BLOG INTRODUCTION

A new type of tourism model appears in rural areas, "Rural Tourism", especially in recent decades, the rapid development of tourists' tourism motivation is obviously different from the traditional tourists. Modern rural tourists make full use of the beautiful landscape, natural environment, architecture, culture and other resources in rural areas. The contribution of rural tourism to the rural economy is not only to increase local financial income, but also to create local employment opportunities, and to inject new vitality into the local weak traditional economy. With the rapid increase of tourists with modern characteristics, modern rural tourism has become an effective means to develop rural economy.

About the blog

This blog is part of a university assignment. The blog aims to introduce readers to rural- and agritourism, and to the social, economic and environmental impacts it might have.

In this blog you will find:

Introduction to rural- and agritourism
How rural- and agritourism is connected to global challenges
Interviews conducted with rural tourism business owners
Questionnaire results from a survey of visitors' experiences
Suggested improvements for the rural tourism industry

Introduction

Content

Introduction to rural- and agritourism

source: unsplash.com

source: unsplash.com

Rural Tourism

Rural tourism is described by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as:

"a type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle / culture, angling and sightseeing." (UNWTO, 2021)

Rural tourism has great potential to significantly boost economic development and social transformation as it contributes to GDP growth and diverse job opportunities, and ability to to encourage timely dispersion of demand (against seasonality) and wider demand territory. The rural tourist activities mostly take place in a sparse population of non-urban locations(rural areas ) which have their own traditional social structures and lifestyles. Agriculture and forests will always dominate the landscape and usage of the land.[1]

Agritourism

Agritourism is a business model that attaches tourism to agricultural production or processing by attracting tourists to farms, ranches, or other agricultural enterprises for the purpose of entertainment or education, while at the same time bringing benefits to the income-generating owner of the farm, ranch, or business.[2]

Why do farmers tend to diversify?

Many farms are struggling economically to support their household economy. It sometimes pushes farmers to change their way of working. According to the UK government, 62% of UK farmers have to diversify their activities while simultaneously continuing with a traditional working farm.[3]

Reference list

[1] UNWTO. (2021). RURAL TOURISM. Available at: https://www.unwto.org/rural-tourism

[2] Alternative Farming Information Center (AFSIC). (2022). Agritourism, AgriTourism | National Agricultural Library. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Available at: https://www.nal.usda.gov/human-nutrition-and-food-safety/local-foods-and-communities/agritourism

[3]Countryfilemag (2022) How British farmers are diversifying. Countryfile.com. Countryfile.com. Available at: https://www.countryfile.com/how-to/outdoor-skills/how-britains-farmers-are-diversifying/