Synopsis

On

“Critical Study of Agritourism Industry in Maharashtra”

By

SHRIKRISHNA GULABRAO WALKE

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT

Submitted
In fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
to the

SYMBIOSIS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY, PUNE

July, 2013

Under the guidance of

PROF. DR.MANOHAR INGALE

Professor, Royal University of Bhutan
Gaeddu College of Business Studies,
Gedu (Bhutan)

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 THESIS CERTIFICATE

1. The thesis entitled “Critical study of Agritourism industry in Maharashtra”

submitted to the Symbiosis International University (SIU),Lavale, Pune, for the degree of
Ph.D. under the faculty of Management is based on my original work carried out under
the guidance of Prof. Dr.Manohar Ingale from August 2010 to July 2013. The research
work has not been submitted elsewhere for award of any degree.

2. The material borrowed from other source and incorporated in the thesis has been duly
acknowledged and /or referenced.

3. I understand that I myself could be held responsible and accountable for plagiarism, if
any, detected later on.

4. The list of publications and the copies of respective certificates of the research papers
published during the period of study are appended.

S.G.Walke
Research Scholar

Prof.Dr.Manohar Ingale
Research Guide

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 Table of Contents

Chapter No Description Pages

1 Introduction 1
Introduction of the topic
Introduction of Agritourism
Rationale of the study
Problem Statement
Research Questions and Objectives
Hypotheses development on Agritourism
Scope of the study
Limitations
Expected Contribution
Outline of the Study
2 Literature Review 9
Agritourism Definitions
Basic Principles of Agritourism
Relation between Agriculture and Agritourism
Agritourists’ Satisfaction
3 Research Methodology 11
Research Design
Research Activities
Instrument Development
Sources of Data
Data collection Methods of Research
Sampling Plan and Sampling Method
Data Analysis
4 Findings 18
Findings based on survey of Agritourism centers
Findings based on Tourists’ Survey
5 Conclusions 25
6 Suggestions & Recommendations 29
7 Bibliography 34
8 Research Papers: Presented and Published 37

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 1. Introduction
Introduction of the topic:
As per the census 2011 data, population of India is 1.21 billion. It means it has increased
by 870 million since independence. India’s accounts for 17.5 % of the world’s population,
whereas it has an area of 3,287,240 sq. km i.e. only 2.4 % of the total surface area of
the world. The Agricultural land is getting divided and subdivided per generation which
has increased the number of marginal farmers and low land holders (Agriculture Census
Report 2005-06). Rising input costs, decreased yields, poor agriculture commodity
prices are becoming responsible for declining agriculture income and profit. Pressures
due to globalization and industrialization are threatening the existence of agriculture.
This is forcing farmers to look for additional income via job or business so as to sustain
their household income.
Worldwide scenario states that, farmers across the globe are recognizing the need and
desire to diversify their farm products and services to supplement their agriculture
income. Farmers across Maharashtra have a good opportunity to diversify their
agriculture business into Agritourism so as to increase the sustainability of farming by
offering value added products and services to the farm tourists.
In today’s era of liberalization and globalization travel and tourism is extensively
recognized as an important civil industry worldwide which provides major potential for
economic growth and development. For many developing countries it is one of the main
sources of foreign exchange income and the number one export category, creating
much needed employment and opportunities for development. In over 150 countries
tourism is one of the five top export earners, and in 60 it is the number one export
category. (India’s 12th Five Year Plan Report, 2011)
In India, total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP was INR 5,651.0 bn (6.4% of
GDP) in 2011, and is forecasted to rise by 7.8% p.a. to INR12,891.2 bn in 2022. It has
been also mentioned in WTTC Report, 2009 that India will be a tourism hot-spot from the
year 2009 to 2018 having the highest 10-year growth potential.
The 12th Five Year Plan prepared by the Planning Commission highlights the need to
adopt "pro-poor tourism" for increasing net benefits to the poor and ensuring that tourism
growth contributes to poverty reduction. Tourism plays a key role in socio-economic
progress through creation of jobs, enterprise, infrastructure development and revenue
earnings. The Planning Commission has identified tourism as the second largest sector
in the country in providing employment opportunities for low-skilled workers.

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Travel and tourism in India is getting a massive impetus due to globalization and
opening of economy to the world. India's travel and tourism industry is the second
highest foreign exchange earner for the country and according to an estimate total direct
employment in the tourism sector is around 20 million. (Confederation of Indian Industry
Report, 2011)
As discussed in the Maharashtra’s Agro industrial policy Report 2010, Maharashtra is a
bio-diverse state with nine Agro-climatic zones and varying soil types suitable for
agricultural development. Though Maharashtra is a highly industrialized state of India,
agriculture still continues to be the major livelihood earner for the people of the state.
Agriculture and allied activities contribute nearly 12% per cent to the State’s income,
although 55% of the population is dependent on agriculture.
In Maharashtra the travel and tourism industry including transport, storage and
communication trade, hotels and restaurants accounted for around 20 -22% of the
GSDP and 3.5% of the state’s employment.( Patil Usha,2011)
In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) defined the
concept of sustainability with respect to development, as ‘developments which satisfy
the needs of present generation without compromising the needs of future generation’.
Likewise, sustainability of farm indicates a similar meaning, i.e. the long term stability via
farm income over the period which will take care of the farmers of one generation to
other.
Maharashtra is among the leading producers of a variety of agricultural products enjoyed
by residents in the state and beyond.
Rural families are mainly engaged in farming and to some extent in agri-related
businesses. Because of many affecting factors such as unpredictable environment and
more unpredictable crop yield, fluctuating market rates for agricultural goods,
unawareness of technology, unexpected and huge expenses, government rules and
regulations etc., farmers’ income is not consistent. In Maharashtra, farmers are
embracing the death through suicide due to their disappointing earnings.
Agriculture faces significant challenges in responding to the changing global agri-
business milieu. Due to the decreased incomes in agriculture in the last few decades,
farm diversification is recommended as one tactic for survival of business. Because of
technology today, farming has become more advanced than ever before. Because of
lack of economies of scale, small-scale farmers have been thrown out of the farming
partially or completely and forced to search for business other than farming as

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alternative sources of revenue. Now, some of the Maharashtrian farmers have
considerably changed the range of products and services they provide in response to
changing demographics, consumer preferences, so as to enhance farm viability.
Urbanization is increasing day by day all over India and also in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra is the third most urbanized state in the country. The state has 45.23 %
urban population, which is much higher than the national average of 31.16%. Out of total
population of 11,23,72,972 in the state, rural and urban distribution is 6,15,45,441 and
5,08,27,531 respectively.(Census Data 2011).
Jane Eckert (2006) commented on need of Agritourism that “People want a new
experience and escape from the stress of traffic jams, office cubicles, and carpooling in
cities and suburbs, where the majority of the population resides. Children, as well as
adults, can learn the process of growing food while enjoying a vacation together at an
Agritourism attraction.” Same is the situation with densely populated cities in
Maharashtra.
The pace of innovations and technology advances is getting faster and faster and is
forcing everybody to compete severely to survive and grow in the city area. People from
city areas are unhappy to face traffic chaos and pollution but are helpless. They are far
away from nature and natural beauty. Their routine life is revolving around job place to
home and free time is restricted to manmade entertainment places like theatres, hotels
and clubhouses. The one and the only available nature they can enjoy are in the form of
small gardens. For excursion, most of the city people like to visit and experience
villages. If these people get proper facilities of accommodation, bed and breakfast, they
can satisfy their desire to learn about agriculture, taste the bucolic cuisine and enjoy
rural life at economical prices. No doubt, it naturally tends to give opportunity to the
farmers and villagers to start and develop Agritourism centers so as to add one sure
source of income.
Introduction of Agritourism:
Since, now days the major development in Agritourism is taking place all around the
world, different forms of Agritourism are seen. Agritourism gives people the chance to
breathe fresh air, learn about rural environment, ride horses, pick fruits, feed animals,
milk cows and participate in actual work of farm and buy produce directly from a farm.
Agritourism is a form of niche tourism in which farms are used as tour destinations for
educational and/or recreational purposes. MART has accepted the concept of

