Agritourism in Extremadura, Spain from the Perspective of Rural Accommodations: Characteristics and Potential Development from Agrarian Landscapes and Associated Activities

Abstract

The boom of rural tourism in Extremadura (Spain) has been promoted by different administrations, both national and European, through multiple initiatives carried out for several decades. However, it has been developed in a generic way, ignoring the potential of agricultural landscapes for the development of agritourism as a specific variety. Therefore, this research aims to know the opinion of rural lodging owners in order to understand how the activity can be reoriented towards a more specific one, taking advantage of the potential of this type of tourist attraction. For this purpose, information has been collected through surveys to these owners. By carrying out a statistical analysis and a territorial analysis, it is possible to know their socio-demographic structure, as well as the characteristics of the accommodations and other aspects related to the activities they offer to tourists. Following the analyses, characteristics such as age, level of education and sources of income were identified, revealing a lack of knowledge of agritourism. It was also discovered that many lodgings could offer agritourism activities due to the presence of farms and attractive landscapes for tourists. However, there was a lack of activities related to agriculture and livestock, which represents a missed opportunity for the development of agritourism. The territorial analysis showed patterns of activity supply in certain areas, suggesting the possibility of promoting the sustainable development of rural areas through the diversification of tourism activities. Perhaps the main conclusion that can be drawn is the need to take advantage of the attractive landscape and the presence of activity companies to promote the economic and social development of rural areas, contributing to the conservation of traditions and the fight against depopulation.

1. Introduction

Tourism has been promoted for decades as one of the activities that can support the harmonious and sustainable development of rural environments. In fact, since 1991, the European Union has launched numerous initiatives to achieve this through its LEADER [1,2,3] or PRODER [4] programs. These programs have implemented various rural development policies, with rural tourism being precisely one of the major beneficiaries [5].

The effects of these initiatives reflect the fact that they have not succeeded in halting depopulation [6], although they have contributed in part to the socioeconomic development of rural areas. In fact, the impacts of these policies are uneven in the interior areas of Spain, and their success has been partial. Nevertheless, some authors argue that the inhabitants of rural areas have acquired a clear sense of identity [7], together with endogenous entrepreneurship in new projects. Likewise, it is increasingly common to link these initiatives with sustainability [8]. However, part of the literature affirms that they have succeeded in energizing the rural population in many of the places where they have been applied [9]. In fact, positive correlations have been found between rural overnight stays and participation in rural development programs conducted under the Leader methodology [10]. There are analyses that emphasize the maturity and growing presence of tourism initiatives, and the commitment to innovation, sustainability and specialization of actions, although the difficulties linked to their integration into Rural Development Programs are also recognized [11]. At the same time, there are also studies that reveal a clear impact of depopulation on the local tourism model. This fact can condition the tourism policies that are implemented [12].

Despite the variable success rate of these programs, they have served to create a diversified tourism offer in some territories and, sometimes, these places have had a better demographic evolution than the immediate surroundings where no lodging facilities have been developed [13,14]. One of the reasons that may explain the unequal success in the implementation of rural tourism initiatives is the commitment to a generic tourism model, without conceiving it as a specific variety, as agritourism would imply [15]. In a complementary way, the literature reflects more causes, highlighting among them the mismatch between the tourism potential of the territory and its lodging plant [16,17].

Knowing the capacity offered by the territory to develop tourism in rural areas is complex. In fact, there are numerous methodologies created since the 1970s that pursue this goal [18,19,20], even up to the present day [21,22,23,24].

Tourism is an activity that contributes directly and indirectly to the development of rural areas [25]. For this reason, rural tourism has been a firm commitment of the administrations to revitalize the territory through the funds allocated by the European Union for this purpose, there has been a notable increase in the number of lodgings in inland areas [26]. However, on occasions, it has not been accompanied by tourism policies aimed at benefiting the primary sector, as rural tourism was originally conceived [17]. It should serve to increase agricultural incomes, although it is common for this idea to have been replaced by the creation of a supply of accommodation in rural areas, outside the scope of farmers and stockbreeders. It can be deduced from this that agritourism has taken a back seat, with generic rural tourism being favored. In short, it is considered more as a business than as a complement to the main activity, agriculture, as agritourism advocates.

This type of tourism facilitates the sustainable development of host communities and their surroundings, becoming an extra source of income in some cases, and the main business in others [27]. At the same time, it can help prevent depopulation [28].

Rural environments should take advantage of the opportunity offered by agritourism to differentiate themselves as a tourist destination from areas that offer generic rural tourism. In line with this, they should take advantage of the endogenous resources existing in the territory, where agricultural landscapes should play a key role in configuring products, but also in developing a wide range of activities conducive to the maximum enjoyment of visitors.

However, there are areas, such as the one selected for this study, which show a notable lack of knowledge of the activity, even among the owners of rural lodgings located in the territory. This conditions the offer of specific products, based on the realization of activities and the enjoyment of experiences as elements that transcend the overnight stay itself. The environment and the vocation of the agrarian landscapes, which should be promoted as the center of tourist attraction, must be known. It is also necessary to analyze the activities offered by the lodgings and the possibility of creating well-defined areas in which to set up tourist product clubs.

For this reason, a study is proposed to deepen the analysis of agritourism from the perspective of the supply of accommodation in an inland area of Spain, specifically, the autonomous community of Extremadura.

The study is based on four hypotheses. The first hypothesis (H1) is that there is an enormous lack of knowledge about the supply of rural tourism, especially regarding the aspects that concern the owners and the lodgings they manage. For this reason, it is necessary to conduct a clear diagnosis that allows us to have at least an approximation of their knowledge. In addition, linked to the previous one, a second hypothesis (H2) is proposed, centered on demonstrating that there are numerous rural lodgings in Extremadura that can offer activities linked to agritourism, since in some cases they have a farm or are in the landscapes that tourists prefer to enjoy their vacations. Along with these, there is the most important, but which derives from the previous hypotheses. This is the third hypothesis (H3), in which it is suggested that not too many activities are offered in most of the lodgings, especially those that can be considered typical agritourism activities. In line with this, a last hypothesis (H4) is proposed, which seeks to corroborate the existence of specific areas in the region specialized in certain activities, although the resources present in the territory are not always exploited.

To corroborate these hypotheses, the following specific objectives are proposed:

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O1: To know the main aspects that define the owners of the rural tourism offer implanted in Extremadura, Spain.

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O2: To know the conceptualization of agritourism that the owners of rural lodgings have.

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O3: To know the opportunities that rural lodging can offer to develop an agritourism product.

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O4: To know the services and activities offered.

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O5: To know if the potential or intentionality corresponds to reality.

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O6: To discover distribution patterns in the activities offered by rural lodgings.

Objectives 1 and 2 are exploratory in nature, since the characteristics that define the owners of rural lodgings and their conception of agritourism are unknown. Objectives 3 and 4 are analytical and have a clear applicability, while objectives 5 and 6 have a transversal character.

2. Literature Review

There are numerous studies that show a strong link between agriculture and tourism, although they highlight very varied aspects. Among them are those focused on analyzing the factors that relate both sectors [29], those that pay greater attention to the impacts caused by tourism development on agriculture [30,31,32], as well as those that are based on the analysis of the factors that relate both sectors [33], as well as those based on sustainable development [34,35,36,37], the obstacles and potential synergies for development [38] and even those that place greater emphasis on the multifunctionality of agriculture [39] with a clear link to gastronomy [40].

Although the links between agriculture and tourism are obvious, there are many perspectives that address them. In this regard, some authors attach greater importance to the role of agriculture as a supplier [41], especially when it offers emblematic products [42], often focused on complementarity with gastronomic tourism [43,44].

Also striking is the importance of agricultural landscapes as a tourism product [45], even when they are cultural landscapes [46] for an increasingly diversified market with experiential interests [47]. Similarly, one of the most unique links between the two activities is the development of tourism activities on farms, agritourism in its purest essence [48,49,50].

Both the attractiveness of agricultural landscapes and the activities offered in agritourism are variable in time and space. Although wine tourism [51,52,53] and olive oil tourism [54,55] have been extensively treated in the literature, there are many other types of landscapes that can host different agritourism activities. These include cultural landscapes typical of rural environments and in need of protection [56,57], dehesas and even cereal-growing areas to which little attention is paid, where high-quality food products, such as Iberian ham, are obtained [58].

The literature shows that agritourism has been studied from different scientific disciplines, each one contributing a particular approach, although they converge in certain areas of interest according to bibliometric studies [59,60]. In this sense, most experts consider it as a specific variety of rural tourism, where the differences are marked by the location of the accommodation on a farm and the offer of activities linked to agriculture and livestock farming to different degrees.

