Exploring Andalusia s Rich Heritage through Surveys: Pastoral Livestock Farming as a Tourist Attraction Resource

Simple Summary The recent health crisis has created a new scenario where rural tourism stands out as a beneficiary of the post-COVID era. The results of this research, based on the conducted surveys, show that agrotourism is an attractive and interesting activity for tourists, offering a diversified experience with livestock-related and pastoral activities in Andalusia (Spain). Agrotourism, a form of rural tourism, has the potential to align with emerging tourist interests, while reactivating the economy of livestock farming families and recognizing the important environmental, social, and economic role of extensive livestock farming. However, based on the findings of this study, specific areas of focus include (i) developing marketing strategies that encourage tourist participation throughout the year; (ii) integrating theoretical and practical content into educational training pro-grams to raise awareness of agrotourism projects and foster interest among future professionals in both the tourism and livestock sectors; and (iii) providing training and support for livestock farmers interested in diversifying their activities through agrotourism (considering such aspects as investment, time commitment, dedication, tourist engagement, forming alliances with companies, etc.). This support could be facilitated by public administrations, fostering synergies between the public and private sectors.Abstract This study aimed to analyze the interest, willingness to pay, and profile of tourists participating in specific agrotourism activities linked to extensive livestock farming in order to encourage the development of those activities that are most demanded by tourists, as well as to support the proposals for improvements to promote this kind of tourism in the region of Andalusia (Spain). For this purpose, a survey was conducted, which was organized into six sections: (i) sociodemographic data, (ii) general aspects of tourism, (iii) rural tourism, (iv) livestock farming and tourism, (v) benefits of extensive livestock farming, and (vi) tourism activities linked to livestock farming. A total of 892 responses were received, out of which 753 were analyzed. The results show that the respondents are interested or motivated by the proposed activities. The most attractive activities are those related to livestock farming, which involve some kind of workshop on the production of handicrafts. Despite tourists having low-to-medium knowledge of extensive livestock farming, they all express a highly positive perception of the associated attributes. Developing strategies to enhance the willingness to pay for agrotourism activities is crucial, with the overall experience being a key element of their success.