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Agritourism as, “the practice of attracting travelers or visitors to rural areas which are
used primarily for agricultural purposes”.
Agritourism center is the location where tourists from the urban areas can come and
spend their weekends or holidays in a village with agricultural atmosphere at a very
economical cost; it is the home away from home giving a personal feel of harmony with
rural culture.
Agritourism integrates agriculture with pleasure and gives the benefit of agriculture and
tourism activities to the tourists that deliver economic benefit to concerned farmer and
villagers.
Rationale of the study
Agritourism can rejuvenate the conventional concepts and views on tourism, and is
bringing in a new dimension in the sustainable development. As stated by Fariborz Aref
(2009) rural tourism development has become a top priority of the economic agenda of
all the countries.
Egbali Naser Abbas Bakhshandea Nosrat and Sayyed khalil Sayyed Ali (2011) stated
that, “The most important purpose of tourism development is economic and social
development of the tourism areas.”
Research study of Agritourism in Maharashtra will help in highlighting such benefits.
Existence and growth of Agritourism business is associated with and driven by both the
sides of supply (farmers) and demand (tourists). To overcome the problems of lower
income from farming through the related and unrelated diversification strategy farmers
(supply side), are forced to supplement their income. Along with this tourists’ (demand
side) increased income and demand for more specialized forms of vacation to
experience the rural environment and nostalgia associated with a working farm
enterprise has stimulated growth for tourism activities in rural areas.
Pandurang Taware (2008) said about Agritourism scope, “The urban population which is
having roots in villages always has the curiosity to learn about rural life regarding
sources of food, plants, animals, handicrafts, languages, culture, tradition, dresses and
rural lifestyle. Agritourism has the capacity to satisfy the curiosity of this segment of
population.”
The need of this study is to understand Agritourism from both sides of Agripreneurs and
tourists and thereby to promote agricultural economic development in Maharashtra.
According to the father of Modern Management Peter F.Drucker purpose and basic
functions of Business are as follows-

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“Business purpose must lie in society since business enterprise is an organ of society.
There is single definition of business purpose: to create a customer.”
Peter Drucker also insisted on basic two functions - marketing and innovation .Marketing
and Innovation produce profits; all the rest are “costs.”
Objective of marketing is to know and understand the customer in a way that the product
or service fits according to customer needs and wants and sells itself.
The second function of business is innovation .It is not necessary for a business to grow
bigger; but it is necessary that it constantly grows better. Innovation can be defined as
the task of endowing human and material resources with new and greater wealth
producing capacity. With the help of Innovation managers must convert society’s needs
into opportunities for profitable business.” (Drucker P., 1973)
Both the angles of marketing and innovation fit in the business of Agritourism. In
Maharashtra understanding the Agritourism business and tourist’s psychology will
definitely foster this industry in a faster and better manner. Hence, there is need of
studying this emerging agribusiness trend.
A study based on commonalities and differences among different ATCs is also important
so as to compare activities and their efforts and to divide them in a small, medium and
large Agritourism centers. This will be beneficial for ATC owners to check their centers’
activities and to see where their operation can be improved.
Although a considerable amount of work has been carried out on tourism, it is
disappointing to note that scientific research on Agritourism is still at its infancy.
Compared to individual tourism or Agriculture, the quantum of research which has been
carried out on Agritourism is minimal. The motivation of this research topic is to explore
these areas and contribute to the scientific advancement of the subject. The reason of
this study was to gain a better understanding of the current status of Agritourism in
Maharashtra so as to develop a knowledge base that will enhance its growth.
There is need of knowing the level of benefits farmers receive from running Agritourism
business. Thus due to its greater importance from both the angles, this topic has been
selected for research study.
Problem Statement
Since Agritourism business started from the year 2005 in Maharashtra, farmers in the
Maharashtra adopted Agritourism as part of a diversification strategy to increase income,
it is important for farmers to clearly understand Agritourism.

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Peter Drucker has stated regarding success factors of any business that, “It is the
customer who determines what a business is. The customer is the foundation of a
business and keeps it in existence.” (Drucker P., 1973)
Study of tourists’ expectation and satisfaction factors is essential to grow this industry in
the future. Few researchers who had studied Agritourism business and made
conclusions were mostly derived from secondary data. Moreover, studies of tourists’
attitude towards this business were not studied.
Research questions and Objectives:
The research questions’ table linking with identified objectives of research topic-
Research questions Related objectives
To identify the types of Agritourism
What is the status of Agritourism businesses that currently exist in the
business in Maharashtra? Maharashtra by location, size, gross income,
and type of product or service offered.
To explore the status of Agritourism of
Maharashtra.
To find out the minimum requirements for
Which factors are necessary for initiating Agritourism business.
Agritourism development in To study the extent of additional income from
Maharashtra? Agritourism centers as a supplementary
income source for Maharashtrian farmer.
What is the tourists’ demand from the To find out Tourist’s expectations, perception
Agritourism centers? and satisfaction level from a few ATC’s visited
by them.
Which are the media used in the To know the media preferred by ATCs for
advertising of ATCs? advertising.
To know media preferred by tourists to know
about ATCs.
Hypotheses development on Agritourism

As per the conclusions drawn from experience survey and expert interviews, review of
the literature and pilot study researcher formulated following hypotheses. Both the
hypotheses further were tested with appropriate statistical tests.

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H1: The Agritourism is beneficial co-activity for the farmers which provides them
additional income source.

H2: Tourists are satisfied with the services provided by the various ATC’s.

Scope of the Study:

It is important from viewpoint of agricultural community i.e. farmers and the government
regarding study of Agritourism that if it is to be used as a dominant diversification option
for sustaining the viability of the agricultural sector and rural communities.
The study is restricted and related to Agritourism business in Maharashtra. It covers the
study of ATC centers in Maharashtra and study of expectations of tourists who visited it.
This research study highlights on related concepts of Agritourism , current business
status of it, scope and obstacles in development of it in Maharashtra .All the data
collection and research findings are made in the year 2011-2013.
Expected Contribution:
Like any other value-added enterprises, Agritourism industry has to tackle with potential
risks and costs. Agritourism requires capital investment for center development and
hosts’ time to engage and entertain the tourists. Investment risk is involved In
Agritourism development including infrastructure development and providing facilities
related to hospitality and other service activities. As like other enterprises the main
determining factor in success or failure of an Agritourism enterprise is largely dependent
on effective management. Successful management of an Agritourism center requires
many things which should be present and available for tourists .Knowing the range of
activities which are important for development of Agritourism center will be helpful in
attracting more tourists to such centers. Understanding the preferred media for
advertisement by centers and preferred media used by tourists to know about centers
will be helpful in deciding promotional media for ATCs. This research study will discuss
different facets associated with development of Agritourism business in Maharashtra.
With survey findings based on responses from Agritourism business owners and
Agritourists, current business activities can be analyzed and improved. For example, if
research shows that using the business website or advertising through the internet is a
useful and effective method for large Agritourism centers, but small Agritourism centers
do not use the internet, MART could assist small ATCs by providing better information
and support them in developing a Web site.

