Tourism Potential of Neglected Small Rural Areas

Abstract

Rural areas, particularly small villages, often provide interesting and almost forgotten aspects for own and regional development. On the other side, they struggle with many negative profound impacts in terms of depopulation, aging and migration, along with economic depression and poor agricultural activity, causing inevitable change on their further development. This study illustrates three villages in the Vardar region of North Macedonia (Nežilovo, Oreše and Papradište) being identified as particularly vulnerable to already noted processes. Based on a first-hand experience and data collected from a field research, the sampled villages are evaluated as locations with high tourism potential. Upon a rapid assessment, it was found that selected rural areas may find compatible and prospective economic activity that may encourage diversification of rural activities. In this line, the paper suggests that rural tourism may boost the local economy and prevent rural areas to be neglected. It is concluded that rural tourism should be considered as a long-term solution for preventing further abandonment and to encourage the vitality of sparsely populated rural areas.

Искористеност На Атрaктивните Мотивски Фактори Во Функција На Руралниот Туризам

“…Во истражувањето користени се квантитативни и квалитативни методи. Доминантно учество имаат податоци од стручни трудови, како и податоци добиени од претходни теренски истражувања [4], [5], [8][9][10][11][12][13][14], [15]. Резултатите од истражувањето се прикажани текстуално, табеларно и картографски.…”