Abstract

This paper summarises the arguments and counterarguments in the frame of the scientific discussion on the issue of agritourism development in Armenia. The research aims at analysing the demand of agritourism development for international tourists in Armenia, find out their needs. The analysis of the available literature sources and approaches shows the essence of agritourism, its activities, functions, needs of tourists. Armenia has a rich history and culture, beautiful nature, delicious cuisine, Armenian villages have a traditional way of life and ethnic diversity. All these factors are important for developing agritourism in rural places offering various activities for tourists: participation in agricultural activities, farming, animal care, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, beekeeping, carpet weaving, handicrafts, harvesting, winemaking, making national dishes, baking bread, also visiting historical and cultural places, participation in various festivals, etc. Investigation of the topic in the paper is carried out in the following rational arrangement. The essence and significance of agritourism in the literature are discussed, then a survey is done among international tourists to find out their needs. The results of the empirical analysis are presented in the paper, which shows that Armenia is considered as a quiet and beautiful place for tourists who wish to rest in Armenian rural places, participate in many activities. The Pearson Chi-square testing shows some significant relationship between some factors. Mainly unmarried people want to rest in rural places alone or with friends, and they are willing to pay more than married people who have children. The tourists have also made some suggestions for agritourism development in Armenia: making everything more natural and fresher, doing good marketing, organizing pieces of training for local people and farmers, etc. The research results may be useful for developing agritourism in rural areas by organizing good strategies and marketing plans.

Keywords: agritourism, agritourism activities, marketing, rural places, tourism.

JEL Classification: L83, Z32, O18.

Cite as: Tovmasyan, G., Avetisyan, S., Tatosyan, K., Mirijanyan, L., Galustyan, I., & Rushanyan, A. (2020). Analysing the demand of agritourism for international tourists in Armenia. Marketing and Management of Innovations, 4, 90-101. https://doi.org/10.21272/mmi.2020.4-07

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

References

1. Agritourism, Dictionary. [Link]
2. Armenia in figures. (2019). [Link]
3. Balance of payment of the RA. (2019). [Link]
4. Barbieri, C., Xu, S., Gil-Arroyo, C., & Rich, S. R. (2016). Agritourism, farm visit, or…? A branding assessment for recreation on farms. Journal of Travel Research, 55(8), 1094-1108. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
5. Brune, S., Knollenberg, W., Stevenson, K. T., Barbieri, C., & Schroeder-Moreno, M. (2020). The Influence of Agritourism Experiences on Consumer Behavior toward Local Food. Journal of Travel Research, 0047287520938869. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
6. Ciolac, R., Adamov, T., Iancu, T., Popescu, G., Lile, R., Rujescu, C., & Marin, D. (2019). Agritourism-A Sustainable development factor for improving the ‘health’of rural settlements. Case study Apuseni mountains area. Sustainability, 11(5), 1467. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef], 
7. Gannon, A. (1994). Rural tourism as a factor in rural community economic development for economies in transition. Journal of sustainable tourism, 2(1-2), 51-60. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
8. Gao, J., Barbieri, C., & Valdivia, C. (2014). Agricultural landscape preferences: Implications for agritourism development. Journal of Travel Research, 53(3), 366-379. [Google Scholar][CrossRef]
9. Jeczmyk, A., Uglis, J., Graja-Zwolińska, S., Maćkowiak, M., Spychała, A., & Sikora, J. (2015). Research note: Economic benefits of agritourism development in Poland—An empirical study. Tourism Economics, 21(5), 1120-1126. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
10. Lagravinese, R. (2013). Rural tourism and ancient traditions: Evidence from Italian regions. Local Economy, 28(6), 614-626. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
11. Loureiro, S. M. C., Breazeale, M., & Radic, A. (2019). Happiness with rural experience: Exploring the role of tourist mindfulness as a moderator. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 25(3), 279-300. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
12. Melstrom, R. T., & Murphy, C. (2018). Do agritourism visitors care about landscapes? An examination with producer-level data. Journal of Travel Research, 57(3), 360-369. [Google Scholar][CrossRef]
13. Phelan, C., & Sharpley, R. (2012). Exploring entrepreneurial skills and competencies in farm tourism. Local Economy, 27(2), 103-118. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
14. Privitera, D. (2010). The İmportance of Organic Agriculture In Tourism Rural. In Applied Studies In Agribusıness and Commerce (Apstract), 4, (1-2), 59-64. [Link]
15. RA marzes and Yerevan by figures. (2019). [Link]
16. Sznajder, M., Przezbórska, L., & Scrimgeour, F. (2009). Agritourism. Cabi. [Google Scholar]
17. The Demographic Handbook of Armenia (2019). [Link]
18. The socio-economic situation in 2019 January-December. [Link]
19. Tovmasyan, G. (2019). The opportunities of agritourism development in the Republic of Armenia. Annals of Agrarian Science, 17, 298–303. [Link]
20. Wall, G. (2000). Agrotourism. In J. Jafari (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of tourism, pp. 14–15. London: Routledge. [Link]
21. Wicks, B. E., & Merrett, C. D. (2003). Agritourism: An economic opportunity for Illinois. Rural Research Report, 14(9), 1-8. [Google Scholar]
22. WTTC, Armenia. (2019). Annual research: Key highlights. [Link]