Global Agritourism Network

What Global Agritourism Network does

Global Agritourism Network (GAN) is a global professional network launched on April 11, 2023, that connects agritourism stakeholders — including farmers, researchers, educators, government entities, tour operators, and hospitality operators — across 78 countries. Operated as an initiative under Eurac Research's Institute for Regional Development in Bolzano, Italy, GAN is led by a small core team of approximately 5 people and is currently governed by co-chairs Lisa Chaise and Carla Barbieri.

The network's core offerings are event-based rather than software-based: the biennial World Agritourism Congress (WAC), the International Workshop on Agritourism (IWA), the annual World Agritourism Day on May 16 (listed on UNWTO's International Tourism Event Calendar), and an ongoing program of Agritourism Talks webinars and virtual gatherings. GAN is anchored by a WordPress-hosted web platform (agritourism.eurac.edu) that provides event information, a monthly updated academic references database, and a newsletter distribution service. Strategic partnerships with the FAO, University of Vermont Extension, Scottish Agritourism, Roter Hahn, ATDC India, and ISMEA provide institutional reach across continents.

GAN's business model is non-commercial in the traditional sense. It is funded through Eurac Research's institutional infrastructure, with nominal revenue streams limited to tiered congress registration fees (students, lower-income country participants, one-day and online tiers) and ancillary congress services. Membership is voluntary and free, and the network does not have a separate legal entity, funding rounds, or external investors. The 2024 WAC congress capped in-person attendance at 300, and the network's scale (500+ members, 200+ congress attendees from 35+ countries) reflects a community-led, mission-driven organization rather than a venture-scalable enterprise.

Name

Global Agritourism Network

Legal name

Eurac Research – Institute for Regional Development

Website

https://agritourism.eurac.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Global Agritourism Network (GAN) is a global professional network, hosted by Eurac Research in Bolzano, Italy, that connects farmers, researchers, policymakers, and tourism operators across 78 countries through biennial congresses, annual events, and a knowledge platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Network Services / Agritourism Events

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAHAJAI

Agriculture, Food & Nutrition Congresses

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Association, Government & Academic Congresses

SECONDARYBPAGALAD

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

SECONDARYTHAMADAH

Farm Stays & Agritourism Lodges

Travel & Hospitality/Vacation Rentals & Short-Term Stays/Boutique & Unique Stays (Cabins, Tiny Homes, Treehouses, Yurts)

Keywords

• Agritourism network
• Sustainable tourism
• Rural development
• Farm diversification
• Agritourism research

Headquarters

HQ city

Bolzano/Bozen

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Congress Registration Fees: Revenue generated from participant registrations for the World Agritourism Congress, including in-person and online attendance options with tiered pricing for students, regular participants, and special fee categories for participants from lower income countries.
2. Congress Services: Additional revenue streams include congress dinner tickets, technical excursion fees, and optional add-on services for congress participants.
3. Newsletter Subscription: Newsletter distribution service for platform updates, managed through Newsletter2Go, with subscription-based communication to platform followers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Global Agritourism Network operates a global professional network and event-based platform connecting agritourism stakeholders — farmers, researchers, educators, government entities, and tourism operators — across 78 countries. Its core deliverables are international congresses (WAC, IWA), an annual World Agritourism Day on May 16, recurring webinars and virtual gatherings, a curated agritourism references database, and a coordinating web platform hosted by Eurac Research. The organization functions as an open professional association with tiered event registration and membership engagement.

Product overview

Global Agritourism Network (GAN) is a global support network for agritourism stakeholders rather than a software product. It operates primarily through an informational website platform (agritourism.eurac.edu) hosted by Eurac Research. The network's offerings consist of event-based services including the World Agritourism Congress (WAC) held biennially, the International Agritourism Workshop (IWA), and World Agritourism Day (WAD) celebrations on May 16th. Additional programming includes online Agritourism Talks webinars and virtual Agritourism Gatherings. The platform also provides a references database for agritourism research. The network connects farmers, researchers, educators, government entities, tour operators, and hospitality operators to enhance agritourism capacity worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• World Congress on Agritourism (WAC): Biennial international congress bringing together scientists, practitioners, associations, stakeholders, businesses, and other actors in agritourism
• World Agritourism Day (WAD)
• International Agritourism Workshop (IWA)

Products and services

• World Agritourism Congress (WAC)
• International Agritourism Workshop (IWA)
• World Agritourism Day (WAD)
• Agritourism Talks Webinar Series
• Agritourism Gatherings
• Agritourism References Database

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ members from 78 countries within first six months of GAN launch
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and major.

