Agritourism–Bringing together farming and tourism to enrich people & place

Date and Time Wednesday 12th March 2025, Time approx 09.30-15.30

Location Cathedral Room, Cumberland Council, Civic Centre, Rickergate, Carlisle, CA3 8QG

This FREE workshop brings together the agriculture, food and drink, and tourism industry to look at how Cumbria is not just a destination for its National Parks, World Heritage Sites and National Landscapes, but is also a place steeped in farming and food, and how through collaboration the agri-food sector can be protected, developed and celebrated now and for the future.

This workshop is run in partnership between Digital Dairy Chain, H&H Group, Cumberland Council, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Cumbria Tourism, Westmorland and Furness Council and Food Cumberland.

It is an opportunity for the whole food supply chain; farmers, processors, local producers, cafes, restaurants, accommodation providers along with businesses that could support them; photographers, website designers, digital marketing, tour companies, to enable Cumbria’s agricultural and food sector to tell their story. The provenance of the produce, and the labour and love that has gone into creating them needs to be celebrated!

The day will consist of a number of sessions under the themes of:

• Setting the Scene
• Storytelling and Sense of Place
• Farm Diversification and Celebration
• Telling your Story

Who should attend?

• Farmers keen to highlight to the public how food is grown, and animals are reared
• Farmers keen to diversify and promote new on farm experiences
• Local producers who wish to promote local food production and sustainability
• Hospitality and Tourism businesses including visitor attractions and venues, transport and tour operators, retail, bar and restaurants, brewers and distillers, and accommodation providers that wish to use local produce and promote the provenance and stories of those producers. Also, those looking to develop their business through food and drink experiences.
• Individuals or businesses that can support in photography, web design, digital marketing and social media.

What to expect

• To hear about Cumbria’s Destination Management Plan and Food & Drink Strategy
• To hear about Agritourism and how it is done elsewhere
• Understand the opportunities around local food and drink and sense of place and how to capitalise on these
• Get ideas on how to tell food and drink stories at different stages of the customer journey
• Identify opportunities for collaboration, cross selling and developing ideas for agri-food experiences

Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please advise of any dietary requirements and accessibility requirements.

Host or Publisher Digital Dairy Chain