In light of the public’s increasing awareness of and desire to create healthy and friendly environments, developments in organic agriculture and organic agricultural products have gradually yielded optimum choices in terms of healthy diets, travel options, and lifestyles, in addition to winning considerable attention and popularity from the public. This study was centered on a model for assessing the developmental potential of organic agritourism, with empirical analyses being conducted regarding visitors to Yuli Township in Hualien County, Taiwan. The results were as follows. By means of on-site interviews and surveys, as well as a review of relevant literature, this study constructed several assessment indicators of the developmental potential of organic agritourism. The constructed model consisted of four criteria, namely, the attractiveness of resources, market development potential, community development capabilities, and the creation of diverse values, as well as 23 sub-criteria. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach was employed, and a questionnaire with expert validity was used to deduce the weights of each criterion and sub-criterion. The highest-weighted criterion was the attractiveness of resources, followed by, in order, the creation of diverse values, market development potential, and community development capabilities. The results of this study can serve as a reference for Yuli Township in developing strategies to promote organic agritourism in the area.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the correlation between customer experience and brand equity for a homestay establishment in Eastern Taiwan. Design/methodology/approach – Visitors staying at Yuehetang Rural Residence (YRR) during the month of January 2013 were surveyed, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis and typical correlation. Findings – Visitors demonstrated a very high level of overall satisfaction with their homestay experience (4.43-4.84), especially in terms of YRR’s ability to evoke feelings of being moved or touched, and of pleasure, excitement and satisfaction. Similarly, YRR’s brand equity was rated very high (3.98-4.67). Responders particularly felt that YRR’s image of prioritizing environmental protection and the quality of its lodgings were unique sources of added value and, therefore, factors in creating its healthy brand equity, despite the fact that it was rated low in terms of visibility to homestay-hunting customers. The correlation coefficient between experience and brand equity was 0.742, indicating a high degree of positive correlation. The correlation between customer loyalty and brand equity was also quite high, followed by, in decreasing order of strength, the correlations between brand equity and the environment-friendly image, the quality of lodging, organic farming and visibility. Practical implications – YRR’s core business value is environmental protection, a factor which, in today’s increasingly environment-conscious world, has unsurprisingly contributed heavily to its brand equity and customer loyalty. YRR and other homestay operators can utilize the findings of this paper to enhance visitor experience and their own brand equity. Originality/value – This paper is one of the first articles in the homestay experience field that offers content that environmental protection is an important factor to brand equity. It also offers numerous theoretical and practical implications.

Luoshan Organic Agriculture Village was the first organic agriculture village in Taiwan, and it focuses on organic farming and cultivation. The village is developed through community empowerment and the utilization of existing tourism resources. In this study, tourists to the village were selected to participate in a survey. The findings indicated that country landscape resources scored the highest, followed by experience of organic farming and natural landscape resources. The results revealed that this travel destination enjoys high brand equity, with the factor of environmental sustainability scoring the highest, followed by the uniqueness of organic farming and the image of healthy tourism. This study suggested that landscape resources were positively correlated with brand equity; moreover, access to environmental information had a significant effect on the relationship between landscape resources and brand equity. Subsequently, the top three factors affecting landscape resources were identified—natural landscape resources, experience of organic farming, and experience of farm stays. In addition, the two factors influencing brand equity of quality and unique resources were derived. This study’s results can help related organizations effectively establish landscape resources, thereby extending their brand equity and building the sustainable development competitiveness of tourist destinations.

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