AN EXPLORATION OF THE ROLE OF AGRITOURISM IN REVITALIZING RURAL AREAS – THE CASE STUDY OF SOUTHEAST POLAND

The article is an analysis of the agritourist phenomenon in Poland and evaluating of its potential for village renewal and revitalization. The process of revitalization in rural areas is linked back to individual cultural features of the village, its customs and local history. In addition to rural renewal programmes, revitalization of rural space is related to the restoration and presentation of traditional rural buildings. The author presents the results of research and implementation works, concerning the possibility of introduction in Polish conditions of village renewal programs. The paper is of a theoreticalapplication nature, using results of empirical identification. Some results of an exploratory survey conducted among farms of south-east rural region in Poland are proposed in this article. The main aim of the exploratory researches was to understand if and how farmers and rural actors exploit agritourism potential as a mean to revitalize the rural areas. The author also highlights the presence of agritourism rural networks in the surveyed region where rural actors operate together with agritourism farms for the sustainable development of rural areas.