Farm owners and local citizens involved in boosting the success of their own local and regional economy and local farms may want to take agritourism very seriously.Agritourism is a branch of eco-tourism. Interestingly, when done right, it flourishes when funds for travel are up, as well as when funds for travel are very low (explained more below).It’s obvious why local farms would want to attract world travelers to their farms. Why not allow the revenue that would have gone to a petro-guzzling chain resort instead be offered for a stay in an extra farmhouse bedroom? Why not take some of the otherwise cruise ship tourist trap-destined travel bucks by hosting a regionally branded harvest festival or garden tour for the travelers who harbor nearby and want to come onto land for authentic attractions?But in tough times for travelers, the new agritourism is a form of responsible or eco-travel that still works.Agritourism is growing quickly around the world, and one exceptional model is in Skagit Valley, Washington State as well as on the valley’s nearby San Juan Islands. In the book, The New Agritourism (available at the Skagit Valley Food Co-op, bookstores, and Amazon among other sources), I included a sampler of exemplary agritourism systems and destinations from around the world. But it wasn’t merely coincidence that my home region was strongly represented. And here it serves as just one concrete example for those seeking ways to support local food independence while helping to reverse global warming and traveling to sights yet unseen closer to home.As the renaissance for local small farms grows, and the cost of food and travel heightens, folks have hit the jackpot if they can combine local entertainment with a sense of connection to abundant local food sources. And in the Skagit Valley and nearby islands, there are so many choices year-round for agritourism day trips, workshops, tours, tastings, festivals or overnight stays, one could live a lifetime here, and never see them all. The diverse natural surroundings from stunning alp-like mountains to fertile valleys to old-growth forests and emerald islands boast a huge array of agritourism events that other locations – whether desert or rolling hills or flat plains — can model after. Here, locals can join CSA (community supported agriculture), stop off at micro grass-fed raw goat dairies to get their own milk, pull over to a variety of tiny flower carts for a bouquet, milk dairy animals and enjoy u-pick autumn flower, pumpkin, ornamental gourd and apple harvests, tour organic vineyards, ranches and free-range laying hen farms, view artisan cheese-making, take courses on making your own cheese, gather your own filberts, pick your own holly and Christmas from small eco-responsible evergreen farms, take classes for cooking with lavender in the midst of lavender fields bursting with purple aroma, and of course, enjoy the stunning fields and fun events during the world-famous tulip festival.The new agritourism, for many, is a potential gem rising from the ashes.

Have you ever dreamed about a life of travel and luxurious vacations, then this may be a dream come true for you.In the following article, I am going to let you in on one of the travel industry’s secrets.Even if you are already in the travel business, I will show you how you can set yourself free from those office chains, and double or triple your current income, and start traveling.You are in full control with this system. You get to make all the decisions. You get to go where you want to go, and you get to go when you want to go! And you will get to do what you want to do when you get there! Better yet, you will get to share all of this with people that will become life long friends.Let me take care of a few questions right off the bat. This is not about being a traditional travel agent. Fact is that most travel agents cannot afford to do much traveling, and many simply cannot afford to take time off or time away from their jobs or businesses. If you are in that same spot, I am going to show you how to change all that and start making more money and having more fun than you can possibly imagine.This also isn’t about being a tour guide. I will introduce you to a business model that will have you wondering why it hasn’t happened to you sooner.You can do this part time or full time. It doesn’t matter. Some folks do this just to get a couple of vacations per year. Others do it as a full time business, and some even make amazing six figure incomes. There are people who have taken this business model to the extreme and now have a travel business that is worth millions of dollars.It doesn’t matter if you have any experience or not. You do not need any prior travel or internet experience. If you dream about or love to take vacations and travel, and are willing to share that love with other people, then you are qualified to do this.This is about owning your own Internet Travel Store. That’s right! Just like Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity. But for a lot–lot less! Billions and Millions less! With a Ton of BenefitsThe following is what was discovered and gives the reasons why this will work and is working right now for many travelers like you and me.Expedia was sold a couple of years ago for $5.1 billion dollars. That’s Billion not million.Somebody must believe that people will buy their travel on the internet.

The travel services are complex and there is a lot to handle. Travel organizations often find it difficult to manage everything at their end, thus, they look for an external help that can make the relevant processes easily and efficiently.Being a customer-centric domain, travel organizations keep a busy schedule in order to cater to the specific requirements of the business. Besides, handling customers is not an easy task.How a service provider helps a travel organization?By offering the following services, a travel organization operates smoothly:• Reservations
• Sales Support
• Customer Management
• Loyalty Programs
• Social Media Monitoring and Response
• HelpdeskA service provider understands that the travel domain is changing rapidly. With rising challenges, they seek for value-added solutions in order to offer better service to customers. In this domain, businesses need talented professionals who have the ability to engage customers over multiple channels of communication, such as voice, web, mobile, etc. Also, entrepreneurs look for technical resources, equipments and tools in order to have a technical edge over competitors in the market.Business capabilitiesA travel, tourism and hospitality sector has a lot of scope to reduce their operational cost and increase their level of efficiency.Service providers handle customers and their queries and respond to them timely and effectively. Outsourced team has the right set of tools and techniques to manage these travel call center operations without any hassles.A service provider offers inbound and outbound calling support, cross-sell and up-sell support and a 24X7 operating helpdesk in order to serve the customers as and when required.Technology-enabled servicesThe rapid shift of technology has raised the bar of excellence for organizations. With ways to capitalize the benefits of this phase, entrepreneurs are integrating relevant technologies into their businesses to enhance the overall outcome.With IT-integrated solutions, latest system, equipment and software and analytical services, travel businesses consider outsourcing as a strategic move towards business transformation.The travel and hospitality industry is in a developing stage. With the right set of resources and knowledge, business owners can scale up to great heights of success and plan for business expansion. Moving beyond the cost-savings plan, the entrepreneurs are now focusing on retaining the customers by offering them a valuable and timely service. Service providers offer all these and a lot more to keep end-customers delighted in an urge to do repeat business with them.Outsourcing allows entrepreneurs to focus on their key business areas and let the service providers handle the non-core business areas. This saves the time, resource and effort of entrepreneurs.