Opportunities and Directions of Development of Agritourism: Evidence from Samarkand Region

Abstract

Agritourism can enhance rural development and is a useful alternative activity to increase farm incomes. It has attracted the attention of agricultural experts and researchers around the world in recent years. As a result of rapid growth worldwide, agritourism has become one of the most significant supplementary income sources for farmers. The main purpose of this study is to identify factors influencing participation of fermer in agritourism in the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan, using scientific studies and statistical data, which indicate that there are great opportunities for agritourism activities. Increasing the economic potential of the rural areas by introducing innovative activities on the Samarkand region’s medium-sized farms (fermers) and ensuring sustainable development are essential. In Samarkand, there are a lot of conditions for the development of tourism, especially agritourism. The study examined all 10 agritourism fermers and 100 randomly selected fermers in Samarkand that do not carry out agritourism activities. Based on this data collection and analysis using a logistic regression model, the results showed several factors influencing the participation of fermers in the Samarkand region in agritourism activities, which was analyzed using the logistic regression model. According to the results of this model, each fermer’s income, employment, fermer’s education, and distance from the city had a significantly positive effect on the fermer’s initiation of agritourism.