California Agritourism Summit 2025
May 14-15, 2025
San Diego County
The third statewide agritourism summit, hosted by UC SAREP and UCCE San Diego County, brought together agritourism stakeholders to share current initiatives and industry developments, gain practical tools to start or expand an agritourism business, develop strategic partnerships, and create a collective vision for the future of agritourism in California. The event featured expert panels, roundtable discussions, presentations, networking opportunities, and tours of successful agritourism operations in San Diego County.
Click the event program to view sessions, speakers, and Summit supporters:
Summit Participants
The Summit hosted 165 participants from 29 counties. Below are the stakeholder groups in which the participants self-identified:
- 45% Agricultural producers, farmland owners, & aspiring agricultural producers
- 14% Extension or technical assistance service provider
- 13% Marketing business/organization
- 10% Government agencies
- 8% Tourism/travel industry
Key Takeaways
Participants were asked to identify opportunities, benefits, challenges, and needed supports to engage in agritourism. Key themes are summarized below along with a participant quote.
What opportunities do you see for your business or your community to engage in agritourism? Participants identified opportunities to grow their businesses and connect with their communities. Closer collaboration between agritourism stakeholders and stronger statewide marketing efforts were also identified as opportunities for agritourism development.
So happy Visit CA, CA Grown & farmers are working together - love the collaboration
What benefits does/could agritourism bring to your business or community? Educating and cultural exchange with a diverse cross section of community members, income diversification, and highlighting agricultural products were identified as the leading benefits of agritourism.
The opportunity to be a part of a child’s core memories. Education for younger generations to support and be excited about their food & natural beauty around them
What challenges do you currently face or do you think you might face in running an agritourism business or supporting agritourism in your community? Regulatory and permitting barriers, including cost, complexity, and dead ends, were the primary challenges identified by participants. Insurance, attracting visitors to remote locations, and measuring impact were also listed as challenges.
We need state, county, & local governments looking to say “yes” rather than “no”. There are way too many roadblocks to economic development that add years to a project and ultimately make investments not viable.
What supports do you need to be successful in running an agritourism business or supporting agritourism in your community? Streamlined and user-friendly permitting processes, data to demonstrate the impact, especially economic impact of agritourism, access to capital, and marketing support were identified as supports needed to successfully engage in agritourism.
Counties should create a simple step-by-step guide for operating and permitting your business