Following three years of continued efforts in promoting agritourism in Scotland, the sector is celebrating after recently securing the opportunity to host the World Agritourism Conference in 2026.
The announcement was made in Bolzano, Italy, during a meeting of international agritourism leaders, as part of the newly established Global Agritourism Network.
With over 280 members in Scotland’s agritourism network, this prestigious event, expected to draw up to 1000 participants, will spotlight Scotland's vibrant and expanding agritourism industry.
The main conference will be held at P&J Live, near Aberdeen, from June 23 to 25, with a pre-conference itinerary in the Edinburgh area that includes a visit to the Royal Highland Show.
Attendees will be able to experience some of Scotland's finest farm and fish produce as part of the pre- and post-conference tours, which range from one to 10 days and invite delegates to explore farms and crofts throughout Scotland, covering areas from Orkney to Dumfries and Galloway.
Additionally, 100 free scholarship places will be available for attendees from developing nations, with Scottish farmers hosting scholars after the conference.
The national strategy aims to increase agritourism and farm retail revenue from £110m to £250m and expand the number of farms and crofts engaged in agritourism to 1000 by 2030. The sector is presently valued at £170m, with 630 agritourism and farm retail businesses officially registered in the country.
Sector lead for agritourism in Scotland Caroline Millar expressed her delight: “When our sector and public agencies developed the national strategy for Agritourism three years ago, we included a focus on building international networks and playing a leadership role globally as one of the actions.
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Hosting a World Agritourism Conference prior to 2030 is what we would have called a ‘big audacious goal’ and so we are over the moon to bring the conference to Scotland in 2026 and to share our country’s quality agritourism offering with a global audience.”
Cabinet secretary for rural affairs, land reform and islands, Mairi Gougeon, highlighted: “Showcasing Scotland’s amazing agritourism offer to international delegates plays a huge part in ensuring we continue to build a long-term, sustainable sector delivering high-quality, authentic visitor experiences with agriculture and food and drink at its heart.
In turn, positioning Scotland as a key player in the global agritourism sector helps to sustain the future of family farming in Scotland by supporting our rural economy.”
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