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- Title
Rural tourism in Lebanon: what does the market reveal?
- Authors
GHADBAN, Socrat; SHAMES, Maya; ABOU ARRAGE, Jad; ABOU FAYYAD, Amal
- Abstract
The concept of rural tourism encompasses many forms of tourism, such as nature-based tourism, community-based tourism, ecotourism, agro-tourism, and many more. Scholars consider tourism as an important tool of revenue generation for communities living in rural areas. However, ineffective planning and management of the tourism industry may lead to undesired results in rural destinations, sometimes negatively affecting their rich natural and cultural heritage. In Lebanon, the last decade witnessed an increase of the rural tourism share within the tourism industry. Up to now, there is no scientific study of the supply and demand for this sector in Lebanon. This research aims to analyze the domestic rural tourism demand among the domestic market in order to provide information for actors in the field. The data showcase evidences about the needs, preferences and expectations of potential urban travelers, and factors affecting them. Data collection was completed in May 2014 with a sample of 436 persons, mostly Lebanese urban inhabitants, during the Travel Lebanon exhibition dedicated to promote rural tourism in Lebanon. The statistical analysis revealed important facts about the perception and behavior of potential visitors. Personal characteristics, especially respondents' personal income and cultural background, have been identified as major factors that affect their decision making process regarding tourism services and facilities. Results also revealed a lack of awareness by the surveyed respondents about critical sustainable tourism issues in rural areas, and a visitor perception that is somewhat different from what is actually being provided by tourism stakeholders in rural areas.
- Subjects
RURAL tourism; SUSTAINABLE tourism; PSYCHOLOGY of travelers; INTERNATIONAL visitors; LEBANON description &; travel
- Publication
Revue Management et Avenir, 2017, Issue 96, p165
- ISSN
1768-5958
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3917/mav.096.0165