However, there is no single definition of agritourism. Since the term appeared in the 1980s, it has been conceptualized in many ways, although it is increasingly accepted that agriculture and tourism should converge. It is therefore a synergy between the two activities. In line with this, the literature includes different concepts, although they refer to this generic idea of agritourism, some of them referring to the farm. Farm tourism”, “Farmbased tourism”, “Vacations farm” or “Recreation on farms” are even used interchangeably. At the same time, there are certain ambiguities related to the type of setting in which the tourist experience takes place, the authenticity of this or of the agricultural context itself, the activities involved and the reasons for the trip [61,62,63].

Agritourism represents a variety of rural tourism that takes place in an agricultural environment. It links visitors to agricultural activities and the rural world in its most authentic state. These activities include the harvesting of products from the land, milking animals, making handcrafted agricultural products, etc. In doing so, they can experience cultural immersion and meaningful learning about sustainable agricultural practices and the rural way of life. It is clearly differentiated from rural tourism by its ability to offer educational, recreational, sensory and social experiences, deeply rooted in local farming or ranching traditions and practices.

Its role as a dynamizer of rural areas can be key in some territories, where tourism can be positioned as an activity that contributes to the sustainable development of these areas. The generation of alternative and complementary income from agritourism for the rural world favors the preservation of cultural and natural heritage by promoting conservation practices and the sustainable use of natural resources. These improvements in income should especially affect families with an economy based on the agricultural sector. In addition, it promotes the revaluation of local products and regional gastronomy, strengthening local economies and social cohesion, in line with the green and circular economy [61]. With this, this variety of rural tourism stands as a sustainable economic alternative [64].

Agritourism also focuses on hospitality and accommodation in rural settings, offering tourists the possibility of staying in farms, haciendas or cortijos and other agricultural establishments, allowing for a more authentic and personalized experience. This offers direct contact with nature and an opportunity to experience the rhythm of life and daily routines of rural communities [61].

From an educational perspective, agritourism stands out for its potential to raise awareness among visitors about the importance of organic and sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and environmental conservation. This is achieved with specific pedagogical-productive strategies that contribute to the appreciation of agritourism [65]. Through participation in educational activities and practical workshops, tourists can acquire knowledge about sustainable agricultural techniques, natural resource management and the importance of biodiversity for the livelihoods of rural communities. Tourists are highly educated, many of them university educated and eager for knowledge and experiences. The direct contact with the environment also promotes health and wellbeing, since a stay in a rural environment, far from the hustle and bustle of the cities, offers visitors an opportunity to disconnect, relax and revitalize, enjoying the physical and mental health benefits of contact with nature and outdoor activities. It also contributes to innovation in the agricultural sector by encouraging the diversification of activities and the creation of unique tourism products, which contributes to the economic and social resilience of rural communities [66] in the face of global challenges such as climate change and globalization.

It is presented as a comprehensive strategy to achieve endogenous rural development [67], combining the enhancement of agricultural and cultural heritage with sustainable tourism, environmental education and visitor welfare. However, its effective implementation requires a collaborative approach between agricultural communities, local authorities, tourism organizations and visitors, always seeking a balance between economic development, heritage conservation and respect for rural traditions and ways of life. It also requires the development of associations of agritourism professionals, an enterprise that unites agriculture and tourism [68]. For this reason, an exhaustive knowledge of rural lodging is of interest for this activity, especially when there are places where the potential development of this activity is important, although it is not always encouraged.

In addition, agritourism is linked to a wide range of landscapes that reflect the agricultural and cultural diversity of a region. These landscapes enrich and inform the tourism experience, but also contribute to showcasing sustainable agricultural practices, heritage conservation and promoting the social and economic well-being of rural communities. Typically, landscapes such as vineyards and olive groves, which support two specific tourism modalities, such as wine tourism [69,70] and olive oil tourism [71,72], have been associated with agritourism. However, there are many more landscapes that can be interesting for agritourism, such as aromatic plant crops, traditional crops or agroforestry systems, as well as protected natural areas [73]. In all of them it is feasible to create tourist experiences that combine expository, educational or creative aspects, as well as recreational ones, which allows us to speak of sensory experiences [74]. These landscapes offer visitors a unique opportunity to connect with the land, learn about sustainability and enjoy authentic and enriching experiences. Agritourism, therefore, promotes a conscious and respectful interaction with landscapes, fostering understanding of agricultural practices, conservation of cultural and natural heritage, and sustainable development of the rural world.

On the other hand, agritourism incorporates a variety of activities that seek to integrate tourists into the life and processes of the countryside, offering educational, recreational or cultural experiences. Participation in agricultural activities, getting directly involved in the tasks, is one of the most recognized, since it allows to experience the entire production process, from planting to harvesting. Obviously, it also has an equivalent in livestock farming, involving visitors in animal care, from feeding to the extraction of products, such as milking, shearing, etc. Sometimes, the production is used for an artisanal transformation of top-quality products, with an ecological mark, as is the case with wines, oils, cheeses, honey or jams, for example. In addition, these artisanal productions made with quality products are used for tastings, which multiplies the value of the experience in its sensory aspect.

Agritourism also involves staying on farms, which are used to create educational and cultural tours of the surrounding area, in line with the wishes of visitors.

It also tries to constantly innovate the offer of activities, aligned with social changes and with the current way of life, very centered on residence in urban centers, subjected to stressful situations, etc. For this reason, some activities linked to rest, wellbeing and disconnection are beginning to be implemented [75]. Likewise, local markets and fairs are promoted where local products are put on sale, usually organic products.

The most successful agritourism activities are those that combine authenticity, education and enriching sensory experiences. The key to success lies in the ability to offer a deep immersion in rural life, allowing visitors not only to disconnect from their daily routine, but also to gain a greater appreciation for sustainable agriculture, local traditions and natural heritage. These experiences are especially valued in a global context where awareness of sustainability and the search for more responsible and meaningful forms of tourism is increasing [61].

The literature has conceptualized agritourism, its objectives, the activities that are conducted, and in some areas, there is even legislation that protects it. However, when the opinion of rural tourists and rural lodging owners is analyzed, gaps are detected and, sometimes, a worrying lack of knowledge of the activity.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Study Area

Agritourism activities are regulated with diverse levels of detail in Spain since each autonomous community has the capacity to regulate the activity by means of specific Decrees and Laws. In general, the regulations referring to agritourism in Spain usually cover aspects such as the definition and classification of agritourism establishments, the minimum infrastructure and service requirements, the preservation of the environment and cultural heritage, as well as the promotion of sustainable practices. In addition, they promote agricultural activity as an essential part of the agritourism offer, seeking to give visitors a direct experience of life and work in the countryside.

In the case of the autonomous community of Extremadura (Spain), the area chosen for the study, Law 2/2011, of 31 January, on the development and modernization of tourism in Extremadura [76], as well as its successive amendments, establishes the legal framework for the development and modernization of tourism. However, it does not explicitly refer to agritourism more than tangentially, although its provisions on the promotion of sustainable tourism, the quality of tourism services, support for the economic development of rural areas and the improvement of accessibility, among other aspects, provide a favorable framework for the development and consolidation of this variety of rural tourism. Not even Decree 65/2015, of April 14, which establishes the management and classification system for rural tourism accommodations in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, refers to agritourism [77]. Therefore, there is no real political intention to promote it, supported by a specific and clear regulatory framework. In contrast, however, the National Reference Center for Agritourism is in this community. Among its functions is the analysis of new training trends, their experimentation and implementation. It also deals with training tasks related to the promotion of networks both with business and trade union organizations and with universities and technology centers with the aim of being at the forefront of each productive sector related to the professional families and areas of the National Catalog of Professional Qualifications [78].

In territorial terms, Extremadura is an inland region of Spain, bordering Portugal (Figure 1), covering 41,634 km², in which there are numerous protected natural areas and an important historical and artistic heritage, some of them belonging to the World Heritage. The number of attractions present in this community has been described in numerous studies approached from the point of view of rural tourism [79,80,81,82].

Despite the existing regulatory and training gaps, agritourism is beginning to develop in a tenuous way in the region, where its potential growth is considerable. At this point it should be noted that, given the precarious situation of many rural lodgings, it is believed to be much more operative to focus on the offer of clearly agritourist activities and services offered from existing rural lodgings, although without denying at any time the creation of a new lodging offer in farms [48]. This approach is based on the existence of certain weaknesses in the rural accommodation modality in Extremadura. Among them are the average length of stay and the degree of occupancy. In the first case, during 2023, an average of 2.72 days was obtained, in line with the values for the country. In the second case, the average occupancy rate was 17.23%, compared to the national average of 20.48%. In addition to these problems, there is also a marked seasonality with a strong influx of tourists in the summer months, while the rest of the year is significantly lower [58,83].

Agritourism in Extremadura stands out for several peculiarities that make it unique compared to other regions of Spain. These characteristics are deeply rooted in the geography, history, culture and economic structure of the region. It has a great diversity of landscapes ranging from the dehesas, characterized by extensive areas of pastureland dotted with holm oaks and cork oaks, to mountainous areas and river valleys. This diversity offers a wide range of agricultural and agritourism activities, from the breeding of Iberian pigs and the production of acorn ham to the cultivation of cherries in the Jerte Valley [73]. It is also home to a remarkable historical heritage ranging from cave paintings in Monfragüe National Park or Las Villuercas; megalithic architecture, common around Valencia de Alcántara; to cities such as Mérida and Cáceres [21,24].

