Farm Tourism: A Preliminary Study of Participants’ Expectations and Perceptions of Farm Tours

Tourism is a major redistributor of resources within the domestic sector with substantial multiplier effects. The majority of tourism businesses in Australia are small and medium enterprises (SMEs). As tourism is a labour-intensive industry, the promotion of tourism SMEs blends well with models of community and regional development, as small firms provide the underpinning for local entrepreneurship and job generation. Farm tourism encompasses a set of economic activities with a tremendous potential for future domestic earnings and regional development, drawing on services provided by local governments and regional communities. The paper analyses whether there are significant differences between the expectations and perceptions of participants of a guided tour in an organic farm. The results of the research may be useful in developing an interpretive and tour management model which will help to sustain rural communities in farm environments through tourism, and engage the support of local and regional government.