Agrotourism, growth continues: turnover exceeds one billion

2024 will be a year to remember for agritourism. Nothing to do, however, with overtourism: that of rural hospitality and catering in Italy is a trend that continues to grow over the years steadily but without excess, and that has had in the post-Covid period (if not during the period with the most restrictions) perhaps the decisive push.

The number of agritourisms in 2023 has in fact reached almost 25,900 farms, registering +5.2% over the previous year. This growth comes after +1.3% in 2021 compared to 2020 and +3.3% compared to 2019. The positive trend is also seen in terms of value of production, at 1.16 billion, 45% more than in 2020. Last year, demand for the first time exceeded 4 million arrivals and 15.5 million overnight stays, 58% of which were from foreigners (mainly from Germany, the Netherlands and France). The data are provided by the sector's reference trade fair now in its 26th edition: AgrieTour scheduled at Arezzo Fiere from 25 to 27 October. It is no coincidence that it is held in Tuscany, which remains the leading region with 5,797 activities (+4.7%), accounting for 21.8% of the national offer and 6.2% of the total number of accommodation facilities. Tuscany and the Province of Bolzano together account for just over half of the presences.

"2023 was undoubtedly the most successful year in the history of agritourism, which now accounts for 1.9% of the entire value of agriculture and 22.6% of secondary activities," comments the president of Arezzo Fiere e Congressi, Ferrer Vannetti. "It is a result that has been prepared for a long time by a progression of growth based on an increase in Italian and foreign guests that has been constant over time. This has been matched by a development of the offer that has spread evenly across all regions. There are 1,850 country accommodation facilities registered for AgrieTour activities out of more than 3,000 companies present,the number of b2b workshops has doubled and more than one hundred tour operators from 27 countries are expected".

Forecasts for 2024 are also good: according to a survey of operators, optimists (42%) continue to outnumber pessimists (6%) by a large margin, 'albeit with less positive values than for business in 2023,' the organisers point out.

"Certainly this is a constant growth that demonstrates excellent resilience and that acquires even greater value because it is expanding in a difficult context both for the economy and for the farming world, even if it must be remembered that there is a strong turnover among operators,' comments Carlo Hausmann, director of Agrocamera Roma and expert of the National Rural Network and the National Observatory for Agritourism. 'To enter the market requires significant investments that can only be sustained if a quality offer with innovative services is proposed, from which the real added value comes. In order to continue to grow, agritourisms must consolidate themselves as testimonials of the territory and quality food products. This is the peculiarity of the Italian model that they come to study from abroad. The evolution that over the years has led to the differentiation of the rural offer must be developed even more in synergy with the other players in the area to continue to grow'.