A Ticket to Coffee: Stakeholder View and Theoretical Framework of Coffee Tourism Benefits

Abstract

This study is focused on the issue of agritourism in developing countries, which is a growing phenomenon and an understudied topic by the academic literature. By developing an investigation on coffee tourism based on multiple stakeholder perspectives around the subject, we contribute to further the debate over potentialities and benefits of coffee tourism development. We applied grounded theory methodology and through an iterated process involving literature review, a case study on Costa Rica, interviews with coffee experts, and a survey with European tourists, we designed a theoretical framework of the benefits that coffee tourism can have on both local farmers, who are vulnerable and lowpower stakeholders within the coffee supply chain, and on actual and potential coffee tourists. Our research pointed out that empowerment and cooperation, business diversification, sustainability, and creation of a destination image are the four main benefits for the local communities of farmers and their families and are also perceived to be creating favorable and attracting conditions for tourists.