Study confirms women are driving the growth of agritourism

Lesley Nicholas, owner of Girt Down Farm in Devon.

Although 80% of farm holders are men, agritourism and the outdoor accommodation sector appears to offer equal opportunities for both men and women. Dr Maura Farrell, leading researcher of a recent study in Ireland, believes women have played a key role in driving growth in the agrotiurism sector.

“Women are willing to go beyond the tradition and engage in diversification, giving rise to this idea of a progressive feminism within agriculture for women,” she remarked.

With farmers facing reductions in subsidies, increasing costs and unpredictable weather throughout the year, agritourism is becoming a popular form of diversification on farms.

According to new data from UK-based holiday booking website Pitchup.com, women own more than half of the campsites listed on the platform, which is among the highest figures across Europe. Women make up just 26% of campsite owners on the site in Germany, 28% in Spain, 36% in Italy and 41% in France.

Brodie Farrow, brand marketing manager at Pitchup, commented: “The feedback we’ve heard from site owners in the UK is that our sector provides enjoyable and often lucrative careers for women, so we’re glad to see that the results reflect this.

“In fact, our top earning campsite so far this year is owned by a woman, with sales topping £160,000. Pitchup itself is made up of 60% women, many in senior leadership roles, which we are very proud of.”

Harriet Cunningham, owner of Benville Manor Camping, pictured with her daughter.

One such woman taking the lead in campsite ownership is Harriet Cunningham, owner of Benville Manor Camping, which she runs with her daughter. The diversification project started during Covid when people couldn’t holiday abroad, leading to the family turning a wildflower meadow into the perfect camping site.

“Everyone got involved – it was a multi-generational family project,” Ms Cunningham recalled.

“It was extraordinary really how many people turned up unprepared. A lot of young families came from Bristol for their first ever camping trip, in order to escape the city. In the beginning we lent out a lot of wellies, jumpers and extra pairs of socks! Once people got the hang of it, it was lovely to see how everyone embraced being out in the wild.

“I think it’s a great industry to work in as a woman. It’s not easy – you have to clean a lot of toilets and clear up a lot of rubbish – but it’s very sociable and so rewarding seeing how much people enjoy the experience you’ve created,” she added.

Lesley Nicholas, owner of Girt Down Farm in Devon, also turned to camping as a way to create an additional income stream during the pandemic.

“I first came across Pitchup in the summer of 2020. With the pandemic meaning no one could go abroad, I knew there were problems getting accommodation locally. Always looking for ways to diversify, I thought a campsite could work for us.

“I decided to fill in an application, having told my husband I was doing so (who wasn’t too keen on losing a farming field!). After adding some pictures, I was advised that it would be live on the website by tea time.”

Having no expectations going into the project, Ms Nicholas was surprised by the response she got from Pitchup.com users.

“I thought I would be lucky to get 5 or 6 bookings a week, little did I know by the time I went to bed that evening I had 30 bookings with the first arriving in the morning!

“We have been open for 3 summers now and have enjoyed it immensely.”