Paper short abstract:

Tourism in remote rural areas can not be seen as “the magic strategy” that will overcome economic underdevelopment.The resort to the financing of service oriented activities to diversify the traditional agriculturally-centred economy of these areas have met with more failures than successes.

Paper long abstract:

Entrepreneurship is a "cultural condition" that needs to be nurtured through time and experience and cannot be expected to arise spontaneously through the promotion of tourism. Providing the finance to reconvert old properties into hotels or restaurants, or to activate the trading of local products in remote rural areas,is like "putting the cart before the horse".Without adequate marketing, management, financial guide and entrepreneurial training, there could be no long-term employment growth and economic development promotion in remote areas.