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|storemode=property
|title=Development of Agrotourism Through the Application of Internet Technologies: Problems and Perspectives
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1152/paper26.pdf
|volume=Vol-1152
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/haicta/KaragiannisS11
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==Development of Agrotourism Through the Application of Internet Technologies: Problems and Perspectives==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1152/paper26.pdf
Development of Agr otour ism thr ough the Application of
Inter net Technologies: Pr oblems and Per spectives
Stephanos Karagiannis1, Dimitris Stavroulakis2
1
Department of E-Commerce & Advertising in Amfissa, Technological Educational
Institute of Lamia & University of Central Greece, Greece, e-mail: stephanoskar@yahoo.gr
2
Department of Accounting, Technical Educational Institute of Piraeus,
Greece, e-mail: dista111@yahoo.com
Abstr act. Nowadays the concepts “vacations” and “tourism” have become
intertwined. Tourism, among others, has eventually become a symbol of social
status. Recently, however, alternative forms of tourism including agrotourism
have emerged, which have the potential of relieving the congestion of ordinary
holiday resorts. Agrotourism constitutes neither a symbol of social status, nor a
means of social distinction. Instead, agrotourists live a healthy life in a natural
environment and consume local products and services, while protecting the
environment. This paper attempts to identify new growth patterns of
agrotourist businesses within the context of their contribution to local
development. Web tools are most helpful in this respect. Through the
construction of informative websites, agrotourist handicrafts promote their
products and attract visitors in localities.
Keywords: Greece, local development, agrotourism, agrotourist handicrafts,
information technologies, website.
1 Intr oduction
Tourism is neither a phenomenon, nor an aggregation of economic fields. Most of all,
it is a human activity which involves human behavior, utilization of resources, as
well as contacts and relationships among people, economies, and environments. In
addition, it concerns the natural movement of people toward regions which are
different from those where they normally live and work (Bull, 2002).
Agrotourism is a special form of tourism that has emerged through the need for
survival of small farmers and land-owners, who have therefore decided to apply
traditional methods of land cultivation, avoiding pesticides and chemical substances.
Although products of these cultivations witness a growing demand, these lots are
rarely profitable. Therefore, in their endeavor to supplement their income, small
owners have been offering alternative forms of tourism to visitors who wish to return
to nature (Higham and Luck, 2002), to contact traditional modes of land cultivation,
even to participate actively in them.
________________________________
Copyright ©by the paper’s authors. Copying permitted only for private and academic purposes.
In: M. Salampasis, A. Matopoulos (eds.): Proceedings of the International Conference on Information
and Communication Technologies
for Sustainable Agri-production and Environment (HAICTA 2011), Skiathos, 8-11 September, 2011.
299
People who select this kind of holidays savor landscapes of exquisite natural
beauty and are engaged in a series of refreshing activities like hiking, cycling, riding,
swimming etc. Moreover, they have the opportunity to taste the local cuisine and
recipes, to consume traditional local health products, but also to contact manners and
customs of the countryside, which have been long forgotten by the city people
(Exarhos and Karagiannis, 2004).
Agrotourism constitutes a major contributor to local development. Establishment
and manning of hospices entails creation of new jobs. Development of agrotourism
yields additional profits for the rural sector, and most of all, dissuades migration of
rural population to cities and retains younger people in the countryside. Moreover,
agrotourism entails the revival of social life in remote villages, something that is
urgently needed by inhabitants of small and remote settlements.
