CATS will hold the Tourism Online Forum Series (TOFS) vol.56 on Monday, September 8. Anyone is welcome to attend. We look forward to your participation.

Cultural tourism and community in rural Europe

Abstract:
Cultural tourism is being actively developed as an economic, cultural and social stimulus for communities in rural Europe, stimulated by the European Union's long-term vision for rural areas. Cultural tourism is seen as a potential support for both tangible and intangible heritage, but this faces a number of challenges, including lack of human resources and inadequate governance structures. Drawing on research from the Crocus Project (Cultural Creative Tourism in Rural and Remote Areas) this presentation assesses the current state of research on rural cultural tourism and the prospects of more sustainable pathways to the future.

Keywords: Cultural tourism, creative tourism, rural areas, sustainability

Hosted by: Center for Advanced Tourism Studies (CATS), Hokkaido University

Date/Time: Monday 8 September 2025  |  18:30-20:00 (JST)

Venue: Online (Zoom Webinar)

Language: English

Capacity: 50 persons

Participation fee: Free to join (pre-registration system)

Speaker: Dr. Greg Richards
Bio:
Greg Richards is Professor of Leisure Studies at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. He is currently working with ATLAS on the Crocus Project (Cultural and Creative Tourism in Rural and Remote Areas).

Moderator: Dr. Meng Qu

Registration:
Please register at the URL below.
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tK7EBN34TDev03PdFunU5Q

Contact:
Hokkaido University, Center for Advanced Tourism Studies (CATS)
online-forum(at)cats.hokudai.ac.jp
*Please replace the (at) part with @.