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This project focused on the comparison between ecotourism and agritourism with the aim of tapping into digital potential for barrier-free and sustainable tourism offers in agriculture. It was funded by FZ Berglandwirtschaft and carried out by the SME & Tourism team at the University of Innsbruck and UMIT Tirol.
The core objectives of the project were:
- To developan understanding of the similarities and differences between the concepts of ecotourism and agritourism.
- To determine which concept is better suited to the use of smart data management in the existing digital infrastructure for travel destinations.
- The creation of barrier-free offers in agriculture for senior citizens, people with disabilities and families with young children in order to enable new approaches to responsible and sustainable tourism. These accessible offers benefit not only people with disabilities but also senior citizens and families with young children.
The approach comprised three main steps: First, a systematic literature review to better understand the theoretical background, including the similarities and differences between ecotourism and agritourism. This was followed by a data analysis of existing qualitative and quantitative data on ecotourism, agritourism and smart data management. Finally, an in-depth analysis of stakeholder needs was carried out, which also used existing qualitative and quantitative data and also included the topic of accessibility.
The results of the project show that both ecotourism and agritourism focus on the preservation of landscapes and natural habitats as well as on the acquisition of knowledge, for example through cultural activities on the farm. Ecotourism (e.g. farms, nature parks, eco-museums) is more broadly defined than agritourism (e.g. agriculture, viticulture). Digitalization facilitates the marketing of ecotourism and agritourism offers, whereby digital interfaces should be simple, clear and efficient.
Barrier-free agritourism is seen as having considerable potential for diversification, as new target groups such as people with disabilities, senior citizens and families with young children can be tapped into. The will and initiative of farmers are crucial for the development of such accessible offers, even if they are confronted with limited resources such as money and time as well as safety regulations for accessibility.
The project was completed on December 31, 2024. Initial results were already presented at WAC2024 in Bolzanoin May 2024 , including on the topics of "Digital destination development: Ecotourism in comparison to Agritourism" and "Accessible Agritourism: More inclusiveness by digital services on farms". The project results were also presented at the annual meeting of the Mountain Agriculture Research Center on February 7, 2025 and at the Research Committee Meeting of the GAN network on March 21, 2025.