Nowadays, rural tourism has become an increasingly frequent topic of discussion, but problems arise in realization as it is a very complex concept that is still insufficiently studied and understood. Gorski kotar, as well as the whole Croatia, is still insufficiently valorized on this issue. This is evidenced by the fact that Croatian rural tourism is one of the least developed types of tourism, despite the fact that over 90 % of Croatia's area falls under rural areas. However, in order for rural tourism to develop in an adequate way, it is of great importance for the destination to apply the concept of sustainable development during implementation, given that rural tourism is based on its characteristics. In doing so, economic, sociocultural and, in particular, ecological principles of sustainable development should be respected. When developing of sustainable rural tourism, the synergy of various stakeholders is very important, and the local population stands out here, given that their benefits from development are multiple. It is important that stakeholders engage and integrate into the community in a fair and social way so that ultimately the community itself benefits. It is not just about their participation through work and various services, but it also means income from tourism, which further finances various public and private institutions. Precisely because of the importance of the local population for sustainable rural tourism, a survey of the attitudes of the local population on this topic was conducted.