Abstract
Agritourism as a niche tourism market has become an alternative income-generating
sector for conventional farmers that focus on both production and marketing. Agritourist
activities involve joining production and harvest, receiving education and on site-training.
However, unless individuals endeavor and they consistently demand these activities,
agritourism cannot be promoted among farm operators. In other words, agritourism
is a demand-driven sector and requires the loyalty of participants which was measured
with respect to more than a single take up of agritourism in the past two years. With this
research, the loyalty of agritourists and the factors affecting their persistent participation
were estimated based on a sample from the Mid-Atlantic states of the USA. The findings
infer that agritourism loyalty is stimulated by the rising level of agritourist education
and increasing income. Married people with children also prefer rural participation.
Agritourists, who have the potential to become loyal, focus above all on buying fresh
and high-value products. Following this, they demonstrate a rising tendency to learn
about agricultural production, and to spend quality time with family/friends. These
results suggest that with proper marketing strategies, supportive actions designed for
farmers that seek alternative income, and the involvement of regional/local authorities
in decision making and promotional processes, may contribute to the development of
agritourism and expand its market through assuring customer loyalty.