Volume: 15  Number: 2  Page: 111–124  doi:10.2167/jost634.0

An Agritourism Systems Model: A Weberian Perspective

Nancy Gard McGehee Hospitality and Tourism Management, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

Agritourism is growing as a form of agricultural diversification in rural communities in the United States, as is research targeting the impact of agritourism on its various stakeholders. This paper examines the needs and obstacles of farm families acting as agritourism providers, Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs), and agritourists, and develops a model to address each of these three stakeholder group’s unique motivations and needs for participating in an agritourism system. The model features the three stakeholders communicating successfully with each other and engaging in mutually beneficial relationships, primarily due to the application of Weber’s formal and substantive rationality. Ultimately, the model will be applied in the field, and specific strategies recommended for improving the agritourism system’s success. These strategies could serve as decision-support tools for entrepreneurial farms and firms leading to an improved quality of life and community as well as economic sustainability.

Keywords: agritourism, tourism models, Weber’s formal and substantive rationality

© 2007 N.G. McGehee

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