Tourism and Sustainable Development of Rural Destinations: A STAKEHOLDERS’ View

Abstract

The topic of sustainable development has become an increasingly popular field of research since the late 1980s, as a result of the report Our Common Future, which suggests the satisfaction of the current generation’s needs without affecting those of future generations. Rural tourism has been identified as potentially contributing to sustainable development, guaranteeing the satisfaction of all stakeholders, both from the demand and supply side, without jeopardizing natural, cultural and social resources. However, there is empirical evidence pointing at a relatively modest role of rural tourism as a development tool, with this potential depending on several factors. It is in this context that the present paper analyses the views of several stakeholders of rural tourism in the Portuguese schist village Janeiro de Cima (visitors, residents, private sector supply agents, and local and regional tourism planning entities), regarding the tourism phenomenon in the village and its implications on sustainable development. These views were obtained through a qualitative approach, in terviewing stakeholder groups, in the context of a larger three year research project, financed by FCT, analysing the overall rural tourism experience and its potential for sustainable tourism development at the village scale.