Which Countryside for which Agritourism? A comparative Analysis

The resources of the rural countryside in Europe are subject to many pressures and the difficulties arising in the rural zones somehow jeopardise the agriculture: agricultural activities is decreasing and farmers are losing importance. These difficulties relate to the pressures exerted on farmers: pressures due to the world competition, to the evolution from the spread of suburbanisation, to the tendency of young people to leave rural life, to transport problems in the rural areas. Farmers are seeking to diversify their activities. One of the solutions claims in many regions, both for the farmers and the regions, aiming to improve the rural economy is the development of agritourism or farm tourism. Agritourism is also seen as a means for rural communities to link producers and consumers again strengthening the social capital. This paper attempts to analyse the diversity of the agritouristic offer (sale of farm products, camping close to the farm, bed and breakfast, farm stays) in Europe by proceeding to an analysis of the different strengths and opportunities but also of the constraints of its development. It proposes to question the necessary links between the agritourism activities and the countryside regarding the landscape quality, the tourism tradition, the traditional farm systems, the accessibility, the regional development policy, and so on. The paper establish a typology of the countryside according to farm tourism, and exploit particularly an in depth analysis of some European areas (the Walloon Region, Slovenia and the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg).