The role of rural tourism in the sustainable development of local hromadas

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The role of rural tourism in the sustainable development of local hromadas

Mariia Bieloborodova, PhD (Economics), Associate Professor Dnipro University of Technology

Mariia Bieloborodova, PhD (Economics), Dnipro University of Technology. The role of rural tourism in the sustainable development of local hromadas.

Strengthening of environmental standards of agricultural management, environmentally oriented modernization of industrial enterprises, including the traditionally dirtiest ones, modernization of transport allow to improve the quality of environmental management.

Considering the transition to the paradigm of sustainable development in all spheres of social life, especially in tourism, the study of the potential for the development of rural green tourism is particularly relevant, especially under the conditions of the need to support agriculture. Approaches to state and legal regulation of rural tourism are considered on the example of leading European countries and Ukraine.

Characteristics of rural tourism as a separate field of tourist activity are identified. It is shown that rural tourism is an important tool for achieving the goals of sustainable development, and its development requires simplification of bureaucratic procedures and harmonization of European and national legislation. On the example of Petrykivka municipality of Dniprovsky district (Dnipropetrovsk Gblast) the expediency of creating a single network of green farms, connecting them with cycling, horseback riding and hiking trails, and further organizing a cluster of rural and ethnographic tourism for promotion of tourist products under a single brand of the local hromada is considered.

The importance of cluster development of tourism enterprises in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and Petrykivka hromada is based on the need to create more flexible structures capable of satisfying the growing demand for quality and environmentally friendly services. In recent years, small and medium-sized enterprises in the field of tourism have been among the leaders of growth in terms of services and goods provided in the region. At the same time, these green tourism enterprises have not only significant tourism potential, but also experience in cooperation and interaction.

Key words: rural tourism, recreation, EU experience, local hromada, cluster, regulation, sustainable development.

Белобородова Марія Валеріївна, кандидат економічних наук, Національний технічний університет «Дніпровська політехніка». Роль сільського туризму в сталому розвитку місцевої громади.

Посилення екологічних норм ведення сільського господарства, екологічно орієнтована модернізація промислових підприємств, навіть традиційно найбільш брудних, модернізація транспорту дозволяють якісно покращувати екологічні параметри господарювання. Зважаючи на перехід до парадигми сталого розвитку в усіх сферах суспільного життя, зокрема і в туризмі, особливою актуальністю відзначається дослідження потенціалу для розвитку таких його форм, як сільський зелений туризм, особливо за умов необхідності підтримки сільських господарств. Розглянуто підходи до державного та нормативно-правового регулювання сільського туризму на прикладі провідних європейських країн та України. Визначені характерні особливості сільського туризму як окремої галузі туристичної діяльності. Доведено, що сільський туризм є важливим інструментом досягнення Цілей сталого розвитку, і його розвиток потребує спрощення бюрократичних процедур та гармонізації європейського та вітчизняного законодавства. Кластеризація родинних господарств як осередків сільського зеленого туризму має значний потенціал для сталого розвитку місцевих громад, що підтверджується міжнародним досвідом, зокрема в США та ЄС. На прикладі Петриківської громади Дніпровського району Дніпропетровської області розглянуто доцільність створення єдиної мережі зелених садиб, об'єднання їх екологічними велосипедними, кінними, пішохідними маршрутами, і подальша організація сільського та етнографічного туристичного кластеру для пропозиції та просування туристичних продуктів під єдиним брендом місцевої громади. Актуальність кластерного розвитку підприємств сфери туризму в Дніпровському районі, і в Петриківській громаді зокрема, зумовлена необхідністю створення, на базі таких підприємств гнучкіших структур, які здатні задовольнити зростаючу потребу у якісному дружньому до довкілля сервісі. Останніми роками одними з лідерів росту по наданих послугах і товарах району є малі і середні підприємства сфери туризму. При цьому зазначені в дослідженні підприємства зеленого туризму не лише мають значний туристичний потенціал, але і досвід співпраці і взаємодії.

