Rural tourism definitions by Andrew Clegg

BML313: Rural Tourism Dr Andy Clegg

Module Learning Outcomes Aims  To iden(fy and deﬁne the rural tourism product/experience  To highlight the value of rural tourism  To cri(cally examine the deﬁni(ons and representa(ons of the

‘rural’ and ‘rurality’

 To cri(cally examine the wider rural social and economic

context within which increasing demands for recrea(on and tourism are taking place

Module Content  8/9/11:

Week 1:

Rural Tourism: Deﬁni(ons and Constructs

 15/9/11: Week 2:

The Resource Base and Demand for Rural Tourism

 22/9/11: Week 3:

Induc(on Week: Self-‐directed ac(vity

 29/9/11: Week 4:

The Strategy Framework for Rural Tourism

 6/10/11: Week 5: Farming and Tourism [1] – Diversiﬁca(on

Guest speaker/ﬁeldtrip TBC

 13/10/11: Week 6:

Farming and Tourism [2] -‐ Gastronomic Tourism

 20/10/11: Week 7:

Woodlands and Forests as Tourism Resources

 27/10/11: Week 8:

READING WEEK

Module Content 

3/11/11: Week 9: Tourism, Na(onal Parks and Protected Areas Guest Speaker: Katherine Hale, South Downs Na(onal Park

 10/11/11: Week 10:

Rural Case Studies 1: Tourism and Market Towns Fieldtrip: Midhurst (TBC)

 17/11/11: Week 11:

Managing Access Guest Speaker: Andy Ga_ker, South Downs Way Oﬃcer

 24/11/11: Week 12:

Rural Case Studies 2: Managing the Visitor Experience -‐ Queen Elizabeth Country Park

Module Assessment Aims  The assessment for this module will consist of:  A group consultancy report (50%, 1,750 words per student)  A group presenta(on of an execu(ve summary (30%)  An individual interview/viva (20%)

Rural Tourism: Deﬁni=ons and Constructs BAM313: Rural Tourism

Learning Outcomes Aims  To iden(fy and deﬁne the rural tourism product/experience  To highlight the value of rural tourism  To cri(cally examine the deﬁni(ons and representa(ons of the

‘rural’ and ‘rurality’

 To cri(cally examine the wider rural social and economic

context within which increasing demands for recrea(on and tourism are taking place

Understanding Rural Tourism Key Ques=ons?  What are the key experien(al elements of rural tourism?  How do we deﬁne rural tourism/countryside?  Is rural tourism a dis(nc(ve form of tourism produc(on and

consump(on?  To what extent does the countryside possess social and

cultural signiﬁcance?

 Is rural tourism simply one sector of the tourism market or

does it represent a diﬀerent set of principles for the planning and development of tourism?

Rural Tourism Ac:vity 1: a) What is the rural tourism experience?

Deﬁning Rural Tourism The Rural Tourism Experience

Rural Tourism Ac:vity 2: a) How do you deﬁne rural tourism?

Rural Tourism What is rural tourism?  A highly diverse product:

Farm tourism which is deeply embedded in the ‘tradi(onal countryside’ to

Hotels/ajrac(ons which are located in rural areas because of the advantages of loca(on rather than inherent characteris(cs of the rural area itself

Rural Tourism What is rural tourism?  What is the meaning of ‘the rural’ to

par:cipants in rural tourism?  A permissive space for space-‐

extensive ac(vi(es

 The site of par(cular non-‐

embedded ac(vi(es  A series of places with deeply

ajached socially-‐constructed values

Rural Tourism What is rural tourism?  What is the meaning of ‘the rural’ to

par:cipants in rural tourism?  A permissive space for space-‐

extensive ac(vi(es

 The site of par(cular non-‐

embedded ac(vi(es  A series of places with deeply

ajached socially-‐constructed values

Deﬁning Rural Tourism Terms Describing Forms of Rural Tourism  Agri/agrotourism  Farm Tourism  Wilderness and Forest Tourism  Green / Sustainable Tourism  Ecotourism/Nature-‐Based Tourism  Geotourism

