Agritourism conference's ambition to double Scotland’s business

Over the course of the two-day event, there were seven sessions, including several farm presentations, regional breakout sessions, an address by the Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon and Q and As covering some of the big topics facing the sector.

Scottish Agritourism sector lead, Caroline Millar, opened proceedings with a big ambition, to drive the number of agritourism businesses in Scotland to 1000 by 2030. There are currently 531 registered agritourism businesses in Scotland, but she explained that the sector is much more developed in other countries – for example in France, where there are 25,000 businesses, with some of the smallest of holdings making six-figure sums.

“Agritourism incomes are five, six or even seven times more, pro-rata, in other countries compared to Scotland,” said Caroline, outlining the potential for Scotland to grow its offering and in doing so, boost Scotland’s rural economy by much more than the £60m it already contributes.

“Agritourism has the potential to make family farms more sustainable, by providing multiple generations with the option to make an income on the farm,” said Caroline. “Not only does it support multiple family members, but it puts rural jobs in rural areas, which contributes to the wider rural economy.”

With Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon in the audience, she took the opportunity to reiterate the sector’s demand to not be viewed as ‘diversification’ but as an extension of being a farmer, stating ‘we want agritourism to be seen and recognised as a farm activity’.

Ms Gougeon praised the sector for its contribution to connecting people to the land, local produce and nature. “The future of agritourism in Scotland I believe Is a very bright one,” she said.

“A strong agritourism offering provides a whole range of benefits to support rural areas, including some of the most remote parts of Scotland. It will help sustain our valuable family farms, as well as keeping multiple generations of families on the farm in employment.

“It provides access for overseas visitors in to our diverse and rural areas and it connects people to food, land and nature. But agritourism is also healthy for our planet, it creates sustainable tourism, and it inks up with other forms of tourism such as hiking and other outdoor activities.”

Membership organisation Scottish Agritourism works on behalf of such businesses in Scotland, providing leadership and peer-to-peer support. Delegates were given a flavour of some of the plans afoot by the organisation in 2023, to help raise awareness of the sector and to drive the number of visitors to Scottish farms.

Kicking off in the New Year there will be a wellness campaign, with a series of activities planned to support members and build community spirit, acknowledging the difficult times ahead for the wider agricultural sector, as pressures grow on a range of fronts.

A flurry of activity is planned for next May, which will see the first dedicated agritourism month, with a series of engagements with cross party MP’s and MSP’s scheduled, as well as a plan to bring people onto farm and experience a taste of what is on offer across a range of agritourism businesses.

Marketing and communications manager, Laura Paterson, explained: “We want to bring as many people as possible onto farm in the spring, to plant the seed of ‘going rural’ before the summer holidays, in the hope that they will come back and book for the summer. We also want to continue to raise the profile of the agritourism sector and bolster the image of farming businesses as a holiday destination.”

On day two of the conference, Vicki Miller, director of marketing at Visit Scotland, gave an in-depth and insightful look at the current tourism trends and how these translate to the agritourism sector. She talked of a ‘strong pent-up demand’ from international markets and international travellers looking for ‘unique experiences,’ that money can’t buy.

“There is a rise of a more mindful and discerning traveller, prioritising things that are good for mental and physical wellbeing alongside ‘revenge travel’ making up for experiences missed during Covid-19,” commented Vicki, adding that mindsets had shifted to experiencing ‘YOLO (You Only Live Once) and GOAT’ (Greatest of All Trips) bucket list travel, with distance being no object.

One of the new elements to the conference were breakout sessions giving delegates the opportunity to split up into smaller groups to discuss the findings from the 2022 Growth Tracker survey of their industry. On day one, delegates were divided in to five regional groups and took the opportunity to look at data recorded from their specific regions and to explore opportunities where agritourism had room to develop across all areas of rural Scotland.

On day two, the breakout split delegates into types of agritourism offerings: farm stays; farm tours and experiences; farm cafes; farm events and weddings, and farm retail. It was an opportunity to encourage knowledge exchange whit those who were running a similar type of agritourism business.

Delegates shared advice for those who were starting out in different sectors, considering a move, or even looking to learn from other’s how to build on their already established offering.

Growing your business: making the pie bigger

Agritourism is playing a key role in making farms and crofts more viable, creating employment for family members and local people, as well as facilitating succession planning by growing the business and spreading risk.

Alison Younger, of Old Leckie Farm, kicked off a session on building sustainability of the family farm and croft, welcoming three different farms to share their story and how they are ‘making the pie bigger’ to sustain the future of their business.

Duncan Family Farms, Stirlingshire

The Duncan family farms on the picturesque banks of Loch Lomond, with three farms stretching over 2000ha of extensive hill ground, including three Munros.

To sustain multiple generations of family members on the farm, the Duncans have had to look at different ways in which to maximise their offering and build income opportunities.

Building on their native suckler cow herd and Blackface sheep flock, the family began their journey in to agritourism in 2019, and with the support of Leader funding were able to invest in glamping pods, styled on traditional shepherd’s huts, which opened for business in September 2021.

In the summer of 2020, they renovated an old stable cottage to offer as luxury farm accommodation and they have recently started selling home-grown, grass-fed lamb, hogget and mutton, direct to consumers from the farm and online.

Third generation farmer, Sally Duncan, said agritourism journey had fast forwarded succession talks in the family and allowed herself, and her siblings, to split responsibilities across the farming businesses, whilst maintaining independent incomes.