There has been witnessed that a substantial portion of profits acquired through
agrotourism is often reinvested in agriculture - the main occupation of the country
people. A considerable part of the agricultural income in certain regions is due to the
active participation of women in the development of agrotourism, a fact denoting that
agrotourism contributes to the emergence of movements, activities, and initiatives on
the part of inactive social groups so far (Karagiannis and Exarhos, 2006). Initiatives
and actions for the promotion of agrotourism have been observed in several parts of
Greece. Selective examples concern Langadas, Kroussia (Kilkis), Grevena (Pindos),
Kalambaka – Meteora, Karpenissi, Strofylia (Achaia), Sykamia (Lesbos), Plataies
(Voiotia), Lissos (Crete), the former St Panteleaiimon (Olympus), Galatista, Arnaia,
Vrasna, Ouranoupolis, Delvinaki and elsewhere in settlements near the Delta of the
Ebro river, in the “Forest of Dadia”, in the Pangaion Mt, in Rodopi, in Agrafa, in the
mountainous Konitsa, and elsewhere.
This paper attempts to shed some light on the perspectives and benefits obtained
through the application of internet technologies by Greek agrotourist business, and
on the other hand to identify problems and difficulties to this end. Benefits involve,
among others, the advertisement of tourist attractions of localities, the interactive
representation of data, and the virtual accessibility of remote areas by prospective
visitors. Application of web technologies in the field of agrotourism is a one-way
process, but it might be hindered due to the mentality of people of the countryside, as
well as by the ignorance of opportunities offered through the web technologies.
2 The Agr otour ism Pr oduct: Agr o-handicr afts & Agr otour ist
Cooper atives
From the previous it is derived that in order to flourish in an independent form,
agrotourism has to surpass its traditional role as a provider of housing and nutrition.
It has to develop a wide range of integrated tourist services in order to satisfy needs
and to come up to the expectations of tourists who were attracted by advertisements
in the internet and thereafter opted to pass their vacations in the countryside.
Attraction of visitors and tourists to rural areas is not an easy task. In order to earn
a complementary income and to secure an acceptable standard of living, agricultural
communities have to pay particular attention to the quality of the tourist product they
provide. Communal endeavors and entrepreneurial activities can be greatly enhanced
300
through the creation of websites (Andreopoulou et al, 2003). On the other hand, by
browsing web pages from relevant thematic fields, users are capable of locating
useful information.
The European and the national regulatory framework (Mytoula, 2006),
particularly the provisions 797/1985 and 2088/1985 concerning the Mediterranean
Integrated Programs (MOP), the Law 2169/1993 concerning rural cooperatives and
the Law 1667/1986 concerning urban cooperatives, provided the framework for the
creation of women agrotourist cooperatives. Thereby, women were offered an
opportunity to contribute to community development, and in particular to the
development of lagging and degraded agricultural areas. These initiatives aim at
retaining rural populations to their land, at creating new jobs, at supplementing
agricultural income, at reviving traditional production modes and cultural events, at
utilizing local business resources, and at developing entrepreneurship at the
countryside.
In due course, new legal interventions, such as the Regulation 2328/1991, have
enhanced the initiatives for the establishment of rural enterprises (agro-handicrafts)
which aim at improving agricultural income, at retaining rural populations to their
land, even at motivating rural people who have migrated to return to their
mountainous homelands. Moreover, the Law 2810/2000 concerning agricultural
cooperatives provided for new forms and processes of organization of cooperatives,
while the Law 3208/2003 imposed additional terms and restrictions concerning the
protection of forests and forestal ecosystems. Under the legal framework mentioned
above, more than 45 women agro-handicraft / agrotourist cooperatives have been
established. According to their statutes, women agro-handicraft and agrotourist
cooperatives function under the principle of equitable participation and mutual aid of
members. They aim at the economic, social, and cultural development of their
members, among others, through the following activities:
Establishment and operation of agrotourist units and accommodations,
development of ecotourism, social tourism and social works.
Procurement of any kind of technical equipment or means of transportation
that may be helpful to the fulfillment of the cooperative goals.
Concentration, packaging, standardization, storage, conservation,
transportation, and selling of products of the cooperative.
Establishment of kiosks, stalls, and exhibition points.
Procurement or renting rural or urban real estate for the creation of tourist
infrastructure.
Establishment and operation of restaurants, taverns, and bars.
Utilization and promotion of products manufactured by members (dishes,
handiwork, embroidery etc), or products of agrotourism.