Deﬁning Rural Tourism Characteris=cs of Rural Tourism  Lane (1994)  Located in rural areas  Func(onally rural built on aspects of small-‐scale enterprise,

open space, heritage, ‘tradi(onal’ socie(es and ‘tradi(onal’ prac(ces  Rural in scale  Tradi(onal in character  Represents the complex pajerns of rural environments

therefore no uniform type

Deﬁning Rural Tourism Key Considera=ons in Deﬁning Rural Tourism  Holiday type  Intensity of use  Loca(on  Style of management  Integra(on with the local community

Deﬁning Rural Tourism Lane (1994): Key Considera=ons  Urban or resort based tourism is not conﬁned to urban

areas but spills out into rural areas  Rural areas themselves are diﬃcult to deﬁne  Not all tourism taking place in rural areas is strictly

‘rural’: they can be urban in form located in a rural area  Tourism has an urbanising inﬂuence on the countryside

Defining Rural Tourism Lane (1994): Key Considera=ons  Different forms of tourism have developed in different

regions  There is no longer a clear division between urban and

rural

 Rural tourism is a complex mul(-‐faceted ac(vity

Deﬁning Rural Tourism The Urban-‐Rural Con=nuum  There may be ‘no sharp discon(nuity between urban and rural

resources for recrea(on, but rather a complete con(nuum from local park to remote mountain peak’ [Patmore, 1983, p. 122]

 ‘there is nothing inherent in any part of the countryside that

makes it a recrea(onal resource [Shaw and Williams, 1994, p. 223]

Deﬁning Rural Tourism The Urban-‐Rural Con=nuum  The con:nuum may also reﬂect tourism demand:  Strong day visitor trade in the accessible urban fringe,

whereas more peripheral areas may ajract lower levels of visita(on, but oﬀer more opportuni(es for more tradi(onal rural tourism ac(vi(es

 The con:nuum also reﬂects that there is no one single

‘countryside’ or ‘rural space’

Deﬁning Rural Tourism The Urban-‐Rural Con=nuum  ‘classifying tourism and recrea(onal environments for their

uses and for speciﬁc reasons and purposes [is] meaningless if they are part of no more than a simple con(nuum of recrea(onal and tourism resources’ [Hall and Page, 1999, p. 182]

 ‘therefore rural tourism as a dis(nc(ve, iden(ﬁable form of

tourism is also a rela(vely meaningless term’ [Sharpley, 2004, p. 377]

Deﬁning Rural Tourism Rural Tourism Spectrum

The Value of Rural Tourism Key sta=s=cs:  19.3m (19%) overnight domes(c trips were made to the

countryside in England in 2009  The value of countryside trips in England in 2009 was £3.2

billion, 18% of total domes(c spend

 Visitor spending in the countryside supports in excess of

380,000 jobs  25,000 establishments in the countryside; 39% of total

accommoda(on capacity recorded for England [Source: UKTS]

Deﬁning the Rural No simple deﬁni=on of rurality exists !!  Clout (1972, p. 1)  ‘The study of recent social, economic, land-‐use, and spa(al

changes that have taken place in less-‐densely populated areas which are commonly recognised by the virtue of their visual components as countryside’

 Newby (1986, p. 209)  ‘There is now...a general awareness that what cons(tutes

‘rural’ is wholly a majer of convenience’

Deﬁning the Rural No simple deﬁni=on of rurality exists !!  Cloke and Milbourne (1992, p. 360):  ‘there is no longer one single rural space, but rather a

mul(plicity of social spaces that overlap the same geographical area’

 Pra\ (1996, p. 71)  ‘there are many rurals...a mul(plicity of means to the term

rurality’

Deﬁning the Rural No simple deﬁni=on of rurality exists !!  Hoggart (1990)  ‘a chao/c concept which is contested in terms of iden(fying

the deﬁning parameters of rural space’

Deﬁning the Rural OECD (1993), What Future for Our Countryside  ‘Rural areas comprise the people, land and other resources, in

the open country and small sejlements outside the immediate economic inﬂuence of major urban centres. Rural is a territorial or spa(al concept. It is not restricted to any par(cular use of land, degree of economic health or economic sector’

Deﬁning the Rural -‐ Approaches Criteria based on % employment in agriculture and forestry  Limita:ons:  Restructuring of rural economies, the % employed in

primary industries has fallen (against a rise in the service sector)

