Rural space cannot be considered any longer as being destined only for
agriculture, since it has been increasingly used for the construction of second
homes or for the entertainment of people living in the crowded urban areas,
picturesque villages having a special appeal to tourists. Consequently, there has
been extensive research on the various issues involved by rural tourism. The
present paper has two main goals; firstly, it aims at examining the role of tourism for
the development of rural areas in Romania, taking into consideration six tourism
development factors, as indicated by international literature, namely attractions,
promotion, tourism infrastructure, services, hospitality and entrepreneurship.
Secondly, it identifies the most important factors needed for successful tourism
development, amongst which particular attention in the Romanian context must be
paid to strategic planning, proper marketing, a complete tourism package and
technical assistance for tourism development and promotion in order to capitalize
the local, traditional heritage, while still preserving the local natural resources. It is
concluded that although there are a lot of opportunities for the development of
small-scale tourism, with mostly family run businesses, in many cases Romanian
rural communities have limited economic development options and possibilities.