A Wor(l)d of Agritourism? A Cross-national Validation of the Global Agritourism Network’s definition.

Abstract The growing popularity of agritourism highlights the need for a unified, global definition to ensure clarity and consistency. Until recently, the lack of such a definition hindered marketing, outreach and international collaboration. To address this, the Global Agritourism Network (GAN) formed a working group to conceptualize agritourism. A clear, shared definition is important to tell agritourism apart from other types of rural tourism and to identify what ‘real’ agritourism is, particularly as some activities may be purely commercial or diverting from the main goals of this agricultural enterprise. GAN’s definition includes four key components: agriculture diversification activity, agriculture-tourism intersection, authentic experiences, and showcasing resources. This paper presents 17 national examples from across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania to illustrate how they fit within GAN’s agritourism definition. These national examples highlight diversities in agritourism and its regional adaptations, offering in-depth insights into agriculture and tourism worldwide. The cross-national approach enhances global understanding of agritourism and supports comparative insights across disciplines and policy contexts. Broader impacts on rural development and education may emerge over time, however, the primary focus of this study lies in validating and contextualizing the GAN agritourism definition across national settings. As the GAN’s definition has gained social legitimacy, further case studies are needed to develop an impact assessment framework that strengthens agritourism’s role in marketing, rural development, and sustainable tourism efforts worldwide.