By Carly Ross, NFUS Director of Communications and Marketing
When most people think about agritourism, they picture glamping pods, farm cafés or a weekend away in the countryside.
But after attending the Global Agritourism Conference in Aberdeen this summer, I came away convinced that agritourism is about far more than attracting visitors. Around the world, it's helping farmers and crofters diversify their businesses, strengthen local economies and connect consumers with the food they produce. Scotland has a real opportunity to build on that success.
The conference brought together more than 550 delegates from over 50 countries, but despite the different landscapes and businesses represented, one message came through clearly: visitors want authentic experiences, real food and genuine connections with the people who produce it.
Crofting has always been about much more than food production. It is woven into the culture, landscapes and communities of the Highlands and Islands. Visitors don't just come to admire the scenery. They want to meet the people who live and work there, hear their stories and understand how food is produced in some of Scotland's most iconic places.
Whether it's sharing locally produced seafood overlooking a sea loch, spending a day on a working croft, learning traditional skills or simply enjoying a meal made from food produced a few miles away, these experiences leave a lasting impression. They also help visitors understand the vital role crofters play in maintaining our landscapes, biodiversity and rural communities.
Food featured heavily throughout the conference, and rightly so.
Again and again, speakers talked about provenance, local produce and giving consumers confidence in where their food comes from. Across the world there is growing demand for food with a story behind it, and Scotland is well placed to meet that demand.
One of my favourite moments from the conference was the gala dinner. It wasn't simply a meal, it was a showcase of Scottish farming. Every ingredient had a story, from Scottish smoked salmon and Orkney dairy to Moray Speyside Scotch Beef, Aberdeenshire carrots, Perthshire broccoli, Angus peas, Ayrshire new potatoes and cheeses from the Isle of Mull and Kintyre. It perfectly captured what agritourism is all about - celebrating the people, places and produce that make Scotland unique. When visitors can enjoy food like this while hearing directly from the people who produce it, they leave with a much deeper appreciation of Scottish agriculture.
That creates opportunities well beyond traditional tourism.
Farm shops, cafés, guided walks, tasting events, accommodation, craft workshops and seasonal experiences all help businesses generate additional income while strengthening the connection between producers and consumers. For many crofting businesses, these additional income streams can make an important contribution to long-term resilience.
There’s another benefit too. Agritourism allows farmers and crofters to tell their own story.
For many visitors, a trip to a croft may be their first meaningful interaction with agriculture. Seeing livestock being cared for, hearing about the challenges of producing food in remote areas or understanding why local sourcing matters creates a level of trust that no advertising campaign can achieve.
As an organisation, NFU Scotland has seen first-hand how interested consumers are in food provenance through our ShelfWatch campaign. People increasingly want to know where their food comes from and support Scottish producers. Agritourism gives us another opportunity to have those conversations directly with consumers when they're already thinking about local food and local businesses.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the conference was the number of entrepreneurial, family-run businesses, many led by younger people and women. They were combining traditional agriculture with fresh ideas, using digital marketing and innovative visitor experiences to create resilient businesses while remaining firmly rooted in food production.
Agritourism won't suit every farm or croft, but for those looking to diversify, demand for authentic rural experiences is clearly growing.
One discussion at the conference particularly resonated with me. Delegates from several countries highlighted that while agritourism is growing rapidly, policy and regulation often struggle to keep pace.
That challenge is particularly relevant in Scotland. While farmers and crofters share many of the same ambitions around diversification, crofting operates within its own unique legal and policy framework. Many crofting businesses are smaller, more remote and face additional challenges around housing, infrastructure, common grazing, connectivity and planning. Supporting agritourism in crofting communities therefore requires policy that recognises those differences.
Creating the right environment doesn't mean lowering standards. It means ensuring planning, infrastructure, digital connectivity and business support work together, giving both farmers and crofters the confidence to invest in ways that suit their businesses and communities.
For NFU Scotland, agritourism isn't about becoming a tourism organisation. It's about recognising another way our members can build profitable, resilient businesses while strengthening public understanding of Scottish agriculture.
Scotland already has world-class food, spectacular landscapes and generations of farming and crofting knowledge. With policies that recognise the distinct needs of crofting alongside farming, and the right support for diversification, agritourism can become an even stronger part of rural Scotland's future, bringing more visitors while helping more people understand and value those who produce our food.