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July 21
agritourism workshop focuses on coordination efforts
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[JUNE
17, 2004]
URBANA -- The
increasing popularity of farm-based entertainment in recent years
has caught the attention of the traditional agriculture as well as
tourism industries. Farm tours, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, bed and
breakfasts, and recreational hunting are being developed into
significant profit-generating enterprises on farms throughout the
country.
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As a way to improve
coordination between agritourism entrepreneurs and regional and
local tourism bureaus in Illinois, an association has recently been
formed: the Agriculture and Tourism Partnership of Illinois.
"The tourism industry has
identified agritourism as an asset; however, it has been a challenge
in some cases to convince farmers that they are players in the
tourism business, just as it has been to persuade some tourism
professionals to identify farm-based activities as tourist
attractions," said University of Illinois Extension educator John
Pike. "And, although the majority of these attractions are operated
on a small scale, they are making an impact for both the business
owner as well as the local regions where they are located," he said.
One of the first events
sponsored by the Agriculture and Tourism Partnership of Illinois
will be an initial annual meeting and agritourism workshop on
Wednesday, July 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Illinois
Building on the State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
The workshop will include
information from Pike about trends in agritourism, a presentation by
Jan Kostner from the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, information
presented by Don Davis from Country Insurance about liability
issues, and a panel discussion featuring Maria Mamoser from Prairie
State Winery, Mark Hardy from Hardy's Reindeer Ranch and Brenda
Logan from Baxter's Vineyards/Winery.
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The cost of the workshop is $25
for members of the tourism partnership and $35 for nonmembers. The
combined cost of the workshop and membership is $50. For more
information, call Central Illinois Tourism Development Office, (217)
525-7980, or visit
http://www.visitcentralillinois.com.
Additional information about
the agritourism partnership is available on the Web at
www.agritourism.uiuc.edu.
The Agriculture and Tourism
Partnership of Illinois was developed as a result of an Illinois
AgriFirst Grant awarded to the Central Illinois Tourism Bureau. The
mission of the partnership is to promote agritourism and related
direct marketing activities in Illinois to the benefit of farm
operators and the travel industry.
[University
of Illinois news release]
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