The Economic Impact of Agritourism in Nigeria (2)

How to Increase Agritourism in Nigeria

Government Efforts: No doubt, the government has a huge role to play in the growth of Agro tourism and in Agriculture in general through either setting favourable policies or supporting rural farmers with funding and making it easier for tourists to visit.

A research by FN Nnadi and CD Akwiwu recommends that for agro-tourism to contribute to rural development in Nigeria, the national policy on tourism should be reviewed to be trendy with modern tenets. Also, private initiative and involvement in tourism should be encouraged. Nominal compilation of actual and potential agro-tourism sites in the nation should be undertaken in addition to launching extension education campaign on agro-tourism.

Attract Tourists with Videos: have you seen those ads? The ones that say “Visit Dubai” or “South Africa Tourism?” They capture the essence of the country by showing the rich historic culture of the country, tourists visiting, and hospitality. We can adapt this same strategy to agritourism. By promoting videos that show the beauty in Agriculture, we can attract people from other countries to tour our rich agricultural landscape.

Social Media: A great tool for creating new connections, building relationships, communication and sharing information, social media can go a long way in promoting agritourism in Nigeria. Another big benefit of social media is you can promote any message to millions of people around the world for free (from your personal, corporate or friend’s account) or at a quarter of the cost compared to what it would be if you were using other media.

Individuals can organize social media campaigns to promote their agritourism business while engaging with those interested on a personal level. Likewise, organisations can leverage social media influencers to promote attractive agritourism packages to their followers.

Preserve: Civilization and the influx of tourists to a certain region will lead to diversity and pulling down old structures to erect new ones. While this is certainly geared towards growth, it may be best to preserve certain environments, tools and processes in order to retain intrigue. Once the Agro environment no longer holds any intrigue or things that people haven’t seen before in their countries, it will be hard to hold their interest and encourage a repeat visit.

Incentivize: Another way to promote agriculture tourist activities is to use incentives. Incentives have long been used as a promotion tool for businesses and if your business is going to benefit from agritourism, you can put together a program that would entice tourists to patronize your business. An example of such incentive is a loyalty program, discount or tourist pack, which can include personal items like tour brochure, torch, toothbrush, etc.

Education: The stunted growth of agritourism or agrotourism in Nigeria can be largely blamed on lack of enlightenment and education programs on the benefits of tourism. If a farmer or people in the agriculture value chain can see the immense benefit of attracting tourist to their business, then they will be more receptive in creatively attracting tourist attention.

A major benefit of Agro-tourism is that it leads to a significant injection of cash into the agricultural ecosystem.

Whether it is recreation, direct agricultural sale or educational experiences, here are some agritourism activities and some of the ways in which agro tourism generates income for agricultural enterprises: Horseback riding; Wildlife viewing & photography; Fee fishing; Camping/picnicking (combined); Fee hunting; Cross-country skiing; Game preserve; Off-road vehicles; School tours; Garden/nursery tours.

Others are Winery tours; Agricultural technical tours; Historical agriculture exhibits; Agricultural Manufacturing company tour; Micro-brewery tours; Exotic animal farm; On-farm sales; Roadside stand; Agriculture-related crafts/gifts; Bed & breakfast inn; Farm/ranch vacations; Guest ranch; Youth exchange; Concerts or special events; Festivals or fairs; Petting zoo; Hunting/working dog trials/training; Guide/outfitter operation; Farmers’ market and many more.