From Scotland to Malta: Reflections from the Global Agritourism Conference 2026

In June 2026, I had the privilege of taking part in the Global Agritourism Conference in Scotland as one of the tourism professionals selected through the Global Agritourism Scholarship Programme. I joined the conference through the Merill Rural Network, bringing with me the perspective of Malta, but also my wider experience in rural tourism, food heritage and community-based development in Italy. 

The Global Agritourism Conference was organised by the Global Agritourism Network, a growing international platform that connects farmers, researchers, rural tourism practitioners, consultants and policymakers working to strengthen agritourism worldwide. Its mission is very close to the work we do every day: supporting forms of tourism that benefit agricultural producers, local communities and visitors, while protecting rural identity, culture and landscapes.

The scholarship programme was not simply a ticket to attend a conference. It was a full learning journey, designed to create real connections among scholars from different countries and to expose us to Scotland’s agritourism sector from the inside. Looking back, what made this experience powerful was precisely this combination: international dialogue, practical farm visits, leadership reflection and honest conversations with people who are building agritourism not as a trend, but as tool for rural multi-level regeneration.

Starting at the Royal Highland Show

My Scottish journey began at the Royal Highland Show, one of those events that immediately makes you understand how deeply agriculture can be woven into a country’s public identity. Considering that agriculture is often under-recognised in the Maltese context, seeing agriculture celebrated with such scale, pride and visibility was striking.

It reminded me that rural tourism does not begin with tourism. It begins with respect for agriculture. Tourism can amplify rural life, but it cannot replace it. This is an important lesson for Malta too: if we want agritourism to grow sustainably, we must first recognise the value of the people, practices and landscapes that make it possible.

A workshop on rural leadership

The Scholars’ Workshop, chaired by Julia Latto in the charming context of Barra Castle, was one of the most meaningful moments of the programme. The central question was simple but not easy: where do we want to be as rural leaders?

Some ideas stayed with me strongly. Rural leadership is not about earning opportunities only for oneself, but about creating livelihoods and strengthening people’s right to remain in their communities. It is about being a catalyst and a multiplier: helping others see the opportunities that rural areas still hold today.

Coastal Angus Core Tour: agritourism in action

The Coastal Angus Core Tour gave us the chance to see three very different agritourism businesses operating along Scotland’s east coast: Charleton Farm, Lunan Bay Farm and Arbikie.

This tour was a concrete reminder that agritourism is much broader than accommodation. It can include farm cafés, tastings, events, product storytelling, regenerative farming, retail, educational visits and immersive experiences. What matters is that the activity remains rooted in a real agricultural story.

At Charleton Farm, I saw how a farm can become a destination without losing its productive identity. At Lunan Bay Farm, the “farm to fibre” cashmere experience showed the power of connecting visitors to the full journey behind a product. At Arbikie, the field-to-bottle model demonstrated how farming, distillation, sustainability and visitor experience can become part of one coherent story.

For Merill, this was especially relevant. In Malta, we work with small-scale farmers, artisans and rural families whose value is not always immediately visible to the market. The Scottish examples reinforced something we already believe: when people understand the work, skill and place behind a product, they are more likely to respect it, support it and remember it.

Two conference days: data, policy, authenticity and regeneration

The two main conference days in Aberdeen were intense, rich and very relevant to our work. The programme touched on global benchmarking, policy, farm retail, consumer trends, research, marketing, sustainability, innovation and the future of agritourism.

The country benchmarking sessions were particularly useful. Some countries, such as Taiwan or Italy, showed how powerful agritourism can become when there is a clear national strategy, supported by policy, education, certification and impact monitoring. Other contexts, including the United States, highlighted the challenges that emerge when agritourism grows without a shared national framework or definition. This felt familiar from a Maltese perspective, where rural tourism is full of potential but still needs clearer positioning, stronger coordination and better data and research. Put it simple: public institutions should invest it. 

Another theme that strongly emerged was authenticity. Visitors are becoming more educated and can easily recognise staged or artificial experiences. That's another reason why creating agritourism that is not deeply tied to agriculture would backfire and disappoint customers. 

I also found the discussions around regenerative tourism especially relevant. Sustainability is no longer enough as a slogan. The question is becoming: how can tourism add value to a place rather than simply reduce damage? In this sense, agritourism has enormous potential, because when it is well designed, it can regenerate economically, culturally, socially and environmentally.

One of the most unexpected sessions for me was the one on innovation. I initially expected a focus on digital tools. Instead, the conversation moved towards regenerative agriculture and regenerative approaches to local communities. This was a useful reminder that innovation is not always a platform, an app or a piece of technology. Sometimes innovation means rebuilding relationships, rethinking land use, protecting biodiversity or creating new forms of collaboration - themes that we tackle through our work at SEED. 

Learning from Scottish hospitality at Incheoch Granary

After the conference, I spent two days at Incheoch Granary with Kristelle - another scolar from South Africa and the new Global Agritourism Network's secretary -  hosted by Debbie, as part of the scholarship programme’s farm stay experience with Scottish Agritourism members.

This was the perfect way to close the journey. After days of speeches, panels and international discussions, the farm stay brought everything back to daily life: hospitality, family work, rural landscapes, practical decisions and the quiet generosity that makes agritourism real. Thanks Debbie for hosting us and sharing Scottish stories and perspectives!

What I bring back to Malta

I returned from Scotland with many ideas, but above all with a stronger conviction: agritourism is not a niche. It is a tool for rural resilience.

For Malta, this means continuing to support farmers, artisans and rural communities not as background actors in the tourism industry, but as protagonists of a more meaningful visitor economy. It means investing in networks, training, digital readiness, storytelling, data and policy dialogue. It also means being careful: agritourism must remain connected to real rural life, otherwise it risks becoming another product detached from the people it claims to celebrate.

For SEED Projects, this experience reinforces the importance of our work across rural development, sustainable tourism and community empowerment. Through initiatives such as the Merill Rural Network, our goal is not simply to create experiences for visitors. It is to help rural stakeholders gain visibility, confidence, income opportunities and long-term autonomy, while preserving the identity and knowledge that make their work unique.

The Global Agritourism Conference gave me international inspiration, but also practical clarity. In Malta, "agritourism" is still in a grey zone: its future will depend on our ability to connect policy with practice and the real needs of local communities. But, more important, on public institutions' willingness to support the sector.