Differences in sustainability outcomes between agritourism and non-agritourism farms based on robust empirical evidence from the Tyrol/Trentino mountain region

Abstract

Agritourism is an increasingly popular form of rural tourism that involves agricultural activities and operations aimed at attracting visitors to a farm. We contribute to the literature by examining the sustainability differences between agritourism (ATFs) and non-agritourism farms (non-ATFs) in the Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino Euroregion and the impact of agritourism on traditional farming activities. The research questions are answered using collected farm survey data (n = 493) and propensity score techniques that allow to estimate treatment effects of agritourism adoption by controlling for selection biases. The results reveal that agritourism adoption has a positive impact on economic sustainability outcomes such as income increases, but negative impacts on production quantity and production value. As to social sustainability outcomes, we find negative effects of agritourism activity on family free time and interactions with the local community, but a positive impact on partner involvement in farm activities. Environmentally, some practices adopted by ATFs become more sustainable, such as a higher use of organic production, renewable energies and active waste management, but others do not. The results indicate that agritourism can offer sustainability advantages, but a differentiated assessment is necessary. Therefore, for policy decisions, it is crucial to understand the benefits and drawbacks of agritourism and align public support measures with overall rural development policy objectives while also considering agritourism promotion effects on food security and local-food production needs.