It is clear from the literature that natural and cultural attractions are quite successful among tourists. In fact, the north of Extremadura stands out for its consideration as a “tourist area” by the INE, and likewise, Cáceres [84], Mérida [85], both belonging to the World Heritage, as well as Trujillo, Plasencia, Badajoz or Zafra, which acquire the consideration of first level tourist spots in the context of the region.

It also has other types of attractions, as its agricultural structure has a traditional character, keeping alive many agricultural traditions, sometimes passed down from generation to generation. These include traditional agricultural practices applied to the production of olive oil, wine or cheese, which provides an authentic and unique experience for visitors interested in agritourism [86]. The consideration of products with Protected Designation of Origin (ODP) or Protected Geographical Indication (GPI) also contributes to this. ODPs are those whose quality or characteristics are due to the geographical environment with its natural and human factors, whose production, processing and preparation are always conducted in that defined geographical area, from which they take their name. PGIs have some specific quality or reputation or other characteristic that can be attributed to a geographical origin and whose production, processing or preparation is conducted in the defined geographical area from which they take their name [87]. These products of excellent quality, beyond their vital function, have always had a preponderant role in the relationship between people [88]. They have become first class tourist experiences. In fact, there is a positive evolution in both the production and marketing of regional products with quality marks [89].

On the other hand, the region has demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainable development, implementing agricultural practices that respect the environment and promote biodiversity. This has a double implication, on the one hand, it promotes organic farming, with obviously organic products which facilitates specialization in agri-ecotourism [61]. On the other hand, it gives rise to the existence of numerous protected areas, which become real poles of tourist attraction [80]. According to data published by the regional government, the Bird Protection Areas (ZEPA) occupy 1,089,233 hectares, the Sites of Community Importance (SCI) or Special Protection Areas (SPA) currently cover 828,949 hectares, which, eliminating the overlaps, is 1,257,787 hectares, to which should be added another 314,111 hectares of Protected Natural Spaces [90].

The agricultural and livestock products contribute to the existence of a rich gastronomy, where products such as Iberian acorn-fed ham, cheeses such as torta del Casar or the cheeses of La Serena or Ibores and the wines of the Ribera del Guadiana stand out. This complements the experiential aspect of agritourism, based on high quality gastronomy. At the same time, it facilitates, in conjunction with other elements, participation in agricultural activities and learning about rural life in a practical and educational way [91].

3.2. Methods

The process followed to conduct this research (Figure 2) started with surveys of owners of rural lodgings located in Extremadura. The responses obtained were used to create a database that was subjected to various statistical analyses to determine the main characteristics that define the managers of rural lodgings. Likewise, the aim is to reveal the potential for the implementation of agritourism initiatives and the intention of the owners to carry them out. At the same time, it has been implemented in a Geographic Information System to proceed to the spatial analysis, detecting possible similar behaviors.

Finally, the results obtained are discussed in line with the hypotheses and objectives, and conclusions are drawn.

The information that served as the basis for the study came from two distinct sources, depending on the type of data provided. On the one hand, the maps used in this study were produced by the National Geographic Institute (IGN) [92] and the Territorial Information System of Extremadura (SITEX) [93], created under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 International license that protects their unrestricted and free use for legitimate purposes with the only obligation to acknowledge and mention their origin and ownership. The working scale chosen has been 1:100,000 as it is sufficiently detailed for the purposes established in the research. Its spatial resolution is 20 m. On the other hand, the information referring to the supply of accommodations comes from the Tourist Activities Register of the Junta de Extremadura, created under the protection of DECREE 205/2012, of October 15 [94], which regulates it and is public and free of charge. The information provided by this registry has been georeferenced for subsequent implementation in ArcGIS Pro v. 3.0.

On the other hand, the information for the analysis of the supply was obtained after conducting 270 surveys of the owners of rural lodgings, both by telephone and in person. The selection of the surveyed lodgings was conducted according to a random sampling by clusters, where the sample units are each of the tourist territories that make up Extremadura. Once the accommodations included in each of these clusters had been determined, the selection was random. To avoid any type of bias, the number of surveys in each tourist territory was weighted at approximately 25%, according to the total number of members.

The technical data sheet of the survey (

Table 1. Survey data sheet.

Descriptor
Universe	1095 rural lodgings (Tourism Activities Register, 2023)
Sample	270
Confidence interval	95%
Sampling error	5.15
Date	2 January 2023 to 30 December 2023
Type	Random sampling by territorial clusters

) shows that it is reliable, since with a confidence interval of 95% a sampling error of 5.15% is obtained. These calculations were made considering the data from the Tourism Activities Register collected by the Junta de Extremadura [95].

The fundamental axes on which the survey has been developed have been three. One oriented to know the type of lodging and some characteristics of the owner; another focused on the analysis of the potential of the lodging to develop agritourism; and, finally, another to know their predisposition to orient their business towards agritourism. The survey used can be seen in detail in Appendix A.

In line with this, questions are included referring to the age structure and the characteristics that would define the key aspects related to lodging. In a complementary manner, we inquired about the consideration of agritourism by the owner of the rural establishment. In this sense, he/she is asked if he/she considers his/her lodging to belong to the agritourism variety. At the same time, they are asked about the meaning of agritourism and the activities that best define it, whose analysis is considered essential to know their training and orientation regarding this variety of tourism. The survey also contains two other types of key questions. On the one hand, it inquiries about the potential they have to practice the activity, either because they have a farm or because of the type of landscape that predominates in the vicinity of their lodging. On the other hand, the predisposition to implement initiatives linked to agritourism-related services and activities is analyzed.

The statistical treatment of the data was conducted using SPSS V.29.0.1 software. It consisted of a descriptive analysis, centered on frequency distributions, which made it possible to determine the main characteristics of the owners of the lodgings and establishments. This analysis was complemented by another analytical and bivariate analysis. Specifically, Pearson’s linear correlation matrix was used to determine whether there are relationships between the different activities offered by the rural lodgings.

In addition, a spatial analysis was carried out using as a basic criterion the activities offered by the surveyed establishments. ArcGIS Pro V.3.0.1 software was used to perform an analysis based on Global Moran’s I statistic and Kernel Interpolacion with Barriers. The former measures the spatial autocorrelation based on the location of the accommodations and the values of the activities they offer. In this sense, given a set of entities and an associated attribute, it evaluates whether the expressed pattern is clustered, dispersed or random. The Moran’s I statistic for spatial autocorrelation is given as [96]:

$$I={\displaystyle \frac{n}{s_0}}{\displaystyle \frac{\sum _{i=1}^n{\sum }_{j=1}^n{w}_{i,j} z_{i }{z}_j}{\sum _{i=1}^n{z}_i^2}}$$

where z_i is the deviation of an attribute for feature I fron its mean (x_i − $\overline{\mathrm{X}}$), w_i,j is the spatial weight between feature i and j, n is equial to the total number of features, an S_o is the aggregate of all the spatial weights:

$$S_o=\sum _{i=1}^n\sum _{j=1}^n{w}_{i,j}$$

The zI-score for the statistic is computed as:

$$z_I={\displaystyle \frac{I-E\left[I\right]}{\sqrt{V \left[I\right]}}}$$

where:

$$\begin{array}{l}E\left[I\right]=-1/(n-1)\\ V\left[I\right]=E \left[I^2\right]-E{\left[I\right]}^2\end{array}$$

p-values are numerical approximations of the area under the curve of a known distribution, bounded by the test statistic [96].

The second, deals with a variant of a first-order local polynomial interpolation in which computational instability is avoided by a method like that used in ridge regression to estimate regression coefficients. For the definition of the function, we have resorted to polynomial5 of order 1, following the formula:

$$1-{\left({\displaystyle \frac{r}{h}}\right)}^3\left(10-\left({\displaystyle \frac{r}{h}}\right)\left(15-6\left({\displaystyle \frac{r}{h}}\right)\right)\right), for {\displaystyle \frac{r}{h}}<1$$

where r is a radius centered at point s and h is the bandwidth [97].

The variables applied were the different activities offered in rural lodgings, assigning a value of 1 when the activity in question is offered by the lodging, 0.5 if it is planned to be offered in the near future and 0 if it is not planned to be offered in any case.

The results obtained have been used to create areas by interpolating the values, something that allows us to approximate the current and future situation, since it considers the values previously mentioned, 1 and 0.5, respectively. Likewise, the results of the raster areas defined for each of the activities offered have been homogenized to use a scale of 0.1 to 1, with the aim of offering a comparison between all of them as they have the same chromatic range.

