AUTHENTICITY IN ROMANIAN RURAL TOURISM - DEFINING A CONCEPT.

In the context of globalization, rural tourism offers diversity in close connection with regional specificity. In this sense, there is an increase in the tourist offer oriented towards the traditional, towards the authentic. The entrepreneurial attempts to reflect the local authentic in the field of tourism are not well defined, often the specific traditional elements are not respected, creating an inappropriate mixture of architectural, gastronomic and cultural styles. Thus, the need to define the concept of authenticity in rural tourism based on vernacular culture is noted and this is the main aim of this paper. Also, theoretical items such as rural space, rural tourism, vernacular, and authenticity are defined and systematized, and essential parameters like elements, principles and methods for substantiating authentic rural tourism are synthesized. These ideas are critically analyzed, and discussed, based on representative documentation from Romanian and foreign literature to which the authors added their modest contribution. Authentic rural tourism offers interesting experiences precisely through originality, local specificity, diversity, in a cultural and geographical framework that completes the knowledge and offers the tourist a truly authentic experience. In this way, an increase in tourist interest is achieved and the foundations are laid for sustainable, representative economic activities at the rural level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]