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From the research study of this topic it is expected that it would highlight on related
concepts of Agritourism , current business status of it in Maharashtra, scope and
obstacles in development of it . If the suggestions are implemented by the ATC owners it
would be helpful for them to execute effective communication with the tourists and so
improving advertising effectiveness in Agritourism business. It would be also useful for
those farmers who want to initiate their own centers. All those associated directly or
indirectly with this industry, practitioners, academicians and research scholars may refer
this research report for their respective purposes.
Critical study of Agritourism Industry in Maharashtra would ultimately improve the overall
growth of Agritourism in the state. Agritourism business development is important
because it advances the sustainability of agriculture, something that is in danger
because of various reasons like land holding pattern, urbanization, unpredictable
monsoon and thereby uncertain crop yield etc.
This study is important as it will help policy makers to determine how they can accelerate
the growth of Agritourism all over Maharashtra.
Outline of the study:
This research study introduces the Agritourism concept which links the agriculture and
tourism and discusses on current status of this business practiced by farmers in
Maharashtra. This Research study is divided into five chapters. The first chapter
provides introduction and background information about the research topic and focuses
on the status of both agriculture and tourism sectors. The second chapter defines
Agritourism, reviews the literature and examines various classifications of Agritourism,
demographic profile of Maharashtra. This chapter also examines the discussions with
regards to agriculture and tourism.
The third chapter discusses methodology, and introduces the theoretical framework of
the study and provides a detailed description of how the research would be carried out.
Chapter four presents the data collected and provides an analysis with interpretation.
The fifth Chapter provides conclusions and recommendations based on the study.
This research study examines Agritourism as a feasible policy option for related
diversification for farmers in Maharashtra.

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 2. Review of the Literature
The literature review was initially wide ranging to ensure that no obvious areas were
overlooked and it then focused down to those areas which are more specific to research
needs both thematically and spatially.
Agritourism Definitions:
Definitions of Agritourism approved by all the researchers and organizations in the
different regions of world are characterized specially by taking into consideration their
own specific characteristics of the area where that selective form of tourist offer has
been developing.
Worldwide many terms have been used to convey the idea of Agritourism. It is multi-
faceted and may entail agricultural tourism, agro tourism, farm tourism, farm vacation
tourism, wine tourism, agritourismo, as well as some related terms that are used inter-
changeably with Agritourism or that are complementary to Agritourism include nature
tourism, rural tourism, alternative farming, wildlife enterprises, ecotourism, agritainment,
heritage tourism, agri education and value added agriculture (Brant and Rhoades, 2007).
The dictionary meaning of Agritourism is tourism in which tourist’s board at farms or in
rural villages and experience farming at close hand (Dictionary of the English Language,
2000).
Barbieri and Mshenga (2008) define Agritourism as “any practice developed on a
working farm with the purpose of attracting visitors.”
McGehee, Kim, and Jennings (2007) explain Agritourism as ‘‘rural enterprises which
incorporate both a working farm environment and a commercial tourism component.”
Marques (2006): “a specific type of rural tourism in which the hosting house must be
integrated into an agricultural estate, inhabited by the proprietor, allowing visitors to take
part in agricultural or complementary activities on the property.”
Sonnino (2004) ‘‘activities of hospitality performed by agricultural entrepreneurs and
their family members that must remain connected and complementary to farming
activities.”
Sharpley and Sharpley (1997) ‘‘tourism products which are directly connected with the
agrarian environment, agrarian products or agrarian stays.”
World Tourism Organization (1998) involves accommodation being offered in the
farmhouse or in a separate guesthouse, providing meals and organising guests’
activities in the observation and participation in the farming operations.

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For the purpose of this study, Agritourism for farmers is considered as “A range of
activities, services and amenities provided by farmers and rural people to attract tourist
to their area in order to generate extra income for their businesses”.
Agritourism for tourists is considered as “anything that connects tourists with the
heritage, natural resource or culinary experiences unique to the agricultural industry or a
specific region of the country’s rural areas.”
Basic Principles of Agritourism:
Researcher from Srilanka Dr. S.M.P Senanayke, Rev. Dr. Wijitapure Wimalaratana
(2005) also describes the characteristics as a Basic Principles of Agritourism which must
1. Have something for Tourists to see: Animals, birds, farms, culture of the village, dress
and festivals,
2. Have something for Tourists to do: Participating in agricultural operations, riding
horse, buffalo, cooking and participating in the rural games,
3. Have something for Tourists to buy: Rural crafts, fresh vegetables, food are few items.

Relation between Agriculture and Agritourism

As listed in the article entitled, “Alternative forms of occupation and continuous
educational training in Agriculture” published by module organization of agro-farms
Corporate and Development Center Rzeszow-Poland relations between farm tourism
sections and the agricultural ones can be
 Complementary
 Supplementary
 Competitive
 Antagonistic
Cox & Fox (1991) mentioned that tourists expect rural areas to be unaffected by
congestion and to provide access to open, undeveloped space. Many of today’s tourists
are looking to rural areas as their vacation destinations.
Agritourists’ Satisfaction:
Srikatanyoo ,N., & Campiranon,K. (2008) enlisted and discussed importance of
identification of needs of Agritourists for Sustainable Tourism Development. This has
been proposed in this study that the success or failure of agritourism providers will be
largely determined by their abilities to satisfy agritourists’ needs .They also pointed out
that, satisfied agritourists are in fact a significant source of revenue for the
Agritourism providers, apart from the sales of their agriculture products.”

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 3. Research methodology

Research methodology is a science of studying how research is done scientifically and a

way to systematically solve the research problem. In this chapter the research
methodology used for research is described i.e. researcher has noted all the logical
sequence of the steps of research process from beginning to completion.

Explanation of Research Methodology is necessary so that everyone who will refer this
study can understand the significance of what researcher has done and make sense of
how it all worked. First part in this chapter gives justification for the methodology used.
The second part describes the data collection methods and sampling procedures. The
third part deals with the data analysis methods.

Research Design
A research Design is a framework or blueprint and specifies the details of the
procedures necessary for obtaining information for conducting the research projects.

The objective of exploratory research design is to provide insights and understanding of

situation where as conclusive research design is designed to assist the decision maker
in determining, evaluating, and selecting the best course of action to take in a given
situation. And the major objective of descriptive research design is to describe
something-usually market characteristics or functions. It is also useful to obtain
information regarding the current status of the phenomena and to describe "what exists"
with respect to variables in a situation. Moreover descriptive research design was
selected due to its suitability with objectives of this research study which were to
describe the characteristics of Agritourism centers, characteristics of tourists and
determining their perception towards Agritourism characteristics, to determine the
degree to which marketing variables are associated, and lastly to make specific
predictions related to Agritourism business in Maharashtra.

