ABSTRACT
Agritourism is not a new form of rural tourism. In some parts of Europe, such as Austria, farmers have been receiving visitors for over 100 years (Hummelbrunner and Miglbauer 1994) with a similarly long tradition in Germany and France (Dernoi 1983; Oppermann 1995). In fact, Nilsson (2002) suggests that agritourism is the oldest form of rural tourism with widespread development occurring after the Second World War. Agritourism is also clearly not a new focus for research (Dernoi 1983; Frater 1983), yet it continues to receive attention owing to its multifaceted roles as a rural tourism product, its contribution to sustainable rural livelihood strategies and diversification options addressing the declining fortunes of agricultural communities experiencing rural restructuring (Hara and Naipaul 2008; Haugen and Vik 2008; McGehee et al. 2007; Roberts 2002; Sharpley and Vass 2006; Shucksmith and Smith 1991; Sznajder et al. 2009; Tao and Wall 2009).