 In rela(on to tourism, it not the ﬁgures that are important

but the comparison between the tourist’s home (and usually urban environment) and the characteris(cs of the des(na(on that mark it as rural  A major ajrac(on of rural areas is the sense of space and

lack of urban development

Defining the Rural -‐ Approaches Descrip/ve Defini/ons  Defini(ons relate to a specialist use and not a general

measure of rurality -‐ geared to academic and planning purposes:  Sta(s(cal defini(ons -‐ socio-‐economic studies  Administra(ve defini(ons -‐ poli/cal studies  Agricultural defini(ons -‐ landuse and social rela/on

studies

 Popula(on density deﬁni(ons -‐ service provision studies

Defining the Rural Descrip/ve Defini/ons  Fi_ng a defini(on to what we intui(vely believe to be rural  Research tools for ar(cula(ng aspects of the rural rather than

the means of deﬁning the rural

Deﬁning the Rural The Rural as Locality  Rural areas must be deﬁned according to those characteris(cs

which make them rural  Hoggart (1990): the term ‘rural’ lacks explanatory power:  the ruralisa(on of industry refers to the movement to low

wages areas (urban or rural) rather than a movement to rural areas per se  ‘do away with the rural’ and avoid generalisa(ons between

urban and rural’

Deﬁning the Rural The Rural as Locality  Give greater considera(on to the characteris(cs of the locality

and the processes crea(ng evident structures and rela(onships  A sa(sfactory deﬁni(on will depend on:  The presence of signiﬁcant societal structures opera(ng

unambiguously at the local level  That these local level structures enable us to make a clear

dis(nc(on between what can be termed ‘rural and ‘urban environment’

Deﬁning the Rural The Rural as Social Representa/on  The expression and percep(on of the rural:  Halfacree (1993): ‘words and concepts understood

and used by people in everyday talk’

 The ajrac(on of the countryside goes beyond the tangible

and relates to a more abstract concept and socially constructed images (cogni(ve structures) molded by contemporary media/society  ‘Material space’ divorced from rural locality through rural

social representa(on -‐ ‘chocolate box countryside’

Deﬁning the Rural The Rural as Social Representa/on  Scale:  Na/onally: rural areas are seen

as tranquil havens

Deﬁning the Rural The Rural as Social Representa/on  Scale:  Regionally: increasing

commodiﬁca(on by television and tourism

Deﬁning the Rural The Rural as Social Representa/on  Scale:  Locally: conﬂict between

diﬀerent groups and where the dominant meanings of rural are nego(ated

Deﬁning the Rural The Rural as Social Representa/on  Scale:  Locally: conﬂict between

diﬀerent groups and where the dominant meanings of rural are nego(ated

Deﬁning the Rural The Rural as Social Representa/on  The ‘quintessen(al’ view of

the Bri(sh countryside is fundamental to peoples’ percep(ons of rural areas

Deﬁning the Rural Rurality and Post-‐Produc/vism  Transi(on to a Post-‐Produc/vist Countryside

What does post-‐produc:vist mean?

Deﬁning the Rural Rurality and Post-‐Produc/vism  Transi(on to a Post-‐Produc/vist Countryside  Agriculture remains the principal land use in rural areas, but

loses its dominant posi(on in rela(on to:  The rural economy  Local society and poli(cs

Deﬁning the Rural Rurality and Post-‐Produc/vism  Post-‐Produc(vism is characterised by:  Diversiﬁca(on, pluriac(vity  Environmental sensi(vity  Divergence within farming

Deﬁning the Rural Rurality and Post-‐Produc/vism  The crea(on of a more heterogeneous countryside, in terms

of:  Land use  Social composi(on  Economic ac(vity  Modes of regula(on; and  Place representa(on (marke(ng/branding)

The Restructuring of Rural Communi=es  The Restructuring of Tradi/onal Rural Communi/es  ‘social structures in the countryside may be typiﬁed by a

variety of characteris(cs including a sense of community, simple economies, local rather than cosmopolitan cultures and a way of life that is somehow slower, less materialis(c and more complete than in urban socie(es’ [Sharpley and Sharpley, 1997, p. 15]

Counterurbanisa=on  Robinson (1990):  ‘Growth in remoter rural areas’

What has caused this growth?

