Transformative Tourism as an Innovative Tool for Rural Development

This conceptual article identifies major changes in the 21st century society that gave birth to a new generation of cultural tourists and to an innovative type of cultural tourism business that meets their needs – transformative tourism. The transformative tourism business is analysed as an integral part of a transition from the paradigm of industrial to post-industrial servitized economic system by implementation of three major paradigm innovations. The research related to the development of paradigm innovations in cultural tourism provides an opportunity to supplement the existing knowledge not only about innovative ways of cultural tourism development in rural regions, but also about general challenges facing the rural development in the post-industrial society.