What Hosting Local and International Visitors Taught Me About Agritourism
- Stephen Loke
- 7 days ago
- 7 min read
1. Why This Lesson Only Comes from Experience
Agritourism looks simple when you first hear about it. Open your farm, welcome visitors, charge a fee, and earn extra income. But the reality is far more nuanced—and many of the most important lessons only reveal themselves after hosting real people, from different cultures, with very different expectations.
Over time, the diversity of visitors coming to my durian farm became something I couldn’t ignore. I’ve welcomed guests from Australia, Russia, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and many other countries.
For many of them, visiting a durian farm was a completely new experience—something they couldn’t find back home. This international interest eventually led to Bloomberg News visiting my farm, where they spent time on-site and interviewed foreign visitors to understand why people were traveling across borders just to experience durian and farm life in Malaysia.
That moment reinforced an important lesson for me: agritourism isn’t just about farm income—it can place a small farm on the global map.
As a durian farm owner running www.bloopydurians.com, I didn’t learn these lessons from books or seminars. I learned them by welcoming visitors week after week, listening to their reactions, observing how they behaved, and reflecting on what worked and what didn’t.
Over time, a clear pattern emerged: local and international visitors experience farms very differently.
This difference affects everything—how people perceive value, how much they are willing to spend, how they talk about your farm afterward, and even how your farm is viewed by the wider tourism ecosystem.
Until you host both groups consistently, it’s easy to assume that “a visitor is a visitor.” In reality, that assumption can quietly limit your success.
2. The Spending Behavior Is Fundamentally Different
One of the clearest differences I observed was spending behavior. International visitors, in general, are more willing to spend on farm experiences. This isn’t because they are careless with money—it’s because they are already in a travel mindset.
When international guests visit my durian farm, they see the experience as part of their journey. They have already budgeted for memories, food, learning, and unique activities. To them, a durian farm is not a place to “compare prices”—it’s something rare and special.
Local visitors, on the other hand, tend to be more price-sensitive. Farms feel familiar. Durian feels accessible. Even when locals enjoy the experience, they often subconsciously compare it to everyday prices rather than experiential value.
This doesn’t mean one group is better than the other. It simply means they evaluate value differently. Once I understood this, I stopped feeling frustrated and started designing my offerings more intentionally.
What changed for me was shifting from asking:
“Why won’t locals pay more?” to:
“How does each group define value?”
That mindset shift alone made agritourism far more sustainable.
3. The Farm Experience Feels New to International Visitors
For international visitors, my durian farm is not just a place—it’s a story. Many are seeing durian trees for the first time. They are curious about how the fruit grows, how it’s harvested, and why it matters culturally. Things I once considered “normal farm life” became highlights of their trip.
Walking through the orchard, hearing stories about the fruit, tasting durian in the place it was grown—these experiences feel immersive and meaningful to them. What is routine for a farmer becomes unforgettable for a visitor who has never seen it before.
This taught me an important lesson: novelty creates value. International visitors don’t need complicated attractions. They want authenticity, context, and guidance. When you slow down, explain, and invite them into the experience, the farm naturally becomes premium.
Locals may appreciate the same experience, but international visitors often attach deeper emotional meaning to it. That emotional connection is what drives higher satisfaction, stronger reviews, and long-term recognition for the farm.
Understanding this helped me stop underestimating my own farm—and start presenting it with the confidence it deserved.
4. How International Visitors Elevated My Farm’s Visibility
One unexpected outcome of hosting international visitors was how much visibility they brought to my farm—often without me asking for it. Many international guests naturally document their travels.
They take photos, record videos, and share their experiences online with friends and family back home. A durian farm visit becomes a story worth telling.
When international visitors come to BloopyDurians, they don’t just consume the experience—they become ambassadors. Their posts, reviews, and word-of-mouth travel far beyond Malaysia. In some cases, I’ve seen a single international group generate more awareness than weeks of local marketing.
This kind of visibility compounds. When people from different countries talk about your farm, it signals credibility. It tells future visitors—local and foreign—that this is not just another farm, but a destination worth visiting. That exposure cannot be bought easily; it comes from delivering a genuine experience that people want to share.
5. Agritourism as a Contribution to Local Tourism
Hosting international visitors also changed how I viewed my role as a farmer. I wasn’t just running a durian farm anymore—I was participating in the wider tourism ecosystem. Visitors don’t come only to see my farm; they stay in hotels, hire drivers, eat at local restaurants, and explore nearby attractions.
Through agritourism, my farm became part of a larger story about Malaysian food, culture, and agriculture. This was especially clear when I was invited to take part in tourism-related initiatives and events. It reinforced the idea that farms can play a meaningful role in promoting the country—not just producing crops.
