Rural Tourism has always been practiced one way or another. When the summer arrived, everybody had a relative or friend who lived in a village. And like this, they took their children to enjoy the countryside and take part in country. And normally for free.

These children have grown up and become adults, with little time or space on their hands, and now, when we remember those summers spent in the country, we must plan and organize our holidays. Memories which tell us that the country is the best place to combat the stress, relax and teach our children about life in the country, and get back in touch with nature.

In this way, agro-tourism became an enterprise a tourist product.
It started in the 90s, initially as a complementary activity for those who already lived off the land.

Here in Cantabria, the first establishments devoted to tourism appeared in 1991. They were supported by the local government with economic subsidies to adapt buildings for rental in an effort to recover the historic, cultural and ethnographic heritage.
In business and managerial terms it was completely new, an enterprise seen as a complementary source of income for farmers.

So, the owner of a farm would restore his property, recuperating his patrimony, adapt it for use by tourists and employ a member of the family in running it.
The product remained largely unknown as promotion was practically non-existent.

The Cantabria Rural Tourism Association appeared, in 1992, as a group devoted to creating and promoting Rural Tourism as a product. In this way it created the first guide to rural guest houses in Cantabria made up of 18 rural establishments. Since then Cantabria rural tourism has been promoted in trade fairs, meetings and mass media.

At this time the guide book was the one and only means of diffusion and marketing of the product.

Nowadays the Association has only the economic support of its members, above all the enthusiasm and personal effort of each and every one, who now promote their own establishments in trade fairs and internet.

The farms, guest houses and country hotels that make up the association are spread around Cantabria and offer two possibilities: a hotel service by rooms or the chance to rent the whole house or apartment. These two possibilities have to be inside a rural style property.

As time goes by and this offer becomes better known, the occupation rises and the customer satisfaction of visitors to Cantabria is high. And the offer continues to grow; with new establishments opening all the time in Cantabria the Rural Tourism Association now has more members and more representation than ever.