4. Results

4.1. Profile of the Rural Lodging Owner

Understanding the rural tourism and agritourism sector undoubtedly involves getting to know the owners of these businesses (

Table 2. Characteristics of the owners.

Questions	Responses	Percentage
Genre	Man	44.9%
	Woman	53.3%
	Another	1.8%
Owner’s age group	Up to 30 years	3.7%
	From 31 to 40 years old	10.3%
	From 41 to 50 years old	23.2%
	More than 50 years	62.9%
Seniority in the sector	Less than 5 years	19.5%
	From 5 to 10 years old	22.8%
	More than 10 years	57.7%
Level of education	Primary	41.5%
	Media	14.3%
	University students	44.1%
Language skills	English	2.15
	Frances	1.68
	Portuguese	1.50
	Italian	1.14
	German	1.09
Complementary Economic activities	Lodging is the only source of income	41.5%
	Income from agriculture or livestock	8.1%
	Income from handicrafts	1.0%
	Revenues from industry	3.3%
	Income from liberal professions	9.2%
	Income from the service sector.	31.6%
	Revenues from various sectors	5.3%

).

The analysis of the surveys conducted among lodging owners reveals that there is a certain predominance of women. Specifically, 53.3% are women compared to 44.9% men, although other genders are also present (1.8%). It is also noteworthy that almost 63% are over 50 years of age, which demonstrates the progressive aging of the sector. Also contributing to this is the low percentage of those under 30 years of age, at 3.7%. Meanwhile, the rest of the age cohorts amount to 33.5%. This progressive aging of the owners makes it necessary to propose policies of continuity of the lodging, trying to ensure that there is a certain generational renewal. However, it should be noted that this variety of housing is usually located in small towns, which hinders the process. This shows that the demographic challenge facing rural areas has very varied implications. These entrepreneurs also have extensive experience in the business, since 57.7% recognize that they have been in business for more than 10 years. Despite this, 19.5% have less than 5 years of experience, in line with the use of this activity as a form of self-employment.

On the other hand, the educational level of rural tourism entrepreneurs is clearly polarized. On the one hand, 41.5% have only primary education, while 44.1% have attained university studies. The latter have a similar representation among all the cohorts, although, when analyzing those who have only attained primary education, a clear concentration is observed among people over 50 years of age. At the same time, there is a clear deficiency in the knowledge of languages, with German and Italian being the most unknown, followed by Portuguese and French. English does not even get a pass mark, since on a scale of 1 to 5 only a weighted average of 2.15 is achieved.

With respect to the economic activity that these rural tourism entrepreneurs develop, it should be noted that only 41.5% have rural lodging as their only source of income. In contrast, the great majority combine this activity with other activities, whether they are liberal professions, services or industries. However, 8.1% have complementary income from agricultural or livestock exploitations and 1% from handicrafts. This shows that, considering the economic activities, linking lodging with agriculture or livestock farming is complicated in a considerable number of cases. For this reason, agritourism is currently not very representative in Extremadura.

The above analysis allows us to establish some typical characteristics of this type of entrepreneurship, where, apart from the differences in gender, it should be noted that these are people over 50 years of age, with a level of education that is polarized by having primary or university studies, with a low knowledge of languages and who have lodging as their only source of income or who combine it with income from the service sector. In few cases it is related to agriculture as a main or complementary activity.

4.2. Conceptualization

The literature has sufficiently demonstrated that there is no single way of understanding agritourism; there are multiple definitions. Moreover, the current legislation of many of Spain’s autonomous communities does not clarify the concept either. Therefore, it is interesting to know what rural lodging owners think about this issue (

Table 3. Items analyzed.

Ask	Reply	Percentage
Do you consider that your accommodation falls into the agritourism category?	Yes	39.0%
	No	31.3%
	I am not sure	29.8%
What does agritourism mean to you?	Overnight stay on an agricultural or livestock farm and participation in farming activities.	27.6%
	Tourism to learn about the way of life in the rural world	25.4%
	Practice tourism in direct contact with nature	23.5%
	Carrying out activities on an agricultural or livestock farm, even if you spend the night in another place.	14.0%
	Overnight in rural accommodations	7.4%
	Overnight stay on an agricultural or livestock farm	2.2%
What activity would best define agritourism?	Education and awareness of the values of the rural milieu	27.6%
	Participation in agricultural and livestock tasks	22.8%
	The enjoyment of the freedom and tranquility offered by the rural world.	19.9%
	Lodging on agricultural and livestock farms only	11.8%
	I do not know	8.1%
	Rural lodging	7.0%
	Attendance at gastronomic festivals, visits to markets of traditional food products, etc.	2.2%
	Others	0.6%

).

In this regard, it is striking that 39% of the owners surveyed consider that their lodging would fall into the category of agritourism and, furthermore, 29.8% are not sure, compared to 31.3% who state without any doubt that their lodging does not belong to this category. This diversity of opinions shows that doubts about the meaning of agritourism transcend the academy itself, even affecting one of the main actors in the tourism system, the owners of lodgings. This circumstance makes it necessary to delve deeper into the subject, so that it is possible to understand what these actors understand by agritourism. In this sense, when asked about the meaning of this activity, only 27.6% indicated that agritourism consists of staying overnight on an agricultural or livestock farm and participating in agricultural work, in line with what is stated in much of the literature. With similar percentages are those who believe that the objective of this activity is to get to know the way of life in the rural world or to maintain direct contact with nature. It can be deduced from this that an important part of the business community recognizes a role linked to the rural world, to nature, as well as to agriculture and livestock raising. In contrast, there are those who assimilate it directly to overnight stays in rural lodgings (7.4%) or to spending the night on a farm (2.2%), while others assimilate it to the conducting of activities, independently of the place of overnight stay (14%). There is thus a lack of common criteria when it comes to conceptualizing agritourism.

This confusion also affects the activities that would be linked to agritourism. According to the owners surveyed, 27.6% think that education and awareness of the values of the rural environment define this variety of tourism. While 22.8% affirmed that the activity that best defines it is participation in agricultural tasks, thus positioning themselves in line with the experts. On the other hand, almost 20% say that it is centered on the enjoyment of the freedom and tranquility offered by the rural environment. Likewise, there is a current of opinion that focuses on the lodging, with 7.0% who assimilate it to any type of rural lodging and 11.4% to lodging on agricultural and livestock farms. On the other hand, 8.1% were unaware of the activities associated with agritourism. From this we can deduce, once again, a clear lack of knowledge of the activities involved in agritourism.

4.3. Housing

4.3.1. Potential for Activity Development

The performance of the agritourism activity depends on the existence of some type of tourist facility for the implementation of the activities directly related to it. For this reason, it is interesting to analyze whether the rural lodging has an agricultural or livestock farm to complement the stay or whether it plans to acquire one (

Table 4. Services offered by rural accommodations.

Ask	Reply	Percentage
Do you have an agricultural or livestock farm to complement your lodging?	I have a small orchard and farm to offer as a complementary product.	13.6%
	Yes, recreational	8.8%
	Yes, dedicated to agriculture	14.7%
	Yes, dedicated to extensive livestock farming	9.9%
	I do not have a farm, although I could reach an agreement with farmers and ranchers in the area to complement my offer with theirs.	14.3%
	No, and I don’t consider it either.	38.6%

).

In the first case, it is noteworthy that 47% of the rural lodging owners surveyed recognize that they do have farms to use as a complement to their lodging. In fact, 13.6% recognize that they have a small orchard and a farm to offer as a complementary product. While 14.5% indicate that they have an agricultural farm and 9.9% a livestock farm, to which 8.8% of owners have a recreational farm.

Taking these statements into account, the potential for implementing activities linked to agritourism is considerable in the region, especially if it is noted that a good part of the rural lodgings is in the vicinity of dehesas, olive groves and vineyards, as the main agricultural landscapes [43]. This potential increases if it is considered that 14.3% of the owners would be willing to reach agreements with farmers and ranchers in the area to complement their agritourism offer. Finally, it should be recognized that a considerable percentage, 38.6%, do not consider this situation in any case.

The analysis of these data is certainly encouraging, since some of the owners of rural lodgings have their own places in which to carry out the activity or, at least, could be able to offer it by resorting to farmers or ranchers in the area.

Rural lodgings usually offer a variety of services (

Table 5. Services offered by the rural accommodation.

Services	No	Yes
Bicycle rental	86.4%	13.6%
Advice on the area	3.3%	96.7%
Bar/cafeteria	74.6%	25.4%
Barbecue	34.9%	65.1%
Cold rooms for game storage	77.2%	22.8%
Swimming pool	46.0%	54.0%
Restaurant	76.1%	23.9%
Free WI-FI	15.1%	84.9%
Sale of handmade products	77.9%	22.1%
Sale of local gastronomic products.	77.2%	22.9%
Sale of own-produced products	83.8%	16.2%

), including advice on the area.

