Agritourism in Crete: a cultural approach. Representation and preservation of the island’s cultural heritage by the local providers

The aim of this study is to analyze how the local agritourism providers in Crete, Greece, represent the island’s culture and to what extent they engage in cultural preservation. Agritourism providers are hence conceptualised as cultural intermediaries and an emic approach is adopted in studying the services of their B&B establishments as well as their perception of themselves. In Greece, agritourism has been developing since the 1980s, but in an arguably fragmented manner that contradicts the theoretical definitions of agritourism proposed by scholars in the field. Consequently, most academic papers by Greek scholars touch upon the obstacles that have hindered this tourism niche to grow coherently. In a novel way, this study employs a concept of the cultural studies to develop a holistic understanding of agritourism providers, upholding the claim that such an approach could reveal a common pattern in agritourism practices. The key concepts of commodification, authenticity and terroir inform the theoretical framework of this research. The concept of cultural heritage is viewed from a dialogical perspective, since the providers’ agency as cultural workers is emphasized. Using a qualitative research design, 8 providers in Crete were interviewed. These were owners or managers of agritourism B&B establishments located in different regions across the island. Interviews were conducted online and they covered four topics deriving from the key theoretical concepts of the research. These concepts touched upon key points of the providers’ function as cultural intermediaries and accordingly guided the analysis of the semi-structured interviews. The analysis revealed that the selected agritourism providers decisively shape the ways in which Cretan culture is represented and they engage directly or indirectly in the preservation of local cultural practices. The representations of Cretan culture are particularly linked to the Cretan territorial identity and they might be complex in terms of their authentic quality. Through a process of creative commodification agritourism providers preserve both intangible and tangible cultural elements often intuitively or for emotional reasons. Overall, they are reflexive of their role as cultural intermediaries that introduce guests to Cretan life and culture in a personal and unique way.