Exploring a market for agritourism in Fiji: tourists’ perspective

ABSTRACT

This research aimed to interpret motivations of tourists for agritourism in Fiji. Data was collected through a paper-based face to face survey. Structured questionnaires were administered to a convenience sample of tourists at the two international airports. Descriptive and factorial statistics reveal seven principal factors that motivate and influence visitor preferences for agritourism venues. Most tourists seemed interested in agritourism but presently were unaware of the existence of such venues in Fiji. Findings also suggest that tourists preferred a short stay at working farms offering value for money experience. In terms of importance, hospitality followed by entertainment, were the two main desired services for an agritourism venue. This research offers insights for dynamic product development for the Fijian and Pan-Pacific agritourism industry.

KEYWORDS:

• Agritourism
• Fiji
• South Pacific
• visitor- motivation
• agriculture

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Chetan Shah has worked with The University of the South Pacific as a Lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality Management and is a consultant for the Central Himalayan Environmental Association (CHEA), India. His research focuses on alternative tourism, sustainability, overtourism perceptions, experience value, marketing, consumer behaviour and satisfaction.

Dawn Gibson is a Senior lecturer at the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at The University of the South Pacific. She is currently undertaking research into food tourism, Pacific Island tourism mobility, agritourism, dark tourism in the Solomon Islands and resident and tourist perceptions of overtourism. She has an avid interest in Education especially as it relates to tertiary Learning, Teaching and Quality (LTQ).

Shipra Shah is an Assistant Professor at the College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Fiji National University. She has worked extensively on carbon sequestration and climate change. Her academic research interests include agroforestry, agritourism and ethnomedicine.

Stephen Pratt is a Professor and a Head of School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, the University of the South Pacific. He has previously worked as Assistant Professor at the School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research interests are wide ranging and include sustainable tourism development and film tourism. He is co-creator of the popular YouTube channel, The Travel Professors. The aim of this channel is to provide brief overview of current trends and issues in tourism and relate them to academic research.

ORCID

Chetan Shah http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7576-1694

Shah Shipra http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1195-5035

Stephen Pratt http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6550-132X