Abstract
Simple SummaryAnimals are an integral and important part of human life. It is clear that when traveling, tourists often choose places where animals are present. They look for places with wild animals more often. Our article introduces issues concerning the role of farm animals in the creation of agritourism products and the prospects of using animals in agritourism. On the one hand, farm animals are an additional source for people who run agritourism farms and make the stay of tourists in rural areas more attractive. The presence of livestock acts as a magnet, attracting more tourists to these farms and achieving higher returns on agritourism activities. However, among the reasons for the lack of contact with animals in agritourism offerings, farmers indicated: the lack of financial resources and the lack of conditions to provide the animals with adequate maintenance. It is worth introducing farm animals as a tourist attraction in agritourism offerings.Animals are an integral part of human life. Currently, they constitute a relevant factor contributing to the tourist experiences of individuals travelling for tourist purposes. Domestic (farm) animals constitute a tourist attraction, are a source of income for individuals running agritourism farms, and render the tourists’ stay in rural areas more attractive. It is important to maintain the welfare of livestock based on principles of sustainability. The authors conducted research among agritourism providers in Wielkopolska Voivodeship. The aim of the survey was to determine whether agritourism farms keep livestock, what species they are, and whether they are important in building an agritourism product and what the prospects are for using animals in agritourism. A questionnaire was used for the study. The use of a variety of animal species facilitates the maintenance of biodiversity on the farm. Our research shows that 57.3% of the analysed agritourism providers included animals. Additionally, we discovered that the presence of livestock acts as a magnet that draws more tourists towards the individuals running agritourism farms and thus causes them to obtain higher profit from the agritourism business. According to the surveyed individuals, the most influential reason for the absence of livestock on their farms was the lack of financial resources and conditions to provide the animals with proper maintenance. Such findings may prompt the introduction of livestock as a tourist attraction in agritourism in other regions.
Highlights
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Animals have been accompanying humans for centuries [1], constituting an essential part of the surrounding ecosystem [2]
This study aims to determine whether farm animals—and if so, which species—are kept on agritourism farms, and whether the farm animals affect the attractiveness of the agritourism offering
The questionnaire consists of the following parts: part I—questions related to the location of the agritourism farm (3 questions), part II—records and a brief description of agritourism and agricultural activities (8 questions), part III—identification of species kept on the agritourism farm (2 questions), part IV—assessment of the attractiveness of animals kept on an agritourism farm (5 questions)
Summary
Animals have been accompanying humans for centuries [1], constituting an essential part of the surrounding ecosystem [2]. They interact with humans on the level of production and coexistence. In this case, production should be understood as the provision of food and animal raw materials, such as clothing [3]. Keeping livestock for food purposes fits perfectly into this notion. Coexistence refers to wild animals whose presence is important for maintaining biodiversity in the ecosystem
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