Establishment of units for manufacturing traditional products (jams,
desserts, pasta, frumenty etc).
Distribution of products to local, domestic, and international markets.
Publicity and promotion of products and services of the cooperative.
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3 Web Domains for Business
Development and promotion of new technologies is amply supported by the EC
policies. As reiterated in the previous, the web, as well as the digital and network
services, are utilized in order to enhance development of agrotourism. By now
internet providers offer their subscribers free software for web browsing, also free
hosting in web pages.
The internet is a most powerful and innovative business tool. It constitutes by far
the largest information channel in contemporary society. In Greece an intense interest
is witnessed recently regarding digital products and services through the web, while
major improvements of broadband platforms have been carried out. Nowadays
internet access is facilitated through various appliances at acceptable prices (PC,
netbooks, tablet PC, cell phones etc) (Zacharopoulos, 2008).
Fig.1. Broadband Subscribers per 100 inhabitants in 2007 (Source: OECD Broadband Portal).
By now Greece attempts to enter the broadband era, an era of particular
importance, since broadband in the 21th century can be likened to the channels,
railways, and highways of the 20th century. Broadband accessibility of selected
countries is shown in Fig. 1. Even though Greece occupied the lowest positions in
2007, evidence from the OECD broadband portal shows that its Penetration Increase
Rate has been continuously rising (Kopanas, 2008).
302
4 Agrotour ism and the Inter net
Cooperation between agricultural policy and tourist policy can yield benefits for both
economic sectors. For the development of agrotourism, a close co-operation between
tourist business and agricultural business is indicated. This constructive and creative
synergy will be most beneficial when the appropriate internet technology, which has
proved successful so far, is adopted (e.g. Worldwide web, E-mail, File Transfer
Protocol, Teleconference) (Arapoglou et al, 2006). Through this synergy, as well as
through the application of internet technologies, agrotourism has been emerging as
an important contributor to the tertiary sector of the Greek economy. According to a
recent research in enterprises of semi-mountainous and mountainous regions in
Greece (Gaitanis and Karavangelis, 2008), about 50% possess PC and retain files
containing useful information in written or electronic form, while the rest do not keep
a file system. Most companies (71%) agree that nowadays it is a necessity to
establish and retain an electronic filing system, but also to process electronic
information. Moreover, the diffusion and exchange of information through the
cooperation between institutions and enterprises in Greece and abroad has been
suggested by them.
Consequently, close cooperation between agrotourism and the internet normally
begins with selective information. A platform has to be determined, upon which
relevant data disclosing information on agrotourism and on provision of services will
be based. Under these circumstances, agrotourism completes its activities and amply
compensates producers against a probable reduction of their income that might stem
from slacking off their ordinary agricultural works. Compensation for lost incomes
will be achieved by cooperation through the network and through the novel activities
of agricultural production.
Nevertheless we consider that even though agrotourism constitutes a “small-scale
phenomenon”, it resides in large areas and contributes substantially to the reduction
of environmental damages, mostly owed to the excessive concentration of population
per surface unit. Therefore, it is apparent that agrotourism plays an important role in
environmental protection and in upgrading physical resources and soil.
Finally, although agrotourism is a form of “native tourism”, it is combined with
local entrepreneurial initiatives, thereafter subjected to developments and
interdependent activities which yield an immediate benefit to the socio-economic
progress of the affected zones/localities.
The Regulation for Tourism 92/421/EU (17.7.1992) states that “Tourism in EC
has to respect local populations, as well as the physical and the cultural
environment, so that quality of supply will be promoted.” The same Regulation
stresses the development of agrotourism, because “aim of the EC action in this sector
is the development of tourist activities in the countryside, in particular of
Agrotourism, of small family hotels, or of activities of associations, municipalities, or
local institutions.”
In the endeavor for the creation of a business plan in agrotourism, the investment
in electronic service is justified by means of being more economical than the
conventional means of knowledge transfer. Within business, administration of
knowledge actually does not represent a cost factor, but rather constitutes a form of
303
important capital, since the web constitutes the fundamental tool for electronic
communication (Talanti and Polymenakou, 2008).
