Files
Abstract
Many farmers, in addition to normal farming activities, have already turned to
agritourism as a source of additional farm income and opportunities. There are numerous
benefits to be gained from the development of agritourism: it may strengthen local
economy, create job opportunities and develop and promote training and certification
programs to introduce young people to agriculture and the environment. Agritourism
helps preserve rural lifestyles and landscape and offers the opportunity to provide
"sustainable" tourism.
Organic agriculture is due to demand for healthy foods with a high quality standard
and limited use of chemical substances. Organic agriculture is closely connected to
agritourism and tourism.
The purpose of this paper is to identify and examine those factors that have helped rural
communities to successfully develop agritourism, in particular organic-agritourism, and
to discuss its entrepreneurship opportunities. Several focus groups were conducted with
local business people and leaders regarding an applicative case of Southern Italy.