Trends in modern tourism are mainly oriented towards intangible aspects of tourism demand. Consumer experience at a destination is the focal point. Since rural areas in Croatia face significant demographic problems, rural tourism can be one of the answers to the question of how to revitalize rural areas. The aim of this paper is to describe the development of rural tourism in certain regions in the context of overall rural development in Croatia. For the purposes of this paper, methods of content analysis and compilation were used. Rural tourism can contribute to economic diversification and enable new jobs, especially for young people. Due to diversity of climatic, environmental and regional conditions, there are various types of rural tourism in Croatia. The overall diversity shouldn’t be perceived as on obstacle for potential development, but a comparative advantage.