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Research Activities:

Background Research

( Literature Review and Expert Interviews )

Definition and
Classification of Agritourism
Pilot Study

Development of Research Instrument

Selection of ATCs

Interviews with ATC owners (11) (Interviews N=22) Mail Response from
ATCs (11)
Tourists’ Information

Small ATCs (9) Large ATCs (2) Medium ATCs(11)

(N=967)

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Identification of Agritourism Activities and Sample Selection:

A total list of 71 active or running Agritourism centers/ owners was received from MART
office. The list contains the name and location of each Agritourism center. Questionnaire
were sent to all ATCs out of which 22 centers responded. The selection of Agritourism
centers for field interview and observation was guided by recommendations provided
during interviews with leaders and experts. The researcher used judgmental sampling
type of non-probability sampling to identify Agritourism centers for personal visit. 11
Agritourism centers out of 22 were contacted personally visited for observing the
activities at centers and for the purpose of tourists’ survey. The primary criterion used to
select the center was number of years completed by Agritourism center from its
establishment, size of Agritourism business i.e. small, medium and large and the area.

The regional distribution of farms is reported in Table No.3.1.

Table 3.1: Geographic Distribution of Selected and responded ATCs

Morachi
Ambadwet-mulshi Palshiwadi Koregaon Nipani
chincholi *
Baramati Degaon Latur Pachgani Solapur*
Beed Junnar Nagpur Ratnagiri Vasai
Bhambarde,shirur Karjat Nandgaon Mahabaleshwar Velha
(Each location includes 1ATC except * which denotes 2 ATCs.)

Instrument Development

A questionnaire used by Kathryn Joanne Lack (1997) for studying “Agritourism

development in British Columbia” was used as a basis for developing the survey
instrument for Agritourism centers’ survey. And a questionnaire used by Christopher M.
Lindborg (2007) in the research study “An analysis of Tennessee Agri-tourism visitors’
preferences and expenditures” was used as a basis for developing the survey instrument
for Tourists’ survey.

Statements for the instrument were modified from factors related to resident attitudes
identified during the literature review and in accordance with research study to be
conducted in Maharashtra.

A small-scale pilot study was carried out involving three Agritourism centers and fifty
tourists for testing the questionnaires. It helped in revealing the weaknesses of it and

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further reconstructed very carefully so that it proved effective in collecting the relevant
information.

The final validated research instrument used for survey of Agritourism centers consisted
of total 16 questions, including both closed- and open-ended, to solicit information about
Agritourism centers. Similarly research instrument used for tourists’ survey consisted of
total 14 questions, including questions. These were also closed- and open-ended, to
solicit information about tourists. Questions were pertaining demographic profile of
tourists, purpose of visiting ATCs, tourists’ expectations and their satisfaction from the
services they received at ATCs etc. tourists’ satisfaction level were measured on a five
point Likert scale.

Sources of Data

Primary data have been collected from those who are directly or indirectly connected
with Agritourism business like ATC owners and Managers, members of MART, tourists
visiting ATCs, workers from ATCs, people from Tour and travel agencies, Agriculture
officers and farmers. Secondary data majorly collected from the e-journals available with
J-Gate (electronic gateway to global e-journal literature), and ProQuest (web-based
information service providing access to a number of databases covering various subject
disciplines).

Researcher has used an articles, reports, and official websites of the various
organizations, such as World Tourism Organization, World Trade and Tourism Council.
Secondary data were also summarized from books related to agriculture, tourism, and
Agritourism books. News paper articles associated with Agritourism also contributed to
certain extent in secondary data collection.

Instruments and Tools used for Data Collection:

The different types of instruments and tools mainly used for data collection were:

Questionnaire for ATC owners and tourists, telephones, mobile phones, Mail, e-mail,
Internet, digital camera to take photos or video shooting at ATCs.

These instruments have been considered and used at a particular point of time as per
the need and suitability of the study.

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Data collection Methods of Research

Researcher utilized both qualitative and quantitative method. An interview, Observation

and mail survey were used to collect information about samples from a population.
Tourists’ survey was completed by using self administered questionnaires which were
provided to tourists at Agritourism centers.

Sampling Plan and Sampling Method:

A population is aggregate of all elements that share some common set of characteristics
and that comprise the universe for the purpose of research problem where as sample is
subgroup of population selected for participation in study and is expected to be
representative of rest of the population. The objective of this research study was to
obtain information about the characteristics or parameters associated with Agritourism
centers and similarly of tourists. For research purpose a part of the population was
selected. For proper and timely study sampling was necessary. The population and
Sample elements were as described below-

Population (ATCs): All the Agritourism centers operating in Maharashtra.

Sampling Frame: Agritourism centers listed with MART.

Sampling Element: Single Agritourism center which offer services to tourists.

Population (Tourists): All Tourists’ group who visit to ATCs.

Sampling Frame: Tourists’ group who visited selected eight ATCs.

Sampling Element: Tourists’ group who visited and experienced Agritourism services at
Agritourism centers and respond to Questionnaire.

Out of 71 ATCs 22 Agritourism centers were studied. As stated by Krejcie R. V. &

Morgan D.W.(1970) that as the population increases the sample size increases at a
diminishing rate and remains relatively constant at slightly more than 380 cases. 967
tourists’ opinions were analyzed for fulfilling the objectives of research study.

Sampling Method:

Sampling techniques are divided into probability and Non probability sampling.
Probability again subdivided into simple random, systematic, stratified, cluster where as

18
Non Probability fragmented in judgmental, convenience, quota and snowball sampling.
Every technique is having its own merits and demerits. As per the requirement of
research study judgmental sampling technique have been selected on the basis of the
assumption that the sample selected would represent the whole population of
Agritourism centers and tourists visiting ATCs.

Time Line:

This research study on Agritourism in Maharashtra has been carried out in the year
2011-2013. After a period of two years it has been completed within preplanned time
frame as shown below:

Activity Duration

Literature review 4 months

Pilot Study 3 months

Data gathering 10 months

Data analysis 3 months

Writing the thesis 3 months

Amendments and Revisions 2 months

Total 25 months

Data Analysis:
Primary data and secondary data collected from sources were later on systematically
arranged, tabulated and analyzed so as to get idea of Agritourism development in
Maharashtra. Data analysis of ATCs and tourists’ survey was conducted separately.
From all cases individual identifiers (ATC name, owner name; Tourists’ name) were
removed to ensure confidentiality and replaced with unique serial numbers (ATCs: 1-22;
Tourists: 1-967). The original data was edited, coded and entered into an SPSS v.20.0 a
statistical analysis program. For both the ATCs and tourists’ survey, first part was
involving descriptive statistics. Inferential statistics were employed using SPSS.
Correlation analysis (Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient) was used to test the strength of

19
association between selected variables. Cross-tabulations, Chi-squares, and tests were
conducted. Significance was considered at p-value ≤ 0.05 level.
All analysis was completed using SPSS.
Different parameters were used for differentiating responses to different variables.
Some of them are as given below.
 Based on the frequencies of establishment year or Agritourism activity began, the
number of years in the Agritourism business were divided into four categories (i.e.,
ATCs which completed 1 year, 2 years , 3 years and ATCs which completed more
than 3 years).
 The gross farm income and Agritourism income variable were collapsed into three
categories (Upto Rs100,000; Rs.100,000-Rs.500,000 more than Rs.500,000). This
change was made because there were too few entries in the categories with more
than Rs.500,000.
 The average number of tourists arrival in a week was collapsed in to four categories
(less than 30, 30-60 and more than 60).This change was made due to presence of
very few entries above 60.
The information collected from primary and secondary sources has been verified with
the field experience.