Counterurbanisa=on  Robinson (1990):  ‘Growth in remoter rural areas’

 Lewis (1998): Four Common Factors:  Growth was occurring at progressively lower levels of the

urban hierarchy  Popula(on increase was spreading through extended suburbanisa(on  Buoyant rates of growth were being recorded outside metropolitan areas, especially in remoter rural areas  Popula(on was shising from tradi(onal urban industrial areas towards loca(ons more favoured in environmental terms

Counterurbanisa=on  Expansion of commu(ng ﬁelds  The emergence of scale diseconomies and

social problems in large ci(es

 Deconcentra(on theory  The concentra(on of rural popula(on into

local urban centres

 The availability of government subsidies

for rural ac(vi(es/success of spa(al policies

 The growth of employment in par(cular

localised industries

 Restructuring of industry and associated

branch plants

 Improvements in transport and

communica(ons technology  The improvement of educa(on, health

and infrastructure in rural areas

 The accelera(on of re(rement migra(on  The change in residen(al preferences of

working-‐age people and entrepreneurs

 Changes in age structure, household size

and composi(on

 Housing availability and choice  Behavioural perspec(ves -‐ ‘to get out of

the rat-‐race’

 Environmental considera(ons

Counterurbanisa=on  Robinson (1990):  ‘The reasons for this reversal are so mul(faceted that any

ajempt to apply a single explana(on to the widely diverse changes in diﬀerent regions would be unduly simplis(c’

Impacts of Counterurbanisa=on  Gentriﬁca=on and Polarisa=on  Newby (1979): 

‘A village within a village, suspicious of and resistant to social contact with the commuters and second home owners, who now contribute a high propor(on of the popula(on’

 Lijle (1987): 

‘processes have led in extreme cases to the gentriﬁca(on of villages and the almost wholesale replacement of one popula(on by another’

Impacts of Counterurbanisa=on  Re=rement Migra=on or Geriaﬁc=on  Champion (1990): 

‘Never before has there been such a large and healthy popula(on of older people, who are free to sell their houses in metropolitan suburbs and choose where to purchase a new home’

 Such changes stand in contrast to the osen idealised and

stereotypical percep(on of social structures in rural areas

 Impacts of rural communi(es (e.g. second home

ownership/impacts on rural service provision)

Restructuring of Rural Economies  Restructuring of Agriculture  The restructuring of rural capital/farm diversiﬁca(on  Con(nuing debate and Reform of the Common Agricultural

Policy (CAP)

 Foot and Mouth

 The Restructuring of the Rural Economy/Rural Regenera/on  Growth in manufacturing and service sector employment

Deﬁning Rural Tourism  Summary  Rural tourism can be deﬁned both conceptually, as a state of

mind, and technically, according to ac(vi(es, des(na(ons, and other measureable, tangible characteris(cs

 Rurality refers both to the iden(ﬁable characteris(cs of rural

areas and the cultural meaning ajached to rural areas and is of fundamental importance to the demand for, and supply of, rural tourism

 A special feature of the countryside is rurality and ‘if rurality

in its many manifesta(ons is a unique selling point, then great care must be taken to maintain rurality’ [Lane, 1994]

Deﬁning Rural Tourism  Summary  The poli(cal, economic and social structures of rural areas are

becoming increasingly urban in nature

 The countryside is becoming less of a place of produc(on and

more the object of consump(on therefore crea(ng new tensions (e.g. agriculture and consump(on/ development and landscapes)

 ‘The countryside that tourists which to consume is a...socially

constructed concept...a rural utopia where visitors may escape from the present into an ‘authen(c, nostalgic past’ -‐ which bears lijle resemblance to the reality of a dynamic countryside’ [Sharpley, 2004, p. 377]

Learning Outcomes By the end of this session, you should be able to:  Iden(fy and deﬁne the rural tourism product/experience  Highlight the value of rural tourism  Cri(cally discuss deﬁni(ons and representa(ons of the ‘rural’

and ‘rurality’  Cri(cally evaluate the development of rural tourism in the

context of wider social and economic changes occurring in the countryside