A synthetic profile of the rural tourism consumer

Abstract

The rural tourism and, in particular, the agritourism have become increasingly popular activities, as a result of the multiple benefits generated. The rural tourism is attractive for visitors with different motivations and different market profiles. This paper aims to find the most common profile of the tourists visiting the rural areas. In order to segment the rural tourism market, a series of customer indicators can be used, such as: reasons, preferences, needs and expected benefits; geographical origin; economic and demographic status; psychographic characteristics and consumer behavior etc. As the consumer needs and expectations regarding the rural tourism products are highly varied, there are several types of tourists, the differences being determined mainly by geographical origin, but also by the different perceptions on the quality of tourism products and services. In general, it can be said that these tourists come mainly from urban areas, are middle-aged or above middle-aged, have a high level of education and training, have above-average incomes and travel in small groups, usually with family and friends.