Ключові слова: сільський туризм, рекреація, досвід ЄС, місцева громада, кластер, регулювання, сталий розвиток.

Introduction

Rural (green) tourism is a popular form of recreation that has long been known throughout the world. In various countries, travelers are increasingly choosing to travel to rural areas and small towns with a population of up to 10,000. The number of locals is one of the criteria that allows to classify rural tourism more precisely. Rural tourism is particularly developed in France, Italy and Spain. This type of tourism successfully attracts visitors whose spending provides financial support for biodiversity conservation and economic growth in developing areas. However, a balance should also be maintained in this direction, as studies on the environmental impact of mass tourism [1; 4; 5] confirm the danger in terms of land use, water use, consumption of other exhaustible natural resources, increased ethnic discrimination, pollution associated with more active use of transportation infrastructure, etc.

Nevertheless, most scholars confirm that tourism can have a positive impact on regional development [2; 3; 8]. The local benefits of tourism development must be considered alongside its possible negative impacts. The minimization of the latter allows the spread of green forms of tourism, united within the framework of a single organization - cluster and/or DMO (Destination Management Organization).

Review recent research and publications. The issue of rural development and the role of ecological, agrarian, rural and green tourism in this process has been considered by both domestic and foreign scientists. For example, in the works of L. Bezuhla [1; 2] the relevance of rural green tourism as a separate area of national tourism business development was substantiated. The author notes the significant dependence of ecological forms of tourism on the macroenvironment [2].

It should be noted that the problem of survival of small family farms is relevant not only in Ukraine. Research presented in the work of R. Holland et al [3], was based on a primary survey of agricultural households in the state of Tennessee in 2020. The authors concluded that factors such as social media marketing and farm insurance significantly increase the likelihood of rural agritourism development. The paper suggests that small farms struggling to survive in the U.S. may consider rural and agritourism as a tool to increase their economic sustainability. This statement is fully consistent with the conclusions of I. Koshkalda et al. [4], who note that the economic security of the agricultural sector of Ukraine lies in the diversification of its development directions, in particular, through the popularization of rural green tourism. S. Kalchenko et al. [5] in their research prove the importance of development of this type of recreational business as a form of self-realization for farms and agricultural households and justify the role of rural entrepreneurship as a factor of regional development. Nevertheless, the scientific literature still does not offer a sufficiently clear definition of the specifics and characteristics of rural ecotourism, based on the justification of its role in the sustainable development of territories, which, of course, becomes especially relevant in the conditions of the balanced reconstruction of our country. According to the "Concept of the post-war recovery and development strategy of Ukraine" published by the National Institute of Strategic Studies (NISS) [6], one of the sectoral goals is to restore and maximize human potential, especially in rural areas, on the basis of economic productivity, social justice and social responsibility. In addition, it is expedient to take into account the European experience in the regulation of rural tourism, since the further development strategy of Ukraine, according to [6], will consist precisely in European integration.

The purpose of the article. The purpose of the research, the results of which are presented in this article, is to substantiate the role and specifics of rural green tourism in the sustainable development of local rural communities. The need for practical implementation of the rural tourism development program is illustrated by the example of the Petrykivka hromada (Dniprovsky district of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast).

Basic material and results

To date, there are no clear definitions of the concepts of ecological, rural and green tourism [9]. A number of scholars oppose the concepts of mass and sustainable tourism, and accordingly, the author agrees that the spread of green tourism is an expression of the sustainable development of the economy and society as a whole. However, green forms of tourism have also been criticized by the scientific community because they have significant negative consequences associated with the commercialization of previously undisturbed natural resources and their further involvement in the economic cycle. In countries with less developed economies, such resources are often exploited uncontrollably, leading to their degradation and even complete disappearance [7].

With regard to rural tourism, it should be noted that, for example, there is no single definition of this term in the European Community, since the political, economic, social, cultural and historical contexts vary considerably from one region to another. However, there is a general concept that "rural tourism" is tourism in a rural area (Figure 1), also taking into account some parameters that define this "rural area" in a given country.

