Agritourism - Washington State University

IV. Summary
The agritourism industry in Washington, as a whole, is still developing. The most well known
agritourism activities are wine tours and tastings -- located in the Southeast region of the state.
On the other hand, the most common agritourism activities, such as farm and ranch tours,
pumpkin patches, Christmas tree stands and U-pick activities, are not as well known outside of
the state. In contrast, direct marketing activities are well established in the Washington. The
Northwest and Northeast regions in Washington contain many well-established farms that sell
their produce directly in road-side stands, to local stores and in direct-to-consumer programs.
Most farms that conduct some type of agritourism activity have been in business for less
than 20 years and have a farm area less than 100 acres and relatively low gross revenue less than
$100,000. Firms that conduct some type of direct marketing have been in business a longer
period of time with most having had at least 10 years of experience. There are more large farms
that conduct direct marketing compared to those that conduct agritourism activities but most are
also small and have 10-200 acres of farmland. There is also more heterogeneity in gross revenue
for those that conduct some form of direct marketing.
The two main reasons why firms in the agritourism and direct marketing industry in
Washington operate are to earn additional income from operations and to help educate people
about farming and agriculture.Respondents feel that state regulations, zoning laws and potential
liability are the main hindrances to operation. Farm operators in the industry rely on social
networks to enhance production capacity as well as help increase demand for their product or
service. Development of social networks may help overcome current and future obstacles of
firms in the industry.
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