provided by Research Papers in Economics
39th CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN REGIONAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION
23-27 AUGUST 1999 IN DUBLIN
TOURISM IN RURAL AREAS AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
Iole Di Simone
Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali e Territoriali, Università di Reggio Calabria
Facoltà di Architettura, Feo di Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italia
[email protected]
1. Introduction
This work have its roots in a study1 carried out in 1990 for the Sicilian Regional Gov-
ernment in the field of a regional development plan for the Etnean region. At the same
time it aims to contribute to research into methodological instruments for the solution of
problems involving the use of territorial resources.
The Etnean region offers a wide range of possibilities for enjoying a new way of relaxing
and communing with nature, called Rural Tourism. The geographical features of Etnean
region make it something of an “Eden” for discovering the Mount Etna, the highest vol-
cano of Europe with its shades of green, lava, forests and agricultural areas, together
with festival and religious customs upholding ancient traditions.
Rural tourism could be an important element for the Etnean economy and a key factor
for of Etnean image projected overseas. But we have to consider also two global proc-
esses:
the increasing importance of rural tourism and recreation as one of the fasted growing
elements of tourism;
the rural restructuring, and the emergence of the post-productivist countryside.
The role of tourism as a potentially important element of the restructuring process is a
consistent theme that require appropriate tools for the sustainability of tourism-related
rural development. Infact, rural tourism development is hampered both by the false per-
ceptions held of the countryside as a romantic rural Arcadia, and by inappropriate devel-
opment, pursued, without professional advice, on the false assumption that is easy to
generate income and jobs2.
The object of the study are the rural areas located between the Etnean towns and cities
and the borders of the Etna Park (see Fig. 1). The use of agricultural space within the
park, however, is already governed by the specific regulations contained in the founding
decree and by regional legislation on parks and natural reserves (L.R. [regional law]
no.98/81, modified by L.R. no.14/88), as well as by the outline scheme of the Territorial
Plan of the Etna Park, drawn up in February 1994, which the final master plan is becom-
ing in the last time.
The study, although concerning the external rural areas at the edges of the park, loses
sight neither of the connection between them and the agricultural spaces within the park,
1 Regione Siciliana (1990), Progetto regionale integrato di sviluppo dell'area centro orientale, Definizi-
one delle linee progettuali d'intervento nell'area - Relazione generale - Tomo V, Parte II, Palermo,
Presidenza della Regione
2 Butler D., Hall M., Tourism and recreation in rural areas: myth and reality, International Conference
“Rural Tourism Management: Sustainable Option” at SAC, Auchincruive, UK, 9-12 September 1998.