The social dimension of agritourism

The Policy Learning Platform will host a webinar on agritourism, on 10 September 2024 at 10:00. This webinar will put a focus on the social and collaborative dimension of agritourism - how it fosters collaboration among actors that tend to work alone.

Agritourism is a form of tourism that involves visiting agricultural areas to experience farm life and agricultural activities. It combines elements of both agriculture and tourism, offering visitors the opportunity to engage with farming practices, enjoy rural landscapes, and learn about the origins of their food.

Agritourism provides an additional revenue stream for farmers beyond traditional agricultural sales, helping to stabilize income and reduce financial risk. Its offer can for example include: farm stays and tours, educational activities, outdoor festivals and events, picking your own produce and experiencing meals prepared directly at the farm.

Therefore, agritourism diversifies the local tourism offer and enables collaboration between actors from the two sectors which can lead to an overall improvement of the services available in rural communities. Putting businesses from these two sectors together can boost the creation of new coordinated and collaborative efforts in marketing and lead to new business streams and tourism services.

Increased tourism can lead to higher spending in local areas on various services, benefiting local businesses and generating jobs. Agritourism also has several social benefits. It contributes to social cohesion, education, cultural preservation, and the well-being of both visitors and rural communities.

Eventually, agritourism fosters connections between farmers and visitors, creating a sense of community and mutual understanding. It provides an opportunity for urban and rural populations to interact, bridging cultural and geographical gaps. But also locally, it encourages community members to work together, building stronger social networks and fostering a sense of pride and collective identity. 

What you can expect 

Keynote on Agritourism support instruments in the East-Flanders region.by Brecht Carels, Economic council of East-Flanders, former partner in the BRANDtour project.  - TBC

The Economic Council of East Flanders, together with Tourism East Flanders, has developed a plan that incorporates the lessons learned from Brandtour, resulting in a new Strategic Policy Plan for Tourism in East-Flanders 2020-2025. The plan aims at working on the idea of strengthening and expanding tourism, thus offering new experiences and services to visiting tourists. 

Presentations:

• The Festival of the Pöllauer Pear by Susanne Urschler, SMEOrigin project, Austria

Celebrating a unique local product in Austria, the Festival has been organised for many years and has in that sense proven itself a durable practice. The increased revenue for local shops, restaurants and hotels makes the event economically attractive for the stakeholders.

• Local Breakfast - Mic dejun sibian by Doris Banciu, EUREGA project, Romania - TBC 

An illustration of how the public sector, through its tourism organisation, is able to generate avenues of cooperation between local companies – namely the accommodation providers and the local producers.