Characteristics of selected aspects of activities of agritourism farms in the Bug valley in the province of Lubelskie

Abstract

The article presents characteristics of selected aspects of activities undertaken by agritourism farms, including forms of recreation in rural communes situated along the Bug River in the province of Lubelskie, with special emphasis on what farm owners regard as barriers to and enablers of agritourism and eco-tourism. Information used in the study was collected in a survey carried out in 2018 in communes located in the Bug River valley in three provinces: Lubelskie, Podlaskie and Mazowieckie, which involved 99 owners of agritourism farms, classified either as conventional or organic, or undergoing conversion from conventional to organic production. It was found that hiking, cycling and walking were the most frequently chosen forms of leisure activities. According to the respondents, the development of agritourism in the Bug River Valley is most enabled by the region’s natural values, especially the peace and quiet provided by the area, while the fear of investing and the lack of financial resources are the biggest barriers to such development. The results of the study reveal differences and similarities in the perception of agritourism and ecotourism by owners of farms in the Bug valley in Lubelskie Province compared to the whole sample including two other provinces .The development of rural tourism in Lubelskie Province is hampered by the seasonality of the offering, no habit of weekend recreation and, generally, the low popularity of this form of recreation.

Keywords

• agritourism
• agritourism farms
• Lubelskie province
• Bug valley