PERCEPTION OF RURAL TOURISM AND ITS DEVELOPMENT IN THE MOUNTAIN REGION OF SUCEAVA COUNTY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE HOST COMMUNITY

The mountain area of Suceava county presents real opportunities for tourism development, having many unique and well-preserved tourism, valued in terms of age, originality and accessibility, a large number of traditional rural househods and a generous number of accommodation places. The data of the National Institute of Statistics from 2019 about the capacity of tourist accommodation, places Suceava county on the third place, after Constanța and Brașov counties. The present study follows the perception of the host community vis-à-vis rural tourism and its development in the mountain region of Suceava county. The research highlights the role of the county and local authorities in the development of rural tourism and its promotion from the point of view of the host community. The methodology is based on the survey based on the questionnaire using the gender and age quotas method, respecting the proportional geographical dispersion of the reference population in the mountain region of Suceava county. It is confirmed the hypothesis that the gap between the aspirations of the population to the development of rural tourism is large, and its diminution requires the preparation of the host population. In conclusion, following the analysis of the results it is found that the rural population must be trained through courses in order to learn how to capitalize on their existing resources and to become a good host for the potential tourists.