Agritourism & Adventure Travel Resources
Agritourism is an alternative enterprise allowing an agricultural operation to earn higher profits by replacing or supplementing traditional agricultural operations with innovative and sustainable ventures.
Agritourism is when the public visits a working farm, ranch, winery, or any agriculture operation or active agricultural heritage site for enjoyment, outdoor recreation, activities, education, shopping, dining or lodging.
Agritourism generates income from these visits for the operators, which can help sustain the rural way of life and help keep more producers on our Nebraska lands.
If you have questions about agritourism in Nebraska, please direct them to:
Karen Kollars
Agritourism Consultant
Nebraska Tourism Commission
Phone: 308-249-3220
Email: [email protected]
Adventure travel is inspired by the curious looking to try new destinations. Adventure travelers are typically driven by desires to branch out in their activities, interact deeply with nature, and experience different cultures in the most respectful way possible. An integral thread of adventure travel is outdoor recreation. Using alternative modes of transport (hiking, biking, rafting, paddling, swimming, etc.) to experience a destination more sustainably is a tenet of adventure travel. From the masterminds who first offered tanking to the wild imaginations that dreamed up silo ice climbing, there is no shortage of innovative thinkers in Nebraska to create and market quirky and exciting adventure opportunities throughout our state.
Adventure travel and ecotourism often go hand in hand. Ecotourism is defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education” (The International Ecotourism Society, 2015). The essence of ecotourism is rooted in the desire of travelers to experience and observe the natural environment of their chosen destination. Ecotourists are interested in learning about the natural history of a destination and are often drawn to destinations with unique plants or animals that sometimes may only be found in specific ecosystems. Nebraska can be divided into four ecoregions: tallgrass prairie, mixedgrass prairie, sandhills and shortgrass prairie. When you add the vast expanse of Nebraska's largely pristine nightscape to the mix, opportunities abound for Nebraskans to enterprise responsible and profitable avenues to share these special landscapes and their inhabitants with visitors.
If you have questions about adventure travel or ecotourism, please direct them to:
Jenna Bartja
Adventure Travel Specialist
Nebraska Tourism Commission
Phone: 402-471-3767
Email: [email protected]
Do you have an agritourism, adventure travel or ecotourism business in Nebraska?
Check out the following resources:
Legislative Bill 329 - Rural Landowner Liability for Recreational Activities in Nebraska
Guidelines for Ecotourism Operations in the Great Plains