The cream of global agritourism will gather in Scotland after Scottish delegates successfully secured the World Agritourism Conference for 2026.
The announcement was made in Bolzano, Italy at a meeting of the recently formed Global Agritourism Network.
The international conference in 2026 will showcase the diversity and growth of Scotlandâs agritourism sector on a world stage and it is expected that up to one thousand delegates will attend.
The main conference will take place at the P&J Live, on the edge of Aberdeen, from 23 to 25 June, with a pre-conference programme in the Edinburgh area to include a visit to the Royal Highland Show.
A range of Scottish cultural activities will be offered throughout the programme along with the opportunity to enjoy the best of Scotlandâs farm and fishing produce during every meal.
Pre and post conference tours ranging from one to ten days in length have been developed which will welcome delegates on to farms and crofts in every part of Scotland from Orkney to Dumfries and Galloway.
One hundred free scholarship places will also be made available for visitors from developing countries to attend the conference with Scottish farmers opening their homes to host scholars post conference.
Lisa Chase, chair of the Global Agritourism Network said: âScotland demonstrated many features to deliver an extremely strong bid including a key focus on showcasing food and drink from agritourism farms, both on farm and throughout the conference menus.
âThe review team felt delegates would be interested in learning about the diversity of quality agritourism businesses on offer, Scotlandâs connected agritourism network, the 2030 national strategy and growth ambition, and monitor farms programme.
âThe offer of agritourism businesses to showcase Scottish hospitality and to open their doors throughout all of Scotland during the pre and post tours as well as the offer to support one hundred scholars to attend and be hosted on farms made the bid very compelling.â
Caroline Millar, sector lead for agritourism in Scotland said the team are âover the moon to bring the conference to Scotland and share our countryâs quality agritourism offering with a global audience.â
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon, congratulated Caroline Millar and the team.
She said: âShowcasing Scotlandâs amazing agritourism offer to international delegates plays a huge part in ensuring we continue to build a long-term, sustainable sector delivering a high quality, authentic visitor experiences with agriculture and food and drink at its heart.
âIn turn, positioning Scotland as a key player in the global agritourism sector, helps to sustain the future of family farming in Scotland by supporting our rural economy.â
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