nor of the need to interrelate their development with that already regulated by the
founding decree that established the park.
2. Rural tourism and development
The theme of the rural development and conservation in the case-study is organized ac-
cording to the conceptual plan illustrated in Figure 2. The two theses that aim to resolve
the problem posed by the theme and on which the approach of the project hypothesis is
founded are:
- the first, which has been brought to the attention of the Council of Europe
ever since the European campaign for the rural world in 1988 and which has indi-
cated in rural tourism one of the activities that can make a contribution towards
a solution for the revitalization of that world and its space3;
- the second, which was born out of the strategy formed in the Regional Develop-
ment Project for the Central-Eastern Area of Sicily and which, for agricultural
and rural areas, concentrates on the adoption of development models that hinge
on the dynamics that production factors manage to express within the area
(endogenous development)4.
The development of tourism in rural areas has accelerated in recent years, and there is
nothing to suggest it will not continue. As with any export activity, tourism is a source of
income and employment. Because it requires upstream goods and services, tourism
serves as a lever for a whole series of activities. The vital question then is how can the
services rendered and products offered be made as varied as possible, so as to be able to
attract an increasing number of tourists and maximize the amount they spend locally5.
The term rural tourism is not synonymous with farm tourism, agri/agrotourism for many
countries. This situation generates comparative studies which can enhance our under-
standing of similar processes in different circumstances. The Author is studying since one
of her works6 this theme to better understand the motivations, aspirations, and profile
and behavior of rural tourists and farm visitors, that in particular stay in farm accommo-
dation to experience farm attractions.
The nature of human-animal interaction on farms, particularly for children, has under-
gone change following widespread publicity of potential threats to human health. The
significance of these crisis-induced changes to the nature and impact of farm visit tourism
requires other investigations. The wider role of animals in the consumption of rural tour-
ism and questions of animal welfare may raise important ethical questions.
The gendered nature of rural tourism development and its impact is no better seen than in
tourism-related farm households. Power relations, the permanence or otherwise of tour-
ism enterprise, reinvestment questions, the division of labor and relative host roles, are all
3 Thibal S., Le tourisme rural en Europe, Europe Council 2.5.1988
4 Di Simone I., Papale S., Integrated Rural Routes: a Methodological Model of Rural Planning, XII
CIGR Congress and AgEng '94 Conference on Agricultural Engineering, ref. 94-B-013, Milan, 29
August - 1 September 1994.
5 Greffe X., "Is Rural Tourism a Lever for Economic and Social Development?", Journal of Soustanible
Development, vol. 2, No. 1&2, 1994, p. 22-40.
6 Di Simone I., Turismo rurale: dalla realtà europea alle prospettive per la Sicilia, Atti del Convegno
Nazionale A.I.G.R. (Associazione Italiana Genio Rurale), Maratea 7-11 June 1993.