Venture Southland farm visit demand spurs sessions

Southland's farmers could target a slice of the province's annual tourism spend, which for the year ended July was $662million, up 32% on the same period in 2012. Photo: Getty Images

Southland farmers are being encouraged to combine agriculture with tourism to cater for a burgeoning interest in rural experiences.

Venture Southland is hosting four agritourism information sessions across the region this month to highlight potential tourism opportunities for farmers.

The sessions were developed in response to growing demand for agricultural and tourism experiences, Venture Southland tourism product development co-ordinator Cameron Richardson said.

As agriculture was Southland's largest industry, authentic experiences of farming could be offered to cater for tourism growth in the region, which had risen 36% in the past five years, he said.

For tourists drawn to New Zealand, along with the scenery, one of the big attractions was farm-related activities.

The FIT (free independent traveller) market was constantly asking for such experiences and in-bound tourist operators also wanted options for those who wanted authentic experiences.

An ANZ Agri Focus report released last year found that more than a quarter of tourists visiting New Zealand in 2015 visited a farm or orchard during their stay. Two-thirds of all Chinese visitors visited either a farm, or orchard, or both, during their visit. Much of the projected tourism growth in New Zealand was expected to come come from the Chinese market, he said.

Demand for agritourism products had grown significantly around the world, including in the United States where the number of farms engaging in some form of agritourism increased 42% between 2007 and 2012.

Although the concept was not new, its potential was still being discovered in Southland and wider New Zealand.

The information sessions would identify tourism opportunities for farmers, provide insights from current operations and connect farmers with industry resources and advice.

Agritourism was not just about farms, another example being the possibility of activities at a whisky distillery being established near Otautau.

As far as health and safety legislation was concerned, what farmers had to do now in that respect was already "quite rigorous" and he did not see it as being too much of a barrier, Mr Richardson said.