The role of active and inclusive partnerships in tourism development in Tulcea county, Romania

Tourism represents an important factor in the socio-economic development of rural areas in Romania. Natural landscapes and local traditions are valued by entrepreneurs from the countryside and are transformed into attractions for tourists from the urban environment or from abroad. At the same time, the development of tourism and leisure businesses also has a social role by creating jobs for the local population and improving the standard of living in the countryside. Local Action Groups are active partnerships at the level of a relatively small territory and that include in a balanced way representatives of the public, private and civil society sectors. The "bottom-up" LEADER approach, applied by the Local Action Groups, is based on the identification of solutions that meet the real needs at the local level and the provision of financial resources for them. The research paper aims to carry out an analysis of the development of businesses in the tourism sector in Tulcea county supported by measure 19 Local Development LEADER from the National Rural Development Program. To carry out the study, information was collected, processed and interpreted from the database of the Agency for the Financing of Rural Investments, from the local level and from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The research conclusions highlight the role of LAG partnerships in supporting tourism initiatives in rural areas and the importance of applying the LEADER approach in solving local problems and socio-economic development in rural areas.