In some places, it is determined by quantitative expression (for example, depending on the population of the municipality) or qualitative (characteristics of a specific space). For example, in some countries, such as Luxembourg, most areas are rural. In the United Kingdom, rural areas are associated with landscape and population; in Italy, the definition of a rural area is linked to the occupation of the population by agriculture.

The overall assessment of the effectiveness of rural tourism in Europe and Ukraine is positive: it is recognized that tourism in rural areas has a relatively high positive economic, social and environmental impact (Table 1), but detailed individual statistics on rural tourism are not always presented.

In general, there are two approaches to rural tourism policy in European countries:

1) Specific decrees and regulations specifically for "rural tourism" (sometimes only for agriculture or agritourism, which represent about 20% of the rural tourism industry) are separate from the general legislation in the field of tourism. This approach is widespread, for example, in southern Europe (Italy, Spain, Greece);

2) most EU countries do not have a specific legal framework for rural tourism.

There is a rather widespread view among scientists that rural tourism is a term used more for advertising and promotional purposes, but from the legal side, rural tourism entrepreneurs operate in the same way as other businesses in the tourism sector. This approach is used in Great Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, etc. Possible support may come from different departments and ministries depending on the specifics of each country and may include the promotion of tourism facilities in the sector, sometimes with little financial resources to support projects in rural areas. In most cases, funds are allocated through the line of the ministry responsible for rural development. In the EU, this is usually the Ministry of Agriculture, which is responsible for rural development funds. In addition, ministries dealing with labor and vocational education, culture (heritage), environment (natural, national parks, etc.), economic development in general may be involved.

Figure 1. Theoretical bases of rural tourism

Source: complied by the author based on [8; 9]

Table 1The potential of rural tourism in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

Source: complied by the author based on [10 12]

As for the legal regulation of rural tourism in Ukraine, it is most closely related to agrarian and land law, since activities in the field of rural tourism are related to agricultural production, the property of which is land. In recent years, with the aim of creating a legal framework for the establishment and development of rural green and agrotourism in Ukraine, as well as for the purpose of harmonization with European practice, a number of draft laws in this area have appeared, in particular, the draft Law of Ukraine "On Rural Green Tourism", the draft Law of Ukraine "On Agrotourism and Agrotourism Activities" [13; 14]. However, so far none of these draft laws has been adopted, the issue of taxation of rural tourism needs additional regulation.

An important feature of rural tourism is also the complexity and inseparability of this sphere from transport, environment, education, culture, agriculture, modern digital technologies, etc. Therefore, rural tourism is either regulated at the legislative level as a separate sphere or included in the general tourism regulation of the country, but in both cases it is part of the policy of agricultural diversification and development of local communities. Rural tourism is considered more comprehensively and broadly than a part of the tourism industry, but rather as a tool for the development and support of rural areas (in general) and agriculture (in particular in some countries). In any case, all European countries recognize rural tourism as an important tool and actively support its development through the simplification of bureaucratic procedures, tax benefits and other financial instruments.

Strengthening the environmental requirements of agriculture, ecologically oriented modernization of industrial enterprises, including those that traditionally cause the most pollution, modernization of transport allow to qualitatively improve the environmental parameters of the economy. Considering the transition to the paradigm of sustainable development in all spheres of social life, in particular in the hospitality and tourism industry, the study of the potential for the development of such forms of tourism as rural green in the conditions of the need to support agriculture is of particular importance.

The Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is traditionally considered to be an industrial region, which is confirmed by the statistical data for 2021, in which the volume of sold industrial products (goods, services) amounted to UAH 671.2 billion or 18.7% of the national turnover from industrial activity (the highest indicator among the regions of Ukraine) [15]. Such a result indicates not only the prospects for further development of this industry, but also the urgent need and readiness of the population of the region to perceive more balanced forms of tourism and recreation, among which ecological and rural green tourism is especially noted.

Despite the industrial orientation of the region, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast has a rich historical and cultural heritage, old Cossack traditions. All this is embodied in the popularization of family farms (hamlets) as centers of rural green tourism. The National Tourism Organization of Ukraine (NTOU) traditionally offers a new tourist theme every year. Thus, in order to confirm the popularization of sustainable development trends, 2020 was declared the Year of Rural Tourism in Ukraine [16].

