Rural tourism: classification and peculiarities of organization

The article is focused on the rural tourism. It is type of tourism with specific features of development and organization. The article considers approaches to the concept of "rural tourism". The authors elaborate a hierarchy of signs of the rural tourism classification by the type and category of tourism, as well as by the types and functional form of tourism. As part of the study of agricultural tourism classifications, a complex system of basic and additional services of rural tourism is presented. The authors propose the system of rural tourism organization based on rural tourism development models. They include crea- tion of special large and medium-sized rural tourism facilities, organization and creation of rural tourist networks, creation of public and private agricultural facilities. The article descript in detail the organization of rural tourism fea- tures, namely the personnel selection, the organization of the tourists recep- tion, the organization of accommodation and food for tourists, the entertain- ment and additional services, ensuring the safety of tourists, conflict mitiga- tion. The authors also consider services marketing peculiarities of rural tourism, among them the organization of the promotion system of rural tourism ser- vices, the study of consumer preferences, the development of an optimal pric- ing mechanism, etc. The advantages and disadvantages of the rural tourism development in the Russian Federation are revealed, and prospects for the development of this type of tourism are determined. The article present the features of the rural tourism organization that can be useful for representatives of the tourist business, regional and municipal au- thorities, as well as for researchers studying rural tourism from the organiza- tional and economic sides. A further prospect of the research is the creating a development mechanism of rural tourism at the local level, and the socio- economic efficiency assessment of the development of this type of tourism.