The key contribution of this paper is an insight into consumer behavior in rural tourism.
In particular, the paper has provided insight into a research area underdeveloped,as regards
tourism i.e. tourist behavior in a rural marginal area (Marangon et al., 2008). Often, in this
type of zone, tourism could be a strategic activity in favour of local socio-economic development.
Nevertheless, the supply of tourism activities is not preceded by an analysis of consumer
behaviour/demand. It is important to identify tourist needs in order to create the best supply
of rural tourism. In order to improve this knowledge, the present study seems to provide useful
information through the analysis of attributes determining choice from the consumers’ perspective
for the selection of rural tourism sites, as part of the rural development planning process