Introduction
The tourism industry, especially farmers, is currently in need of finding ways to increase income. In particular, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the number of inbound flights decreased by 90%, it is necessary to pay attention to domestic tourism (Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, 2021, p. 4). VisitEngland (2021, p. 30) reports that among UK farms, 88% need transformation measures to increase capacity. In this regard, the exploratory mixed methods approach was chosen to study the possibilities of diversifying the activities of Sunrise Farm.
Analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data will answer the research question: “What diversification opportunity would best meet the needs of Sunrise Farm and its current customers?” The approach involves collecting qualitative data through semi-structured interviews as well as collecting quantitative data through a questionnaire. Further, it is necessary to consistently analyze the data obtained, identifying the key needs of customers based on interviews and their comparison and supplementation with quantitative data. The result of the study emphasizes that Sunrise Farm needs to rethink its development plans and focus on agritourism.
Research methods
Guide to Methods
The exploratory mixed methods approach was chosen for the research. The choice of the mixed type of data analysis is justified by the assumption that “neither a qualitative nor a quantitative analysis of networked tourism… are able, separately, to provide a meaningful outcome” (Mariani and Baggio, 2020, p. 19). Molina-Azorín and Font (2015) note that the use of a mixed approach provides the collection of quantitative data that are important when presenting research findings to officials or investors. The researchers emphasize that this technique is the most common and preferred for considering the travel industry (Khoo-Lattimore and Mura, 2017). The use of a blended approach provides a deeper analysis of the current industry trends, not only from the perspective of customer perception but also of statistical factors.
Several issues regarding this approach affect the quality of the results obtained. In particular, Ivankova and Creswell (2006) note that there are difficulties in prioritizing the sequence of qualitative and quantitative data analysis. However, Mason and Augustyn (2010) identify that an exploratory qualitative study is an effective tool for building a research basis at the initial stage. Analysis of qualitative data and subsequent integration with analysis of quantitative data allows “discussing the outcomes of the whole study and drawing implications” (Ivankova and Creswell, 2006, p. 17). Thus, the exploratory mixed methods approach with sequential data analysis will provide comprehensive data on the current situation and the opportunities for diversification.
Qualitative and quantitative data must be collected for research and a mixed approach. As part of a study of Sunrise Farm activities and an assessment of opportunities for diversification of enterprise operations, interviews with respondents became the initial stage. In particular, a semi-structured approach to the interviews was chosen that is suitable for the explanatory nature of the analysis. The main characteristic of this approach is the integration of observation and prior knowledge of the field (Schmidt, 2008). The advantage of this method is that “all participants were asked questions from the same loose set, but there was no defined ordering of the questions” (Dearnley, 2005, p. 22).
Thus, the interview schedule was prepared for conducting the interview, which assumes more flexible answers from the respondents. This approach was chosen because it allows participants to point out factors that may be opportunities for enterprise improvement based on personal experience.
The interview schedule was developed in accordance with the research objective and included a monthly survey of stakeholders of Sunrise Farm. The research objective is to “understand the needs of customers and potential customers to Sunrise Farm” (Sunrise Farm: interview transcripts, n.d, p. 1). Nine respondents with different experiences of interaction with the enterprise participated in the interview. All respondents’ answers are given in the interview transcript and constitute qualitative research data. Quantitative data was obtained through the Sunrise Farm visitor questionnaire, which was collected in April, August, and November 2019 (Visitor questionnaire data, n.d). The information it contains will enable the collection of more structured statistics that can complement qualitative data.
Results
As a result of the qualitative data analysis, it was possible to determine which services are prioritized by visitors and what changes they would like to observe. From the analysis of qualitative data, several key aspects can be identified that were noted by several respondents at once:
- Sunrise Farm is perceived as a place for a relaxing family vacation and visitors would not like to see the business as a tourist attraction (except for respondent 9);
- Many respondents (interviews no. 2, 3, 4, 5) note that organic food in the store and other services are expensive for them;
- The respondents underline that Sunrise Farm lacks activities for teenagers and families without kids;
- The labyrinth is perceived by many respondents as an attraction for children and is not of interest to other visitors (interviews no. 1, 4, 5, 7, 8);
- Visitors note that their main interest in Sunshine Farm is a cafe and picking fruits and berries;
- Interviews also identified potential opportunities for improvement: expanding to other counties outside of York, expanding transport opportunities, raising awareness about organic food, and providing opportunities for life in the countryside.
