Abstract
Rural tourism is characterized as a form of self-initiated tourism, which has, in the foreground, the involvement of the local population, which helps considerably in supporting and promoting traditions, crafts, and customs. The methodology of this research is based on the study of the specialized literature by investigating a case study regarding the tourist activity of rural tourism in Vâlcea County. The research hypotheses forecast and serve the general objective of the study, namely presenting that rural tourism can be a realistic solution for the sustainable socio-economic development of Vâlcea County. This work aims to identify the main development areas of Vâlcea County where the trends of development and practice of rural tourism are significantly important for the Oltenia Region as a first step towards unique research for promotion, sustainability, and socio-economic development in rural areas.