Farm holidays

Family vacation at Austrian farms

Accommodation in farm-based private rooms, holiday apartments or holiday houses is a type of holidays that attracts above all families with children. The children of holidaymakers can feel and experience farm life up close, move around freely and get to know everyday life on a farm. The contact with the farm animals and the possibility to get to know and appreciate agricultural, natural products are educationally valuable.

Guests get to know the natural life in rural areas and the change of seasons.  Actively experiencing the work on the farm, the harvesting season as well as recreational activities in nature are a new experience for city dwellers, especially for children.

Adult guests enjoy this type of vacation for the feeling of calm and relaxation and for the increasingly important opportunity for deceleration. Holidaymakers appreciate the closeness to nature, enjoy the open air, food produced on the farm in the spirit of a transparent food production, and the comfortable accommodations. In addition, there is the togetherness with the farm hosts, which quite often develops into friendships.

According to a survey farm holidays are particularly popular with persons aged 30 to 49.  Families with children account for 60 percent and since 2011 the share of university graduates has increased by 20 percent, thus reaching 27 percent. A major part of those interested in farm holidays (61 percent) get information on FH from the internet.

The development of farm holidays in Austria from 2003, with 262,112 visitors on the platform of the FH association “Urlaub am Bauernhof” to 2,812,412 visitors in 2016, confirms the high significance of this type of vacation.

 Value added from farm holidays

With its members, “Urlaub am Bauernhof Österreich” has seen a dynamic development over the past few years and also takes an excellent position in international comparison.

2,350 farm hosts with about 28,900 beds are members to one of the eight provincial associations and, consequently, are part of the cluster “Urlaub am Bauernhof Österreich”. At all levels, there is close cooperation with the agriculture and tourism partners.

According to a representative survey carried out by the Institut für Grundlagenforschung in July 2016, 69 percent of the Austrians are interested in farm holidays.

With about 113 full occupancy days per year/guest bed the occupancy of member farms ranges significantly above the Austrian average/rural lessor (approx. 70 days). Of this number, 64 days of full occupancy are counted in summer and 48 in winter.

Since 1993 all member farms have been quality-tested. Depending on their equipment, they get two, three or four flowers.

In order to meet the rising demands of guests, a small segment of top farms is to be awarded a fifth flower. 

To be able to meet all wishes and requests of guests, visitors can choose between several different topics:

• Farms for babies and kids
• Farms for wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility
• Organic farms and health farms
• Riders farms
• Wine-growing farms
• Herb farms
• Mountain huts

All offers can be queried and booked by region, place, name or topic offered, under http://www.UrlaubamBauernhof.at.