Structural funds financial assistance influence on rural tourism competitiveness

Lithuania's access to the EU market for rural tourism operators have opened up the opportunity to run in a larger and more active plane. However, with the increased opportunities for rural tourism business had to meet the challenges of the EU market in order to adapt to changing economic and social conditions. Dynamic adjustment processes of rural tourism in Lithuania and other Eastern EU countries are often limited by financial possibilities. It therefore becomes important to evaluate the support for rural tourism business provision, based on the impact on rural tourism competitiveness assessment. The object of the research: the influence of structural funds. The problem of the research: what is the influence of structural funds assistance on rural tourism competitiveness? The aim of the thesis: to value the influence of structural funds assistance on rural tourism competitiveness. Objectives of the research: 1. To compare the attitude of economical theories about the states‘ role in providing support to rural business. 2. To describe the importance of structural support to rural tourism. 3. To analyze the mechanism of state financial support for rural tourism. 4. According to the economical theories, to create a theoretical evaluation model of financial support influence. 5. To estimate the importance of structural funds on rural tourism. Methods: literature analysis, document analysis, statistical analysis, interview, qualitative content analysis, questionnaire survey, descriptive statistical analysis