Educational tourism as a driver for rural development: assessing competition and strategic choices of Italian language and culture schools in the Marche Region (Italy) through Porter’s Five Forces / Il turismo educativo come motore di sviluppo rurale: valutare la concorrenza e le scelte strategiche delle scuole di lingua e cultura italiana nelle Marche (Italia) con il modello delle Forze di Porter

Educational tourism is a growing industry, that includes a variety of niches. Among these, language tourism involves language and culture schools for foreigners that also pro-vide hospitality and tourism services, including tours and excursions, field visits and cultu-ral initiatives, and experiential workshops. These realities, if located in rural contexts, can represent a growth factor for rural areas and an opportunity for cultural exchange betwe-en tourists and local communities. To better understand forces and factors influencing this industry, this study describes the case of two Italian language and culture schools for foreigners which also offer tourism services in a rural area of the Marche Region, near the city of Macerata. Through semi-structured qualitative interviews and by applying the the-oretical model of Porter's Forces, the case presents an overview competitive environment, pointing out strategic choices and distinctive aspects of the presented realities.