ABSTRACT
Culinary tourism has become very popular and sometimes cuisine might even be the main motive for travelling rather than the necessary component of the offer, which, like an overnight stay, cannot be avoided. The starting point is the concept of rurality, which includes the criteria that should be met by the areas so that they can be regarded as rural. The criteria were developed by researchers and form the basis for the demarcation of areas that are suitable for rural tourism. The metropolitan area encompasses the space of the functional influence of the core city, whereas the policy of urban–rural partnership includes the urban sprawl and merger of cities, small towns and villages. The idea of the metropolitan area results not only from the awareness of the benefits from the partnership in terms of internal relations but also from the new approach to the cohesion of areas.
