Characteristics of Rural Tourist Enterprises. Developed by the “New Peasants” of Maramureș
Characteristics of Rural Tourist Enterprises. Developed by the “New Peasants” of Maramureș

Summary/Abstract: This study aims at analysing aspects of tourist enterprises in Maramureș. Rural tourism providing family-type lodging and boarding has boomed in this area since 1990. The purpose of this paper is to profile this kind of micro-business developed after the 1989 revolution in rural Maramureș. I will focus on the organizational aspects of labour division, on how different types of capital are coming into play, as well as on the relationships established among these rural enterprises. I will also consider the relationship between rural tourism and agriculture and other related occupations. My assessment is that the guesthouse owners in Maramureș develop complex entrepreneurial strategies. They are involved in an associative system of activities and a logic of inclusion or exclusion related to various types of capital used in the management of their tourist enterprises. In my view, the rural tourist entrepreneur is the “new peasant” who differs from the traditional type prevailing in social representations. The “new peasant” is an entrepreneur working in the domain of rural tourism whose enterprise changes her or his status within the rural community.

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