Theme trails and sustainable rural tourism - opportunities and threats

Abstract

Theme trails are networks of attractions which are typical for a region and which are marketed together under a certain theme. In Austria the implementation of theme trails has become a popular means of sustainable tourism development in rural areas, for public authorities as well as for cultural and agricultural regional initiatives. The main objective of theme trails is to attract potential visitors into the region to raise the regional added value. At the same time they contribute to the preservation of the cultural heritage of the region - be it the diversified farm landscape, historic monuments or traditional handicrafts - and they are considerate to the natural environment, because they hardly call for the construction of any new facilities or infra-structures. Based on the examination of Austrian case studies this paper identifies the conditions under which the implementation of theme trails can contribute to the development of sustainable tourism and where respective insufficiencies lie. Most theme trails represent a form of tourism that complies with the concept of sustainable development concerning social aspects as well as the natural environment. Yet great shortcomings can be found on the economic and organisational level: the development of theme trails in Austria must be called inflationary, in many cases the input of financial resources is inefficient and the quality of the tourist product is inadequate. This paper ends with a list of necessary measures on the national and regional levels to improve the implementation practise of theme trails, e.g. the need for national coordination of theme trails or the establishment of a seal of approval for theme trails which may only be awarded to initiatives that fulfil certain quality standards.