Challenges for rural tourism development in North Macedonia

Community-based rural tourism is promoted as a low-impact and environmentally sensitive way of travel, linking many components of sustainable development, which was the main motif for investigating the possibility for a rapid screening of rural tourism in the Republic of North Macedonia. The focus was put on its general characteristics. In this line, following the qualitative approach, the paper illustrates the main ambient for developing tourism in selected small, depopulated and economically depressed villages in North Macedonia. The findings indicate that the sampled rural areas have a significant base for tourism development, but many important measures and activities need to be scheduled as strategic priority actions within the regional development programs and strategic documents.