This guideline is about providing mentors with terminology of Agrotourism, what are the essential aspects in order to develop Agrotourism, what are the benefits of Agritourism and describes the kind of services of an Agritourism establishment.
Agrotourism is an alternative form of holidaymaking and one of the ecotourism sub-sectors in which the visitors stay in farms, ranches and family-run traditional establishments, and small-scale accommodation in rural areas. Visitors can participate in farm and agricultural activities, pick and purchase the local produce, learn about environmentally-friendly or historical means of agriculture, participate in harvesting activities in rural and agriculture-based communities, visit small rural enterprises for tasting and purchasing locally made local food & wine. Additionally, the nature of Agrotourism regions vary depending on their resources, competitive advantages such as specialty products, scenery and their target market. Agrotourism ventures include a variety of participant, educational, and spectator experiences conducted on-farm, such as outdoor recreation (fishing, horse riding); educational experiences (farm and winery tours, cooking classes, wine tasting, special interest, agriculture tours or on-farm work); entertainment (food and wine festivals); hospitality.
The Royal Goat Farm – The farm is located just a few kilometers outside the capital of Nicosia, in the area of Paliometocho. The creation of the farm started 26 years ago from the Papadopoulou family. It was initially planted with lemons, oranges, pears, olives and gradually the orchard with the flower beds for the seasonal vegetables and the greenhouse was created, while a little later the corral for the goats and sheep was built. Gradually the animal kingdom was enriched with hens, geese, turkeys, rabbits and donkeys. Later, the small cheese factory was created for the production of traditional Cypriot cheeses (halloumi, anari, flauna cheese, Tillyria halitzi, etc.) and the bakery with traditional wood-fired ovens. Every corner of the farm offers to the visitor moments of calm, rejuvenation, relaxation into the beauty of nature. The visitor gets to know the Cypriot land and discovers forgotten tastes, sounds, smells and aromas and enjoy breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner in the “The Barn ” restaurant of the Royal Goat Farm, a place where you will taste authentic, fresh food from the local produce. The Farm attracts a lot of visitors, families, couples, seniors, etc.
The benefits and impact you might have from the guideline implementation are:
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The Farms’ Charm project aims to develop learning materials to educate small and medium-sized farmers in possible ways of starting their agritourism activities which will help them not only diversify their incomes but also promote their farm products directly to consumers. All that while reviving the rural areas and local communities and promoting a sustainable way of tourism which is in line with the tendencies of slowing down and staying longer at one area.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. The content of this website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.