When international visitors leave with a positive impression, they don’t just remember the farm. They remember Malaysia. That realization gave my work a deeper sense of purpose. Agritourism stopped being just an income strategy and became a way to contribute to something bigger than my own business.
6. How Hosting International Visitors Changed My Positioning
Over time, hosting international visitors quietly changed how others perceived me—and how I perceived my own work. Conversations shifted. People no longer spoke to me only as a farmer, but as someone involved in tourism, experiences, and destination-building.
Running a highly rated farm like www.bloopydurians.com that attracts visitors from around the world naturally positions you differently. Media interest, partnerships, and invitations often follow—not because you chase them, but because your results speak for themselves.
This change in positioning matters.
It builds quiet authority. When people seek advice on agritourism or farming experiences, they’re not asking based on theory—they’re asking because they’ve seen what works. Hosting international visitors gave me clarity and confidence, not from status, but from evidence.
Most importantly, it reminded me that small farms can have a global presence without losing their soul. You don’t need to become something you’re not. You simply need to host well, stay authentic, and let the experience speak for itself.
7. Pricing Locals and International Visitors Differently (Without Conflict)
One of the most sensitive but important lessons I learned in agritourism is that one price does not fit all. This doesn’t mean being unfair. It means recognizing that different visitors experience the farm differently and place value on different things.
International visitors come to BloopyDurians seeking a complete experience. For them, the farm visit is part of their travel story. They value explanation, storytelling, guided tastings, and time spent learning. Pricing for international guests reflects this experience-based value rather than the price of durian alone.
Local visitors often approach the farm from a more familiar perspective. Durian is part of everyday life, and comparisons are naturally made with market prices rather than experiences. To serve locals well, I learned to design simpler offerings that respect this mindset while still protecting the sustainability of the farm.
The key is packaging, not discounting. Instead of arguing about prices, I separate offerings clearly:
Experience-focused packages designed for visitors seeking something new
Simpler, shorter visits or purchases designed for locals who already know the product
When visitors can choose what fits them best, pricing becomes a non-issue. Clarity prevents conflict, and everyone leaves feeling respected.
8. Why Both Local and International Visitors Still Matter
Even though international visitors often bring higher spending and visibility, locals remain an important part of agritourism. They form the foundation of long-term support. Locals return more often, recommend the farm to friends, and help keep the business stable outside peak tourism seasons.
International visitors, on the other hand, bring impact. They amplify the farm’s reputation, generate global exposure, and elevate the positioning of the experience. One group brings consistency; the other brings momentum.
A healthy agritourism model includes both. Relying only on one group creates vulnerability. By designing experiences intentionally for each audience, the farm stays resilient, profitable, and balanced.
Running www.bloopydurians.com taught me that agritourism is not about choosing between locals or international visitors. It’s about understanding both—and serving each group in a way that makes sense for them and for the farm.
9. Lessons I Would Share With Any Farmer Starting Agritourism
If there is one thing agritourism has taught me, it’s that success doesn’t come from copying what others are doing. It comes from understanding your visitors and designing experiences intentionally.
Many farmers enter agritourism assuming all visitors think the same way. I made that mistake early on too. Over time, hosting both local and international guests showed me that expectations, spending behavior, and emotional connection differ greatly—and ignoring those differences leads to frustration.
The most important lesson is this: design experiences, don’t just open your gate. Agritourism works best when you decide who the experience is for, what story you’re telling, and how you want visitors to leave feeling.
A few principles I would encourage every farmer to keep in mind:
Price for sustainability, not approval
Let experiences create value, not discounts
Stay authentic—your real farm is your advantage
Agritourism rewards clarity. When you’re clear about who you’re serving and why, confidence replaces doubt, and decisions become much easier.
10. Final Reflection: Agritourism Is More Than Income
When I first started welcoming visitors to my durian farm, income was the obvious motivation. But over time, agritourism became something much deeper. It changed how I saw my land, my work, and my role as a farmer.
Running www.bloopydurians.com and hosting visitors from around the world showed me that a small farm can carry global relevance without losing its roots. Agritourism brought recognition, meaningful conversations, and opportunities I never expected—but more importantly, it restored pride in farming as a profession.
Agritourism is not about turning farms into attractions. It’s about opening up what already exists and allowing others to experience it with fresh eyes. When done right, it lifts income, strengthens communities, and quietly elevates the farmer’s position in society.
For me, that has been the greatest reward—not just earning more, but doing work that feels purposeful, respected, and sustainable.
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