An agritourism training programme has been set up to help farmers who are looking to diversify their income.
The new Regional Agritourism Accelerator Programme covers all aspects of starting and growing a successful agritourism business with a focus on planning, product development (assessing opportunities on your farm), marketing and health and safety.
“We have worked with, trained and coached hundreds of (agri)tourism businesses over the years”, Agritourism NZ founder Marijke Dunselman said.
Agritourism can be defined as a tourism activity on a working farm, from farm cottages to luxury lodges, from educational tours to multi-day walks.
“There are so many ways to add value to farming operations by hosting visitors through a range of activities and accommodation options. There are also opportunities to partner with other businesses to operate a tourism business on your land and share profits.”
The programme will run in regions around New Zealand from May and is supported by regional economic development agencies.
It starts with a full-day in-person workshop, followed by five monthly in-depth webinars.
Each regional group will have the opportunity to form an Agritourism Cluster and network with other agritourism operators around NZ.
For more information, locations and dates, visit www.agritourism.nz
