Perceptions of Agritourism and Cooperation: Comparisons between an Island and a Mountain Region in Greece

Abstract

The lack of understanding and definitional inconsistencies regarding agritourism and the importance of cooperation in sustaining this kind of tourism are underlined in the literature. This study analyzes the perceptions of agritourism and cooperation from actors in the sector using a plurality of methods, including unsupervised (a) text mining and (b) sentiment analysis with the use of a lexical database, as well as (c) supervised qualitative data analysis. Based on the assumption that destinations with different geographic characteristics have different features and products, two different destinations as for its accessibility and tourism recognition were selected for comparison: (a) an island—Lesvos in the North Aegean Sea, and (b) a continental mountain region—Plastiras Lake, in Greece. The data were collected from personal in-depth interviews and with the use of semi-structured questionnaires. From a methodological perspective, all three methods provided unique insights on the study’s themes, and the overall image of agritourism and cooperation was positive. A common understanding seems important for cooperation and networking; however, training is needed not only for effective promotion of agritourism, but also for cooperation techniques, benefits, trust-building mechanisms and best practices.

“Agro”, “Agri”, or “Rural”: The Different Viewpoints of Tourism Research Combined with Sustainability and Sustainable Development

“…According to our geographical analysis, "agro-", "agri-" and "rural" tourism are well examined and established in Europe, usually comprising a farm stay and/or meal and are well supported by governments in terms of the preservation of the scenery. Moreover, our analysis indicates that innovation in "agro-", "agri-" and "rural" tourism is both an emerging theme in the literature and reflects the need for relevant developmental programs, as only "the existence of resources does not necessarily make an area a successful and sustainable tourism destination" [2] (p.14). In the same vein, Yang et al (2010) [30] (p. 384) in their survey concerning agro-tourism enterprises underline that "the lack of innovation on agro-services is a bottleneck for business development".…”

“…The meaning of the terms "agro-", "agri-" or "rural" tourism differs from region to region, year to year, community to community, enterprise to enterprise. Definitional inconsistencies are highlighted in the literature by many authors (e.g., [1][2][3][4]. Recently, [5] made an effort to harmonize these definitions).…”

“…Recently, [5] made an effort to harmonize these definitions). In brief, sometimes the terms are used interchangeably, and there seems to be a growing consensus that rural tourism is a broader spatial term [2] and the "working farm" is the most frequently cited requirement for agritourism [3] for both North American and European studies. In the exploration of scientific articles related to "agro-", "agri-", or "rural" tourism, it is obvious that the results increase over time, revealing the growing interest in these kinds of tourism.…”

Spatial Analysis of Sustainability Measures from Agritourism in Iberian Cross-Border Regions

“…Formula for calculating the variable visual quality of the landscape. The economic dimension includes eight variables that aim to evaluate the performance of the accommodation and farmers' management practices according to criteria related to their capacity to establish partnerships [61,62] and whether they take advantage of quality products or services [63], as well their impact on job creation or activities diversification [17]. This perspective contributes to our understanding of whether there is an equitable distribution of economic benefits between tourism and the agriculture sector, and whether the same benefits are conferred to local communities [61].…”

Different Forms of Accommodation in Agritourism: The Role of Decoupled Farmer-Based Accommodation in the Ötztal Valley (Austria)

“…Even if various studies have elaborated on a typology of agritourism [12][13][14], a holistic definition of agritourism is missing [13,39]. As demonstrated in Figure 1, the characterization of agritourism highlights the degree of linkage between tourism and farming activity, ranging from direct to indirect interaction, and refers to the authenticity of the experience for the tourist in terms of any engagement with actual farming activity [13].…”