In fact, almost all of them provide information to their clients. There is also a clear majority of those that offer free Internet connection and other facilities that can be considered normal considering the environment of Extremadura. These are the barbecue and the swimming pool, offered by 65.1% and 54% of the rural lodgings.

When it comes to equipment related to restaurants, around 25% offer a bar or cafeteria and restaurant, with a lower representation in the case of the sale of local gastronomic products. Something similar happens with the sale of artisanal products or the existence of cold storage chambers for storing game meat. Bicycle rental is the least offered, since only 13.6% have it in their list of services. It is also noteworthy that only 16.2% of the lodgings offer products of their own production. All this implies that there is ample potential for growth in terms of services offered, especially in everything related to the sale of local products and gastronomy.

Although the above analysis reflects the current situation regarding the existence of facilities for the development of agritourism, based on the availability of farms for the promotion of activities, as well as the analysis of the services offered, it is necessary to analyze the agricultural use of the environment (

Table 6. Use of the environment.

Nearby Landscape	% Lodging
Irrigated crops	24.6%
Rainfed crops	22.8%
Organic crops	29.0%
Wooded dehesas with quercine trees	62.1%
Stone fruit trees	43.0%
Olivares	53.7%
Vineyards	16.9%
Cattle	43.4%
Goats	30.1%
Sheep	46.0%
Swine	27.6%
Reservoirs	47.4%
Rivers or tributaries	66.9%

). This would help determine the type of agritourism product that could be offered.

In this sense, it is worth noting the high weight of dehesa (62.1%) and olive groves (53.3%), followed by fruit trees (43%) and, above all, vineyards (16.9%). This implies that the most appropriate thing to do may be to generate agritourism products based on the dehesas, as a large agrosystem, typical of areas in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, a good part of them supports an important cattle and pig herd, of high quality and distinguished with the quality mark that grants it to have the seal Protected Designation of Origin or Protected Geographical Indication. This circumstance, coupled with the proximity of organic crops of other rural accommodation (29%) encourages the idea of opting for the agri-ecotourism modality, very much in line with the “eco” paradigm of today’s society [61].

Obviously, the presence of sheets of water can also be interesting for the implementation of tourist experiences aimed at explaining traditional freshwater fishing gear, or provide certain cultural connotations [98], exposing development initiatives carried out in another era, as is the case with many of the irrigation projects, such as the Badajoz Plan and the Cáceres Plan. This distribution is even more interesting when it is considered that other studies have corroborated that the areas linked to the presence of laminae and watercourses are the areas preferred by rural tourists to spend their vacations, followed by areas dedicated to vineyards, dehesas and olive groves [73].

4.3.2. Intention to Engage in Agritourism

On the other hand, when analyzing the activities currently offered by rural lodgings, it is observed that, despite their variety, the percentage of lodgings involved is low (

Table 7. Activities offered by the rural accommodation.

Activities	No, I Do Not Consider It	No, but I Plan to Offer It	Yes
Tasting of local products	55.1%	21.3%	23.5%
Monterías	75.7%	13.6%	10.7%
Observation of the sky	40.1%	29.0%	30.9%
Bird watching	40.4%	32.4%	27.2%
Wildlife observation	46.0%	30.1%	23.9%
Participation in agricultural tasks	58.8%	29.4%	11.8%
Collection of wild products	50.4%	29.4%	20.2%
Walking tours to collect wild products	44.9%	29.0%	26.1%
4 × 4 or similar tours	69.9%	17.3%	12.9%
Bicycle tours	55.5%	23.9%	20.6%
Horseback riding	62.9%	18.8%	18.4%
Photographic safaris	65.1%	26.1%	8.8%
Visit to ancestral constructions	52.6%	28.7%	18.8%
Visits to fighting bulls ranches	77.2%	15.4%	7.4%
Visit to producers	52.2%	29.4%	18.4%
Visit craftsmen or ancestral trades	54.0%	31.6%	14.3%
Visit to wineries	61.8%	23.5%	14.7%
Visit to olive oil mills	53.7%	30.1%	16.2%

). Only sky observation, linked to starlight tourism, is offered by 30.9%. In solidarity, other activities are offered by 20% to 30% of the lodgings. Among the latter, birdwatching and wildlife observation stand out, which is surprising given the enormous, protected area of the autonomous community. A similar fact happens with activities such as walking or cycling tours, the collection of wild products or the tasting of local products.

When analyzing activities with a clear agritourism link, the percentage of rural lodgings that offer them is even lower. In fact, visits to producers, oil mills and wineries do not reach 20%, and even when it comes to participating in agricultural activities, the percentage drops to 11.8%. Other more specific activities, such as hunting and visits to fighting bull ranches, fall to 10.7% and 7.4%, respectively.

Although there are currently few lodging facilities involved in offering this type of activity, there is a clearly positive trend. In fact, there are significant percentages of establishments that plan to offer them soon (Figure 3). These include bird or wildlife watching or other typical agritourism experiences, such as visits to olive oil mills, artisans, participation in agricultural tasks, visits to producers, etc.

There are also activities that are not to the liking of the owners of the lodgings, such as visits to bullfighting ranches and hunting, possibly due to the social tendencies that are contrary to these activities.

The joint analysis of the activities offered by the rural lodgings surveyed reflects a clear link between them, from which it can be deduced that it is the owners of these establishments who promote those activities that are of greatest interest from their point of view. There are, therefore, two well differentiated profiles of lodgings. On the one hand, those that offer the greatest number of activities and, on the other, those that do so to a lesser extent, without a clear territorial pattern being discernible due to the aggregate treatment of the data.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that when Pearson’s linear correlation analysis is used, all the variables show positive and significant relationships at the 0.01 bilateral level (

Table 8. Pearson matrix between activities offered by the rural lodgings.

	V1	V2	V3	V4	V5	V6	V7	V8	V9	V10	V11	V12	V13	V14	V15	V16	V17	V18
V1	1
V2	0.495	1
V3	0.471	0.486	1
V4	0.579	0.422	0.338	1
V5	0.410	0.407	0.344	0.362	1
V6	0.496	0.756	0.574	0.436	0.349	1
V7	0.451	0.469	0.494	0.351	0.340	0.475	1
V8	0.450	0.590	0.338	0.476	0.353	0.533	0.447	1
V9	0.344	0.446	0.442	0.400	0.341	0.493	0.411	0.339	1
V10	0.486	0.412	0.346	0.437	0.407	0.426	0.455	0.501	0.357	1
V11	0.359	0.452	0.479	0.356	0.324	0.456	0.410	0.459	0.503	0.492	1
V12	0.463	0.561	0.456	0.316	0.337	0.599	0.462	0.462	0.470	0.413	0.518	1
V13	0.414	0.491	0.520	0.375	0.395	0.491	0.344	0.493	0.537	0.425	0.682	0.586	1
V14	0.343	0.332	0.429	0.317	0.244	0.378	0.473	0.417	0.385	0.527	0.418	0.467	0.412	1
V15	0.412	0.511	0.544	0.385	0.419	0.511	0.438	0.428	0.559	0.408	0.643	0.617	0.794	0.454	1
V16	0.339	0.412	0.410	0.376	0.261	0.418	0.328	0.445	0.449	0.402	0.728	0.443	0.613	0.505	0.588	1
V17	0.488	0.520	0.843	0.299	0.316	0.563	0.437	0.326	0.388	0.296	0.419	0.461	0.474	0.347	0.482	0.383	1
V18	0.502	0.804	0.523	0.432	0.398	0.667	0.503	0.577	0.473	0.468	0.449	0.588	0.454	0.374	0.508	0.413	0.476	1
$\overline{\mathbf{X}}$	0.443	0.505	0.471	0.387	0.350	0.505	0.426	0.450	0.458	0.431	0.569	0.536	0.554	0.420	0.526	0.398	0.476	0.506

Codes: Bicycle tours: V1; Bird watching: V2; Collection of wild products: V3; Horseback riding: V4; Hunting: V5; Observation of the sky: V6; Participation in agricultural tasks: V7; Photographic safaris: V8; Tasting of local products: V9; Tours in 4 × 4 or similar: V10; Visit to olive oil mills: V11; Visits to ancestral constructions: V12; Visits to artisans or ancestral craftsmen: V13; Visits to bullfighting cattle ranches: V14; Visits to producers: V15; Visits to wineries: V16; Walking tours to collect products (asparagus, mushrooms…): V17; Wildlife observation: V18.

). It can be deduced from this that there are common behaviors in the different lodgings, since there is a high probability of offering a certain activity when another is offered.

As shown by Pearson’s r coefficients, there are correlations between all the activities. However, there are some activities where the relationship is significantly lower with most of them. Among these, hunting and horseback riding stand out, although low indexes have also been obtained with other activities, such as visits to wineries or bullfighting ranches, as shown by the average correlations calculated. At the opposite extreme are other activities, such as visits to olive oil mills, ancestral constructions, artisans, producers or walking tours to collect wild products. All of them have a very strong link with agriculture. In addition, they are accompanied by other activities such as bird watching and observation of other types of fauna.

