 |
|||||
|
|
||||
Agricultural TourismUnique Niches - Agritourism in Britain and New England
Section 4: Agritourism in New EnglandAgritourism Programs Connecticut: Tourism Districts and Joint Agritourism Project In 1994, Norm Bender, Extension Educator at University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension in Norwich teamed together with Nini Davis, in the Connecticut Visitors Bureau and the state Farm Bureau to design and conduct a regional tourism project with interested farms in Eastern Connecticut. Their project was developed in response to a large surge of suburban growth in traditionally rural farming communities. After forming an agritourism committee in 1994 the group applied to the State Department of Economic Development for funds to continue their project. The group was awarded a one year tourism challenge grant and completed a survey of existing and developing agritourism operations. It developed a series of regional workshops and brochures on Connecticut's farms and agritourism which it mailed to farms and tourist centers in Connecticut. The group also helped to host a series of local events including guided weekend farm tours and several bike tours. The weekend hikes, which were attended by 3,000 people, were enormously popular and have developed into an annual event (Bender, 1996). Eleven regional tourism districts were created in 1992 to coordinate use of the bed and meal tax receipts received back into local areas. Norm felt that too much time and money is spent solely on promotion. He indicated that "...the group I'm part of is spending all our tourism district dollars on marketing and too little on strategically planning for the future. We're not thinking about what we want to become and if we'll like what we see." He was concerned about "tourism killing tourism", a process that occurs when too much tourist development spoils the very place that once attracted tourists. Developing third world nations, such as Thailand experienced this phenomenon as rampant hotel and golf course development overran former pristine areas (Pleumarom, 1993). For example, Norm said that fifteen years ago most businesses in downtown Mystic, a popular sea resort town, catered to residents. Now he estimates that 95% are tourist driven and fewer stores cater to amenities for locals. Despite this, there are no public bathrooms or public parking planned by local town officials, so weekend traffic is highly congested. Vermont: Joint Agritourism Promotion The agritourism committee started as a result of the governor setting up three task force committees for tourism: international, historical, and outdoor. Industry activists lobbied to have agriculture added as a fourth hence the start of the agritourism taskforce committee. One of the outcomes of the taskforce report was the decision to develop and produce 100,000 copies of a Vermont Farms! Map. After advertising the map in the state newsletter, the taskforce listed 246 farms and businesses in it for $25 each. Out of a total of 5,400 farms in Vermont, these 5% are the ones already conducting some type of farm tourism venture. The map includes farm stays, farmers markets, farm stands, farm tours and even restaurants that use local products.
|
|
||||
|
|||||