A profile of Farm tourism: the South West Tapestry Region of Western Australia

This paper profiles South West Tapestry farm tourism ventures in terms of location, accommodation type, property size, operational history, visitor sources, seasonal demand patterns, advertising methods, activities and attractions. A strong shift in accommodation supply away from bed and breakfast towards selfcontained accommodation is identified, associated with a significant increase in bed numbers in the self-contained sector. The research also shows evidence of extensive involvement of farm tourism operators in interactive farm-related activities with guests. This research shows a similar pattern to the Eastern States in terms of diversity of farm size, operators’ income sources, motivations, and length of operation. Different patterns exist in the types of accommodation and sources of guests