Support for agritourism announced

A new capital grant scheme for farmers and crofters that diversify into agritourism has been announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon.

Speak at the annual Scottish Agritourism conference held in Perth Concert and Conference Hall, Ms Gougeon said:

“I am delighted to announce today that the Scottish Government will be launching a new £1 million capital grant scheme, the Agritourism Investment Scheme (AIS).

“This investment scheme is being finalised and will be open for applications early in the new year.

“This will provide £1 million of investment through flexible capital support to help you invest in your agritourism businesses and build financially sustainable, profitable, and resilient businesses to play a key role in sustaining the future of Scottish agriculture.”

The sector is on track to achieving many of its 2030 National Strategy targets, a testament to the drive and ambition of farmers and crofters in Scotland’s Agritourism network.

Caroline Millar Scottish Agritourism Sector Lead, said:

“In the run up to the last election we lobbied all parties to include agritourism in their manifesto and for there to be a national strategy for agritourism growth. Post election, the SNP delivered on their commitment to create a national strategy within the first 100 days and over the period of this parliament there has been extensive work between the private sector, Government and other public agencies to drive profitability, sustainable growth and wider impacts such as marketing Scotland’s farm produce.

As we approach the 2026 election in May next year, ahead of hosting the Global Agritourism Conference the following month, this year’s conference is a great opportunity to review progress made with national growth targets as we head towards our 2030 ambitions and the next Parliamentary session.”

A sector census was launched in August to measure the value of agritourism and farm retails through investment, profitability, employment, visitor and customer numbers.

The results will go into influencing future policy and sector support, locally and nationally. Two key 2030 targets have already been met, five years ahead of schedule.

• Sector Value: The sector has already surpassed its 2030 target of £250 million, reaching £292 million – up from £110 million in 2021.
• Visitor Numbers: Annual visits to Scottish farms and crofts now stand at 2.5 million, exceeding the 2030 goal of 2 million.

Further progress towards National Strategy targets is also being achieved, including:

• 888 farms or crofts actively engaged in agritourism, on track to achieve 1,000 by 2030.
• 88 farms now ready to welcome global visitors against a target of 40 by 2030, strengthening Scotland’s ability to attract international visitors and showcase world class agritourism experiences.
• Employment Strategy target: to grow from 4,000 full-time equivalent roles to 9,447 by 2030, supporting both family farms and external employment. 8,076  jobs have been created to date – putting the sector well ahead of schedule.

The news comes on top of the announcement earlier this year that Scotland will host the Global Agritourism Conference in 2026, with 1,000 delegates expected from 100 countries.

Find out more about agritourism at Home – Scottish Agritourism