5 Pr omotion of Agr otour ism Ser vices thr ough the Web
Agrotourism, as an alternative form of tourism, can be limited neither to the
enterprises providing accommodations (rooms, hospices etc), nor to food services
(restaurants, taverns etc) which undoubtedly comprise the basic infrastructure
required for its development. In this sector are incorporated, among others, centers of
healthy living conditions, home handicrafts & handicrafts of traditional hand-woven
needlework and fabrics, home handicrafts & handicrafts for processing and
packaging agricultural products, home handicrafts & handicrafts for processing and
packaging dairy products, units for collection and processing aromatic herbs etc.
Moreover, wherever history has been impinged through monuments and memorials
in the periphery, an endeavor is made in order to elevate the historical identity of the
particular area, so that it becomes a desirable destination for tourists (Oikonomou &
Mytoula, 2010).
The agrotourist product has to be accessible and attractive to visitors, and to
communicate them directly with the physical environment, with the architectural
features and inheritance of the community, with the local people and residents of the
countryside. This means that it has to be connected to the network and to the
information technologies which have been gradually utilized within the Greek
context in the recent years. The agrotourist product has to be based on an interactive
presentation of data, so that the prospective visitor will be capable of finding relevant
information about the region and its infrastructures (Papastavrou et al, 2005). In this
context, people of the countryside are the protagonists of the endeavor for the
formation and development of agrotourism. Their task is to motivate tired city people
so that they spend their holidays in a meaningful and healthy way of life. By
establishing creative websites, local people are capable of showing-up the natural and
cultural elements of their community, thus attracting visitors for time intervals longer
than 24 hours, and leading them to extend their vacation time in the area
(Andreopoulou et al, 2006). They may offer high-quality tourist products to people
who wish to pass-by even for one day, or for the weekend, in order to win their
gratitude and make them come again for longer.
The network provides a flexible platform for information exchange. Nowadays the
internet and information technologies constitute indispensable tools for the
developmental strategy of agrotourist business. Agrotourists are best served through
interactive presentation of data, so that they become capable of locating information
about the locality and its infrastructure (Papastavrou et al, 2005).
The network offers new perspectives through the provision of high-quality
agrotourist services within their developing domain. Agrotourist companies of today
have to create web pages since promotion of their services and activities contribute to
the promotion of the overall agrotourist product, thus serving their ultimate objective,
which is the attraction of visitors. Realization of this project is both simple and
cheap, since it requires only the existence of elementary telecommunications
infrastructure, telephone lines, and internet connection. Thereafter, unbarred
communication with potential agrotourists will be established irrespective of the
304
location of their residence, under the condition that the web pages contain all
necessary information and relevant data (Lallas and Papastavrou, 2008).
Following this trend, through the inclusion of the website into thematic indices,
users are capable of locating helpful information by moving from general topics to
special ones. Therefore, an important precondition for the success of a commercial
website is, on the one hand to provide users with accurate, detailed and updated
information, and on the other hand, to identify its target groups through market
segmentation (Capron, 1998). Purpose of the website is to offer a wide range of
information, to develop an interactive data base about the locality and to promote
local agrotourist activities (Andreopoulou et al, 2006).
The website ensures presence of the agrotourist business in the network, and ought
to be accessible to all interested users. Promotion of the agrotourist business entails a
detailed presentation of the various activities and services in multiple languages, as
well as sufficient communication data, including property details, address, telephone,
fax, email etc.
Beyond a mere presence in the global network, the contemporary agrotourist
website has to contain rich informative material about the locality and its scenic
beauties, e.g. videos, photo collections etc. Additional features that would be helpful
to agrotourists include a search engine, useful links, temperature and weather
forecasting, distances from nearby urban centers, interesting sights and refreshment
grounds of the region (archaeological sites, ski resorts etc), and indicated itinerary
and transport information on how to reach the locality. Interactive browsing
constitutes a “must” for the agrotourist website of today. Interactive elements
concern, among others, the capability to browse among detailed maps and the use a
web camera. Social networking and the Facebook have opened new pathways of
digital connection through forums, chat groups, and online visitors’ books where
tourists may exchange their experiences and impressions.
