Agritourism

“ ⁠Franschhoek Wine Tram hop-on hop-off tour for visitors to discover the Franschhoek Valley in South Africa and stop at some of the oldest wine estates together with activities on offer; wine tasting, a cellar tour, lunch.”

Agritourism, as the name suggests, is the intersection of agriculture and tourism, and involves activities which primarily take place on farms and other agriculture settings, and involve interactions between agricultural producers, farm products, and tourists, all for entertainment or education.¹ Entrepreneurs and farmers turn to agritourism for income diversification,² and for the purposes of preserving culture and heritage, and conserving natural resources and ecosystems of farmland.³
        Agritourism in South Africa dates back to the establishment of ostrich farms near Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, introducing agritourism activities such as ostrich races and ostrich riding. One of the most popular agritourism products is wine tourism; the first South Africanwine route originated in 1971,⁴ and saw tourists visiting wine estates for wine tasting. A wine route allows the tourist to engage with the diversity of the natural and cultural features of the landscape. To stand out from competitors, brands involved in wine agritourism stress the unique nature of the grapes and the wines they produce, the soils and climate that give them distinctive character, and the cultural heritage attributes that mix environmental, cultural, and social features together in order to convey a distinctive character to each wine route.⁵

Image source:  Franschhoek Wine Tram. Franschhoek Wine Tram Experience. 2015. Vimeo 3.52