Questionnaire about rural tourism for villagers/village mayors The project Rural tourism as alternative income for marginalized communities in Armenia, Georgia, Macedonia and Serbia is a joint regional initiative funded by the State Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund. The main goal of the project is to promote alternative income generating opportunities for marginalized communities by investigating the potentials for rural tourism development in the respective countries. The project will identify and promote rural tourism development by means of interviewing the relevant stakeholders, regional meetings, multimedia website, and exchange of information between all other interested actors. We would appreciate if you could spend ten minutes to answer the following questions and support our project by your valuable inputs and ideas. Thank you! Name and surname of the interviewer Name and surname of the interviewee Position held Name of the mayor/villagers/owners of rural tourism facilities Contact information E-mail Phone Fax
PART I History information of the village and general demographic data 1. What is the total population size of the village (number of villagers, families and households)? 2. What is the demographic situation like in the village (old-young: age structure, employed unemployed, multi - ethnic background, education, etc.)? 3. What is the village famous for (list at least 3 different facts)? 4. Does the community have any specific traditions, celebrations, festivals)? Economy 5. What is the main source of income generation for major part of the village population? 6. Short chronology of the activities through recent history in relation to income generation 7. Are there other types of income sources (nonagricultural activities)? 8. What is the unemployment rate? 9. How well is the infrastructure in the village developed (roads, public lighting, telephones, internet, electricity, water, services: health, postal, etc.)? 10. Which international organizations are active in the community and are there any projects under implementation related to rural tourism? 11. What do you think about developing a joint brochure linked to other local or international organizations that share your tourism goals? 12. Could you please suggest some of the significant activities that can be coordinated to initiate rural tourism in the area? Connection to other tourism sites
13. What is the closest tourist destination? 14. How far is the nearest hotel/b&b? 15. Are they are close to the main tourist roads, to the highway)? PART II Specific information related to rural tourism for villagers 16. What can the villagers produce and sell (specialty bread, cheese, wine, preserves, and handcrafts)? 17. Do the community and villagers own horses? 18. Is there anyone in the village who has already been engaged in rural tourism? - Do you have any experience with the tourists? - Do you cooperate with private or state tourism agencies and institutions and what are you expecting from them? 19. Is there interest among villagers to invest in rural tourism development? 20. How would the tourism help you to generate more income? 21. What are the strengths in the village for 22. What are the weaknesses in the village for
23. What are the opportunities in the village for 24. What are the threats in the village for 25. Is there a specific product from your area that could be offered to local or international tourists, and how could you market/promote it differently? 26. Have you ever used any kind of financial support for rural tourism development (international founds, loans, national, local or municipality budget)? 27. Could you please suggest necessary improvements that can be introduced to initiate rural tourism in the area? 28. Do you know someone in the community who can speak any foreign language and how can this assist in attracting tourists? 29. Could you please give some suggestions on how to attract more tourists in your village?
30. Who are the tourists visiting your village (local, foreign) and where they are coming from?