TOURISM IN A RURAL SETTING: NEW DIRECTIONS AND CHALLENGES The origins of this special issue lie in the working group on rural tourism at the ESRS congress in Vaasa, Finland in August

Rural tourism is important throughout the world, and it is likely to become even more important as it is regarded as one of the fastest growing market segments of tourism [1]. What fuels it is several developments on the visitor side, such as: consumer orientations away from mass tourism, a growing demand for activity-based holidays, growth in the short breaks holiday market, a move towards healthier lifestyles, and possibly a wish to re-experience one’s rural childhood or the heritage of one’s ancestors [1]. Rural tourism offers a varied range of products and thus attracts visitors from various segments of the population [2].