The way to agritourist development from constraints to opportunities

peer reviewedIn the northwest European countryside, diversification is a common option to preserve a viable agricultural business because many farmers have to restructure their activities to face increasing pressures. Many choose tourism business as a mean of diversification. To examine the supply aspect of agritourism development, the paper scrutinizes the motivations or choices reasons for farm tourism as a mean of diversification. Actually some main reasons have been underlined in the literature. Even if economic and financial reasons like new incomes and employments, stability towards agricultural market fluctuations or a better use of farm ressources are the first motivations mentioning, more social and external reasons like sharing experiences, success of other farmers, meeting of people, education of public and consummer, personal interest as a hobby are also significant. Choice reasons may change over time, be different according to the own characteristics of the farm, its development and its environment, or depend on gender. This paper uses data’s from interviews conducted in agritourism accomodations in the Walloon Region and in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg to explore these motivations. The research is based on a content analysis aiming a graphical representation of the motivations using an adapted actantial model: a multi-scale analysis identifying the adjuvants and constraints of such motivations is used. The first analysis stress that the answer to a market opportunity and the potential new assignement of unused farm buildings are also observed. Moreover it is showned that entrepreneurship and opportunities come as being factors quite as important as a development based on a survival of the farm.AFR - Aides à la Formation-Recherch