The stations that became a business: the Canadian agritourism model

In Canada, tourists can visit wineries and taste the products on site, a unique and unforgettable experience. Credit: Global Tourisme Canada has transformed agritourism into one of the pillars of its tourism offering, combining education, sustainability and appreciation of small producers in experiences that follow the rhythm of the seasons. In different provinces, visitors can pick apples and berries directly from orchards, explore lavender and flower farms, participate in the production of artisanal cheeses and traditional maple syrup, visit wineries and organic farms, as well as experience seasonal harvests, rural festivals and animal activities. These are just some of the activities that integrate the farm experience concept, a tourism model that strengthens local communities, brings travelers closer to Canadian agricultural culture and transforms the countryside into a destination as attractive as its natural landscapes and large urban centers. The sector is already treated as public policy: it generated around US$461 million in 2024 in the country alone, with a forecast of more than doubling by 2030. Lavender plantation farms are among the properties that open their doors to visitors annually. Credit: Global Tourisme The time of sugar Few travel rituals sum up the identity of a place as well as Le Temps des Sucres (the time of sugar). Between February and May, the so-called cabanes à sucre (maple cabins) open their doors to welcome families in search of typical meals, horse-drawn sleigh rides, live traditional music and the most anticipated moment of the season: tire sur la neige, hot maple syrup poured over fresh snow, which instantly hardens and is wrapped around a stick like candy. Quebec is now responsible for around 72% of global maple syrup production, with a harvest of 225 million pounds in 2025, a chain that supports 13,500 producers and around 12,500 additional jobs. Tire sur la neige, when hot maple syrup is poured over fresh snow, is one of the attractions of Quebec's sugar season. Credit: Bas-Saint-Laurent © GouvQc Joan Sullivan In addition to the province of Quebec, the Le Temps des Sucres experience is also present in parts of Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The period occurs between the end of February and April, when the thaw makes the sap from the maple trees flow, starting the production of maple syrup. Wine Regions While Quebec was betting on maple, the Niagara-on-the-Lake region, in Ontario, and the Okanagan Valley, in British Columbia, conquered the local market with wines of all types. Icewine, made in Niagara, is a wine produced from grapes harvested already frozen on the vine, in the middle of winter. What started as a product driven by pioneering winery Inniskillin, has become a tourism platform: themed hotel packages, paired dinners and even spas with wine-inspired treatments. The Niagara Icewine Festival is now one of the most anticipated events of the Canadian winter. Icewine Village takes over historic Queen Street on weekends in January, with free tastings, ice sculptures, live music and the trendy Cool As Ice Gala at the Niagara Falls Power Station. The region handles around 2.1 million annual wine tourism visits and accounts for more than 90% of Ontario's grape production, while the Okanagan Valley, in British Columbia, attracts the majority of the province's approximately 1 million wine visitors. In the Canadian winter, frozen grapes turn into Icewine, one of Ontario's most famous products. Credit: Freepik In the Okanagan Valley, one of the rare regions with a dry, desert climate, crops are consumed almost entirely by locals. The most consumed varieties are Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Cabernet Franc. On a national scale, the wine and grape chain generates C$10.1 billion per year for the Canadian economy and more than half of this value comes precisely from tourism, accommodation and transport around the wineries. Fruits harvested in the field During the Canadian summer, between June and August, tourists and residents exchange urban itineraries for a typical rural experience: harvesting fruits using the U-pick system (you pick them yourself). At farms spread mainly across Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, visitors are given a bucket or basket and roam the orchards to pick strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and other fruits directly from the plants, paying only for what they take home. The activity, which combines leisure, gastronomy and contact with nature, has become one of the symbols of Canadian agritourism. Top destinations include the Niagara Region, Prince Edward County, Muskoka and the surrounding areas of Toronto, Ontario; Montérégie, Estrie (Eastern Townships) and Laurentides, in Quebec; in addition to the Fraser Valley, near Vancouver, British Columbia, one of the largest blueberry producing areas in North America. Many properties complement the visit with artisanal product markets, rural cafés, picnics, tastings and farm tours. Visitors tour the orchards and pick the fruit directly from the tree, paying only for what they take home. Credit: Global Tourisme The color of the plantations With the arrival of autumn, between September and the end of October, the interior of Canada takes on a special color and transforms corn and pumpkin plantations into some of the most popular rural attractions of the season. Traditional corn mazes (corn mazes) invite visitors to walk through kilometers of open corridors in huge plantations, often designed with themed shapes seen from above. The experience is especially popular in Ontario, in the regions surrounding Toronto, Niagara and Hamilton; in British Columbia, in the Fraser Valley, near Vanc