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Mărginimea Sibiului Tells Its Story: Sustainability, Cultural Heritage and Rural Tourism—A Supply-Side Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Monica Maria Coroș

    (Department of Hospitality Services, Faculty of Business, Babes-Bolyai University, 400174 Cluj-Napoca, Romania)

  • Donatella Privitera

    (Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy)

  • Loredana Maria Păunescu

    (Department of Cybernetics, Economic Informatics, Finance and Accounting, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiești, 100680 Ploiești, Romania)

  • Adrian Nedelcu

    (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiești, 100680 Ploiești, Romania)

  • Cristina Lupu

    (Department of Geography, Faculty of Geography and Geology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700506 Iasi, Romania)

  • Alexandru Ganușceac

    (Department of Human and Economic Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, 010041 Bucharest, Romania)

Abstract

Territorial development and rural tourism are linked. Rural tourism involves tourists in rural areas who are attracted by the distinctive character of the landscape, recreation such as local and food resources, and the potential for spiritual, environmental, and cultural growth. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the economic, sustainable, and social role of tourism in the development of the rural area of Mărginimea Sibiului in Romania. It highlights the role of local entrepreneurs in developing new practices and sustainable approaches. Drawing on the literature review on the topic of sustainable rural tourism, this paper uses the case study as a methodological approach. We have developed consistent desk research relying on the processing of official governmental data and of national statistics, supported by analytical strategies involving induction and deduction. The main findings lead towards the conclusion that Mărginimea Sibiului has managed to gain both national and international notoriety while developing coherently, capitalizing on its natural and cultural heritage, and providing services in successful agritourist boarding houses and rural guesthouses, which have continuously developed both numerically and in terms of comfort levels. Because more than two thirds of the initially established lodgings in the early 2000s continue to function today, these facilities have proven to be sustainable and attractive businesses.

Suggested Citation

  • Monica Maria Coroș & Donatella Privitera & Loredana Maria Păunescu & Adrian Nedelcu & Cristina Lupu & Alexandru Ganușceac, 2021. "Mărginimea Sibiului Tells Its Story: Sustainability, Cultural Heritage and Rural Tourism—A Supply-Side Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-24, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:9:p:5309-:d:551447
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    Cited by:

    1. Muyan Tang & Hongzhang Xu, 2023. "Cultural Integration and Rural Tourism Development: A Scoping Literature Review," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-16, February.
    2. Gabriela Popescu & Cosmin Alin Popescu & Tiberiu Iancu & Ioan Brad & Elena Peț & Tabita Adamov & Ramona Ciolac, 2022. "Sustainability through Rural Tourism in Moieciu Area-Development Analysis and Future Proposals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-23, April.
    3. George Moise & Agatha Popescu & Iulian Alexandru Bratu & Ion Răducuță & Bogdan Gabriel Nistoreanu & Mirela Stanciu, 2023. "Can We Talk about Smart Tourist Villages in Mărginimea Sibiului, Romania?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-23, May.
    4. Gongyi Jiang & Weijun Gao & Meng Xu & Mingjia Tong & Zhonghui Liu, 2023. "Geographic Information Visualization and Sustainable Development of Low-Carbon Rural Slow Tourism under Artificial Intelligence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-24, February.

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