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White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Kansas City, MO, USA

The over-expansion of agritourism fall festivals

Agritourism is seeing dramatic growth. The pandemic accelerated its popularity with the public as a safe outdoor activity, introducing many new people to it. However, as more and more traditional farms turn to agritourism as an additional source of income, we may be at the point in many markets where the growth in the number of fall festivals is exceeding demand.

Below is a map of all the agritourism attractions in Kansas City. There are 18 fall festivals (corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and/or other attractions). 17 are admission-based fall festivals, and at one, you pay individually for attractions. The Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 2.4 million. That works out to a population of 133,000 per festival, not a large number considering only a percentage of the population will attend.

We are seeing a similar situation in some parts of the country where some of our clients are located. As a result of more and more fall festivals, in some markets, they are becoming commodities where price becomes a deciding factor for attendance.

Takeaway

To stay relevant in those highly competitive markets and to be able to charge an admission charge to remain profitable, fall festivals need to differentiate themselves from the generic fall festival formula of attractions to stand out from the crowd.

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