Activities of Farm Tourism and Attitudes of the Operators: Japan-Italy Comparison

As a result of a comparative analysis of the activities and attitudes of agri-tourism operators in Umbria, Italy and the farmhouse accommodation providers in Hiroshima, Japan, based on data from surveys conducted by the authors, we defined Umbria as being at a higher equilibrium stage than Hiroshima. We found differences in terms of the portion of operators from a non-farming background, operation period, business performance, and attitudes concerning future directions. Generally, operators in Italian agri-tourism were more positive, creating characteristic activities and attracting urban tourists, than their Japanese counterparts. Thus, a higher utilization of local resources is achieved in Umbria than in Hiroshima. The main factor attributed to this difference is to the reservation cost for starting agritourism; which is higher in Hiroshima where there are more off-farm job opportunities available for farmers than in Umbria,