Rural tourism initiatives and their relationship to collaborative governance and perceived value: A review of recent research and trends

Rural tourism is a form of landscape conservation and sustainable development that can help respond to the challenges of rural areas. Although growing rural tourism has emerged with a collective approach, managed mainly by local communities, more attention needs to be paid to how the beneficiaries, i.e., tourists, are involved in such initiatives. This study explores the participation of tourists in governance processes in the framework of collaborative governance and perceived value. The study employs a systematic literature review using the PRISMA protocol and VOSviewer software. The results indicate a growing interest in collaborative governance-based rural tourism research, with Spain and China as significant contributors. The importance of stakeholder participation is highlighted, although mechanisms for creating deliberative spaces or decision-making processes remain to be indicated. The difficulty of actively involving tourists in these processes is acknowledged, attributing this to the transitory nature of tourism. Finally, the study argues for more inclusive and participatory approaches to achieve sustainable outcomes in rural tourism initiatives. • Growing interest in collaborative governance in tourism; Spain and China stand out. • Collaborative governance is a key to coordinating rural tourism stakeholders. • In governance processes in rural tourism the tourists are the least involved actors. • Rural tourism evolves from hierarchical to horizontal governance.