In summary, the coefficients of significance that exceed 25% affect variables 11 (Visit to olive oil mills), 13 (Visits to artisans or ancestral craftsmen), 12 (Visits to ancestral constructions), 15 (Visits to producers), 18 (Wildlife observation), 2 (Bird watching) and 6 (Observation of the sky). The rest of the variables have lower averages.

The most significant correlations are those between bird watching, wildlife observation and photographic safaris, with high coefficients. There are also very high correlations between collecting products and collecting them on foot. It is also noteworthy that some activities, such as hunting and horseback riding, are poorly correlated with the rest, since few establishments offer them.

4.4. Territorial Analysis: Searching for Spatial Patterns

One of the key factors for the development of agritourism is that rural tourism lodgings must be capable of reorienting their business model. This implies that they must offer activities in which tourists are the real protagonists, especially if we consider that companies dedicated to this type of activities have proliferated. In line with this argument, there are numerous establishments that currently offer this type of activities and there are also many that plan to do so in the near future.

When a territorial analysis is conducted considering the current offer of activities available in rural lodging, considerable territorial variability is observed. In fact, when we resort to the spatial autocorrelation (Moran’s I), carried out according to the number of activities offered by the rural lodgings (Figure 4a), we obtain an index of 0.026494, when the expected value was −0.003717. This translates into a variance of 0.03544 and a z-score of 0.16048, with a p-value of 0.872503. These figures corroborate that the distribution, at least apparently, does not differ from that which would be obtained randomly. On the other hand, when performed on the number of activities that might be implemented (Figure 4b), the same randomness is detected. In this case, the Moran index obtained is 0.030773, when a value of −0.003717 was expected. The variance is 0.035608, with a z-score of 0.182777 and a p-value of 0.854973.

Although Moran’s global indexes detect a randomness in the distribution of accommodations that offer activities and those that can offer them, it is necessary to search for certain patterns that may show a similar local behavior. In this case, when the Kernel interpolation algorithm is applied, certain territorial patterns are detected, both in the accommodations that do offer activities (Figure 5a) and in those that intend to offer them (Figure 5b).

In the first case, there are large areas (red tones) where the interpolation shows that the rural accommodations offer few activities, despite the great natural and cultural wealth of the area, where there is a Geopark and a National Park, in addition to the World Heritage Site of the Monastery of Guadalupe. Likewise, there are other areas in the southeast of Extremadura that are also characterized because their rural lodgings offer few activities. On the contrary, in a large part of the territory a different pattern is detected, where the rural lodgings there offer numerous activities.

In the second case, a similar pattern is observed, although it polarizes the situation even more. In fact, the same areas are drawn as in the previous case. This reinforces the fact that the areas where lodgings offering activities are located plan to offer more and in greater numbers than those located in areas offering few activities. In the latter, the number of activities that rural lodgings plan to offer are scarce.

The situation described above refers to the totality of activities offered by rural lodgings. For this reason, it is necessary to carry out a specific study on those that refer to specific activities related to a greater or lesser extent to agritourism [99]. In this sense, of the 16 activities proposed, it can be deduced that there are areas in the whole of the autonomous community that have a predilection for offering those in which the presence of the attraction factors is higher. On the other hand, there are other areas where accommodations do not take advantage of their potential. This is a lost opportunity to improve the competitiveness of the establishments themselves.

When analyzing the location of the rural lodgings surveyed that offer the possibility of bicycle routes (Figure 6a), it is striking that there are very few (55), as well as those that plan to offer it (64), compared to the great majority that do not plan to do so (151). All this is surprising when Extremadura has an extensive network of nature trails, to which are added a multitude of public footpaths and a network of cattle trails. So much so that considering only the nature trails recognized by the Extremadura Rural association, the Las Villuercas Nature Trail runs for 75.9 km; the Guadiana Nature Trail runs for 343 km; the Tajo Nature Trail runs for 330 km; the Cáceres-Badajoz Corridor Nature Trail is 176.3 km long and, finally, the Rivera de Acebo Nature Trail runs for another 15 km [100]. Despite this, when looking for the possible existence of some distribution pattern with respect to the lodgings that offer this activity, a predominance is observed in the northeast and southwest of the region, with small, focused areas. In turn, in these same areas, the intention to offer it is reinforced, which would undoubtedly contribute to generate greater attractiveness for rural tourism lodgings.

Another interesting activity to enhance the value of rural tourism and, in part, agritourism is bird watching (Figure 6b), especially considering that in Extremadura the Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPAs) occupy an area of 10,892.32 km² [100]. Despite this, most of the lodges surveyed do not offer this activity (110), compared to 73 that do offer it or 87 that plan to do so in the future. All this contrasts with the great wealth of birdlife present in the 69 SPAs in Extremadura. This situation contrasts with the efforts made by the regional administration to develop this type of tourism, supporting the International Ornithological Tourism Fair, held in Monfragüe National Park, or the Birding in Extremadura tourism product club. This interest is because up to 385 bird species have been catalogued [101] and up to 19 ornithological routes have been created throughout the region. In addition, it is striking that the lodgings that concentrate this activity are in the north of the province of Cáceres and in a large area of the province of Badajoz, leaving an important part of the province of Cáceres uncovered. At the same time, it should be considered that in a good part of Extremadura there are companies dedicated to birdwatching, so synergies between lodging and activity companies can be used to favor mutual growth. Furthermore, this type of tourism is especially relevant when there are studies that have previously analyzed the tourists who practice it [102].

An activity intricately linked to agritourism is the harvesting of wild products (Figure 6c), which is very abundant in Extremadura, given its agricultural vocation, where an important part of its territory is occupied by the dehesa agrosystem. Despite this undeniable potential, this type of activity is not usually offered in rural lodgings. However, it should be noted that there are even specific festivals dedicated to wild products, such as the Gurumelo Fair (Amanita ponderosa), declared an Asset of Cultural Interest [103]; the Asparagus Fair (Asparagus officinalis), etc… Moreover, only 54 of the lodgings that participated in the survey state that they offer the possibility of collecting wild products (mushrooms, asparagus, etc.), while 79 plan to offer it. In contrast, 137 do not plan to do so, thus disregarding a seasonal product, loaded with culinary, but also social and environmental significance. On the other hand, the territorial distribution of the lodgings is centered on very specific areas. These are the southwest of Extremadura, the central-eastern area and some areas in the north and west of the province of Cáceres.

Enjoying impressive landscapes of dehesas, river valleys or mountainous areas acquires another dimension when done on horseback (Figure 6d). For this reason, it is an activity that can be offered in many rural lodgings, as an ideal complement to the stay. In addition, it is important to consider the considerable number of rural roads and livestock trails that exist, which can encourage its implementation. However, there is a clear predominance of lodgings surveyed that do not intend to offer such activities (170), compared to a clear minority that do (49) or intend to do so (51). Likewise, at the territorial level, there is a tendency to offer them in the west of the province of Badajoz, the north of the province of Cáceres and the center-east of the community.

Big game hunting and the well-known monterías are another important attraction for tourism and socioeconomic development in Extremadura, especially if they are clearly linked to tourism [104]. In fact, the 845 reserves dedicated to big game hunting occupy an area of approximately 7300 km², distributed throughout the region. However, lodges do not usually consider this activity (Figure 6e), in fact, a considerable part of those surveyed stated that they do not offer it and do not plan to do so (170), compared to those that do offer it (29) or are thinking of doing so (37). There are, however, certain areas where a pattern of concentration can be detected, coinciding with the northeast, a large part of the central-eastern and central-western part of the community, coinciding with areas of pastureland where hunting is abundant [105].

Participation in agricultural activities, which have a marked agritourism component due to the combination of agriculture and tourism, do not occupy a predominant place among the activities available in rural tourism lodgings. In this regard, it should be noted that, of the lodgings surveyed, 159 neither offer it nor plan to do so, compared to a scant 32 that do and 79 that plan to do so in the future. This fact, revealing, once again highlights the existence of certain patterns of behavior (Figure 6f). There is a large area in the province of Badajoz and two well-defined zones in the northeast and center-west of the province of Cáceres. On the contrary, other very extensive areas, with agro-livestock use, such as in the center-north of Extremadura, have an opposite profile, even though in this area there coexist large pasture areas, with a clear vocation for extensive livestock farming [15].

The participation in photographic safaris, which combines the love for graphic reports with fauna, flora and landscapes in general, despite its undoubted attraction and the existence of specialized companies, is not a very popular activity among rural lodgings. In fact, only 24 establishments among those surveyed offer it, although, as a positive aspect, another 69 are thinking of doing so. However, 177 of them are opposed to this option. The territorial pattern revealed implies areas prone to offer this activity (Figure 6g), coinciding with the north, center-east and south of the study area.