The data obtained during the interview made it possible to identify the main trends. The visitors’ questionnaire allowed obtaining quantitative data defining the population, age, average costs per visit, popular activities, transport methods, and product preferences. The quantitative data made it possible to confirm the results of the qualitative study and identify new information. In particular, shops and cafes are of interest to 90% of all visitors, although the interviews emphasized the cafe (Visitor questionnaire data, n.d). 62% of visitors come with their families and only 20% with children, which indicates the need to focus on a more diverse age group (Visitor questionnaire data, n.d).
Fruit and berry picking has a fairly high seasonal demand among visitors (Visitor questionnaire data, n.d). Quantitative data also identifies that 90% of visitors use a car to get to Sunrise Farm (Visitor questionnaire data, n.d). The maze is of interest to a third of the visitors and is also unpopular among visitors without children (Visitor questionnaire data, n.d). Additionally, the results of the survey made it possible to identify visitor preferences that were not presented in the interview.
Conclusion
Analysis of qualitative data made it possible to identify the current attitude of customers towards the company and determine possible directions of development. It is important that the qualitative data also allows determining the attitude of potential visitors to pay attention to the promotion. Analysis of qualitative data allowed determining that Sunrise Farm needs to attract tourists from other regions or countries of Europe (Sunrise Farm: interview transcripts, n.d).
Slocum and Curtis (2017) note that diversification for small agricultural enterprises is often associated with insufficient funding, and partnerships with other regions can mitigate this obstacle. The qualitative data obtained confirms that Sunrise Farm attracts predominantly British people from adjacent areas (Visitor questionnaire data, n.d). Thus, the opportunity for diversification can be noted, which was identified using the mixed method.
Qualitative data also draws attention to the need to involve adolescents in the activities of the enterprise. In particular, it is important not only to create more attractive places for teenagers to visit but also to involve them in permanent employment on the farm and participation in the agricultural business (Sunrise Farm: interview transcripts, n.d). Moreover, “rural areas are more financially self-sufficient to prevent the departure of more rural young people” (Liu and Yen, 2017, p. 9).
Participation in the development of agriculture has another important application in the form of increasing environmental awareness and maintaining loyalty (Xue and Chang, 2020). The development of agritourism and the participation of visitors in farming activities is also associated with an increase in income, to a greater extent, the production and sale of agricultural products (Pitrova and Krejčí, 2020). Giaccio and Giannelli (2018) also confirm that agritourism enterprises offer enhanced job opportunities for young people. Thus, this opportunity, which has been identified through the analysis of qualitative data, represents a prospect for long-term development.
Analysis of quantitative data also confirms the described trends and allows the identification of new opportunities. In particular, the increased seasonal demand for fruit picking supports the need to develop job opportunities and develop agritourism (Visitor questionnaire data, n.d). At the same time, the qualitative data identified dissatisfaction with the prices of organic products and quantitative interest in the local store (Sunrise Farm: interview transcripts, n.d; Visitor questionnaire data, n.d). At the same time, the development of agriculture will allow visitors to participate in farming activities and, through the development of the local economy, reduce prices (Slocum and Curtis, 2017). Thus, the mixed-method approach made it possible to identify the priority direction of diversification and long-term development.
Data analysis also highlights the need to develop more affordable transport in rural areas. Shumaev and Morkovkin (2018) emphasize that providing visitors with easier means of transportation is a key aspect of agritourism development. Qualitative and quantitative data analysis also identifies this need (the need for a bus is noted in the interview; the survey results identify that most people use cars to reach Sunrise Farm) (Sunrise Farm: interview transcripts, n.d; Visitor questionnaire data, n.d). However, this point is more a concern of the tourism policy of the region and the country as a whole rather than a separate enterprise.
Quantitative data also made it possible to identify the need for people to have access to animals on the farm. In particular, 17% of those surveyed noted they would like to be able to interact with farm animals, which also reflects the current trends in farming diversification (Visitor questionnaire data, n.d; How British farmers, 2019). This point is a promising opportunity since animals can be a “magnet that draws more tourists towards the individuals running agritourism farms and thus causes them to obtain higher profit” (Jeczmyk and Uglis, 2021, p. 1). The qualitative data also indicates the visitor’s need for accommodation in rural areas. However, VisitEngland (2019) notes that despite an increase in the overall volume of tourism in the country, the number of nights is declining annually (Kantar, 2019, p. 6). Thus, this possibility needs additional research among the visitors and within the industry framework.
