Developing Agritourism in Nova Scotia: Issues and Challenges

ABSTRACT Agritourism or farm tourism is increasingly recognized as an important alternative farming activity that can contribute to agricultural sustainability through diversification of the economic base, provision of educational opportunities to tourists, and the engendering of greater community cohesion. Farm tourism activities can include farm markets, wineries, U-Picks, farming interpretive centers, farm-based accommodation and events, and agriculture-based festivals. Nova Scotia is well positioned to offer a competitive agritourism product given its rich farming heritage and increasing pressure on farmers to diversify, however, it is apparent that certain barriers exist to developing market-ready agritourism-related products. This paper reports on the findings of a research project, which sought to identify the issues and challenges of developing agritourism in Nova Scotia from the perspective of stakeholder groups. Through the use of interviews and a focus group using a modified Nominal Group Technique (NGT) process, stakeholders identified several issues that impact on the development of agritourism in Nova Scotia. These include issues related to marketing, product development, government support, education and training, and partnership and communication. As agritourism is a relatively new concept in Nova Scotia, this study represents exploratory research with the purpose of bringing to light potential issues and challenges that future agritourism development must address.