This session defines what agritourism is and analyzes its benefits and best practices. The A-B Tech Small Business Center (SBC) is collaborating with the Madison County Cooperative Extension office to offer a Business of Agritourism series which consists of seven seminars. This series will cover essential business elements in planning and operating an Agritourism business. Tourism and Agriculture are the top two economic drivers in North Carolina; thus it makes great business sense to combine these industries to promote our local agriculture economy.
The Agritourism training curriculum is an output of the Economic Impacts Work Group of the NC Cooperative Extension Local Foods Program Team. The combined effort with the A-B Tech SBC office is meant to raise awareness about the excellent free business planning resources available at the SBC offices located in Buncombe and Madison counties. Ideally, farmers will leave this series with a foundation for an Agritourism business plan and continue to use the resources of both the Cooperative Extension and the Small Business Center as their Agritourism businesses thrive. This series introduces agritourism to attendees and explores its many manifestations.
Speaker(s): Ross Young, CED, Madison Cooperative Extension
Co-Sponsor(s): Madison Cooperative Extension
