Rural tourism and quality of life

Abstract

The overwhelming concentration o people in large urban centers and the frenetic rhythm of big cities make tourism the greatest economical activity to be developed in this millennium. In addition to that, the constant search for quality of life leads people to rural tourism. This present study had the objective to identify the influence of rural tourism on the quality of life of the participants. The sample was composed by fifty-six people of both sexes and different ages, in four rural lodges in the region of Maringá. Two questionnaires were given, one to the public in question composed of six open and closed questions, and another the lodges’ owners. The results showed that 74% of the people interviewed sought rural tourism for better quality of life, 13% for stress relief. These results lead us to believe that the difficulty to deal with everyday pressures, financial, family and professional problems, urban violence, the constant struggle for success – all contribute to the emergence of stress. Stress also emerges when people find themselves incapable of dealing with social demands and feel that their social role is under threat, and so the population turns to rural tourism for the cure of this malady. We then conclude that rural tourism contributes to a better quality of life as well as helping to relieve stress.