Rural tourism and residents' well-being in Cyprus: towards a conceptualised framework of the appreciation of rural tourism for islands' sustainable development and competitiveness
by Nikolaos Boukas
International Journal of Tourism Anthropology (IJTA), Vol. 7, No. 1, 2019

Abstract: While Cyprus is a significant destination, it is mainly characterised by mass tourism, focusing on seascape and leaving rural areas undeveloped. This situation, creates challenges related to its sustainability, such as unequal development, impacts on residents' well-being, and decreased competitiveness. Employing a qualitative research approach, through interviews with fourteen policy makers, high-level administrators, and tourist officials, as well as document analysis, the study examines the role of Cyprus' rural tourism on its residents' well-being. Findings indicate that Cyprus' rural tourism takes the forms of agricultural, cultural and religious, nature-based, and event tourism. While rural tourism is recognised as a sustainable niche, challenges such as its fragmented nature, inappropriate management, lack of knowledge, and microinterests, hinder its appreciation. The paper concludes with a framework suggesting three strategies that will lead to the islands' competitiveness and residents' well-being: Integrated Rural Tourism, valorisation of social entrepreneurship, and identification of rural destinations' capitals.

Online publication date: Mon, 04-Mar-2019

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Tourism Anthropology (IJTA):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com