• Roter Hahn – South Tyrolean Agritourism AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 May 2024Major supporting organization for the World Agritourism Congress 2024. Roter Hahn is the regional brand supporting South Tyrolean farmers in marketing their tourist offers. Provides technical excursion venues and brand credibility for the congress.
• ISMEA – Italian Rural NetworksupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 May 2024Supporting organization for WAC 2024, providing expertise on Italian agritourism sector and rural development statistics. Representatives contributed keynote presentations on agritourism in Italy.
• Agri Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC – Agri Tourism India)supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 May 2024Organizer of World Agritourism Day celebrations and World Agritourism Awards. Hosted the 16th World Agritourism Day 2023 virtual conference and coordinates annual awards programme.
• FAO – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 May 2024FAO representative Arianna Carità delivered keynote at WAC 2024 on 'Developing Agritourism: the FAO experience', bringing international development perspective to the congress.
• Eurac Research – Institute for Regional DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2023Host institution for the Global Agritourism Network and the Agritourism Platform. Provides research expertise, event management infrastructure, and institutional credibility. The Institute focuses on sustainable development strategies for mountain areas.
• Scottish AgritourismmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022Partner hosting the inaugural Global Agritourism Conference 2026 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Will bring together farmers, agritourism operators, scholars, and agritourism leaders.
• University of Vermont ExtensionmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 August 2022Host of the International Workshop on Agritourism (IWA) 2022 in Burlington, Vermont with 500+ representatives from 56 countries. Led by Dr. Lisa Chase. Co-founded GAN following the success of the 2022 conference.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• European Federation of Rural Tourism (EuroGites): European federation of rural and farmstay tourism associations. Comparable to GAN as a continental-level membership organization representing rural tourism providers across multiple countries, with similar operator-networking and policy advocacy functions.
• International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT): International research and policy network focused on responsible and sustainable tourism. Comparable to GAN as an academic and practitioner convener producing knowledge products, conferences, and policy guidance in adjacent tourism sub-categories.
• Global Sustainable Tourism Council: International standards body for sustainable tourism. Directly comparable to GAN's positioning as a convener setting standards and best practices for a tourism sub-category (sustainable/agritourism), with a similar certification- and knowledge-driven model.
• Roter Hahn / Red Rooster (South Tyrolean Agritourism Association): Regional agritourism brand and association in South Tyrol, Italy, supporting farmers in marketing their tourist offerings since 1999. Directly comparable as a successful model that GAN references and partners with for technical excursions and WAC 2024.
• Farm Stay UK: UK membership association for farm-based accommodation providers. Directly comparable to GAN's role in connecting and supporting farmstay operators, focused on a national market with similar farmer-diversification value proposition.
• Agri Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) India: Indian organization co-organizing World Agritourism Day and the World Agritourism Awards with GAN. Highly comparable as a national-level agritourism promotion body coordinating events, awards, and operator networks.
• World Agritourism Conference (Scottish Agritourism): Scottish Agritourism is a strategic partner of GAN and is hosting the inaugural Global Agritourism Conference 2026 in Aberdeen. It is the most direct country-level agritourism association peer and a co-convener of GAN's global programming.
• World Farmers' Organisation: International farmer-led membership organization representing farmers worldwide. Highly comparable to GAN as a global membership-based network serving agricultural producers and stakeholders, with a similar event/conference-led engagement model.

Broad incumbents

• World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC): Global industry council representing the broader travel and tourism sector. Comparable as a large incumbent convener of stakeholders across the tourism value chain, providing a model for how a sector-wide membership and events organization can operate at global scale.
• UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO): United Nations agency responsible for tourism policy. Comparable as the broad incumbent that recognizes GAN's World Agritourism Day on its official event calendar and provides intergovernmental legitimacy for the agritourism agenda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hashtag/agritourismplatform
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-agritourism-network

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Global Agritourism Network