However, within the framework of the study, the method also has a number of limitations that can significantly affect the quality of the findings. First of all, both the interview and the survey involved a small number of visitors over a short period of time, which makes the data incomplete. Second, there is a significant discrepancy between the amount of data obtained in the course of qualitative analysis and in the course of quantitative analysis, which may violate their reliability and significance. At the same time, the survey seems to be more complete and reliable since it was conducted at different times of the year since seasonality is important for this industry.
Recommendations
The analysis made it possible to identify opportunities for diversification and development of Sunrise Farm. In particular, the quantitative and qualitative data collected underscore the need to improve the rural economy, expand inter-regional cooperation, focus on agriculture, and provide visitors with animal contact opportunities. In this regard, Sunrise Farm is advised to reconsider its intention to develop a direction of local delicacies. This recommendation is based on the research data, which emphasizes that the company mainly attracts local visitors who would also not like the development of fancy tourist attractions.
Recommendations for future research include interviewing a larger number of people to acquire deeper qualitative data. Based on the information obtained, more specific questionnaires should also be compiled to gather more detailed quantitative information on each diversification opportunity. It is also important to pay attention to the analysis of the current regional and state policy regarding the development of agritourism and rely on it to choose the directions of development.
Reference List
Dearnley, C. (2005) ‘A reflection on the use of semi-structured interviews, Nurse Research, 13(1), pp. 19-28. Web.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. (2021) The tourism recovery plan. Web.
Giaccio, V. and Gianelli, A. (2018) ‘Explaining determinants of agri-tourism income: evidence from Italy’, Tourism Review, 73(2), pp. 216-229. Web.
How British farmers are diversifying. (2019). Web.
Ivankova, N. V. and Creswell, J. W. (2006) ‘Using mixed-methods sequential explanatory design: from theory to practice, Field Methods, 18(3), pp. 3-20. Web.
Jeczmyk, A. and Uglis, J. (2021) ‘Can animals be the key to the development of tourism: a case study of livestock in agritourism‘, Animals, 11(8), pp. 1-15. Web.
Kantar. (2019) The GB tourist: 2019 annual report. Web.
Khoo-Lattimore, C. and Mura, P. (2017) ‘The time has come: a systematic literature review of mixed methods research in tourism’, Current Issues in Tourism, 22(13), pp. 1531-1550. Web.
Liu, S. Y. and Yen, C. Y. (2017) ‘A conceptual framework for agri-food tourism as an eco-innovation strategy in small farms’, Sustainability, 9(1), pp. 1-11. Web.
Mariani, M. and Baggio, R. (2020) ‘The relevance of mixed methods for network analysis in tourism and hospitality research, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32 (4), pp. 1643-1673. Web.
Mason, P. and Augustyn, M. (2010) ‘Exploratory study in tourism: designing an initial, qualitative phase of sequenced, mixed methods research’, International Journal of Tourism Research, 12(5), pp. 432-448. Web.
Molina-Azorín, J. F. and Font, X. (2015) ‘Mixed methods in sustainable tourism research: an analysis of prevalence, designs and application in JOST (2005–2014)’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 24(4), pp. 549-573. Web.
Pitrova, J. and Krejčí, I. (2020) ‘The economic impact of diversification into agritourism’, International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 23(5), pp. 713-734. Web.
Schmidt, C. (2004) ‘The analysis of semi-structured interviews’, in Flick, U. and Kardorff, E. (eds.) A companion to qualitative research. London: SAGE Publications, pp. 253-258.
Shumaev, V. A. and Morkovkin, D. E. (2018) ‘Innovative aspects of agritourism project management’, in Goal, F. L. and Filimonova, N. (eds.) Financial and economic tools used in the world hospitality industry. London; CRC Press, pp. 241-248.
Slocum, S. and Curtis, K. (2017) ‘Farm diversification through farm shop entrepreneurship in the UK’, Journal of Food Distribution Research, 48(2), pp. 35-51.
Sunrise Farm: interview transcripts. (n.d).
VisitBritain. (2021) Visitor attraction trends in England 2020: full report. Web.
Visitor questionnaire data. (n.d).
Xue, L. L. and Chang, Y. R. (2020) ‘The sustainable development of organic agriculture-tourism: the role of consumer landscape and pro-environment behavior’, Sustainability, 12(15), pp. 1-19. Web.