Development of agritourism in Poland: a critical analysis of students’ expectations of agritourism farms

The aim of this paper is to determine the expectations of students from selected Polish academic centers toward facilities at agritourist farms, and identifying the socio-demographic characteristics that determined those expectations. A survey method was used in this research. Using the Likert’s five-level scale, respondents rated the significance of elements of agritourist farm facilities. It was found that academic youth expected, above all, facilities for enabling passive leisure and the independent preparation of meals. Provision of facilities for active leisure were of less significance to them. Gender, place of living, field of study and prior experience connected to leisure on the farms analyzed were not factors that differentiated students’ expectations. A weak correlation was found between students’ expectations of facilities at agritourist farms and their economic status. Students’ expectations were very similar to the expectations of the average agritourist. Research results confirmed some of the results known from the literature, stating that socio-demographic characteristics differentiated the expectations of academic youth to a small extent. However, the effects obtained did not correspond to results claiming that age, gender, place of living and income have a significant influence on tourist expectations. Additionally psychographic characteristics should be considered in the following research. A combination of demographic and psychographic characteristics may offer a wider base for analysis and give better end results, allowing market segmentation.