Volume: 14  Number: 1  Page: 82–99

Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF): The Alternative Farm Stay Experience?

Alison J. McIntosh1 and Susanne M. Bonnemann2 1The University of Waikato, New Zealand and 2Lincoln University, New Zealand

This paper aims to contribute to knowledge about the farm stay experience by providing exploratory insights into the characteristics that are common to a hosted stay on a WWOOF farm and to investigate whether the experiences provided for visitors by WWOOF hosts are notably different from those offered by other farm hosts. The paper reports the findings of in-depth interviews conducted with 12 WWOOF hosts and 22 visitors staying at WWOOF farms located in the rural region of Canterbury in the south island of New Zealand. The findings of the study, while indicative, show that the hosted experience on an organic (WWOOF) farm may be notably different from that provided at a commercial farm stay, with four key dimensions: the rurality of the experience; the opportunity to learn about organics; the personal meaningfulness of the experience; and the element of sincerity in the experience.

Keywords: farm tourism, WWOOF, New Zealand, tourist experiences

© 2006 A.J. McIntosh & S.M. Bonnemann

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