20
 4. Findings

Part I: Findings based on survey of Agritourism centers (ATC)

Classification of Agritourism centers: Agritourism centers were classified into small,

medium and large based on the investment in starting the Agritourism business. ATCs
with Investment up to Rs.10 lakhs were classified as small, those with investment up to
20 lakhs were classified as medium and those with investment of more than 20 lakhs are
classified as Large. Out of the total 22 ATCs surveyed, 11 (50.00%) were small, 9 ATCs
(41.00 %) were medium and 2 (9.00%) were large units.

Location and distance of Agritourism center from City: Average distance of

Agritourism centers from nearest main city was found to be 50 Km. Least distance was
10 KM and highest distance was 300 KM. Most of the Agritourism centers were 20 to 60
KM away from nearest district places.

Age and education of ATC owner/Operator: Age of the ATC owners/operator lies
between 27 years and 66 years. However most of them (16 out of 22 ) were in the age
group 30 to 50 years. ATC owners’ education varies from fifth standard to Ph.D. More
important to note about education of ATC owners’ is that 13 ATC owners/operators
(59.00%) have completed graduation.

Land holding pattern by ATCs: All the Agripreneurs operating Agritourism centers are
medium or high land holders having on an average 20 acres of land of which maximum
land were with irrigation facility.

Source of Idea to start ATC: Most of the ATC owners (11) stated that they have
initiated ATCs from their own idea and the training from MART has helped them to grow
in the business.

Employment generation By Agritourism Centers: Agritourism centers are run by 1or

2 family members. Each center has generated minimum 2 to maximum 20 employments
for villagers.

21
Agritourists’ arrival at ATCs: All the Agritourism centers were getting maximum
business during weekends due to the larger number of tourist visits. 80% tourists visited
in the weekend i.e. on Saturday/Sunday and 20 % visited on other days to ATCs.

The analysis has showed that the peak season in which largest proportion of the
agritourists visited ATCs was winter followed by rainy season and summer.

It has been also found that the tourists groups visiting Agritourism centers are mostly
families.

Charges (fees) for tourists: The average package cost for one tourists charged by
ATC was Rs.350/- and varied from Rs. 200-500 for twelve hours and from Rs.800-1000
for twenty four hours including food.

Attractions at ATCs:

Food: All Agritourism centers served regional, rural delicious cuisine to tourists.

Agricultural activity: Most of the Agritourism centers were having some specific
agricultural activities to see or experience for the tourists groups.

Nearby tourist spots: Agritourism centers were near to some tourist spots at a distance
of 10-20 km from the centers where visiting tourists were taken by Agripreneurs for
excursion.

Events at ATCs: Agritourism center arranged special unique events or activities to

attract more tourists groups to their centers like Grape festival, Kite festival, Summer
camps for children, Full moon celebration etc.

Agritourism centers and media preferences: Agritourism centers promoted them

through Internet websites, newspapers, pamphlets and Hoardings. Exceptionally
Agritourism centers gave advertisement on Radio. Some centers also appointed agents
for soliciting tourists.

Part-II: Findings based on Tourists’ Survey

Tourists’ place of residence: It is interesting to know from analysis that approximately

74.00 % of the tourists visited Agritourism centers were from Pune and Mumbai and rest
26.00 % were from other district places.

22
Age groups of tourists: It was found that out of 967 agritourists studied under the
survey, ‘below 30 years’ of age constituted 31.40%.
Survey also showed that majority of the visitors were aged between ‘30-50 years’
(64.00% of the total tourists) and a very small proportion of 44 visitors (4.60%) was
‘above 50 years’ of age.

Occupations of the respondents: Out of the 967 agritourists surveyed 42.00% were
Professionals/Managers, 35.00% were self employed and remaining 23.00% were
Government employees, or school/college students.

Distance of tourists’ city of residence from ATCs: 18.00% tourists travelled less than
50 km, 35.00% traveled 50-100 km, 44.00% traveled 100-200 km and only 4.00%
traveled more than distance of 200 km to reach ATCs.

Previous Agritourism experience: Most of the agritourists i.e. out of 967 participants
738 tourists (76.30%) mentioned that they had no previous experience of visiting ATC.
Out of remaining 229 tourists (23.70%) ,126 tourists (55.00%) stated that they had taken
such experience at same center and 103 tourists (45.00%) had experienced Agritourism
activity at different centers.

Reason for visiting Agritourism center: The major reason for visiting an Agritourism
centre was to experience the rural lifestyle which was supported by responses from 423
respondents (43.70%). Next was the motive of leisure and recreation which brought 398
respondents (41.20%) to the Agritourism centers. Another 121 tourists (12.50%)
responded that they came for the sake of gaining knowledge and 25 visitors (2.60%) had
other reasons to visit ATCs.

Classification of tourists’ groups: 67.00 % Tourist groups who visited Agritourism

centers were families. 24.00% were groups of friends, 8.00% were School or College
groups and 1.00% tourist visits alone.

Sources of information to know about ATCs: The researcher found that the major
source of information for knowing about Agritourism centre for the agritourists was
internet (379 visitors or 39.20%). Another 35.00 % (339 visitors) came to know about
ATC through word of mouth publicity and 16.00% (153 visitors) received information

23
through newspaper advertisements. Among the other sources of information were
television, hoardings, banners and radio.

Gender of the Respondents: It has been found regarding gender wise classification
774 respondents (80%) were males and 193% (20%) were females.

Number of visits to Agritourism center and to traditional tourist places: Number of

visits to traditional tourist places by tourists were ranging between two to five times in a
year where as the researcher found that most of the respondents wanted to visit ATCs
once or twice a year. 359 visitors (37.10%) would like to visit Agritourism center once in
a year and 282 visitors (29.20%) would like to visit Agritourism center twice in a year.267
visitors (27.60%) were interested to visit such centers thrice in a year and 56 visitors
(5.80%) mentioned that they would like to visit Agritourism centers more than thrice in a
year.

Duration of stay by tourists at Agritourism center: 61.00% tourists groups who

visited Agritourism centers stayed for two to three days to experience and enjoy the
services and activities at center, 34.00% tourists returned same day and 4.00% stayed
for 4-6 days at the ATCs.

Important factors and its importance in view point of agritourists

Age group:

It has been found that ‘farm scenery’ was ‘very important’ to the agritourists irrespective
of the age groups. It has been noted that overall ‘local sightseeing’ was ‘important’ to
all age groups of agritourists. However, for the age group ‘below 30 years’ it was ‘very
important’. ‘Recreational activities’, ‘to experience traditional ways of life’,
‘transportation access’ and ‘guide’ were ‘important factors to the agritourists
irrespective of age groups. Food factor was ‘important’ to the agritourists in the age
group below 30 and above 50 years. For the age group of 30-50 years it was ‘very
important’. The factor ‘package cost’ was ‘very important’ to the agritourists irrespective
of age groups. ‘Safety and security’ factor was ‘important’ to the agritourists in the age

24
groups ‘below 30 years’ and ‘30- 50 years’ while for visitors ‘above 50 years’ this factor
was ‘very important.

