Take a Back Road: Arkansas Agritourism Initiative promotes stress-free vacations, rural economy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LITTLE ROCK – The organizers of a new initiative are hopeful that consumers will take a back road and help drive tourism dollars into rural Arkansas.
The Arkansas Agritourism Initiative, launched July 12 at Little Rock’s River Market, is offering a way for businesses as diverse as wineries, farmers’ markets and hunting and fishing lodges, to help develop tourism and reintroduce Arkansans to the rich heritage rooted in the Natural State.
“The time is perfect for this initiative,” said Stacey McCullough a community and economic development instructor for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. “Urbanites are seeking an escape from the city within an easy, short drive.
“Meanwhile, our countryside counterparts have so many unique opportunities for exploration,” she said.
In the Natural State, agritourism encompasses a wide variety of activities including farmers’ markets, U-pick farms, trail riding facilities, farm tours, Christmas tree farms and some eco-tourism ventures.
“Agritourism is a way to build a bridge between rural and urban Arkansas,” McCullough said.
The Arkansas Agritourism Initiative is growing out of a partnership among:
• Arkansas Agriculture Department
• Arkansas Farm Bureau
• Arkansas Parks and Tourism
• Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
• National Agricultural Law Center
• Winthrop Rockefeller Institute of the University of Arkansas System
• University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Public Policy Center
• University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
Each of our agencies provides services to rural Arkansas,” she said. “We see agritourism as a way for us to combine our strengths to help the industry organize and grow in Arkansas.”
One of the initiative’s first actions will be to undertake a study of agritourism in Arkansas and its effects on communities and the economy. The study will be conducted by McCullough and Dr. Daniel Rainey, an associate professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness at the University of Arkansas.
Agritourism is a growing industry in the United States. The Agriculture Department estimates that 2.5 percent of all U.S. farms earned income from agritourism in 2004. More than half of all farms receiving recreational farm income were located in the South.
The economic impact of agritourism is pegged in the millions. In Vermont, income from agritourism grew from $10.5 million in 2000 to $19.5 million just two years later. In California, wine rules the agritourism roost, bringing in nearly 20 million visitors with $2 billion in annual expenditures.
For more information about the Arkansas Agritourism Initiative, visit www.arkagritourism.org or email info@arkagritourism.org.
Contact: Elizabeth Fortune, Cooperative Extension Service, 501-671-2120, efortune@uaex.edu
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LITTLE ROCK – The organizers of a new initiative are hopeful that consumers will take a back road and help drive tourism dollars into rural Arkansas.
The Arkansas Agritourism Initiative, launched July 12 at Little Rock’s River Market, is offering a way for businesses as diverse as wineries, farmers’ markets and hunting and fishing lodges, to help develop tourism and reintroduce Arkansans to the rich heritage rooted in the Natural State.
“The time is perfect for this initiative,” said Stacey McCullough a community and economic development instructor for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. “Urbanites are seeking an escape from the city within an easy, short drive.
“Meanwhile, our countryside counterparts have so many unique opportunities for exploration,” she said.
In the Natural State, agritourism encompasses a wide variety of activities including farmers’ markets, U-pick farms, trail riding facilities, farm tours, Christmas tree farms and some eco-tourism ventures.
“Agritourism is a way to build a bridge between rural and urban Arkansas,” McCullough said.
The Arkansas Agritourism Initiative is growing out of a partnership among:
• Arkansas Agriculture Department
• Arkansas Farm Bureau
• Arkansas Parks and Tourism
• Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
• National Agricultural Law Center
• Winthrop Rockefeller Institute of the University of Arkansas System
• University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Public Policy Center
• University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
Each of our agencies provides services to rural Arkansas,” she said. “We see agritourism as a way for us to combine our strengths to help the industry organize and grow in Arkansas.”
One of the initiative’s first actions will be to undertake a study of agritourism in Arkansas and its effects on communities and the economy. The study will be conducted by McCullough and Dr. Daniel Rainey, an associate professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness at the University of Arkansas.
Agritourism is a growing industry in the United States. The Agriculture Department estimates that 2.5 percent of all U.S. farms earned income from agritourism in 2004. More than half of all farms receiving recreational farm income were located in the South.
The economic impact of agritourism is pegged in the millions. In Vermont, income from agritourism grew from $10.5 million in 2000 to $19.5 million just two years later. In California, wine rules the agritourism roost, bringing in nearly 20 million visitors with $2 billion in annual expenditures.
For more information about the Arkansas Agritourism Initiative, visit www.arkagritourism.org or email info@arkagritourism.org.
Contact: Elizabeth Fortune, Cooperative Extension Service, 501-671-2120, efortune@uaex.edu
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Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-682-7606
E-mail: info@arkansas.com
May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
"Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism"