Challenges and Development Opportunities for Tourism in Rural Areas
A special issue of Tourism and Hospitality (ISSN 2673-5768).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 February 2026 | Viewed by 28
Special Issue Editor
Interests: tourism in rural areas; agritourism; wine tourism; olive oil tourism; development strategies; challenges and problems; multiple effects of tourism on the local economy; gentrification and immigration in rural areas; pressure of over tourism
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
As a concept, sustainable development very often refers to the development of rural areas. This includes several aspects of the economy, comprising different kinds of activities such as agriculture, crafts, catering and hospitality services.
These economic activities create income and contribute to sustainable livelihoods in rural areas.
As one of the most ancient forms of economy, agriculture still has a vigorous and important role in rural economies worldwide, but tourism has become more important, especially close to the coastal areas in Europe.
In recent decades, farm activities have shifted from primary production and producers to new income forms such as agritourism, wine tourism and other activities.
Such developments have turned agriculture into an attractive business, especially in the Mediterranean regions of Europe.
Furthermore, new problems and challenges have arisen; e.g., the pressure of building new housing in rural areas and the migration of retirees or foreign citizens have increased the need for land.
The consequences included exaggerated prices of agricultural land, the transfer of agricultural to building plots and marginal profits for agriculture.
Therefore, new strategies for development on the national and local levels and new forms of income activities in farms and rural areas were created, whereas tourism was the most frequent choice.
Dr. Anita Silvana Ilak Peršurić
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Tourism and Hospitality is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- rural areas
- rural tourism
- wine tourism
- challenges
- development
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
