Agri-tourism: A modern development in Bahamian agriculture

The Bahamas has made tourism the country’s primary economic force. Tourism comprises approximately half of gross domestic product while agriculture comprises approximately three percent. The Bahamas has a lack of development in other sectors of the economy, (e.g. agriculture), putting the country at a global disadvantage. In order for The Bahamas to compete globally there has to be some level of food security and a larger share of alternative venues of economic activity. The lack of connection between the local farming community and the hospitality industry has been identified as one of the main areas that can potentially ease the over reliance on foreign foodstuffs. This paper is based on data from tourist surveys, interviews and personal observation. A classification model of agritourism enterprises is introduced and important linkages between agriculture and tourism are examined. This research investigated three varying agritourism enterprises as modern developments in agriculture and prospects for developing an economic diversification strategy for The Bahamas, utilizing agritourism. The research observed that the greatest barriers to agritourism were on the supply side. Issues such as: lack of government interest, policy, farming labor and funding were key barriers for the farmers’ perspective whereas elites touted low production and limited farmer reliability as barriers. Bureaucrats and academics found lack of policy, limited amount of farmers and lack of resources (technical, financial, infrastructure) as obstacles. This research has revealed that agritourism can be a success with careful planning, market determination and strong marketing coupled with the will to adapt and remain flexible