Agrotourism is a special form
of rural tourism that consists of all activities related to agricultural
production, local products, traditional cuisine and local gastronomy, as well
as the provision of hospitality and catering services in rural facilities.
Agrotourism responds to the need of farmers to earn supplementary income through the services sector and the need of urban residents to return to nature. In general, agrotourism contributes to:
• Supplementation and improvement of agricultural income
• Improvement of rural population’s quality of life and labor
• Rural population restraining at the place of residence
• Improvement of local agricultural and craft products disposal
• Environmental protection
• Improvement of rural areas attractiveness
• Enhancement of entrepreneurship
At the center of agrotourism
are the countryside, the natural environment and human contact. This activity
does not substitute the agricultural
activities but instead of this it supports them by offering additional income
to farmers. The particular tourism
entrepreneurship is based on the accommodation of guests in well designed
dwellings, that are in line with all the necessary professional standards required by the tourism services sector, as well as guests participation in rural activities.
Small agrotourism enterprises
can penetrate to international markets with the help of the internet, by
participating in specialized web platforms for the specific type of tourism.
There is an increasing number of tourists who are interested in agrotourism in
the context of the tendency to return to nature and more generally to
tradition. They are not interested in "classic" holidays but
prefer alternative holidays and seek, besides relaxing and enjoying the beautiful places and sights of a country, the unique experience of nature and its products. Typically, tourists who prefer agrotourism accommodation do not deal with travel agencies
but organize their holidays on their own.