Rural Tourism in Croatia I. : Rural Tourism, Rural Tourist Destination, State of Rural Tourism in the Republic of Croatia

The paper discusses the notion and terms of rural tourism, rural tourist destination, the state of rural tourism in the Republic of Croatia, prerequisites for future development, and the importance and conclusions of the First Croatian Congress on Rural Tourism. Croatia has significant and numerous natural and socio-cultural resources for the development of tourism in all its areas, not merely in the maritime one. However, are these resources sufficiently and appropriately utilised, and is there a true strategy for the development of rural tourism that can be implemented, as well as for other activities connected to sustainable development of rural areas? The issue before us is whether agriculture and tourism are indeed the basic opportunities for development. This paper shall try to answer these questions, provide an overview of existing experience, and propose concrete guidelines for further development of rural tourism in Croatia.