Australian Agritourism Network announced in Scotland
Australian farmers who run tourism businesses on working properties now have a national peak body called the Australian Agritourism Network.
President Tim Parsons announced the farmer-led body at the Global Agritourism Network Conference in Scotland.
AAN has been set up to build a stronger communication network and to represent, support and advocate for agritourism operators across Australia.
According to Parsons, Tourism Research Australia has documented strong demand for agritourism, while supply-side information remains limited.
He said farmers face a knowledge gap and are often over-regulated, over-advised and underrepresented.
“The time is right to launch a farmer, operator led, national association as a critical outcome to the strategic goal of forming a national agritourism body,” Parsons said.
He also pointed to fragmented policy, different state priorities and competition for support and extension services across Australia.
As a result, Parsons argued that a network run by farmers offers the best way forward for the sector.
Curringa Farm in Tasmania
In central Tasmania, Parsons and his family are seventh-generation farmers at Curringa Farm.
Curringa Farm is a 300ha mixed farm with 9 self-contained cottages and farm tours.
Visitors at Curringa Farm can watch sheep shearing, see dog show demonstrations and join BBQ lunches.
The agritourism side of the business began in 1984, giving the family four decades of experience in farm tourism.
In 2024, Agritourism India gave Curringa Farm a Global Agritourism Award.
Parsons has also worked on local, regional, national and global tourism platforms as an agritourism advocate.
Across Australia, farm experiences now marketed to visitors include picking apples from trees, milking a cow and finishing the day around a campfire with local wine.
Although agritourism is not new, the sector is now gaining wider recognition as an emerging tourism market in Australia.
Farmers involved in agritourism want a seat at the table so the industry can grow sustainably while protecting the primacy of agriculture.
Queensland farmer Kay Tommerup is part of that push and also serves as vice president of AAN and president of Agritourism Queensland.
Meanwhile, the AAN committee includes farmer representatives from across the country drawn from different agricultural and agritourism businesses.
