in the Section for Cultural Heritage and Tourism, at Warsaw Agricultural University, and in other research centres indicate, that these possibilities have not been fully developed. It is necessary to increase promotion, educational, advisory, and promotion measures, as well as financial support for farmers and other rural inhabitants establishing businesses in the field of agritourism in order to develop these resources.
Key words: tourism, rural areas, strategic documents.
Izabella Sikorska-Wolak
Department of Human Sciences,
Warsaw Agricultural University, Poland
Nowursynowska 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Responses to this article, comments are invited and should be submitted within three months of the publication of the article. If accepted for publication, they will be published in the chapter headed 'Discussions' and hyperlinked to the article.