SCOTTISH agricultural businesses and estates are being urged to take part in an annual survey of the industry in the hopes of discovering how best to boost agritourism.
With the Scottish public census wrapping up, VisitScotland and Scottish Agritourism are now partnering up to poll Scotland’s farms, crofts and estates in a census of their own.
The Scottish agritourism growth tracker aims to establish the size and scale of the agritourism industry to better understand the impact the sector has on Scotland’s economy.
Agritourism is defined as “tourism or leisure on a farm or croft that produces food or offers holiday experiences”, and it saw a significant rise in popularity during the pandemic – with visitors seeking a greater connection to nature.
Last year, the survey suggested that if industry strategy targets are achieved, the combined value of agritourism and farm retail in 2030 could be as much as £250 million and “support almost 10,000 jobs”.
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “Agritourism is an exciting sector, which is expanding and offers a wide range of benefits.
“The Agritourism Growth Tracker is the perfect tool to analyse data, which will inform future decision-making and ensure the sector benefits from targeted support.
“The tracker enables us to measure progress towards achievement of the objectives of the ‘Scottish Agritourism 2030 – Strategy for Sustainable Growth’. I would encourage everybody eligible to take the time to fill out the tracker.”
VisitScotland’s director of industry and destination development Rob Dickson said: “The tracker is an important piece of research that could shape how we work with this exciting sector in the future. Throughout the pandemic we saw the industry continue to grow in popularity, but the tracker also helped shed light on the unparalleled and wide-ranging benefits agritourism brings to society.
“Being able to track the growth and impact of agritourism in Scotland is essential if the industry is to grow sustainably.”
The survey closes July 3 and results will be published online later this year. To participate, visit: www.visitscotland.org/news/2022/agritourism-tracker-2022
