Agritourism in Colorado: The Visitors, the Economics and the Opportunities Dawn Thilmany & Martha Sullins Colorado State University Extension Department of Ag & Resource Economics March 2007 Photo: Pat Martin Photo: Tammy Mattics Photo: Randy Mills Photo: Joel Boymel

Growing Agritourism in Colorado 1. Understanding the landscape Producer inventory, 2005 – Colorado Dept of Agriculture Agritourism directory on- line, 2007 – Colorado Dept of Agriculture Producer inventory, 2007 – Colorado Dept of Agriculture & CSU Photo: Nat Coalson

Growing Agritourism in Colorado 2. Understanding Colorado’s agritourists” Consumer survey, 2007 – Colorado Dept of Agriculture & CSU Photo: Karen Seim

3. Supporting businesses & communities 3 producer workshops (Steamboat, Akron) 2 scheduled workshops (La Junta, Cortez, Delta) Numerous community outreach presentations 4 fact sheets and more to come for tech. asst. Growing Agritourism in Colorado Photo: Mary Erlenborn

In Colorado, agritourism includes: Outdoor recreation (fishing, hunting, wildlife photography, horseback riding). Educational experiences (farm and cannery tours, cooking classes, wine tasting, cattle drives, farm work). Entertainment (harvest festivals, corn mazes). Hospitality services (farm and ranch stays, guided tours, outfitter services). On-farm direct sales (u-pick operations, roadside stands). Off-the-farm direct sales (farmers’ markets, county and state fairs, special events). Photo: Carol Lauer Photo: Tina Beedy Photo: Susan Hickel Photo: Jim Deeds

Why is agritourism important? The travel and tourism industry has become increasingly important in the Intermountain West: 90% of total employment in some counties is in the industry A total of 106 Western rural counties had more than 1,000 travel and tourism jobs in 2000 Ag income & diversification: $10.1 million in recreational services in 2002 Moffat had highest recreational income at $1.3 million (63% of total farm income) Tourism as Ag Industry Education/Promotion Tool!! Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Economic Review, 2003; USDA Census of Ag., 2002.

Targeting traveler segments “Cluster” visitors by like characteristics Planning Mode of travel Activities chosen Expenditures, etc. Easier to develop cohesive marketing strategies than for “average” traveler We can define them… ….target those with greatest potential …..and create recommendations

Agritourism visitors by cluster Out-of-State Activity Seekers 97% out of state +970,000/year Spend $228/day * Mostly unplanned Loyal CO Enthusiasts 62% in-state +3.6 million/year $110/day *diverse agritourism activities; return often Family Ag Adventurers 76% out of state +4.5 million/year $153/day *plan for agritourism; travel long distances Visitorship based on estimates of 13.1 million agritourists visiting Colorado in 2006.

Agritourism visitors by cluster Accidental Tourists 65% out of state 424,000/year $87/day *no leisure planning In-State Explorers 62% in-state +3.9 million/year $132/day *least interested in agritourism but culinary events may be key

Economic contribution Overall, 13.2 million visitors engaged in some agritourism in 2006: Total contribution to economy estimated at $2.2 billion with $1.26 billion in direct activity $1.7 billion from out of state  bigger impact 14% of total tourism by CTO estimates 14,665 in direct employment (7% of tourism) Will these numbers be maintained or grow in 2007 and beyond? Photo: Spencer George

Looking ahead to… Partnerships & networks Of 398 in-state; 500 out-of-state travelers. Multiple responses given 54% used 1 information source; 18% used 2 sources; 11% used 3 different ones.

Looking ahead to… Community-level considerations No. times mentioned across all respondents Ave. satisfaction w/activities=1.58 (scale 1-5); less satisfaction w/some infrastructure

Planning for…Producer concerns Source: 2007 Producer Survey, Colorado Dept. of Agriculture. N=91

Challenges Shifting visitors from unplanned to planned agritourism Increases expenditures at local level Rounding out trips: 87% of all travelers were satisfied with their visits But 13% would have liked more agritourism and other activities to round out their trip; would have paid for it Creating impression that Colorado is a “good value” trip for them, especially those with large expense to travel Especially those for whom CO is a big, planned expense on leisure Improving tourism infrastructure for agritourism Tying more on-farm & ranch activities to food-oriented events Directional signage to make travelers more aware & directed Interpretative signage for those wanting an educational experience

Partnerships to Address Cha llenges Colorado Tourism Office Expand information and promotion through these popular planning resources Colorado Department of Agriculture Directories, MarketMaker Other Partnerships USDA Rural Development programs, Division of Wildlife, County Ag Boards and Economic Development agencies

For Consumers

Colorado Farm Fresh 24 th Edition New! Agritourism Activities Over 100 farms that sell direct to public 90,000 copies distributed statewide

New Resource for Promotion Market Maker is a free tool to: Help Consumers find Producers Help Producers Promote their Operations and Products Assess the food and agriculture of an area: Providing an inventory and great networking resource

Search Example Can zoom into or out of an area…. Leverages databases and directories

Promotion Possibilities MarketMaker is coming to Colorado!! Collaboration of CDA and CSU Extension We will add the agritourism directory Important to get everyone’s information Develop your Web presence now Other Features Buyers/sellers forum More search capabilities

More Details

Who are Colorado’s “agritourists?” The Average Traveler to Colorado agritourism in % out-of-state (AZ, NM or UT), varies by region 37% had incomes over $75,000/year while only 12% earned under $30,000/year 46 years old and 73% married: 20% parents w/children under 6; while 22% have kids 6+ years old; 15% are retired couples; 28% are younger couples, no kids 15% are singles 90% identified themselves as White (7% of these Hispanic) How does this affect your marketing strategies??  Corresponds to other surveys on general & heritage traveler characteristics

Resources Fact sheets at ols.htm Of Wine and Wildlife: Assessing Market Potential for Colorado Agritourism Colorado’s Agritourists: Who are the Adventurers, the Seekers and the Explorers? Agritourism in Colorado: A Closer Look at Regional Trends Web site

What are travelers spending? Total expenditures ($) Total expenditures per day ($) MeanSDMeanSD Out-of-state $ * $ * In-state $ * $ * Total $ $ * Significantly different at a 95% confidence level.