AgriTourism Myths and Facts

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Agri-Tourism Myths and Facts

• Kathleen Liang, UVM Researcher
• Community Development and Applied Economics
• 802-656-0754

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Definitions of Agri-Tourism

• The act of visiting a working farm or any
  agricultural, horticultural or agribusiness
  operation for the purpose of enjoyment,
  education, or active involvement in the
  activities of the farm or operation.
• Visitation of farms and ranches by those seeking
  to experience the place and/or the agricultural
  products.
• A way to diverse agricultural operations and
  generate supplement income.

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Who Cares About Agri-Tourism

• People who are looking for agricultural
  experiences (demand)
• People who are looking for diversification of
  agricultural operation (supply)
• Public and Private Organizations
• Local communities

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Why Cares About Agri-Tourism

• Increase income?
• Save small farms?
• Preserve working landscape?
• Educate general public about nature?
• Integrate rural with urban?
• All of the above?
• Think about the definition of Tourism..

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Key Findings From Recent Research

• Small scale
• Limited market
• Limited resources
• Time consuming
• Non-exclusive services public goods
• Negative externalities on farm operations
• Uncertainty in tourists behaviors and preferences

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How To Develop Successful Strategies

• Understand the market who tourists are, where
  they come from, what they do, how much they spend
  on different things.
• Data and research (Vermont Tourism Data Center)
• Magazine and publications
• Website

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How To Develop Successful Strategies

• Develop a plan
• Sort out existing financial situation
• Identify your niche in the market
• Create feasibility studies for your new ideas
• Identify achievable goals
• Make sure you charge a reasonable fee
• Create financial analysis for new ideas
  (additional costs and revenue)
• Figure out additional labor and other resources
• Start with a small scale to test the new ideas

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How To Develop Successful Strategies

• Build network
• Other producers
• Local organizations
• Community partners
• UVM or other educational institutions
• Keep good records
• Number of tourists and their profiles
• Separated accounting analysis
• Tourists preferences while visiting
• Tourists suggestions

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If We Build It, Will They Come?

• Find the right visitors
• Find our niche
• Find an entrepreneurial approach
• Find the right support
• Find the way to farm, to live, to enjoy, to
  provide services and products to our society, to
  educate others, and to diverse agricultural
  operations and generate supplement income