Research on the current situation of agritourism in Bucovina

Abstract

Agritourism is an innovative agricultural activity linking tourism to agriculture and has a great capacity to create opportunities for additional source of income and employment for farmers. Agritourism has the power to change the perception of traditional agricultural activities and the benefits from its development are varied. Bucovina is one of the most important parts of the country with agritourism potential but this form of tourism is not sufficiently developed. Although in recent years efforts were made by local authorities and nongovernmental organizations to promote tourism in Bucovina, the actual development of rural tourism is still at low level. Proof of this is the number of farmhouses, very small compared with the total number of pensions in rural areas. This paper analyzes the current situation of agritourism in Bucovina taking as reference the approved agro pensions and the main activities undertaken as well as the owners’ perception in practicing this form of tourism. Although the absence of related infrastructure facilities is a negative factor in the development of agritourism, a major problem identified is that many owners of hostels not differentiate between rural tourism and agritourism, leading to poor coordination and promotion of its own agritouristic product for attracting tourists. Moreover, rural tourism activities offered are limited and without the direct involvement of the host. Currently, the tourism potential of Bucovina is not fully exploited, and for this reason need it is requested an increased attention to tourism development in particular by creating effective strategies and specific activities involving agro guesthouses in joint projects to develop and promote this form of tourism and attracting tourists to the region.