The consultation group on agritourism and gourmet tourism in Québec (Groupe de concertation sur l’agrotourisme et le tourisme gourmand au Québec) has defined the main topic of this paper as follows:

Agritourism

“An activity that is complementary to agriculture and that enables agricultural producers to welcome tourists and other visitors onto their farm and provide information so that visitors can learn about agriculture, food production and the agricultural sector.”

Since many farmers who are involved in agritourism are also involved in gourmet tourism, we are also providing the following definition:

Gourmet tourism

“Gourmet tourism involves opportunities for tourists to discover regions through unique eating and drinking experiences. The sector also includes agritourism or bio-food activities that showcase the region’s food artisans and provide opportunities for visitors to appreciate a region’s distinctive products and specialty foods.”

Download Agritourism Development

The people and businesses involved in gourmet tourism include:

• agritourism businesses;
• artisan food product processors, such as microbreweries, that allow visitors to tour or view the facilities, give demonstrations, provide an interpretation room or materials, and an introduction to the processing process;
• agricultural producers who do not give tours but are open to the public to sell their products;
• restaurant owners serving regional cuisine.

Gourmet tourism also comprises promotional opportunities such as public markets, themed trails and routes.

Table of contents

1. Definitions
2. Growth of Agritourism – Supporting Trends
   2.1. Consumer trends
   2.2. Canada’s whole-of-government approach
3. Agritourism Practices in Québec
4. Agritourism Development Strategy – Benefits
5. Focus on the Land’s Tourism-related Assets
6. Developing Agritourism – Some Inspiring Examples
   6.1. Wales’ Destination Development Strategy
   6.2. Making the Regional Agritourism Offer More Cohesive
   6.2.1 Deliciously Yorkshire: Changing the region’s image, one meal at a time
   6.2.2 Visit Scotland expertly combines old and new
   6.2.3 Interactive maps: key tools for online searching
   6.2.4 Agritourism-themed tourist routes
   6.3. Strength in numbers
   6.4. Crowdfunding for agritourism
   6.5. Other inspiring initiatives
Conclusion