The observation of the sky is one of the activities most widely offered among the lodgings, according to the survey conducted. In this sense, it is worth mentioning the strong impulse given by the regional administration to the development of astro-tourism. In fact, Extremadura enjoys low light pollution, clear weather and a very high percentage of cloudless days. This has allowed some areas to be distinguished with the Starlight tourist destination certificate [106] As a result, numerous viewpoints and even trails have been created to encourage contemplation of the universe, while several specialized activity companies have emerged [107]. Of all the rural lodgings that participated in the study, only 109 do not plan to offer this activity. On the other hand, 83 say that they do and another 78 plan to do so. The territorial distribution (Figure 6h) shows a clear pattern in the north of the province of Cáceres and almost all the province of Badajoz where this type of activity is offered.

The tasting of typical and traditional products is an activity that can also be linked to agri-ecotourism [61], something to which the important variety of products with quality certifications contributes [87]. In fact, there are studies that analyze the gastronomic possibilities of extra virgin olive oil for designing olive oil tourism experiences [108] or link these quality products with the development of tourism activities [88]. However, almost half of the accommodations surveyed do not plan to offer this type of activity, compared to 63 that do offer it or 58 that plan to do so. The territorial analysis of this situation (Figure 6i) shows that it is widespread in the province of Badajoz and the north of Extremadura, especially in the eastern part.

Routes in all-terrain vehicles or quads have begun to appear with some profusion in Extremadura, although it is still an activity that lodgings offer in a limited way. In fact, 188 of those surveyed stated that they do not plan to offer it, as opposed to those who do (35) or plan to do so (47). Undoubtedly, this is an activity that must be supervised and carried out by true professionals, given the significant impact it can have on the environment. Given the growing demand, some companies have emerged that combine this activity with other complementary activities such as wildlife observation, photography, etc. Although there are not many lodges that offer this activity, the territorial analysis reveals two large areas where it is offered in greater profusion (Figure 6j). These are the north of the province of Cáceres and a large part of the province of Badajoz.

Visits to olive oil mills, despite attempts to develop olive oil tourism, are not usually offered in most of the rural lodgings surveyed. In fact, 145 neither offer it nor plan to do so. On the other hand, 43 do and another 82 plan to do so. At the territorial level, there is a tendency to concentrate in certain areas, such as the northeast of the province of Cáceres, and the south, east and west of the province of Badajoz (Figure 6k). In many cases, these areas coincide with the existence of Protected Designations of Origin, as is the case in the region of La Serena, where Monterrubio oil stands out [109]; around Gata-Hurdes [110], although to a lesser extent.

Extremadura is home to numerous ancestral constructions, distributed throughout the territory, which can favor the development of activities related to their visit and the consequent enhancement of their value as a tourist resource. In addition, some of them have a high degree of protection, being catalogued as Assets of Cultural Interest (BIC), regulated by Law 16/1985 of 25 June 1985 on Spanish Historical Heritage [111], as stated in the Register of Assets of Cultural Interest [112]. Despite this, this potential is not reflected in the fact that rural lodgings offer these attractions. A total of 143 establishments surveyed categorically state that they do not and will not offer such visits. However, 49 will do so and 78 are planning to do so. In addition, the territorial distribution of these trends is curious, as it is very centered in the north of the province of Cáceres and in a large part of the province of Badajoz (Figure 6l).

Despite the importance of handicrafts in tourism, which has been profusely expressed in the literature [113,114], there are not many rural lodgings that offer this type of visit. In fact, according to the survey carried out, only 37 rural lodgings offer it, although 86 plan to do so, but 147 do not even consider it. At the same time, the territorial analysis of these tendencies reflects two great areas that agglutinate this offer. These are the north of the province of Cáceres and a large part of the center and south of Extremadura (Figure 6m).

Perhaps one of the most controversial issues is the visit to bullfighting farms where fighting bulls are raised, possibly due to the clear social segmentation that exists in the country. Despite this, there is a link between bullfighting and tourism, as evidenced by the fact that some bullfighting festivals have been declared Festivals of Tourist Interest [115]. However, a large part of the accommodations surveyed do not plan to offer it, even though there are numerous cattle ranches located in the region. On the other hand, a minority (20) do and 42 plan to offer it in the future. At the territorial level, there are some areas where there are lodgings that do offer or will offer this type of visit, as is the case in the north of the province of Cáceres and, above all, in the south or west of the province of Badajoz, in addition to another well-defined area in the region of La Serena (Figure 6n).

The visit to agricultural or livestock producers is an unavoidable part of agritourism. It is an activity that allows an approach to the agricultural culture and tradition, to know the most typical way of life of the rural world. However, rural lodgings do not usually offer activities of this type. Moreover, of the establishments surveyed, 142 do not even plan to offer them, compared to 48 that will do so and 80 that plan to do so in the future. In line with this, the area’s most likely to offer this type of activity are in the northeast and southwest of Extremadura (Figure 6).

Wine tourism plays a fundamental role in some of Spain’s autonomous communities, where numerous winery tours are organized. In fact, this variety of tourism has an important development in many areas, as reported in the literature [116]. Extremadura is no stranger to this trend, as it has areas oriented to the cultivation of vines, some of them very outstanding, as evidenced by the fact that it has the Designation of Origin Ribera del Guadiana. This area extends over six producing comarca, where Tierra de Barros stands out, and to a lesser extent, Matanegra, Ribera Baja, Ribera Alta, Montánchez and Cañamero [117]. It is therefore seen as an engine of sustainable development [118]. However, it is not an activity that is offered too much from the rural lodgings themselves. Moreover, according to the survey carried out, 166 establishments do not plan to offer it, compared to 40 that do so at present and 64 that plan to do so. Likewise, the territorial analysis makes it possible to establish specific areas where this offer prevails. These are the central-western part of the province of Badajoz and the north of the province of Cáceres (Figure 6p).

The collection of natural products on foot combines harvesting activities with hiking, where the walks are used to get to know the environment and wild products. Contrary to what happens with other activities, in this case, a good part of the lodgings surveyed offer it. Only 121 do not plan to do so, compared to 70 that do offer it as an activity and another 79 that plan to do so. Despite this, the territorial configuration of the areas where it is offered follows the same pattern as in the previous case (Figure 6q).

Finally, wildlife observation is another of the activities most widely offered in rural lodgings. According to the survey carried out, only 125 establishments do not plan to offer it, compared to 64 that do so at present and another 81 that plan to do so soon. The success in the offer of these activities lies in the increase of specialized companies and in the vast protected territory of Extremadura. This is corroborated when the distribution of areas with similar behavior is analyzed (Figure 6r).

5. Discussion

Extremadura has numerous rural lodgings due to the commitment of the different regional governments to tourism development. This profusion of lodgings has been accompanied by a considerable increase in the capacity they offer, as can be deduced from the EOTR [83]. This source collects diverse information on rural accommodations at the aggregate level, as can be deduced from the methodology it applies [119]. The information published is interesting, although it does not provide data on the owners of these accommodations, nor even on the rural establishments themselves, their characteristics or the activities they offer. Nevertheless, they allow certifying the robust growth of rural tourism in Extremadura, despite the strong tensions to which it is subjected. These include seasonality, low occupancy rates and low average length of stay [26]. These problems derived from the development model of rural tourism in Extremadura are not homogeneous throughout the territory since there are disparities between some areas and others [120].

These conditioning factors translate into a profound lack of knowledge of rural tourism in Extremadura, especially about the qualitative study of accommodations and tourists, which prevents an accurate diagnosis of the current and future situation of this sector.

The official sources barely reveal the significant growth of some magnitudes of rural tourism in the study area, such as lodgings, vacancies, overnight stays or the stagnation of others, such as the degree of occupancy and the average stay. These data, moreover, are not individualized, which makes their analysis and precise diagnosis even more difficult. The main contribution of this source is that there has been a considerable increase in the number of establishments and, consequently, in the number of vacancies in rural lodgings, accompanied by an increase in the number of tourists and overnight stays in the region.

A more rigorous study involves resorting to the Tourism Activities Register of the Junta de Extremadura, whose data are published on the Junta’s Tourism website [121]. However, this source only refers to the supply of accommodations and vacancies, i.e., the quantitative criterion is the only one considered. In this sense, the study of the data collected by this source over the years shows that there has been an increase in the number of accommodations, although this has not been accompanied by a similar increase in tourism activities [26]. From this it can be deduced that the tourism development model has been based for a long time on increasing the supply of accommodation places in the rural environment, obviating a basic element, centered on the enjoyment of the tourist experience through the design of activities linked to the rich cultural and natural heritage existing in the region [21]. This situation has been maintained despite the succession of tourism plans implemented from 2010 to the present [122,123,124].

