60 Acres of Agro Tourism Area Opened in Istanbul: How is Agriculture Turning into a Tourism Product?

A new project that brings together rural areas and urban consumers within the same tourism product has been launched in Istanbul.

The Agro Tourism Project implemented by the Arnavutköy Municipality covers an area of approximately 60,000 square meters. About 40,000 square meters of the project is dedicated to agricultural production.

Strawberry and lavender gardens, areas where products such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, and watermelons are grown, agricultural workshops, Lavender Café, children's play areas, walking points, and product sales areas form the main components of the project. Visitors can pick seasonal products directly from the plant.

Therefore, the project is not just a new park or municipal recreation area.

A destination model where production, experience, dining, and retail meet in agriculture.

Two-thirds of 60,000 square meters in production

One of the striking aspects of the project is that agricultural production is not used merely as decoration.

According to information provided by Arnavutköy Mayor Mustafa Candaroğlu, 40,000 square meters of the approximately 60,000 square meter area is allocated directly to agricultural production. The ability for visitors to pick strawberries and vegetables themselves is also central to the experience.

This ratio is significant.

Because the distinction between agro tourism and "agriculture-themed entertainment area" begins here.

If real agricultural production continues, the visitor;

sees the area where the product is grown,

experiences seasonality,

participates in the harvest

and can purchase the product directly.

Thus, agricultural activity remains within the economic model instead of becoming a stage decoration for tourism.

What is the economic logic of agro tourism?

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry defines agro tourism as one of the areas that can be used for diversifying the rural economy in its rural development documents.

In the ministry's past rural development plan, it is stated that agro tourism offers opportunities especially in regions close to metropolises; it can create additional income for agricultural enterprises and increase the urban population's contact with agriculture and land. In the current IPARD III structure, rural tourism and recreation investments are among the supported headings within the scope of diversifying farm activities.

What makes the Dursunköy example interesting is precisely this "proximity to the metropolis".

Istanbul has millions of potential day-trip visitors.

Therefore, there is no need to create long-distance travel demand as in classic rural tourism regions for the project.

With the right transportation and programming, even a few hours of visit can create economic value.

The main product is not strawberries, but experience

A visitor does not go to Dursunköy to buy strawberries from the market.

They can buy the same product from a much closer location.

The economic value of agro tourism comes from transforming the product into experience.

Picking strawberries from the plant.

Planting lavender.

Participating in an agricultural workshop.

Showing a child how a plant grows.

Tasting products produced in the area.

Then spending time in the café.

The total expenditure of such a visit does not consist solely of the kilogram price of the vegetables or fruits purchased.

Dining.

Workshop.

Local products.

Events.

Retail.

All of these can diversify the way agricultural land generates income.

UN Tourism and FAO also evaluate agro tourism practices as a model that can connect agriculture, culture, and tourism; contributing to the preservation of agricultural heritage and biodiversity while generating local income.

Lavender Café could be one of the critical points of the project

Although the Lavender Café in the project may seem like a supporting facility at first glance, it is significant in terms of the income model.

Because in agro tourism, extending the duration of the visit generally increases spending potential.

The product picking experience can end in 30–45 minutes.

If there is a café, resting area, children's activity, and workshop, the visit can extend to several hours.

However, there is an important editorial distinction here:

There is not enough detail in open sources regarding the café's menu, prices, and how much of the products used are sourced from the project area or nearby producers.

If the dining operation is indeed linked to products grown on-site or sourced from the nearby area, the project could become stronger in terms of "farm-to-table".

Otherwise, the agricultural area and café may remain as two activities located in the same place but economically disconnected from each other.

Direct sales can strengthen farmer income

It is stated that fresh and agricultural products grown in the project will be offered to visitors at sales points.

This model has a significant difference from classic wholesale agricultural sales.

If the producer can connect their product with the end consumer without an intermediary,

wholesaler,

logistics

and long distribution chain,

there is a potential to take a higher share from the sale.