From the above it is derived that the contemporary agrotourist website constitutes
an integrated information system which is capable of administering fully the whole
tourist transaction. In this respect, commercial exploitation of the web page as a
distinct product is feasible by hosting advertisements, as well as by establishing
personal contact with users through passwords. This way, user-members have access
to customized data and receive information according to their case-history and
individual preferences.
6 Concluding Remar ks
Agrotourism has emerged as a necessity due to the unfavorable developments in the
agricultural sector and the depopulation of the Greek countryside. Nevertheless,
nowadays it constitutes a capital dimension of the new regional development strategy
of Greece in view of the year 2020 (Andreopoulou, 2010). Agrotourist activities offer
new perspectives to the development of the mountainous countryside. They are
offered at a low price, they do not require high investment costs, and they are free
from influences by foreign patterns of consumption. Nevertheless, they require the
sensitization of the rural population toward the direction of a decentralized and
balanced socio-economic development. This mode of development can be achieved
through the mild exploitation of the physical and natural environment, as well as
305
through the organization of an integrated promotion campaign in order to set-off the
beauty and the power of the countryside.
Agro-handicrafts that are involved in agrotourism receive a favorable treatment by
the national and EC authorities through beneficial legal provisions and subsidies.
This is apparent in the case of the 45 “Women Cooperatives of Agricultural
Handicraft and Cottage Industry”, who have established the “Union of Agro-
Handicraft and Agrotourist Cooperatives” since 1999 in order to facilitate promotion
and coordination of activities of members.
As reiterated in the previous, a necessary precondition for the development of
agrotourist areas, as well as for the successful function of agrotourist business, is the
evolvement of a new mentality, oriented toward traditional patterns of land
exploitation and overall lifestyle. Revival of tradition, however, does not entail
prevalence of “technophobia”, or disregard of technical developments and
innovations. Instead, information and communication technologies must be readily
applied as an integral part of and a most powerful tool for marketing and promotion
of agrotourist activities. Creation and continuous improvement of competitive
websites for municipalities and agrotourist associations is most helpful for the
development of interaction among local population, as well as for the elevation of the
locality (Lefakis et al, 2007).
This paper ends up with the suggestion for the promotion, integration, and
application of all means of electronic communication, so that participation of local
societies and agrotourist business in digital social networks will be feasible. Within
the context of the promotion of agrotourism, an authentic dialogue can be initiated
through exchange of viewpoints and experiences between agrotourists and
inhabitants of the locality. Social dialogue today is largely facilitated through web
applications such as blogs, collective web authors’ endeavors (wiki’s), social
networking domains (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter), video collections (utube),
photograph collections (Flickr, PicasaWeb), and audio web transmissions (Podcasts).
Novel web applications constitute an integral part of the contemporary strategies
for the promotion of agrotourism. Technically, the potential for promotion has been
boosted due to the fast broadband connections. Functionally, the potential for
promotion has been upgraded through the new mentality designating the use of the
web, named “Participative Web”, or “International Web 2.0”. Broadband technology,
which is necessary for the transition to the Web 2.0, constitutes the driving force for
the economic development of regions of agrotourist interest.
The Report of the Special Secretariat for Digital Design titled “Digital Strategy for
Greece 2007-2013” states that the target of the strategy is “the creation of equal
opportunities and new perspectives through the information and communication
technologies, so that qualifications of citizens will come in the limelight … it does
not impose binding restrictions to citizens to adopt new means.” Therefore,
application of modern technology by businessmen and institutions in the field of
agrotourism is not an end itself, but a means for development (Lytra and
Apostolopoulos, 2007).
306
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