In general, the assessment of consumers' willingness to accept green socio-economic trends is based on the assumption that as society's welfare increases, the demand for environmental quality begins to grow steadily after the level of development reaches a certain value. This interdependence is reflected in the environmental Kuznets curve (hereafter EKC). Thus, the research highlighted in [17] concerned the construction of EKCs in the regions of Ukraine as a justification of the population's readiness to accept green forms of tourism.

The EKC is usually constructed for the relationship between per capita income and the volume of pollutant emissions (by type) [11]. The earlier period of the EKC turning point in the region allows us to draw a conclusion about the sustainability of the population's green reorientation and its readiness to accept and spread green tourism as a competitive and viable alternative to mass package tours. The data and dynamics of the gross regional product of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and emissions of air pollutants (Tables 2, 3) show that the level of economic development achieved in the region can create conditions for strengthening the environmental demands of the population. Consumers are paying more and more attention to goods and services that position themselves as environmentally friendly, so the processes of greening all spheres of the economy, including tourism, are being intensified in the region.

Table 2Emissions of polluting substances into the air per square km., tons

Source: complied by the author based on [18]

Table 3Gross regional product per capita (in actual prices, UAH)

Source: complied by the author based [18]

Petrykivka hromada (since 2020, as a result of the administrative and territorial reform, it is part of the Dniprovsky district) deserves special attention in the region as a territory where historical, ethnographic and green traditions of hospitality are concentrated. Traditionally, this area has been oriented towards meeting the cultural and educational needs of schoolchildren and students (UNESCO heritage sites, folk art centers, ethnographic and local history museums), which allows it to be distinguished as a separate tourist area of the region. However, during the last decade the direction of satisfying the needs of the inhabitants of big cities for shortterm or holiday green recreation has been actively developing. Thus, according to [20], the following family farms are examples of rural tourism popularization centers in Petrykivka hromada, namely:

1. Hrechane village:

- Ethnic farm "Cossack Sich", where samples of Cossack life, a manor house museum, a Cossack church are presented and performances, theatrical tours and traditional holidays are organized;

- hamlet "Halushkivka", which includes a model of a Cossack fortress, Cossack farms, a museum of rural life of the 19th century and the Museum of the Cross, currently the only museum of its kind in the region.

2. Mala Petrykivka village and the museum-manor “Mykolyn Khutir (hamlet)”, where there is a possibility to get acquainted with traditional applied arts, taste Ukrainian national dishes and attend master classes.

3. Sudivka village, green manor “Blahodatne”, where green farm goods and workshops on their cooking are offered. There is the possibility of overnight accommodation, meals, fishing is offered. In ancient times, the territory of the manor was part of the Cossack settlement “Protovchanska palanka”. Green manor “Blahodatne” was founded in 2003. By the decision of the board of the Association for the Promotion of the Development of Rural Green Tourism in Ukraine on membership in the association, the farm is a participant in the “Ukrainian Hospitality Homestead” program. The mission of the Green Manor “Blahodatne” is to restore folk Ukrainian traditions and customs.

Figure 2. Rural green tourism centres of Petrykivka local hromada

Source: complied by the author

Kurylivka urban-type village, family horse farm “Otaman”, which offers green farm goods and eques- also offered.

4. Yelyzavetivka village, family farm and stable, operates from 2005, offers garden houses for rentals, fishing, farm organic products, visits to the petting zoo and horse riding.

It is possible to affirm the existence of conditions for the creation of a cluster of rural and ethnographic tourism within the borders of the Petrykivka hro- mada on the basis of the above-mentioned farms (Figure 2).

