Greek Agrotourism Enterprises on the Rise
According to Agrotouristiki, the number of accredited agro-tourism enterprises in Greece reach more than 1,000, with some 600 of these providing accommodation. But just 20 or so of these units are truly agrotourism units that encourage visitors to experience agricultural life at first hand: Places where visitors have the opportunity to work in the fields alongside real farmers and wade knee-deep in the sea with fishermen hauling in their nets.
(Agrotouristiki is a company set up under the auspices of the tourism development ministry to promote alternative forms of tourism as a way of boosting sustainable regional development.)
However, agrotourism is gathering strong support from small communities. Rural citizens have realized the benefits of sustainable development brought about by similar forms of nature travel.
Because setting up such an enterprise is not an easy task, Agrotouristiki has published a book by Stella Askeli entitled “Getting into Agrotourism: How to set up your own business.”
The author says that one of the biggest mistakes is when people who have no background in the hospitality industry try to imitate the mass tourism model, not realizing that this is precisely the opposite of what their target customers are seeking.
She says that quality is the catchword for alternative tourism; getting back to nature does not mean people are prepared to make do with poor standards of accommodation or service.
One of the case studies in the book includes an organic farm in the foothills of Mount Taygetos in the Peloponnese. Here, two brothers cultivate olives, vines, herbs, grains and aromatic plants and receive visitors in their beautifully restored stone farm buildings for meals cooked by the women of the family and accompanied by red wine produced on the farm.
A small factory packages their produce for the market. The farm’s animals – chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, doves, pigs and goats, all domestic breeds – are kept in clean pens among the vineyards and olive groves, not far from an outdoor beekeeping museum.
The brothers are planning to adapt other stone buildings on the site as accommodation and are using the natural lay of the land to create an amphitheater.
Ms Askeli says that each agrotourism unit might have a particular theme. A farm in Crete, for example, has 50 horses around which the entire farm’s philosophy revolves. The farm has an arrangement with schools abroad, mainly those for children with disabilities such as autism, who are shown how to care for the animals as well as going on excursions either on horseback or in horse-drawn wagons.
Other farms offer courses in organic farming, iconography, traditional music and dance, weaving, pottery or traditional jewelry.
The guide also provides a plethora of practical information for prospective agrotourism entrepreneurs. It sets out the pitfalls and warns against a superficial approach. As well, it emphasizes the importance of proper planning, a positive approach and appropriate infrastructure.
Agrotouristiki says that almost a third of agrotourism businesses fail in the first year, 42 percent in the second and just 25 percent succeed, mainly because most owners do not have a proper business plan to help them organize their finances and set out their goals.
European Union funding programs provide 40-55 percent of the initial outlay. The owner is expected to have 20 percent of the total start-up cost and the ability to acquire a loan for another 30 percent.