IAAPS Web Site

The connection between rural tourism and sustainable rural economies has received a lot of attention within the broad context of rural development in the 21st century. Initiating and developing tourism activities in rural areas has become a strategy for contributing to the wellbeing of local communities through the opportunities they provide for social, economic and environmental protection and development. This paper focuses on the example of the incorporation of tourism in satoyama socio-ecological landscapes in Japan, and examines the extent to which tourism can contribute to the revitalization of a local community and to the conservation of its natural and cultural resources, including biological diversity. It applies a set of sustainability criteria to the role of tourism activities in rural areas of the Noto peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, where a typical satoyama landscape has been highly affected by depopulation and the consequent underuse of natural resources by an aging community. The research revealed that tourism activities, if properly organized and managed, can contribute to the revitalization of local communities. Rural tourism can thus help with the "sustainability" of local communities if it is applied using a systematic approach.