Thus, O. Maslyhan and H. Mashika divide all the conditions and factors of the development of the tourism and recreation cluster into four groups [21]:

1) Conditions and factors of strategic development and competition: presence or absence of a tourism development strategy through the creation of a tourism and recreation cluster; presence or absence of an active coordinating center for the implementation of the strategy; business climate in the region;

2) factors and means of production of services and tourism: geographical and climatic features of the territory; natural and recreational facilities; historical and cultural heritage; infrastructure (transport, information and communication, hospitality and leisure); human resources; research resources; availability of innovative technologies;

3) conditions and factors of tourist demand: presence or absence of unique needs of tourists in the Ukrainian and international markets; dependence on cyclical fluctuations of the market;

4) the factor of presence of specialized and auxiliary spheres of activity: passenger and cargo transportation, construction, utilities, educational institutions, health care, trade, souvenir industry, production of consumer goods, etc.

It is worth mentioning that in the case of the Pet- rykivka hromada all the mentioned factors are present, and between the centers of rural green tourism there is a possibility of creating one-day and several-day horseback riding, cycling, hiking tourist routes, as well as creating a network for the sale of organic farm and souvenir goods. (Figure 2). All farms, homesteads and hamlets mentioned in the study are located in a compact and advantageous location from the point of view of clustering. The first stage of the clustering of farms should be the creation of a map of tourist products of the Petrykivka hromada, which would allow to systematize the information about the existing tourist potential of the hromada.

The importance of cluster development of tourism enterprises in the Dnipro region and in Petrikivka hromada in particular is due to the need to create on the basis of such enterprises more flexible structures capable of satisfying the growing demand for quality and environmentally friendly services. In recent years, small and medium-sized enterprises in the field of tourism have been among the leaders in the growth of the provision of services and goods in the district. At the same time, these enterprises of green tourism have not only significant tourist potential, but also experience in cooperation and interaction.

From this it can be concluded that the development of rural tourism in the region should begin precisely with the unification of small and medium-sized family enterprises into a cluster. The expediency of developing the tourism sphere with the help of cluster associations is confirmed by H. Sarkysyan [22], who mentions that "...one of the main directions of tourism development is the introduction of new organizational forms of integration of academic and university science with service production". This conclusion is confirmed by other studies [23; 24], in which the concept of the development of the tourist complex based on the unification of enterprises in territorial production clusters is considered as the basis of its successful development.

Conclusions

Rural green tourism is based on the use of green agriculture and specific rural culture as recreational resources. The main feature of this type of tourism is the importance of aesthetics, environment and economy of rural areas to ensure their sustainable development. Clustering can be one of the tools for revitalizing the development of rural tourism. Thus, the expediency of creating a cluster of rural and ethnographic tourism within the borders of the Petrykivka hromada of the Dniprovsky district, based on family farms, is due to the following aspects

1. The Petrykivka painting is included in the intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO, and it is the main “magnet” that will attract tourists to the hromada.

2. The presence of an extensive network of green farms, where tourists and recreants can get additional services, taste local products, stay comfortably for a few days, will significantly increase the flow of tourists to the hromada.

3. The relative territorial proximity of basic farming enterprises allows to create a network of one-day or several-day green tourism routes (horse riding, cycling, walking).

The creation of a single tourism brand within the cluster and of a separate organization responsible for destination marketing (DMO) will allow to optimize the costs of promotion and implementation of the hro- mada's tourism product. The Tourism Cluster will unite private rural businesses in the tourism industry of the hromada. The cluster will be created to consolidate the efforts to offer a quality tourism product to the guests of the hromada.

Within the framework of the cluster, it is planned to create a network of green farms, to develop and register a hromada brand, and to create a local tourist organization for destination marketing (DMO). It is also recommended to develop tourist itineraries, an Internet resource to promote the tourist offer of the hromada and to conduct a marketing campaign.

References

rural tourism sustainable development

1. Bezuhla, L. (2020), “Rural green tourism: trends in the development of national tourism business”, Suchasni pidkhody do sotsial'noekonomichnoho, informatsiynoho ta naukovo-tekhnichnoho rozvytku sub'yektiv natsional'noho hospodarstva. Collective monograph. L. Savchuk, L. Bandorina (eds), Dnipro: Porogy, pp. 157-166.