Developing agritourism on the Maltese Islands : stakeholder's perspectives and current situations

Abstract

Agritourism is starting to develop on the Maltese Islands, where in the form of a niche market it serves as an alternative source of income for the farmer and an alternative recreational activity for the client. This dissertation will consult the ideas, perceptions and knowledge of the Maltese people on Agritourism, with the intention of determining the existence of several trends related to urban and rural environments. This is achieved through the distribution of a questionnaire to 120 respondents. Various entities and stakeholders in relation to Agritourism were also consulted through personal interviews, with the aim of measuring the current situation of Agritourism on the Maltese Islands. Both the answers achieved form the questionnaire and those from the interviews were statistically analyzed where the results were compared. This was required in order to develop an agritourism model by GIS, where by consulting the results, and various policies and constraints imposed on the chosen site near Buskett Gardens, a proper Agritourism model could be drafted. This study deals also with sustainability issues on an Agritourism site, by relating waste generation, organic waste, recycling, soil erosion, water loss, organic farming and renewable energy sources, with the intention of creating an Agritourism site which is sustainable and self-sufficient.