Rural Tourism in Croatia II.: European Experiences on Rural Tourism: Guidelines for Sustainable Development of Rural Tourism in Croatia

This paper presents an analysis of the situation of rural tourism in Europe, its key international organizations and national associations and their importance in the sustainable development of European countries. Then, it presents and discuss the European, Austrian example of a successful model of development of rural tourism, as well as in few other European countries, interpreting some new products of rural tourism in Europe, didactic farms and open-air museums, and, finally, explains the Leader Plus initiative, financed by European Union structural funds. Special attention was paid to the possibilities and ways how to use and apply presented European experiences in the development of rural tourism in Croatia on the threshold of Croatian accession to the European Union, especially those concerning the use of structural funds and EU programs intended for rural tourism, as well as examples of good practice.