Distance of residence city from ATCs:

It has been found that farm scenery was ‘very important’ to the agritourists irrespective
of the distance they travelled to reach ATCs. ‘Local sightseeing’ factor was found ‘very
important’ to the agritourists of all distance groups except those who came from the
distance of 50 to 100 km who reported it as ‘important’. ‘Recreational activities’ factor
was ‘important’ to the agritourists of all distance groups and for the tourists who came
from the distance of 100 to 200 km, it was ‘very important’. The factors ‘to experience
traditional ways of life’ and ‘food’ were ‘important’ to the agritourists of all age
groups except those who came from more than 200 km it for whom they were ‘very
important’. The factors ‘Guide’ and ‘transportation access’ were ‘important’ to the
agritourists irrespective of distance they travelled to reach ATCs. ‘Package cost’ factor
was ‘very important’ to the agritourists coming from the distance of 50 – 100 Km and 100
- 200 km. For other groups, this factor was ‘important’. The factor ‘safety and security ’
was ‘important’ to the agritourists coming from distance of 50 – 100 km and 100 – 200
km while for distance groups of less than 50 km and more than 200 km this factor was
‘very important’.

Gender of the agritourists:

The factors ‘Farm scenery’, ‘local sightseeing factor’ and ‘package cost’ were ‘very
important’ factors to the agritourists irrespective of the gender. The factors ‘recreational
activities’, ‘to experience traditional ways of life’, ‘transportation access’, ‘safety
and security factor’ and ‘guide’ were ‘important’ to the agritourists irrespective of the
gender. The factor ‘food’ was ‘very important’ for male and ‘important’ for female
agritourists.

Size of Agritourism center:

The factor ‘farm scenery factor’ was ‘very important’ for agritourists visiting small and
medium size of the ATCs while it was ‘important’ to agritourists visiting large ATCs. The
factor local sightseeing was ‘very important’ for agritourists visiting small and large size
of the ATCs and for the agritourists visiting medium size ATCs it was ‘important’ factor.

25
The factor ‘to experience traditional ways of life’ was important to agritourists
irrespective of size of ATCs they visited except for large ATCs in which agritourists rated
this factor to be ‘very important’. The factor ‘food’ was ‘very important’ for agritourists
visiting large ATCs and ‘important’ for agritourists visiting small and medium size ATCs.
The factors ‘Guide’, ‘safety and security factor’ and ‘transportation access’ were
‘important’ to the agritourists irrespective of size of ATCs. ‘Package cost’ factor was
‘very important’ to the agritourists irrespective of the size of ATCs except for the
agritourists visiting large ATCs for whom it was ‘important’.

Satisfaction level of agritourists towards products, services and hospitality

at ATCs:
Age group of agritourists:
For the ‘food quality’ agritourists were ‘satisfied’ in the age group between 30 to 50
years whereas the agritourists from the other two age groups were ‘highly satisfied’.
Agritourists were ‘satisfied’ with the accommodation facility at ATCs in age groups ‘30
– 50’ and ‘above 50 years’. However, tourists from age group below 30 were ‘neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied’ about accommodation. Agritourists in the age group 30 – 50
years were ‘satisfied’ about ‘friendliness of the ATC personnel’ and other two groups
were ‘highly satisfied’ regarding the same. Agritourists were ‘satisfied’ towards
‘recreational activities’, ‘accessibility to cultural heritage sites’, ‘personal safety
and security’ and ‘organised excursions’ irrespective of the age group. Agritourists in
the age group 30 – 50 years were ‘satisfied’ whereas from the other two groups
agritourists were ‘highly satisfied’ with ‘value for money.’

Distance of residence city from ATCs:

It has been found that agritourists were ‘satisfied’ towards ‘friendliness of people’,
‘organised excursions’, ‘accessibility to cultural heritage sites’, ‘recreational
activities’,’ value for money’ and ‘personal safety and security’ irrespective of
distance they travelled to reach ATCs.

Gender of the agritourists:

It has been found that agritourists were ‘satisfied’ towards ‘friendliness of people’,
‘organised excursions’, ‘accessibility to cultural heritage sites’, ‘recreational

26
activities’,’ value for money’ and ‘personal safety and security’ irrespective of
gender.

Satisfaction level and classification of Agritourism center:

It has been found that agritourists were ‘satisfied’ towards ‘friendliness of people’,
‘organised excursions’, ‘accessibility to cultural heritage sites’, ‘recreational
activities’,’ value for money’ and ‘personal safety and security’ irrespective size of
ATCs. However, regarding ‘personal safety and security’ agritourists visiting large
ATCs were ‘highly satisfied’.

Recommendation of visited Agritourism centers to others by agritourists:

87.00% tourist groups were ready to recommend visited Agritourism center to others
while 13.00% refused to do so. 296 visitors of small Agritourism centers, 368 visitors of
medium sized centers and172 visitors of large centers were highly satisfied with their
experience and responded that they would like to recommend the center they visited to
their friends and relatives. On the other hand there were 65 visitors of small centers, 43
of medium centers and 23 of large centers who refused to recommend the Agritourism
center to others.

27
 5. Conclusions

Part I: Conclusion related to ATCs:

Several general conclusions can be made based on the findings of this study.

First the research shows that, since 2005 farmers in the Maharashtra have started to
adopt Agritourism business activities. They continue to modify existing farm activities in
response to changing market opportunities to develop the best suitable Agritourism
attractions for the Agritourists. Though the farmers of the Maharashtra are well aware
with related diversification there is a problem of low awareness about Agritourism
business in the farmers as well as in tourists along with problem of the finance.

Second, data show that Agritourism is financially beneficial to farmers in Maharashtra.

Since Agritourism is a type of tourism, it offers a new venue and different dimension to
the already saturated travel and tourism market. Linking the tourism sector to agriculture
has the ability to rejuvenate and inject resources for both sectors. Farmers used
Agritourism business for diversifying farm products and developing new market for
generating supplementary income. In many cases, Agritourism also helped farmers’
children to remain in agricultural activities.

These centers have also generated good employment opportunities for villagers. It has
been seen that number of temporary workers is more than the number of permanent
ones. This research study has also concluded that large Agritourism centers became
more successful in creating more employment as compared to smaller ATCs.

Productivity in Agritourism depends on the quality of the experience, reflected in the

perceived satisfaction of the tourists which is a subjective judgment. Taking care of the
key parameters associated with agritourists satisfaction is an important issue. For the
purpose of efficient production in Agritourism serving and entertaining the tourists from
arrival to departure are important and which also contribute in the marketing of quality
experiences of Agritourism.

Important factors for successful Development of Agritourism Centers:

All the Agritourism centers studied along with tourists’ survey clearly depicts the
Agritourism industry from both the sides of supply and demand. All ATCs having
distinctive types of characteristics, offer different Agritourism experiences for the tourists

28
groups. Success of any Agritourism center depends on the farm size, types and number
of activities, geographical location and months of operations. Despite the range of
businesses, services offered, varied locations and different character of the centers,
these centers share some common characteristics as below.

Location: For any ATC, accessible location with good connectivity to a large city (most
populated) is important to attract tourists rather than centers’ distance from small city
places (taluka /district) where the urbanization and population is lesser as compared to
bigger cities. Maximum tourists from Pune and Mumbai regions preferred to visit
Agritourism centers. So targeting marketing efforts in the highly populated cities
becomes essential to get maximum business.

