A new plan to link Colorado farmers and ranchers into the agritourism business as a way of improving their profits has been hatched.
The plan will mainly benefit Coloradoans directly, according to Laura Grey, heritage and agritourism program manager for the Colorado Tourism Office.
“We hope for this to help farmers, ranchers and the myriad of businesses that are offering agritourism-related offerings to travelers,” Grey said.
Tourism organizations, chambers of commerce and destination marketing organizations also will benefit by having more attractions to lure travelers, she said. Agritourism is generally known as the practice of offering opportunities to people to visit an agricultural operation to experience how the food or drink is produced.
The three-year plan to develop Colorado’s agritourism industry was presented for the first time at the second Southwest Tourism Summit held in Durango last week. The three-day event was all about experience with hands-on tours and demonstrations rather than presentations.
Experience was the theme of the keynote presentation by Paul Nakamoto, vice chairman of the National Tour Association board of directors.
Tourists are booking more adventure tours and activities that require more action on their part, he said.
“It’s all about creating the family experience. The farther you go on the train, the longer time you’ve spent together and the closer you are,” he said.
But trains are no longer what some tourists look for. Trains and railroads come in waves, and they are just cycling out, Nakamoto said.
The Durango Area Tourism Office doesn’t think the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad will see the same drop in numbers as other trains, though.
“It feels like the opposite here. (Owner) Al Harper is switching it up. He’s constantly improving and expanding the experience,” said DATO executive director Patti O’Brien. “I think that’s the key.”
O’Brien cited the Polar Express and the Dinosaur Train, which the D&SNG is bringing back for a second year this summer, as examples of Harper’s innovation.
One of the hands-on experiences for attendees was a tour of Linda’s Organic Restaurant and James Ranch where they talked to several farmers who are already benefiting from agritourism.
Wendy White, a marketing specialist for the Colorado Department of Agriculture, said the state’s farms already offer agritourism opportunities. However, the new strategic plan will increase awareness and sensitization of the public.
“We wanted to provide the public with the information so they don’t have to travel far to experience some of these really unique activities,” White said.
The objective of the plan is to bring more visitors from Colorado, other states and abroad and, ultimately, more money to rural farms, which are often overlooked in favor of the Rocky Mountains or other outdoor recreational activities.
Farms and ranches hoping to venture into agritourism can apply for a matching grants program to fund the development of attractions and marketing efforts, such as adding highway signs.
“Now that we have the plan, we will create a budget around the program requirements, but this will take time as we look at the recommended timeline included in the plan,” Grey said.
The grants will be given to location-based clusters of agritourism offerings with an emphasis on those in rural areas.
The Colorado Tourism Office also plans to address some of the barriers to agritourism, including liability concerns.
The state has certain protections for horse- and agriculture-related activities, White said, but some farmers and ranchers are still nervous about the potential for lawsuits.
The plan noted that the Colorado Tourism Office will evaluate the state’s legal protections as compared to other states to determine if any changes are needed.
Marketing is also a key part of the three-year strategy, and the state hopes to make information about agritourism opportunities more accessible.
jdahl@durangoherald.com Dorothy Nakaweesi is a visiting journalist from Kampala, Uganda.
