Rural development a process that accounts for improving the living conditions of population anddiminishing disparities of development between urban and rural areas, protecting environmental and cultural values,focusing on improving the social and physical structure, and considering the balance between environment andnatural resources. In rural development, the goal is to maximize the benefit of rural population from the elements thathelp agricultural, economic and social development. Agriculture is the common production activity in rural areas;however, it cannot provide employment by itself for the rural population. Therefore, alternative activities should beexplored in order to increase employment, to solve the migration problem, and to increase the diversity in income inrural areas. One of these activities is tourism. In this study, it is aimed to emphasize the importance of tourismtogether with natural, cultural and historical values, which constitute main source for tourism. Hence, ruraldevelopment is addressed within economic, social and cultural aspects; rural development policies and projects, andapplications of rural tourism as well are surveyed; and significance of rural tourism activities in rural development ishighlighted. As a result, it is set forth that in rural development, natural resources should be preserved sustainably andproperly transferred to next generations. And, in order to achieve these objectives, necessary proposals areintroduced.