Rural tourism assumes a special relevance in Europe, where the transformation of rural space started already decades ago and it is further accelerated by the process of integration into the European Union. The related structural changes affect a high number of countries and have a profound social and economic impact. Rural tourism allows a diversification of components of rural economies, which would otherwise be condemned to disappear, entailing high human and economic costs. It also allows to maintain, to protect and even to enhance our heritage and our patrimony. Rural tourism can make a valuable contribution to rural economies, and provide several potential benefits. A sustainable development of rural tourism is likely to generate: job retention and creation, farm support, landscape conservation, support to rural arts and crafts, nature conservation, environmental improvements, and enhanced role of women.  

Since 2001 world tourism has been characterized by a global economic downturn which affected all major economies at the same time and by a general uncertainty following a string of terrorist attacks, some of them specifically targeting tourists. Consumer’s behaviour has also changed: trips are closer to home and to familiar destinations; travel is organised individually instead of going for the organized trips; cars, trains and coaches are preferred instead of planes; with regards to accommodation, apartments, country houses or similar are used instead of hotels; there is an increased concern for safety and security  and more attention to the sustainable development of tourism.

The features outlined above combined with the high share of intra-regional travel will favour a continued expansion of rural tourism in Europe.