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Agritourism combines agriculture and tourism, attracting visitors to agricultural businesses for the purpose of recreating, entertaining, or educating visitors while generating income. Agritourism activities range from pick-your-own and farm tours to educational programs, events, fishing, and overnight stays.
Adding overnight structures such as cabins, bed and breakfasts, campsites, and glamping structures can help the viability of your farm, generating supplemental income, connecting new customers with your operation, and increasing on-site sales.
Campsites are one of the easiest lodging options to add because they don’t require much infrastructure investment. Keep reading to explore whether camping-based agritourism is a good fit for your farm business.
Step 1 – Decide if hosting is right for you
- Are you a landowner or farm owner?
- Are you interested in welcoming the public to stay on your property?
- Does hosting campers fit into your personal and business goals? Hipcamp’s earnings calculator can help you estimate potential income.
If you answered “yes” to the above questions, camping-based agritourism sounds like a great fit for your business!
Keep reading to learn more about how to get started, or enter your information and chat one-on-one with a Hipcamp specialist for free here.
Step 2 – Do your research
- Every state, county, and municipality has different regulations that may apply to your agritourism activities. You can learn more about local regulations and how to do your research here and can email the Hipcamp team at [email protected] if you want help.
- Look into relevant local and state taxes, including occupancy or lodging taxes that you may be required to remit. Learn more here.
- If you intend to list and take bookings with a platform, review their insurance offerings to make sure you’re protected. You can learn more about Hipcamp’s $1M liability insurance coverage here.
Step 3 – Site design
- Start small! All you need is a flat spot where someone can pitch a tent or park a self-contained RV.
- Verify road access – if you are starting with an RV site, can large vehicles reach your property with ease?
- Assess hazards and design sites away from risk zones. For example, don’t allow camping in low-lying, flood-prone areas and clear the area around fire pits.
- Consider what amenities you want to offer – fire pits, picnic tables, and trash bins are among the most requested amenities by campers. You can learn more about what campers are looking for here.
Step 4 – Listing and marketing
- Choose a listing platform or create a personal website – compare commission structures and fees, insurance coverage, requirements, and more. The University of Vermont Extension has done a lot of that heavy lifting in their Comparison of Farm Stay Listing Sites.
- Host your first campers and learn before you grow!
Keep learning about agritourism in the Carolinas:
- NC Tourism Extension homepage: https://tourism.ces.ncsu.edu/
- NCTourism Extension resource hub: https://tourism.ces.ncsu.edu/agritourism/
- Visit NC Farms program homepage: https://visitncfarms.com/
- NC Extension Local Food Program Agritourism resource hub: https://localfood.ces.ncsu.edu/local-food-marketing-markets/local-food-consumer-engagement/agritourism/
- SC Dept of Agriculture Agritourism landing page: https://agriculture.sc.gov/faq/agritourism/
- SC Agritourism Association resources: https://scagritourism.org/
