A senior lecturer at Waikato University is advising farmers to think carefully before opening their gates to tourists.
Dr Jenny Cave, who lectures in tourism and hospitality, says with New Zealand hosting the Rugby World Cup next year, there are plenty of opportunities for farmers to cash in.
But she says they need to do their homework before hosting tourists, as a different set of attitudes is needed for opening a farm compared with receiving guests into a home.
Dr Cave says rural tourism is a quick way of making extra cash during hard times and also a good way to diversify farming practices or as a semi-retirement option.
