REVIEW OF RURAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT THEORIES

The paper analyses the theories of rural tourism development and present the framework of the main factors of rural tourism development based on this theoretical framework. There are several theories of rural tourism development based on the supply and demand factors. The main demand factors of rural tourism are based on the motives of consumers. The main supply factors of rural tourism development are based on the local tourism resources and the application of evolutionary approach in rural tourism development. The evolutionary approach of tourism development means that the rural tourism development can be seen as a process, and the tourism development should be defined as a natural process of change. A proper understanding of this process helps to understand the dynamism of rural tourism development better and allows identifying the main factors that have an impact on the changes in rural tourism and selecting the proper methods for their identification and assessment. The paper presents the concept of rural tourism development using in-depth analysis of various theories and theoretical frameworks developed to explain the trends of tourism development.