Fortunately, in the last decade there has been a proliferation of activity companies that offer a multitude of experiences, thus enriching tourists’ experiences. They are no longer limited to basic activities, such as hiking, but are much more specialized and professionalized [125] and of high quality [126], in line with what is happening in the rest of the country. It is not in vain that climbing, astro-tourism, hunting tourism, as well as ecotourism routes, horseback riding and even activities oriented to the enjoyment of water sports in the considerable surface of reservoirs that Extremadura possesses or to take to the skies of the region with paragliding or hang gliding are offered [127]. However, despite this proliferation of activity companies, it has been detected that they are not always offered from the rural lodgings themselves, limiting the necessary constructive interaction between both types of supply [86]. In line with this, studies that analyze the demand for activities and how they contribute to promoting sustainable tourism are beginning to proliferate [128,129].

Although scientific studies are beginning to appear that analyze rural tourism in all its facets, there is still little detailed knowledge about the supply and demand of rural tourism. This lack specifically affects agritourism, as concluded by the scarce existing literature on the subject in the context analyzed [73,86,99,130]. This allows us to corroborate H1 that proposed that there is an enormous lack of knowledge of the supply of rural tourism, preventing a clear diagnosis of the situation. For this reason, it has been necessary to conduct specific research to find out, even if only approximately, what rural tourism owners and lodgings are like in the region analyzed.

The results of the research make it possible to establish a series of characteristics among the owners of rural lodgings. A considerable part of them do not know the meaning of agritourism and the activities it encompasses. They do not even know if their establishment can fall into the agritourism category, which is surprising. Naturally, there is another part of the business community that does know the above aspects, which suggests the existence of two types of owners. On the one hand, those who are informed about everything related to agritourism and, on the other hand, those who are unaware of it.

Numerous studies have tried to conceptualize agritourism [15,36,37,49,59,60,62,63,66,68,73,86,99], although the literature points out the disparity of opinions and even terminological confusion. This is also because in areas such as the one studied there is no legislation that develops agritourism activities in detail, unlike what happens in other autonomous communities, such as the Community of Navarra [131].

Thanks to the contact maintained with the owners of the lodgings, their main characteristics are known, as well as that of their lodgings, deducing that many can offer numerous activities, either by themselves or by resorting to specialized companies. Thus, H2 can be corroborated. In this sense, according to this study, a considerable part of the lodgings can offer agritourism activities by having farms of different vocations and even orchards, to link it more specifically to agri-ecotourism.

Likewise, rural tourism, although generic, has always been linked to landscapes [132], opting for the enhancement of natural, cultural and landscape heritage in the design of tourist itineraries [133].

When the location of rural accommodations is studied and the variety of landscapes is known, it is found that in many cases they coincide with those most valued by tourists who visit the area and identify themselves as rural [73]. In fact, landscapes dominated by olive groves, vineyards, fruit trees or dedicated to the pasture agrosystem are frequent in the surroundings of the lodgings. This translates into a certain potential for the development of specific modalities, such as olive oil tourism [134,135] or wine tourism [116,118,136]. However, there are other agricultural landscapes that are hardly valued for tourism, such as the dehesas [15,105,137].

Despite this, given this coincidence between the preferences of tourists and the presence of landscapes recognized by them as the preferred places to spend their vacations, the enormous potential for development that emanates from them is immediately deduced.

These results represent a remarkable contribution of this research as it can guide owners on the coincidence between the desire of the demand and the availability of such landscape. This favors the generation of specific products.

However, despite the possibility of developing multiple activities in the vicinity of the lodging, it has been found that not many are offered, especially when they are associated with agritourism. This allows us to verify H3, since the most offered activity in rural lodgings is bird and sky watching. On the contrary, other activities such as hunting or visits to bull ranches are the least offered, together with photographic safaris.

At present, there is no profusion of activities offered by rural lodgings, although in the short and medium term the situation is expected to improve considerably. In fact, many owners are keen to offer numerous activities, with birdwatching and other wildlife being the most popular. This is understandable, given that more than 30% of the territory has some form of protection. It is also intended that visits to artisans or to learn about ancestral trades will increase their offer in relevant percentages of lodgings. In fact, tourists are increasingly aware that there are trades and traditions that may soon disappear if they are not made profitable [91,138,139]. It is a contradiction to see the potential of these trades and the little relevance they acquire in tourism development, focused on tangible values, but not so much on intangible ones.

Although it is evident that an important part of the lodgings offers some activity, there are some that do not enjoy acceptance. Among them are hunting and visits to bullfighting ranches, even though in Extremadura hunting and the world of the fighting bull are extremely popular and deeply rooted in the rural world. This is not very understandable, in part, because of the polarization of society with respect to these activities. On the other hand, there are also other less problematic activities that many landowners do not consider. One can mention off-road excursions, photographic safaris or horseback riding, taking advantage of the fact that the dehesas have a great tourist attraction and are in the vicinity of most rural lodgings [15]. It can also be indicated that more than half of the owners also do not plan to conduct activities with a clear link to agriculture or livestock farming. This means a loss of opportunities not only for the development of agritourism or agri-ecotourism, but also for the enhancement of agriculture and livestock farming and, consequently, for the increase of average agricultural incomes.

When we resort to the territorial analysis of the activities offered by the lodging establishments and those that they intend to offer in the future, certain patterns are intuited, which are corroborated by the statistical analysis. This also demonstrates H4. According to it, it is observed that there are areas prone to offer activities and others, on the other hand, are more reluctant. By resorting to spatial analysis, relatively homogeneous areas are observed, where accommodations offer similar activities. These areas are based both on the analysis of the actual situation and on the future intention to implement the activities analyzed. This is another of the most interesting and applicable contributions, since patterns of similarity are detected, but it is also visible that there are accommodations that do not offer them. Therefore, the study contributes to making visible in these areas the opportunity they have to offer activities like those of other lodgings or, on the contrary, to differentiate themselves from them, taking as a reference the surrounding landscape and the preferences expressed by the demand in this respect.

Since recent studies have shown that the landscapes preferred by rural tourism demand have a strong agricultural component [73], it is useful to focus on these landscapes to offer a range of activities.

In line with the findings made during the research, it is possible to deduce that the good use of landscape attractions and the presence of businesses dedicated to offering a wide variety of activities should be a stimulus to promote the sustainable development of rural areas. To this end, it is essential to promote entrepreneurship as a key factor [140]. This sustainability should not only be environmental, but also economic and social, creating employment and diversifying agricultural income. In this way, progress could be made in the conservation of these areas, which are seriously affected by depopulation and aging.

However, the research is based on little information, as only 28% of lodging owners participated in the study. Increasing their number is one of the tasks pending, but necessary for the study to be even more rigorous. Similarly, the use of other types of techniques, possibly linked to spatial statistics, could offer a different perspective. With this, the continuity of the research is assured.

6. Conclusions

The study carried out has made it possible to draw a series of quite interesting conclusions, aligned with the achievement of the objectives set at the beginning of the research. In this sense, 6 well-differentiated conclusions were drawn, although they are interrelated with the aim of corroborating the initial hypotheses as set out in the discussion.

First, to understand an activity, it is necessary to understand how those who really make a living from it think (O1). For this reason, after conducting numerous surveys to make the study more rigorous, a marked duality was observed, both in terms of education and socio-demographics. In fact, almost half of the owners have a university education (44.1%). This level of education, high in many cases, contrasts with their lack of training in languages other than Spanish. In addition, other characteristics dominate, such as the predominance of women over men and of those over 50 years of age over the rest. In other words, the aging of the owners must also be considered, something that must be considered to ensure continuity plans for the lodgings.

Secondly, despite the remarkable growth of rural tourism in Extremadura, many owners of rural lodgings are unaware of what agritourism is (O2). This is worrying, as it is a lost opportunity to promote this type of tourism in an eminently agrarian region, with rich natural landscapes, in which a rich cultural heritage also coexists. Logically, if people do not know what this modality consists of, it is understandable that a high percentage of the owners surveyed also do not know what activities part of rural tourism are.

Thirdly, it is concluded that, although many rural lodgings have agricultural, livestock or recreational farms and even small orchards, and are in attractive landscapes, according to the tourists themselves, there are not enough activities offered (O3). Obviously, this is a lost opportunity to increase the value of the tourist experience and, at the same time, to design specific and differentiated products around the main agricultural landscapes, especially the dehesa.

Fourthly, the integration of agricultural activities into rural lodgings is seen as a fundamental strategy for promoting rural tourism, preserving traditions and contributing to combating depopulation in the region, in line with the objective of learning about the services and activities offered by rural lodgings (O4).

Fifthly, this study suggests that the diversification of tourism activities should be carried out by taking advantage of the attractive landscape and the presence of activity companies. This synergy can and should be key to promoting the sustainable development of rural areas in Extremadura. In addition, it is also important to emphasize the important role that tourists’ opinions on the landscapes and activities they wish to do should play. All this is related to the objective of finding out whether the potential or intentionality corresponds to reality in the supply of agritourism activities (O5).

Finally, the detection of territorial patterns using spatial analysis of the activities offered by rural lodging suggests the existence of areas conducive to the development of agritourism and other activities. This is aligned with the objective of discovering distribution patterns in the activities offered by rural lodgings (O6).