1. Research into Oklahoma Agritourism Max Melstrom, Casey Griffith-Murphy, Jamie Cummings HICTS January 8, 2016 Department of Agricultural Economics

2. Two Surveys Customer Survey in fall 2014 – On-site interview Owner/operator survey in winter 2015 – Mailed 8-page questionnaire

3. Results: Customer Survey 116 individuals completed the survey, spread across 4 businesses About 50% of customers reported learning about the business through word-of-mouth More than 70% earned >$50,000 in household income, despite median income of Oklahoma Household being $45,000 in 2013

4. Results: Customer Survey Customers are much younger compared to the overall population

5. Results: owner/operator Survey 8-page booklet sent to owner/operators with follow-up mailings 183 of 291 businesses responded

6. Results: owner/operator Survey Main parts of questionnaire: – Business characteristics – Marketing and promotion methods – Customer visits – Challenges and future plans

7. Results: owner/operator Survey Profitability: – 69% reported their operation was profitable – Of these, on average an operation took 5.1 years to become profitable No single subsector (wineries, lodges, u-picks, etc.) clearly outperformed the others

8. Results: owner/operator Survey The vast majority of operations are small businesses

9. Results: owner/operator Survey Marketing and promotion methods used:

10. Results: owner/operator Survey The use of social media is associated with a significantly larger number of visitors Smaller bumps in visitation appears at businesses using billboards/road signs and “other methods” in their advertising

11. Results: owner/operator Survey On average, an operation received 6637 visitors in 2014 Customers’ residence/origin: – Within 30 miles 41% – Other parts of OK32% – Not in OK, but in USA24% – Outside of USA3%

12. The Economic Impact of OK Agritourism In 2014, over two million trips were taken to agritourism operations in OK Total industry visitors in 2014 by category Commodities Wineries Lodges Experiences

13. The Economic Impact of OK Agritourism In 2014, the industry earned over $40 million Total industry revenues in 2014 by category Commodities Wineries Lodges Experiences

14. The Economic Impact of OK Agritourism Total contribution of agritourism to Oklahoma’s economy was $64 million in 2014 Economic Impact in 2014 by category

15. Acknowledgements Research Support – Oklahoma State Experiment Station Student Funding – Shida Henneberry

16. Contact Info Max Melstrom – melstrom@okstate.edu – 405-744-6171