Modelling tourism in agricultural regions: A new approach to conceptualising and understanding tourism development

Tourism has often been regarded as a panacea to regional development because of its potential to regenerate regional economic decline, revive dying industries and diversify a region's economic base (Butler, Hall & Jenkins, 1998; Giaoutzi & Nijkamp, 2006; Hall & Page, 2006; Sharpley & Teffer, 2002; Sznajder, Przezborska & Scrimgeour, 2009; Torres & Momsen, 2011). This is evident in some regions, where the traditional industry of agriculture may struggling or in decline. In such cases, tourist experiences may be developed from the existing agriculture industry, referred to as agri-tourism, as well as from complementary resources, such as the natural environment, history and cultural heritage. Although the potential of tourism to regenerated regional economies is well acknowledged, less research is available to guide regions through the transition required to redevelop as a tourist destination. This paper aims to fills this gap by developing a conceptual model that explains how drivers and barriers influence the ability of agricultural regions to develop tourism experiences by transforming agricultural resources into tourism experiences.