Abstract
In the last decades, exchanges between urban and rural areas have become closer and more intensive. There are several reasons for this transformation, such as the urban dwellers’ renewed interest in nature, the desire to live authentic rural experiences and to get in touch with the farmers of the region. This positively affects the choice of accommodation for leisure activities in rural areas. The demand for traditional on-farm activities such as agritourism is increasing as well as the one related to exchanging initiatives enabling a dynamic experience (i.e. the voluntary activities in agriculture, for instance, WWOOFing). Similar trends also interest the sharing economy-based activities such Airbnb on farms.
This article shows how characteristics and preferences for or against these three categories of urban-rural exchange are shaped by the nature of social benefits, the perception of spatial experience and the authenticity of places and activities. In parallel, it provides an overview of the different technical and quantitative features of the exchange (duration, frequency, goods and services).
Applying the social exchange theory approach, the article presents the diverging social benefits and different qualities of the urban-rural exchange investigated. The authors suggest working on further opportunities for innovative exchange between urban and rural citizens.