However, there is no detailed data in the existing sources regarding whether the production in the Dursunköy project is directly managed by the municipality, how nearby producers are included in the sales system, and how revenue sharing works.

Therefore, the project should not be presented as a proven result that "increases local producer income" at this stage.

The main issue to be monitored is what comes next.

The educational aspect can carry day-trip tourism into the weekdays

One of the significant problems of agro tourism projects is that demand is concentrated on weekends.

The presence of agricultural workshops in Dursunköy could be an area that can reduce this risk.

Schools.

Kindergartens.

Universities.

Corporate events.

Culinary training.

Family groups with children.

If regular programs are created for these, the project may not remain solely dependent on Saturday-Sunday visitors.

In the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's approach to agro tourism, education and practical experience are also among the important elements.

This is also significant for commercial enterprises.

There is a serious income difference between a destination that is full on weekends but empty during the week and a destination that can offer products to different customer segments at different times of the year and week.

“Tens of thousands of visitors” is still the target

It is stated that tens of thousands of visitors are expected for the project annually.

This is not a realized visitor number.

The opening has just been made.

Therefore, several KPIs need to be monitored over time to evaluate the tourism success of the project:

Annual visitor count.

Repeat visit rate.

Spending per visitor.

Amount of agricultural products sold.

Workshop participation.

Weekday/weekend visit balance.

Café turnover.

Supplies from local producers.

Off-season usage rate of the area.

Without this data, it would be premature to reach the conclusion of a "successful agro tourism destination".

Seasonality is one of the biggest operational risks

The appeal of agricultural tourism also constitutes its biggest limitation.

Products are not harvested at all times of the year.

There is a strawberry season.

There is a lavender period.

There is a time for tomatoes.

Weather conditions affect production.

In the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's agro tourism planning, dependence on seasonal conditions is also shown among the fundamental constraints of the model.

Therefore, it may be difficult for Dursunköy to operate solely with the "product picking" experience in the long term.

In the off-season;

greenhouse experiences,

seed and seedling workshops,

local food training,

compost applications,

children's agricultural programs,

producer markets

such contents can make demand more balanced.

There are also supply and story opportunities for gastronomy businesses

For Istanbul restaurants and hotels, such projects can be not only a visitation point but also potential suppliers and experience partners.

A restaurant being able to show the source of the tomatoes used in its menu to the customer.

A chef organizing a harvest event.

A hotel guest purchasing a half-day producer visit.

Holding a corporate event in an agricultural area instead of a classic meeting room.

Each of these can take agro tourism beyond a classic family outing.

However, for this to happen, regular, measurable, and reliable collaborations must be established between the project and the private sector.

The Şirince example offers scalable lessons

There are more mature examples in Turkey where rural tourism and agricultural production can work together.

In Şirince, which was included in the UN Tourism's Best Tourism Villages network in 2023, local agriculture, gastronomy, architectural heritage, and educational activities are considered parts of the same destination economy. UN Tourism particularly emphasizes the joint management of visitor economy and rural life preservation in the Şirince model.

Dursunköy is not a destination of the same scale or structure.

However, the fundamental lesson is similar:

Agricultural tourism does not develop merely by bringing visitors into the garden.

Local products.

Dining.

Education.

Culture.

Retail.

Natural landscape.

These need to transform into a mutually nourishing ecosystem.

Stafflink's view

In our opinion, the strongest aspect of the Arnavutköy project is its attempt to incorporate real production into the visitor experience right next to Istanbul.

However, the number of visitors should not be the sole indicator of success for agro tourism.

Thousands of people taking photos and leaving during a lavender season may create high traffic but could leave limited value for the rural economy.

A stronger model is one where the visitor;

picks products,

buys local products,

consumes in the café,

participates in workshops

and finds another reason to return.

If Dursunköy can achieve this, the agricultural area will not only be preserved; its economic function will also diversify.

There is a broader opportunity here for a large metropolis like Istanbul:

Transforming urban residents' trips to the countryside from a special journey into regular consumption, education, and gastronomy behavior.

The true value of agro tourism emerges precisely at this point.