WORLD AGRI TOURISM DAY -WAD

CONCEPT NOTE
Introduction:
Agri Tourism is a form of sound, environmentally sustainable and socially
responsible tourism development which has the potential to contribute
substantially to local socio-economic development and poverty reduction. Importantly, and with the right support and guidance, Agri Tourism can also
contribute to the conservation and protection of natural, cultural and ethnical

resources. There are many good examples of successful Agri Tourism Projects in
the world but many of these exist in isolation or are relatively unknown. Thus, it
is important that these good projects are brought together so that the mechanisms
that have led to their success and the lessons learned can be used to form a set of
over-arching guidelines for Agri Tourism development in the rest of the World. Background:
AGRI TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (ATDC – Agri
Tourism India) has focused on enhancement of local socio-economic
development and poverty alleviation of rural and remote communities since early
2000s through Agri Tourism and community-based agritourism development. Maharashtra is
the first State in India to have a formal “Agri Tourism Policy in September, 2020”

Conference Theme:
The overall theme for this conference of Green Growth through Agri Tourism
is how development of agriculture and allied activities can be promoted through
the development of Agri and Sustainable Tourism and how this can lead to
diversification of local economies. This requires the involvement of a number of
responsible key personnel with each playing their role and guided by sound
development principles. Conference Objective:
The International Conference on Green Growth through Agri Tourism has been
organized to provide a forum to discuss Agri based Tourism. This will be achieved
through the presentation of successful examples, examination of the mechanisms
(both institutional and practical) that have led to successful implementation,
discussion of the actors involved and analysis of the lessons learned. Furthermore, it is aimed to showcase a vital role of environmentally sustainable
and socially responsible tourism development in global warming – climate change
and green tourism development to development partners or donor countries. Agri
& Rural Tourism and ecotourism are regarded as green tourism as it respects and
conforms to sustainability principles. This is reflected in ATDC’s afforestation
program instigated under the theme of “One Tourist – One Tree” as it contributes
substantially to local socio-economic development and poverty reduction. Above
all, it further sustains the conservation and protection of natural environment
(biosphere and biodiversity) and cultural resources. Conference Outcome:
The information presented and results of the subsequent discussions during the
conference will be collated with a view to providing input to the development of:
the Global Agri Tourism Standards and Guidelines;
Connect with member countries of Global Agri Tourism Network (GAN) ; and
a framework to attract development partners or donor countries to concentrate and
support Agri tourism development projects. Conference Format:
The conference will be organized over a period of two days and be comprised of
keynote addresses from the Farmers, Agri Tourism Researchers and
Academicians, Agriculture and Tourism Departments, Government of India,
Agriculture and Tourism Departments from various Nations and as well as various
State Governments in India, the UNWTO and The Global Agri Tourism Network
along with International Agri Tourism Organizations. This will be followed by
thematic presentations on different aspects of Agri tourism and development by
invited speakers. The closing sessions will be moderated panel discussions on
selected topics with the view to providing the overall guidance for the formulation
of the Agri Tourism standards and guidelines. The final session will be a
presentation of the key points discussed and an endorsement of any key findings
or points to take forward. Awards will be announced for best performing Agri
tourism centers across the globe. Conference speakers:
Agri Tourism, green growth and ecologically sustainable tourism development is
multi-faceted requiring many actors playing a wide range of roles and coming from
an equally diverse set of backgrounds. To address this diversity, a panel of
international speakers from a variety of sectors has been assembled. Conference Organization
The GLOBAL AGRITOURISM NETWORK & AGRI TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (Agri Tourism India) – is the Main Organizer
of this important international conference

Draft Programme (Timings in IST)

DAY ONE Monday 15th May 2023
14:00 – 14:30 Registration and welcome the delegates and speakers
14:30 - 16:00 Session 1: Opening and keynote addresses
16:00 - 21:00 Session 2: 10 Sessions (each session of 30 min each)
Speakers 1 – Italy Speakers 6 –Spain
Speakers 2 – Canada Speakers 7 – south Africa
Speakers 3 – Scotland Speakers 8 – Austria
Speakers 4 – Greece Speakers 9 – USA East coast
Speakers 5 – Turkey Speakers 10 – USA west Coast
Speakers from west side of the world
END OF DAY ONE

DAY TWO
Tuesday 16th May 2023
09:00 - 09:30 Session 4 - opening remarks
09:30 - 13:30 Session 5 – 9 sessions of 30 min each
Speakers from East of the world
Speakers 1 – Japan Speakers 6 – Cambodia
Speakers 2 – Philippines Speakers 7 – Taiwan
Speakers 3 – Malaysia Speakers 8 – Australia
Speakers 4 – Singapore Speakers 9 – New Zealand
Speakers 5 – Thailand Speakers 10 – Saudi Arabia
15:00 – 17:30 Session 6: 5 sessions of 30 min each
Speakers 1 –Bhutan
Speakers 2 – India
Speakers 3 – Pakistan
Speakers 4 – Nepal
Speakers 5 – Department of Tourism Government of Maharashtra
17:30 - session 7 – WORLD AGRI TOURISM - Award ceremony
18:00 – 19:00 - session 8 - Closing ceremony
END OF THE CONFERENCE

TEAM - WORLD AGRI TOURISM DAY – CONFERENCE
Dr Lisa Chase
Webinars chair
Ms Caroline Millar
Protocol for conference hosting Chair
Mr Andrea Omizzolo
Conference Planning Committee Chair
Mr Pandurang Taware
World Agri Tourism Day Committee Chair