Collective Strategies for Rural Tourism: The experience of networks in Spain.

Abstract

Rural tourism is an increasingly important activity for the European economy. Rural tourism development is complex, considering the wide variety of companies, agents and resources to be jointly managed, the objectives of each participating company, but also to broader objectives relating to the development and conservation of resources in the rural tourist destination. The aim of this paper is to provide a better understanding about the effects of networks as a strategy for improving the development of the rural tourism sector. An in-depth study of networked firms representing a rural tourism consolidated destination found that actions undertaken by networks contributes to the improvement for the rural tourism sector in three areas: improving the performance of enterprises, contributing to the economic and social improvement of rural tourist destinations and helping to create a rural tourist destination image. These findings have implications for both entrepreneurial behaviour and for public agents working in rural tourism.