Explore the benefits of Agritourism
Agro-tourism in India was planted by the Agri Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) and is operational since 2004. Shri Pandurang Taware is the Father of Agri-tourism in India. The International Market Analysis Research and Consulting Group (IMRAC Group) finds that ”The agriculture tourism in India is expected to exhibit a growth rate (CAGR) of 19.9% between 2023 and 2028.
However, one question arises in the mind, what is agritourism? And what are its benefits? To answer this question we came up with this blog by hoping that this blog will solve doubts in your mind related to the concept of agritourism.
What is agritourism? What are the benefits of agritourism?
Agritourism is a new concept in the tourism sector that involves developing farms into vacation ventures. As the name suggests, agritourism merges agriculture and tourism where agricultural factors and activities are merged with leisure and travel. Agritourism encompasses a wide range of activities like farm visits, village walks, direct marketing, participating in events and festivals, and recreational activities like- fishing, fruit plucking, pottery making, boating, and so on. Agritourism is a unique way to explore and get to know about the roots of a country’s rural and cultural heritage.
There are several benefits of agritourism, from the point of view of both the visitors as well as the villagers. Agritourism can be considered a win-win situation for both parties.
The benefits of agritourism from visitor’s point of view include-
a) Connection to nature: Agritourism allows one to connect with nature and explore the beauty and serenity of rural landscapes. It offers opportunities to experience agricultural activities to visitors and rejuvenating themselves in the land of beauty and peace.
b) Reviving traditional culture and art: Rural tourism promotes traditional art, culture, craft, food while creating opportunities for the rural producers to sell their products to tourists.
c) Engaging with Rural communities: Agritourism allows to meet villagers whether staying at a resort or homestay, join their festivals, and experiencing and understanding their culture.
d) Feel local cuisine: Agritourism allows visitors to taste authentic local cuisine from spicy curries to savory snacks. Agritourism contributes to the preservation of traditional village recipes, culinary practices and agricultural landscapes.
e) Promoting educational opportunities: Agritourism serves as an educational tool to school groups, university students, and researchers to learn about agriculture, farming and sustainable development. The visitors can also visit firms to learn about innovative farming techniques, how crops are grown, the lifestyle of villagers, their culture and so on.
The benefits of agritourism from villager’s point of view includes-
1) Creating job opportunities
Agritourism creates job opportunities by allowing villagers to play roles in hospitality, selling handcrafts such as pottery, traditional artwork, etc to tourists, and stimulating local economies while empowering rural communities.
2) Improving sustainability
Agritourism aims at providing sustainable livelihood to the rural communities as a source of income irrespective of seasonal influence.
3) Promotes rural culture
Agri tourism plays vital role in promoting rural culture by sharing their culture and tradition with tourists.
Conclusion:
Overall, agritourism not only allows visitors to know about the culture-tradition of rural areas, or experience culinary delights, or breathe in fresh air, or sometimes even participate in farm activities but also it benefits the villagers by offering job opportunities, stimulating local economies and so on.