Scottish Agritourism has launched online profitability forums for farm tourism businesses, split by enterprise type, the industry body announced.
The sessions shift the sector’s focus to margins. Scotland’s agritourism sector has more than doubled in value since 2021 to an estimated £292mn, passing its 2030 target of £250mn, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs Gillian Martin told the Global Agritourism Conference in Aberdeen in June. The forums instead deal with costs, suppliers and regulation. The Scottish model has also drawn interest abroad, with Australia’s Sparrowly Group taking Scottish agritourism lessons to farmers there.
The forums run online twice a year for five types of enterprise: cafes and restaurants, farm retail, accommodation, tours, experiences and seasonal events, and weddings and corporate events. Businesses in each group compare costs and savings, share recommended suppliers and those to avoid, discuss local and national policy and regulation, and review which marketing tools and digital systems are delivering.
The 90-minute sessions are confidential and open to agritourism and associate members of any size as part of their membership, with registration required. They grow out of daily discussions in the organisation’s member WhatsApp groups.
The weddings and corporate events forum met on September 15 and farm retail on September 28. Accommodation follows on October 14, farm cafes and restaurants on November 9, and tours, experiences and seasonal events on November 17, with each session starting at 11:00.
Scottish Agritourism will also hold An Evening with Scottish Agritourism on November 24 at Cairns Farm in West Lothian, one of its member businesses. Tickets are on sale for the event, which the organisation describes as an evening of connection, celebration and inspiration.
Cairns Farm, around 10 miles from Edinburgh, is run by Graham and Caroline Hamilton on an estate of more than 1,000 acres carrying over 400 Scottish Blackface ewes. The Hamiltons converted a sheep shed into a wedding and events venue in 2011 and let a farmhouse and six cabins sleeping up to 24 guests. The farm is a satellite farm in the Agritourism Monitor Farm Programme.
Scottish Agritourism is the industry body for farm and croft tourism businesses in Scotland, led by director and sector lead Caroline Millar. It hosted the inaugural Global Agritourism Conference in Aberdeen in June, which drew representatives from more than 50 countries.