Master's Thesis from the year 2011 in the subject Business economics -
Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 64%, University of
Birmingham (University of Birmingham), language: English, abstract: This
dissertation aimed to develop a marketing plan for sustainable rural
tourism on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. In order to achieve this,
the current product of Saaremaa, its market position and the present and
future customers were analysed. As all the required information on this
topic could be found in the already existing literature, there was no
need to do primary research. Secondary research was thus the chosen
method to gather information. As the concept of sustainable rural
tourism consists in avoiding negative impacts on the natural environment
of the destination, on the host community and its culture, the
literature often mentions the carrying capacity, which should not be
exceeded. Islands especially have to consider their natural carrying
capacity when offering tourism because these destinations are spatially
limited. Obviously, there is a contradiction between sustainable tourism
and abiding by the carrying capacity on the one hand and attracting more
tourists on the other. The challenge for this dissertation was therefore
to find out if marketing for sustainable rural tourism on Saaremaa
should be done and if yes, how it could be realised. The main body of
this work reveals the rich history of Saaremaa, its intact nature and
great biodiversity, its natural and man-made attractions as well as the
local culture, the traditions and the customs of the islanders. The
product analysis thus showed that Saaremaa has a great potential for
sustainable rural tourism. The Tourism Management Plan of the island,
which was developed in 2007, also supports the further development of
tourism in a sustainable manner. Additionally, different stakeholders,
such as politicians, business owners and locals working in the Tourist
Board, are in favour of promotin
