When I think of Heritage Tourism, I automatically think of historic sites where great battles were fought or majestic natural landscapes that reflect a sense of our own cultural heritage. In recent years, however, there has been an increasing interest in a type of tourism that takes people away from the hustle and bustle of “touristy” attractions (e.g. Yosemite National Park) and the increasing stress of urbanization: agritourism. Agritourism consists of wineries, farms, orchards, fairs – pretty much anything that relates to agriculture – and is meant to educate tourists about an area’s cultural heritage.
Part of the attraction of agritourism is the nostalgia it creates for a simpler time, what John Sears in Sacred Places calls “rural peace and posterity” (49). Heritage tourism sites use this type of nostalgia to promote agritourism. The Shasta Cascades Wonderland Association, for example, advertises that tourists will be able to experience the “hardworking lifestyles of Northern California’s farmers” (http://www.shastacascade.com/thingstodo/agritourism), while an article on California tourism stresses the importance of ‘experiencing nature’ (Backyardnature.com). Another selling point of agritourism is its authenticity. Tourists are being sold not only on beautiful sceneries and visual aesthetics but also experiences that are meant to open up a new world for tourists who are tired of the hustle and bustle of city life.
Agritourism can benefit the economy of the local community as well. Agritourism and the resulting need for roads and infrastructure can means added jobs and income and could be used as “a means of diversifying a farm’s potential income” (McAlister, 2014, A1). Another benefit to the local community is concerned with education. According to Shermaine Hardesty, “Several farms offer tours for elementary kids who can learn where their food is coming from and how it’s produced … and expose students to new career opportunities”(McAlister, 2014, A1).
I would imagine that there are some that don’t approve of agritourism. Perhaps some will argue that tourists that are running to the countryside are ruining the pristine beauty that they so desperately want. In the wine country, for example, entire towns are becoming structurally transformed based on the needs of wineries. However, if history is any indication, agritourism is here to stay. Whether it’s an interest in natural landmarks, like rivers or vineyards, or the aesthetic views of local sceneries, such as those of the Connecticut and the Hudson described by John F. Sears (1989), as long as people want to experience nostalgia for the past, tourists will come. If this is the case, then I would argue that local communities should capitalize on this trend, both for its economic boon as well as a means to preserve local, cultural heritage.
All pictures courtesy of The Daily Enterprise website.
“Agritourism”. Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association. Accessed March 23, 2015, http://www.shastacascade.com/thingstodo/agritourism.
California Green Solutions. “California Agritourism”. Backyardnature.com. Accessed March 23, 2015, http://www.backyardnature.com/cgi-bin/gt/tpl.h,content=464
McAlister, Jason. “Assembly Members Hear About Agritourism”. The Davis Enterprise, (2014): A1. http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/assembly-members-hear-about-agritourism-opportunities-and-challenges.
Sears, John F. Sacred places: American tourist attractions and the nineteenth century. Oxford University Press, 1989.
This is an interesting topic and I think you might have written more about it. How big an industry is it? What percentage of California is constituted by agritourism? etc.