Claudia Ollenburg

Stated Economic and Social Motivations of Farm Tourism Operators

Farm tourism enterprises combine the commercial constraints of regional tourism, the nonfinancial features of family businesses, and the inheritance issues of family farms. They have theoretical significance in regional tourism geography and economics, family tourism business dynamics, and rural diversification. We examined motivations of farm tourism operators throughout Australia using both qualitative and quantitative methods. In contrast to Europe and the United States, social motivations are marginally more important overall than economic motivations. For most operators, however, both are important; and different motivations are dominant for different types of farm landholders and at different stages in farm, family, and business lifecycles. For some families, tourism is a critical component of income streams to keep the current generation on the family property and provide opportunities for succeeding generations. For others it combines social opportunities with retirement income. Tourism, agricultural, or rural initiatives, including farm tourism, need to incorporate this diversity.

Quality Tourism Experiences: Reviews, Reflections, Research Agendas

“Quality tourism experiences,” including its singular form, is a well used phrase in tourism industry literature and traveller dialogues. Yet definitions of a quality tourism experience remain elusive. Tourism studies, recreation and marketing literature similarly resonate with numerous applications of the phrase as well as its contributing terms. A social constructivist approach was applied to a literature review, in order to reflect on the status of “quality tourism experiences,” its meanings, as well as research approaches used and research agendas proffered. From the review emerged multiple interpretations and constructions as well as an emphasis on complexity. Research approaches were predicated to post/positivistic approaches. Research agendas essayed to understand specific dimensions of quality tourism experiences along with more holistic frames.

Worldwide structure of the equestrian tourism sector

Many tourism products rely on horses. Some of these products are effectively farm tourism, some are effectively adventure tourism, and a few are urban tourism. Depending on definitions adopted, many would qualify as ecotourism, and most as part of the broader sector referred to as ACE (Fennell, 1999) or NEAT (Buckley, 2000). Despite this, there seem to be rather few published analyses or even descriptions of equestrian tourism. The aims of this contribution are as follows: (1) to introduce the commercial equestrian tourism sector; (2) to outline its relations with private recreational horse riding; (3) to propose a broad classification of equestrian tourism products; (4) to review the structure and principal management concerns of the core equestrian ecotourism subsector, namely multi-day horse treks in remote areas worldwide; and (5) to identify, and perhaps help to catalyse potential avenues for future research in equestrian tourism. Historically, horses formed a critical component of human transport systems worldwide, whether personal, commercial or military. In some countries they still do, at least in rural areas. Horses are still widely used to muster cattle in Australia, for example. By far the majority of horses in developed western nations, however, are currently kept for recreational use. As with many other forms of outdoor recreation, horse riding has been incorporated into a variety of commercial tourism products worldwide. There is now a specialist horse tourism industry in the same way that there are specialist ski, surf and dive tourism industries. As with other types of adventure tourism, different equestrian tourism products are available at different prices, in different places, for clients with a wide range of different prior skills and experience. Products range from the opportunity to sit briefly on a placid horse being led at a gentle walk on level ground, to multi-week horseback safaris in remote mountain or desert terrain, and working ranch holidays where paying clients are expected to be proficient in the riding skills of the stockman or cowboy. In addition, there are horse tourism products where clients ride only in carriages rather than on horseback, or watch other people riding in demonstrations or competitions. Different breeds of horse are used for different equestrian tourism products in different countries. Horses can be an integral

Marketing the adventure: utilizing the aspects of risk/fear/thrill to target the youth traveller segment

Purpose – This research aims to investigate the importance of emotional appeals like risk/fear/thrill as main motivation to take part in adventure activities, and their possible utilisation in viral marketing.Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative and qualitative research methods have been applied.Findings – The results confirm that facing fear or challenge, leading to being intrinsically rewarded, is a main motivator. However, the aspect of fun is still fundamentally important to each activity. The youth traveller market is generally extremely responsive to viral marketing, which (through wording and visuals) creates an image of a “life‐changing experience”, “thrilling adventure”, and similar.Originality/value – Adventure tourism continues to be a fast growing and popular form of tourism. Marketing the adventure, however, can present a challenge to small businesses with a limited budget. Viral marketing may present a cost‐effective opportunity to reach the youth traveller segment. This research inves...

Regional Signatures and Trends in the Farm Tourism Sector

Farm tourism is an old phenomenon with new economic and social significance for farming, tourism and rural communities. Many features of the farm tourism sector are similar worldwide, but there are distinct regional differences. The portfolios of farm tourism products offered, in particular, differ significantly both between and within continents, producing regional signatures analogous to those in other sectors of the tourism industry. Farm tourism in Europe is recognizably different from farm tourism in North America. Within Europe, there are differences between the livestock landscapes and farmstays of the colder North and Alps, and the vineyard and olive landscapes of the warmer South. Within North America, there is a division between dude ranches in the West and so-called agritainment in the East.

Which Farmers Turn to Tourism? A Continental-Scale Analysis

Abstract Many urban tourists like to visit farms, but only some farm landholders offer tourism accommodation and activities. Their motivations have been explored previously in several countries, using stated-preference approaches. Here we report the first continental-scale revealed-preference analysis, which yields significant additional information and insights. Using multiple data sources, we inventoried, mapped and characterized all known Australian farm tourism enterprises, and examined patterns using both size-based and multi-criterion classifications. There are clusters of farm tourism enterprises close to cities and gateways, and isolated operations in more remote areas. We identified four groups: full-time, part-time, retirement and lifestyle operators. Characteristics of the farm property and business, the farming family, and the farm tourism business differ significantly between groups. The groups appear to reflect the joint dynamics of farm succession and rural amenity migration.

Trends and lags in the use of ecotourism terminology in the scholarly and popular press

This Department is devoted to research reports, notes, conference résumés and other significant research events. Two copies of write-ups, not exceeding 3,000 words, may be mailed to the Section Editor, Professor David A. Fetmell, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada LIS 3A1; e-mail: daoidfennell@brocku.ca. In all cases, one copy of the report should be mailed to the Chief Editor, TRR.