Make the Tourism Connection that Leads to Increased Revenue

By Jane Eckert - Eckert AgriMarketing

There is lots of good news about agritourism. It has definitely moved onto the radar screen of professional tourism organizations. These are the folks who work to get tourists to visit your area, whether they're called the Convention and Visitor's Bureau or the Tourism Authority. Sometimes tourism comes under the umbrella of the chamber of commerce.

Wherever you find your regional tourism authority, its staff can make your job of attracting visitors to the farm much easier.

They reach out to tourists through advertising and marketing campaigns, they encourage travel writers to publish stories about your region, they can promote your farm to motor coach operators and they can teach you how to make a tourist's visit worthwhile and worthy of a return visit!

But instead of me telling you what they can do, I'll show you what farmers are doing to make the tourism connection work for them!

GREAT COUNTRY FARMS

At Great Country Farms, located outside of Washington, D.C., Kate Zurschmeide has worked with the Loudoun County Convention and Visitor's Association. The farm is represented on the Calendar of Events, sent out to 40,000 homes in the area, FOUR TIMES A YEAR!

One of the big attractions at Great Country Farms is its wedding business, and thanks to the CVA, the farm is represented at the Loudoun County booth at the biggest bridal fair in the Washington area.

The CVA also tackled thorny zoning issues when the county wanted to limit the size of special events and the number of people who could participate in activities like U-Pick. Thanks to the efforts of the CVA, restrictive zoning measures were defeated.

LATTIN FARM

Imagine how thrilled the Lattin family was when their farm - located in Fallon, Nevada - was featured on a television show about all the fun places to visit in Fallon. The Fallon Convention and Tourism Authority produced the show, which ran on public access cable television for one and a half years! Immediately, the public learned about the farm and came to visit. The Lattin Farm did not pay one penny to be included and also were give a copy of the video footage that they can use in future marketing efforts!

UNCLE SHUCK'S CORN MAZE

Mike Pinzl of Dawsonville, Georgia, will tell how much they got out of working with the Dawson County Convention Bureau along with the Georgia Bureau of Tourism. His tourism representative told him she wanted to develop an overnight package to the area and Mike was delighted to take the reins. He created a package around a day at Uncle Shuck's Corn Maze, dinner at a lovely restaurant and an overnight stay at a hotel in the area. The CVB and Shell Oil Company paid to advertise the package which was branded "Uncle Shuck's Getaway" and was featured in a state tourism publication, too.

COUNTY LINE ORCHARD

The Lake County CVB wants to turn this region in Indiana into a destination for Chicago travelers. That's good news for the McAfee family and its County Line Orchard in Hobard, Indiana. The Lake County CVB has assisted the County Line Orchard at NO CHARGE in creating professional marketing materials which will be used in various ways to reach the Chicago market.

ROBINETTE'S APPLE HAUS & GIFT BARN

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Robinettes are happy they joined the Visitors and Convention Bureau. Thanks to the efforts of the VCB, their farm is part of the "FAM" tours offered to motor coach operators as a way of familiarizing themselves with the region. More than 50% of the tour companies that have visited Robinette's have booked a tour stop!

Robinette's also has the advantage of being represented at VCB booth at the big tourism conventions and regional meetings, including the American Bus Association and the National Tour Association. It would be too expensive for the farm to rent and staff a booth, but thanks to the VCB, tour operators learn about what they have to offer.

These are just a few examples of the success agritourism operators are experiencing when they work with their regional tourism authorities. Working with these groups is one of the best professional marketing tools you can use to attract visitors to your farm. Best of all, membership fees are either free or minimal. So make the call today and make the connection to profits on your farm.

Eckert AgriMarketing (www.eckertagrimarkting.com), a full-service marketing and public relations firm that helps farmers to sell directly to consumers, diversify operations and become tourist destinations. Jane can be reached at 314-862-6288 or you may to email her directly.