The optimum distance of ATCs from the tourists’ residence cities is 50-200 km. First, the
numbers of tourists visiting ATCs are more in numbers from this distance. Second, to
certain extent as the distance increases in between Agritourism centers and residence
city the duration of tourists visit to ATCs also increases. If the distance is lesser i.e.
below 50 km tourists preferred to return from the ATCs the same day. Tourists preferred
to stay for 2-3 days at Agritourism centers if they travelled 50-200 km distance to visit
ATCs.

Arranging small tours from Agritourism centers is inseparable part during the tourists
visit to ATCs. Hence all the centers also take advantage of available historical, religious,
natural tourist spots or attractions nearby (within 20-30 km) which helps to bring tourists
to the Agritourism centers.

Farm size: The farm size also influences the success of Agritourism centers. Due to
small farms there are restrictions for starting the type and number of activities which are
important for attracting larger number of tourists. Though there is no condition put by
MART regarding minimum or maximum land owned by ATCs to develop Agritourism
activities on farm, larger farm size is beneficial in developing bigger and better
attractions. Since Agritourism attractions mainly revolve around farm scenery, farm size
is an important factor. Not only the total land owned by ATCs is important but total
irrigated land is important in the development of Agritourism centers. It is seen from this
research study that all (excluding one) Agritourism centers are having facility of irrigation
for their land.

29
Types and number of activities: These activities can be grouped in to farm tours,
nearby historical tours, celebrations of festivals, fairs and events with the tourists which
are important activities to attract tourists. U-pick and educational workshops satisfy the
tourists’ hunger of knowledge. Most of the Agritourism centers made available or gave
opportunity to tourists to participate and enjoy the lot of fun filled rural games which are
also center of attraction for tourists. Agritourism centers also entertain their tourists by
arranging programs like rural folk dances, music, camp fire etc.

Months of operation: In general, all the Agritourism centers tended to be open for
business round the year but there are some seasonal patterns. It has been found that
November and December tended to be busiest months for maximum number of
Agritourism centers attracting highest numbers of Agritourists.

Hospitality: The people involved (owners or employees) with each of these centers are
enthusiastic about their business and about working with tourists. Those attending to
tourists directly are well informed and passionate about the Agritourism business.
Establishing rapport with tourists, engaging them in conversation and getting them to
taste the local food are all strategies used to gain the interest of tourists and to entertain
them full day.

Moreover, one of the important factors strongly connected with success in Agritourism
businesses is the attitudes and behavior of Agripreneurs and their families towards the
tourists’ groups.

Marketing Media: Each of these centers has a same or different target market based on
their location, set of products and services and the vision for their business. Each center
budgets for marketing. Internet and word of mouth are most popular media to attract
tourists to the centers.

Part II: Conclusion related to Tourists:

Tourists’ group: Majority of tourists visit to Agritourism centers with their families
followed by friends. Some school/college/organizational groups also visit to ATCs. All the
Agritourism centers were visited by these groups mainly on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tourists visited Agritourism centers majorly for relaxation, for experiencing rural life and
gaining some knowledge about it.

30
Importance of factors to tourists in taking decision to visit Agritourism center:
Factors important in tourists’ decision making to visit Agritourism center were farm
scenery, local sightseeing, recreational activities, experience traditional ways of life,
food, availability of a guide, package cost, transportation access, and safety and
security. Tourists’ age group, distance they travelled to reach ATCs and gender of
tourists plays important role in giving differential importance to these factors.

Satisfaction of tourists about ATCs: Agritourism operators are giving warm welcome
to their guests (tourists) and satisfy them regarding products, services and hospitality of
the Agritourism centers. Satisfaction level of tourists is dependent on food quality,
accommodation, friendliness of people, activities at center, organized excursions, and
accessibility to cultural heritage sites, safety and security.

31
 6. Suggestions & Recommendations

The full potential of Agritourism has not been realized in the Maharashtra. Tremendous
opportunities exist to cultivate Agritourism development in the state. Problems should be
solved through proactive policy and strategic investment in Agritourism so that farmers
interested in providing on-farm recreational or educational activities get motivated.

All the Agritourism centers that are near to populated cities or away from it should give
more focus on advertising in city areas.

Agritourism centers should go beyond attracting new tourists. It should attract tourist
groups who want to stay longer and return more often. Tourists who stay longer or return
will spend more money and cost of promotion will be comparatively less.

All Agritourism centers should not only use all possible advertisement media for
increasing awareness among the tourists but also should increase their budget on
advertisement.

Scope for Further Research:

More comprehensive district wise study is essential for Agritourism development in the
Maharashtra.

It is a fact that the study of knowledge of marketing tools and techniques used by a
ATCs to reach the target tourists , can provide better understanding and better ideas
regarding what strategy should be used by Agritourism centers to grow and prosper in
the business. Like business plan, marketing strategy is the fundamental need for
success of Agritourism centers. So, to conduct in depth research on the marketing
strategies of Agritourism centers in Maharashtra is required which would ultimately
improve the overall growth of Agritourism in Maharashtra.

While sense of place, identity or image, and place attachment were not investigated in
this study. Further study might enhance understanding of the relationship between place
identity or destination image and the success of Agritourism center. Image of the Place
can enhance one’s experience while visiting a center, transforming the Agritourism
activity into a memorable cultural and heritage experience.

32
Development of a model
Based on the analysis a model has been developed for the small, medium and large
Agripreneures which will help them in taking decisions regarding the following aspects of
their ATCs.
1. Target segment.
2. Visitors’ expectations and preference for various services.
3. Media preference of visitors for knowing about ATCs.
4. Frequency of visits, group size of visitors, and number of days spent at ATCs etc.
This model is a spinoff of the analysis of the data and was not initially planned as an
objective. This model has considered only overall response and differential responses
within respondent variables are not considered. Therefore, this model needs to be
refined further into sub-models and validated through a separated research.
Model for profile and behavior of agritourists towards different sizes of ATCs
Sr. Item Size of Agri Tourism Centre (ATC)
No. Small Medium Large
1 Higher percentage of visitors by Male Male Male
gender
2 Higher percentage of visitors by 30 to 50 years Below 30 years 30 to 50 years
age group and 30 to 50 years
3 Higher percentage of visitors by Professionals, Professionals, Professionals,
Occupation Managers and Managers and Managers and
self-employed self-employed self-employed
persons persons persons
4 Higher percentage of visitors by 1.Pune, 1.Pune , 1.Pune,
city of residence 2.others, 2.Mumbai, 2.others,
3.Mumbai 3.others 3.Mumbai
5 Higher percentage of visitors by With family With family With family
Accompaniment
6 Higher percentage of visitors by Internet newspaper Word of mouth
media used for knowing about
ATCs
7 Higher percentage of visitors by 100 to 200 kms. 100 to 200 kms. 100 to 200 kms.
Distance travelled to visit ATC

33
8 Priority of reasons for selecting 1. Scenery 1. Scenery 1. Scenery
ATCs. 2. Package cost 2. Package cost 2. Package cost
3. Local sight 3. Local sight 3. Local sight
seeing seeing seeing
4. Food 4. Food 4. Food
Priority of reasons for visiting 1.To experience 1.Leisure and 1.Leisure and
ATCs. Rural life Recreation Recreation
2. Leisure and 2.To experience 2.To experience
Recreation Rural life Rural life

