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The “Eco-Effectiveness” of Agritourism Dynamics in Italy and Spain: A Tool for Evaluating Regional Sustainability

Author

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  • Angelo Belliggiano

    (Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy)

  • Eugenio Cejudo Garcia

    (Department of Human Geography, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain)

  • Marilena Labianca

    (Department of Scienze dell’Economia, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy)

  • Francisco Navarro Valverde

    (Department of Human Geography, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain)

  • Stefano De Rubertis

    (Department of Scienze dell’Economia, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy)

Abstract

Rural tourism has commonly been identified as one of the main areas of application of the principles of sustainable tourism, but the literature has typically focused solely on the ecological dimension, particularly when referring to agritourism. This study presents a new approach to assessing the “eco-effectiveness” of the evolutionary dynamics of agritourism, as applied in a study of NUTS-2 regions in two European countries (Spain and Italy) that have implemented similar rural development strategies. To this end, a synthetic sustainability index was developed using the Index Decomposition Analysis (IDA) technique. The last period of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) 2007–2013 was chosen for the study in order to analyze the outcomes of a programming cycle focusing on the diversification of agriculture through tourism. The results show that the sustainability of agritourism growth is not homogeneous and has specific features in different regions of the same country. In some cases, there were more similarities with regions from other countries. This tool could help evaluate the impact of agritourism and facilitate comparisons between different regions, in this way supporting the process of transition from a linear to a circular economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Angelo Belliggiano & Eugenio Cejudo Garcia & Marilena Labianca & Francisco Navarro Valverde & Stefano De Rubertis, 2020. "The “Eco-Effectiveness” of Agritourism Dynamics in Italy and Spain: A Tool for Evaluating Regional Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-25, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:7080-:d:406256
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    Cited by:

    1. Eugenio Cejudo-García & Marilena Labianca & Francisco Navarro-Valverde & Angelo Belliggiano, 2022. "Protected Natural Spaces, Agrarian Specialization and the Survival of Rural Territories: The Cases of Sierra Nevada (Spain) and Alta Murgia (Italy)," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-30, July.
    2. Giovanni Peira & Davide Longo & Francesca Pucciarelli & Alessandro Bonadonna, 2021. "Rural Tourism Destination: The Ligurian Farmers’ Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Angelo Belliggiano & Letizia Bindi & Corrado Ievoli, 2021. "Walking along the Sheeptrack…Rural Tourism, Ecomuseums, and Bio-Cultural Heritage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-22, August.
    4. Letizia Bindi & Mauro Conti & Angelo Belliggiano, 2022. "Sense of Place, Biocultural Heritage, and Sustainable Knowledge and Practices in Three Italian Rural Regeneration Processes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-23, April.
    5. Sanaz Davardoust & Faris Karahan, 2021. "Evaluation of Sustainable Rural Tourism. The Case of Uzundere District, Erzurum, Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-14, September.

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