Sustainable Rural Tourism Development in Canton X Of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Despite its favorable position in the Adriatic Sea hinterland and its good connection with the emitting markets, Canton X is still underutilized tourist destination – “terra incognita” for all but skiers and passerby travelers heading toward Adriatic coast. In similar territories, holding precious agriculture traditions, valuable products, and rich and diverse cultural and natural heritage, rural tourism was already successfully introduced. In this respect, the hypothesis that rural tourism could become the backbone of the future Canton X rural economy seems easy to prove. Yet, considering existing tourist attractors and factors, as much as services provided, rural tourism development seems not to be as simple task as presumed. The line of weaknesses and shortcomings are detected in its value chain requiring numerous interventions, as much as integrated, area-based developments approach. The fragile Dinaric natural environment and complex socio-economic features of the region appear a challenge, rather than a simple opportunity. Besides discovering frames, potentials as much as concerns related to rural tourism development, this paper is also attempting to model rural tourism for versatile use of available resources which can contribute to sustainable diversification of Canton X rural economy while keeping the environment safe and social fabric inherently preserved.