9 Higher percentage of visitors by Once once Twice

annual frequency of visits
10 Higher percentage of visitors by 2 -3 days 2 -3 days 2 -3 days
Duration of stay at ATCs
12 Engagement of family members 3 2 1
in ATCs by numbers
13 Employment of non- family Less than 10 Less than 10 10 to more than
members in ATCs by numbers 20
14 Employment of permanent 1 to 5 1 to 5 1 to 5 or more
employees than 5
15 Employment of temporary 5 to 10 5 to 10 5 to 10 or more
employees
16 Number of tourists visiting Up to 30 30 to 60 30 to 60 and
weekly more
17 Number of tourists visiting on Up to 10 Up to 10 Up to 10 or more
week days
18 Number of tourists visiting Up to 30 Up to 30 30 to 60 or more
weekly on week ends
19 Number of tourists visiting Up to 300 Up to 300 Up to 300 to 600
during peak season(Nov. to and more
Feb.)
20 Annual income from 1 to 5 lakhs 1 to 5 lakhs 1 to 5 lakhs and
Agritourism activity more

34
21 Return on investment (RoI) 10 to 20 % Above 20 % 10 to 20 % and
above
22 Importance of farm scenery Very important Very important Important
while selecting ATC
23 Importance of local sightseeing Very important important Very important
while selecting ATC
24 Importance of recreational important important Important
activities while selecting ATC
25 Importance of experiencing important important Very important
traditional life style while
selecting ATC
26 Importance of food quality while important important Very important
selecting ATC
27 Importance of availability of a important important Important
guide while selecting ATC
28 Importance of cost of package Very important Very important Important
while selecting ATC
29 Importance of transport important important Important
facilities while selecting ATC
30 Importance of safety and important important Important
security while selecting ATC

35
Recommendations

The following recommendations are given for individual farm owners who are interested
in developing new Agritourism center:

1) Farmers should take training about Agritourism through MART or ATDC;

2) Farmers should also conduct a feasibility study to know the potential for Agritourism
development at their farms. (Considering the options available for developing
Agritourism activities, tourists potential);

3) Farmers should also take care in conserving the integrity and developing the unique
nature of the center (Develop a set of offerings and services that create a unique
experience)

4) Farmers should plan facilities and services with care considering needs of tourists;
Basic principles of Agritourism should be taken into account i.e. developing something to
see, something to do and something to buy.

5) Farmers should address the main people-related issue of safety and security;

6) Farmers should complete the procedure of Agritourism development and submit the
documents required to get the license from MART for starting Agritourism business.

36
 7. Bibliography

Research Journals:
1. Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources
2. Annals of Tourism Research
3. Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce – APSTRACT
4. Asian journal of Management research
5. Journal of Agricultural Biotechnology and Sustainable Development
6. Journal of Human Ecology
7. Journal of Rural and Community
8. Journal of Rural Studies
9. Journal of Rural Studies
10. Journal of Sustainable Tourism
11. Journal of Tourism and Geosites
12. Journal of Tourism Research and Hospitality
13. Journal of Travel Research
14. Leisure Studies
15. Nature and Science
16. Regional Studies
17. Rural Sociology
18. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism
19. Sociologia Ruralis
20. Sustainable Tourism
21. The Journal of Tourism Studies
22. The Professional Geographer
23. Tourism Geographies
24. Tourism Management
Books:

1) Adams, B.B. (2008).The New Agritourism Hosting community and Tourists on

your farm, Auburn,California: New World Publishing.
2) Beri G.C.(2008) Marketing Research, 4th Edition, New Delhi: TMH.
3) Bhatia,A.K.(1978).Tourism in India- History and Development, New Delhi:
Sterling Publishers.

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4) Bhuskute, R.V. (2002).Overview of land reforms: Overview of Land Reforms in
Maharashtra, Land reforms in India, volume 8 (pp.1-20). India: SAGE India.

5) Cooper, Chris.(2006). Classic Reviews in Tourism. New Delhi, Viva Books

Private Limited.
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Delhi: Tata MacGraw Hill
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Practices (pp.61-62): Harpercollins Publishers.
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Tourism & Conservation : CI and GW
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Edition.New Delhi: Pearson Pub
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Edition, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Adaptation .New Delhi: biztantra
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Publication.
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Icfai University Press.
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Publishing House.
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 22) Tyagi, B.P. (2005). Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Ninth edition
(pp.127-168): Jai Prakash Nath & Co.
Reports:

1) Adam,& Katherine, L. (2004). Entertainment farming and agri-tourism: Business

Management Guide, ATTRA: National Sustainable Agriculture Information
Service, Fayetteville, California, http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/entertainment.html
2) Annual Reports 2011-12, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
3) Brian J. Schilling, Lucas J. Marxen Helen H. Heinrich,Fran J. A. Brooks (2006)
The Opportunity for Agritourism Development in New Jersey :A Report Prepared
for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture
4) Business Press, London, World Tourism Organisation (1998), Guide for local
authorities on developing sustainable tourism. Madrid: WTO, European
Environment Agency
5) Cultivating Agritourism: A Guide for Establishing Agritourism Resource Centres
in the Caribbean.
6) Diane Kuehn,Duncan Hilchey(1998) Agritourism in New York: Management and
Operations. Published by NY Sea Grant 62B Mackin Hall SUNY, Oswego.
7) Dr. Kumbhar, Vijay, (2009). Agro-tourism: scope and opportunities for the
farmers in Maharashtra.
8) ‘Economic Survey of Maharashtra’ 2009-10, 2010-11,2011-12 prepared by the
Directorate of Economics and statistics, Planning Department.
9) Holly George,Ellie Rilla (2011).Marketing strategies for Agritourism
operations,University of California, ANS Publication 8444.
10) Identification of Tourism Circuits across India: Interim Report (Revised)-
Maharashtra (2012) submitted to Ministry of Tourism Govt. of India by ILFS
infrastructure.
11) Kent Wolfe, Gary Bullen (2009) Agritourism Your Way, A How-To Guide for
Successful Agritourism Enterprises, prepared for the University of Georgia’s
Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development and North Carolina State
Cooperative Extension Service’s Business Side of Agritourism Program Series.
12) Laurie S. Z. Greenberg (2006).Cheese tourism in Wisconsin: Issues & prospects,
prepared for Dairy Business Innovation Center, Wisconsin, US.

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13) Magnetic Maharashtra: Attractions Unlimited (Mar.2012) prepared and published
by Ernst and Young India Pvt Ltd Knowledge partner to Maharashtra Industrial
Development Corporation .
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seasonal and annual rainfall for the districts of Maharashtra and spatial analysis
of seasonality index in identifying the changes in rainfall regime ; National
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Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
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Published at Calle Capitán Haya, 42, 28020 Madrid, Spain.

8. Research Papers: Presented and Published

1) “Growth of Maharashtrian Farmers through Agritourism towards Sustainable
development” Presented paper in the National Conference held by Siddhant
College of Engineering on 7th October 2011 and Published in the “Strategic
Management for Today’s Business” bearing ISBN 978-81-8465-811-8
2) “Event Management: Win-Win situation for Agripreneurs and Tourists” Presented
paper National Conference held by D.Y.Patil Institute of Management on 9th
March 2012 and Published in the Research Journal “Emerging Trends in
Information Technology and Business Management” bearing ISBN 978-81-
920416-3-6
3) “Agritourism In Maharashtra and Tourists Preferences towards it” Presented
paper in National Conference held by Novel Institute of Management Studies, on
29th October 2012 and published in Research Journal “Kaleidoscope” bearing
ISSN 2277-1263

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