Agritourism | Food Systems

This article, written for the Tourism Travel and Research Association 2010 international conference, examines the economic gains of agritourism development on Missouri farms as perceived by farm operators as indicated by changes in profits, changes in farm economic situation, and percentage of farm sales derived from agritourism. Although the majority of Missouri farm operators do not receive direct sales from agritourism activity, they perceive it as being important for the continued operation of their farms. Results also show that agritourism is perceived as having a positive impact on farm profits, with the majority reporting at least some increase after adding agritourism activities and nearly one-fourth reporting a two-fold or more profit increase.