“Succession is a subject we have been discussing regularly,” Sally told delegates. “Agritourism has enabled me to have responsibility outside of farming, whilst my brother and sister can focus on the livestock side of the business.

“It is really important if you are looking at developing an agritourism arm to your operation to ensure everyone has their own role and purpose in the business, whilst very much remaining part of the team.”

The Bus Stop, East Lothian

Very much a holiday destination with a difference, the Bus Stop, situated on a working arable farm in the Lammermuir Hills, offered guests the chance to stay in converted buses, boasting original features, log stoves and wood-fired hot tubs.

Farmer Balfour Stewart explained that this novel idea was inspired by old buses which were stored on the farm throughout the year and after his son had approached him saying he would like to farm alongside him, but knowing the arable side only supported one income, the bus 'fleet' might be capable of offering an opportunity to create another business.

Since building up the business to nine buses – three luxury focused units and six eco-friendly buses – which encourage guests to switch off from busy life and electronics and reconnect with the outdoors, they have seen an average of 3000 people stay with them annually.

“By deciding to venture into the buses, it focused me on preparing for the future and it was a great vehicle for succession planning,” Balfour told delegates. “My own dad had passed away suddenly when I was 27 and we had no plans for succession. There had been no forward thinking, I was on my own and had to get on with it.

“For me, the succession process has been progressive. Lots of discussions ensued: we changed our accounting system; our accountants; we sat down and discussed my will and then we did a power of attorney.

"Our succession journey continues, the young are doing more and the old doing slightly less. For me it was time to move sideways and there was no ‘ay been done’ for us,” he added.

Long Island Retreats, Outer Hebrides

South Uist crofter, Lindsay Robertson’s agritourism journey kicked off in 2021, when she approached Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Business Gateway, to support her and her partner’s ambitions to diversify their croft.

“Crofts typically only feed a family, but our aim has been to create a sustainable croft that could support us both and look after the land, and by diversifying, we want to create a legacy so if our daughter wants to stay on the island she has the opportunity to do so,” said Lindsay.

Lindsay and her partner, DJ – a sixth-generation crofter on South Uist – created Long Island Retreats, which offers visitors croft and island tours from their home in Loch Skipport.

“Our core objective was to help showcase crofting heritage through offering an authentic island experience,” she continued. “We want people to immerse into the crofting way of life, taste local produce and meet local people.”

They have since been looking at ways to maximise their offering, including selling lamb boxes, which last year sold out within two hours, they are selling skins through their local shop and have recently added on shearing experiences.

“Customers want to be able to buy from you,” Lindsay told delegates. “It is a huge opportunity to upscale your produce, be that wool, skins, meat or experience days. We are on a journey to create a legacy for future generations and to make crofting more sustainable.”

Benefits direct trade in local food and drink

Demand for buying direct from farmers is growing and according to the Scottish Agritourism Growth Tracker, money generated by farm retail increased by almost £50m during the first year of the pandemic, rising from £62m to more than £110m.

Results from the survey, undertaken by 221 farms – a 23% increase in responses from 2021 – revealed that one-third of businesses in Scotland currently offered food and drink experiences to visitors, including farm produce enjoyed as part of a holiday on a farm, in a farm café or after a farm tour. However, the national strategy aimed to increase the number of agritourism businesses offering food and drink experiences to 50% by 2030.

More than half of respondents said they sold their produce online (55%), in an on-farm shop (36%) or via an on-farm honesty box (29%). It's believed the boom in farm retail sales is a result of growing awareness of the economical, ethical and environmental benefits of buying directly from local farmers.

During a panel session chaired by NFU Mutual chair, Jim McLaren, on how to put meat onto agritourism menus, panellists shared their experiences of selling produce direct to customers.

Nikki Storrar, of Ardross Farm, spoke about her family’s journey in selling own farm meat direct through their own farm shop and the importance of telling the story of your farm through meat sales, making a point of difference and selling an experience through farm produce. She also took delegates through the process of rearing animals, right through to sourcing a suitable abattoir and butcher, and finally on to storage and presentation of the finished product.

Louise Urquhart, of Louise’s Farm Kitchen, shared her story of starting out looking for a ‘wee bit extra income’ by introducing a pop-up shop on the farm, trying her hand at farmers markets, hog roasts and BBQ’s. The idea had grown into her developing an on farm butchery with four employees – one full-time, two-part time and an apprentice. Louise’s key message to the audience was to have confidence in what you’re doing and value yourself and your produce.

QMS chair, Kate Rowell, spoke about the support QMS can offer to farmers and touched on the challenges that agritourism businesses face in selling their own meat, including abattoir availability, lack of skilled labour, such as butchers and the profitability side of the business and challenges around consumer education.

BOX OUT

What is agritourism?

In Scotland, agritourism is defined as ‘tourism or leisure on a working farm, croft or estate which produces food’.

This can include the likes of on-farm accommodation, such as farmhouse bed and breakfasts, glamping and luxury lodges, to farm tours and shops, adventure sports and farm events such as festivals or weddings.

Agritourism is often referred to as the shop window for agriculture, meeting face to face with customers, sharing the farm to fork story and many businesses have developed their offering so visitors can buy or sample fresh farm produce during their visit, be that in a shop, deli or via produce boxes.