242 Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Vol. 21, No. 3, 2017 Copyright © 2017 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Coastal tourism in rural areas: development model Dina Maria Barreira Ramos* and Carlos Manuel Martins da Costa Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism (DEMIE) ‘(DEGEIT)’, University of Aveiro, Room 10.2.41 University Campus – Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal Email: dinaramos@ua.pt Email: ccosta@ua.pt *Corresponding author Abstract: The growing demand for new destinations, for new experiences, for different realities and cultures, the need for contact with authentic heritage, and the will to participate in the co-creation of experiences are marking the development of tourism for the future. The evolution of knowledge and demand in Tourism research, direct us on a new path of knowledge, a meeting between the strong presence of tourism in coastal areas and the still fragile tourism in rural areas. The aim of this paper is to present a coastal tourism development model in rural areas. The model was created based on key elements of tourism, tourism in rural areas and tourism in coastal areas, focusing on their relationship, complementarity and sustainability. The model intends to be innovative in creating a differentiated tourism market, based on new dimensions of knowledge on Tourism. Keywords: tourism; tourism in rural areas; TRA; tourism in coastal areas; TCA; coastal tourism in rural areas; CTRA; development model of coastal tourism in rural areas. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Ramos, D.M.B. and Costa, C.M.M. (2017) ‘Coastal tourism in rural areas: development model’, Int. J. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp.242–260. Biographical notes: Dina Maria Barreira Ramos is a post-doctorate researcher at the University of Aveiro. She holds a PhD in Tourism and Sufficiency Researcher in ‘New Features and Sustainability in Tourism’ from the University of Salamanca, Spain. She holds a degree in Management from the International University of Lisbon. She is a coordinator of the ‘Network Heritage and Tourism project – Atlantic Villages’, an integrated model of local Coastal Tourism Development in Rural Areas in the Central Region of Portugal. She is a researcher from the research group on coastal areas of the University of Aveiro and a member of the research unit in Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policy (GOVCOPP).