"The current restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic have a strong impact on all forms of tourism. Rural tourism holds certain advantages over alternative/classical forms, which reduce the risk of infection i.e. unpolluted air and tranquility, low population density, reduced human interaction, easy social distancing and smaller lodgings. This paper analyzes the rural tourism potential for a village situated in North-Western Transylvania (Romania): Mănăstireni. The data was captured by developing and distributing a questionnaire consisting of 34 question. The results indicate that, whilst the local infrastructure is deficient, respondents are generally satisfied or very happy with the rural tourism in the analyzed area. Among the most frequently quoted advantages were found to be tranquility, clean air, beauty of landscapes, and the hosts’ hospitality. These identified characteristics represent clear advantages that rural tourism holds over classical/ alternative forms (e.g. city breaks), especially in the current pandemic conditions.
Key words: rural tourism, sustainability, Mănăstireni, Cluj County, COVID-19
JEL classification: L83, Z32, L80.
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Nowadays, the role of the sharing economy in tourism increases, the number of people involved as guests or hosts rising day by day. This dynamic generates a viable alternative to the traditional services, allowing tourists to customise their trips and enrich their experiences. This paper focuses on accommodation services, investigating the factors influencing the prices established by Airbnb hosts. Using structural equation modelling, the authors analyse the influence of different categories of factors (listing's characteristics, hosts' involvement, listing's reputation, listing's location, and rental policies) on the average daily rate. The results emphasise that the hosts establish the listing's price based on listing's characteristics and on their involvementthe owners managing only one listing and the ones charging a security deposit value more their involvement, while the other hosts focus more on the listings' characteristics. The location of the listing counts for experienced owners, while for opportunist owners it has no importance. The listings' reputation has a negative impact on the price, contrary to the conclusions achieved in other studies, an aspect that supports the idea that price determinants differ across regions.
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