The below Conclusions are open to discussion and revision until December 10, 2003. You can download the most updated version.

After 2'5 days of plenary and work group sessions, the 390 registered participants from 35 countries of geografical Europe, representing provider organisations of Farm and Village Tourism at the 1st European Congress on Rural Tourism that was organised by EuroGites - European Federation of Farm en Village Tourism from Friday Oct. 3 to Sunday Oct 5, 2003 at Jaen (Andalusia/Spain) have agreed on the following:

This is reflected by the impressive number of 200.000 known registered providers of Farm and Village Tourism in Europe. They offer more than 2.000.000 bedplaces: this is 1'5 times the capacity of the whole of Spain, the second most important tourist destination in Europe. The full total of providers and capacity in this sector, if known, would be even significantly higher.

As the traditional CAP subsidies for farming are reducing, rural tourism is ever more important as a key form of diversification that sustains economically viable rural communities. Accommodation in farms, private rural homes, and small family-run guesthouses or hotels is estimated to attract an annual direct touristic spending of about 12.000 millon €. By local Added Value and Multiplicator effects, this triggers a revenue of 26.000 millon € for the European Rural Economy. Direct and indirect jobs are estimated in 500.000 But adding day visits and the fact that the real offer is estimated to more than double the officially registered values, the overall impact of Rural Tourism in the European Countryside is likely to exceed 65.000 million €: equivalent to the GDP of a country like Hungary with 10.000.000 habitants, or twice the touristic receipts of France.

Confirmed by evaluations from the WTO - World Tourism Organisation, market trends are in favour of Rural Tourism. Demand over the past 15 years shows a clear growth. Peak rates of annual increment around 25% can be observed in some of the south and east European countries. General shifts in tourist demand and behaviour are clearly favourable to the rural tourism product. International demand is already more important than the domestic market for some rural destinations. And the recent discussion about Sustainability is nothing new for Rural Tourism: providers in this sector have been acting accordingly for many years, because Sustainability lies at the heart of our product philosophy.

In order to strengthen their position vis a vis public and private partners, the Rural Tourism providers stand together. Based on the community and associative concept, local and regional representative and participative structures cover all Europe. Despite their difficult economical sustainability, national federations exist in most countries, leading seamlessly to the European Federation EuroGites. Communication, networking, and bi- or multilateral cooperation is widely used as the most efficient way to fulfill common needs and solve common problems. This makes Rural Tourism one of the best-structured sectors of European Tourism.

Providers understand that they themselves are (respons)able to define their needs and to control useful services. Examples all over Europe prove the sustainability of independent trade organisations in Rural Tourism if they are based on a professional approach and management. They know the real needs, are credible as political representatives, and can deliver cutting-edge services to their members. Public financial and technical support for them is justified and necessary because they trigger the economic viability and emancipation of rural regions, as defined in the strategies of EU for Rural Development. But the result must not be dependence on subsidies, control, manipulation, or intromission into private action. Cooperative coverage between the public and the private sector of operative tasks and actions prove to be highly beneficial for both sides, and should be reinforced.

With the globalisation and European integration process, needs and problems of Rural Tourism are increasingly similar all over Europe. The following areas were defined at the Congress as prioritary for action in the near future:

1. Statutory and Tax regulations. The legal framework for Rural Tourism varies considerably from one country to the other, creating some severe leverage effects for competivity. Where regulations are supportive to the reality of complementary and micro-providers, at the same time the highest number of quality Rural Tourism initiatives, less problems with un-registered offer, and most competitive prices can be observed. Where such regulations do not yet exist, the responsable authorities must be convinced through empirical evidence and concrete proposals about the long term viability of changes.
   
   
2. Product and Quality Criteria. Most countries now operate forms of quality assurance, but for international markets a common clear-cut image of Rural Tourism as reliable, self-sustainable, easy to purchase, and with agreed minimum quality standards is still lacking. Regional and national individuality is one of the main assets of Rural Tourism, but is compatible with a unified terminology and criteria for quality of equipments and services. A first compulsory step is adherence to existing Quality Schemes that classify and apply to all levels of existing offers. Orientated on customer's needs, Europe-wide areas of criteria should then be established to allow for transparency through benchmarking. Eventually, the objective is to create an European Brand for Rural Tourism for strong and unified marketing.
   
   
3. New Technologies. Internet and Communication Technologies provide excellent opportunities for rural tourism in the fields of promotion and communication, allowing to overcome the historic isolation of rural businesses and communities. An Europe-wide communication platform on internet for Rural Tourism stakeholders was suggested. Control of correct and updated information is critical, the local and regional associations are best positioned to assume this responsability because they know their product. Applications such as on-line reservation are already available, but their efficient use requires a better qualification of providers, adequat simple tools, acceptable cost, adaptability to local needs, and coverage of rural areas with the IT infrastructure requiered to use them.
   
   
4. Sustainability and success of Rural Tourism initiatives. Professional lobbying by provider associations with continuity and stable structure is critical to negotiate the general framework of legal and support policies. The benefits in terms of (re)presentation and economy of scale is much greater than the assumed loss of individuality or the monetary cost of contribution fees to sustain them. Successful providers focus their product on what tourists are really willing to pay for. The philosophy of Rural Tourism (human values and cultural identity) is essential, but must be combined with professionality and business attitude to be successful.
   
   
5. Human Resources. Human Resources are a cornerstone for success in Rural Tourism. Human values and attitudes are the base for it, but Vocational Training is needed to improve their capacity to satisfy an increasingly demanding clientele. Most Rural Tourism organisations already have local experience in this field, now international coordination and harmonised Curricula have to be adressed. This applies specially to an improvement of cross-cultural understanding, both from providers and clients, in order to combine the preservation of local cultural identity with a level of services that is adequate for international customers.
   
   
6. Environment. The Rural Tourism Product is closely related to the natural surroundings and environmental values, which constitute the main asset to attract the initial attention to a destination. Green Labels and Environmental Management Concepts not only contribute to improve the overall sustainability of the initiatives that apply them, but also provide an important differential value in the perception of the clients.

It is necessary for the diversification of rural economy and the survival of their high endogenous cultural and environmental values. It is necessary because the markets increasingly demand this kind of personal, individual, and unstandardised touristic product. Only its small-scale initiatives are sustainable in a fragile rural environment that does not support mass tourism. And finally, it is needed also by the tourism industry as a whole: the overall image and the quality of product delivery of many destinations in Europe is created and cared for by the Rural Tourism Accommodation and other small service providers.