Understanding consumer behaviour
in rural tourism is a necessary condition for the successful
diversification of any rural socio-economic
system. This paper aims to analyse the consumer
behaviour of tourists and residents in an Italian
marginal rural area in order to verify the opportunities
for sustainable local development through rural
tourism activities.
First of all we give some conceptual consideration
to the notion of rural tourism and the relationship
with sustainable local development. Secondly,
we examine the suitability of conjoint analysis for
predicting consumer behaviour in relation to rural
tourism. Finally, we report on a survey which we
carried out in a rural area located in a region of
North-Eastern Italy: the Natisone Valley. The results
provided insights into how each type of characteristic
of rural sites competes for the selection of destination.
In particular, the most important attribute in
selecting rural sites for tourism is the availability of
information.
These results could provide useful insight for
decision makers, in particular as regards local planning
strategies. We discuss the results with emphasis
on the implications for marketing of rural tourism.
In fact, recommendations are made in view of the
findings, specifically focusing on internal marketing
strategies.
