ABSTRACT
This work had its starting point in the study of the benefits of rural tourism for the
revitalization of territories and the revaluation of the heritage and culture of rural
communities; in contrast to the problems of emigration, poverty and backwardness that
these phenomena face. In the case of Cuba, the behavior and practices of this typology
were investigated, as well as the tendency of the peasant to abandon their traditional
knowledge. Thus, the objective of the research was to design a product service for the
practice of rural tourism that promotes and safeguards the culture and traditions of the
peasantry. Having as a context of study the El Guayabal Community, in the Mayabeque
territory. Through the use of semi-structured and unstructured interviews, scientific
observation, benefit segmentation and opportunity analysis, it was determined that
there is a potential demand for rural-style experiences; the territory has excellent
resources, agricultural and cultural attractions that respond to the expected benefits;
however, the conditions are not optimal for the projected purpose, due to the absence
of service infrastructure, the low level of perception of the population about the value
of its heritage, and the lack of a community cultural identity. In this sense, through the
Delphi method or Expert Criterion, the proposed feasibility of the designed product-
service was validated for future scenarios, in order to contribute to the strengthening
of community participation and the safeguarding of their traditional knowledge and
expressions.
Keywords: rural tourism; peasant culture; el Guayabal farm.
INTRODUCCIÓN
De acuerdo con la World Tourism Organization (2022), el turismo rural es un tipo de
actividad turística en el que la experiencia del visitante está relacionada con un amplio
espectro de productos vinculados por lo general con las actividades de naturaleza, la
agricultura, las formas de vida y las culturas rurales, la pesca con caña y la visita a
lugares de interés.
Vera (2020) define que el turismo rural son todas aquellas actividades turísticas que
ocurren directamente en las comunidades, dentro de su área agrícola, ganadera,
pesquera u otra característica del medio. Afirma que dichas prácticas oscilan entre la
observación de la vida cotidiana y la participación en las labores, mencionando como
parte del mismo a, “…el etnoturismo, el turismo cinegético, la pesca deportiva, la eco