Nature-based farm tourism – the importance of hosting in the experience economy – Naturbasert gårdsturisme – utfordringer og muligheter

The nature-based farm tourism and its opportunities and challenges is the theme of this project. The project focuses on the relation between farming and tourism; the products, the hosting role and the visitors. The diversification into tourism demands new skills and competences as the scope and variation of activities increases- The new ’experience economy’ puts economic value on experiences, and the farms that manage to stage and add meaningful experiences to their products and services are assumed to be those with the greatest potential to succeed. Hosting is of key importance in order to create memorable experiences for the guests. In turn, this attracts visitors and further develops the business. By studying the host-guest relationship and focusing on the challenges of the hosting role, the project will add knowledge about the combination of traditional farm production and nature-based tourism and how the two complement and challenge each other. The importance of an operating farm in terms of the attraction and authenticity of the products offered will be analysed. Case studies with farm visits and interviews with a sample of hosts on farm-based enterprises, combined with a survey, will give insight into critical success factors and how farm-based tourism influences original farm practices, and farm- and gender identity. The role of women in these new enterprises is poorly documented and will be focused upon. The project will also analyse the visitors’ expectations and demands.