No more pomp? How to "fun" the farmhouse again

May 6, 2024, Xi'an, Jinlongxia Scenic Area, Farmhouse in the Huai Forest. Visual China Diagram

Since the reform and opening up, rural tourism has flourished and has become a differentiated choice for tourists to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and return to homesickness. As an important carrier of rural tourism, farmhouse entertainment has become a new form of business to help rural revitalization. However, in recent years, the farmhouse industry has encountered unprecedented challenges, and many farmhouses have been cancelled or changed careers, and the former prosperity no longer exists. Why is it difficult to "enjoy" the farmhouse? What is the dramatic "ebb tide"? What are the needs and expectations of consumers? Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporters investigated this.

The "sudden change of wind and clouds" in the farmhouse: from the busy traffic to the door

Farmhouse tourism has been a rollercoaster ride in the past, going through dramatic changes from the peak of glory to the silence of the valley. Statistics show that from 2010 to 2020, the number of registered farmhouse enterprises across the country has surged from 26,000 to 146,000. However, the good times did not last long, and in recent years, the farmhouse industry has encountered unprecedented challenges and gradually showed signs of fatigue.

The reporter visited and found that the number of farmhouses across the country is declining sharply, and many farmhouses that were once thriving are now cold or even closed. According to statistics, in recent years, more than 80,000 farmhouses have been cancelled across the country.

In Chiqiao Village, Jinyuan District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, there were 21 farmhouse restaurants at the most, and there are 9 now. Some operators bluntly said that due to the difficulty in ensuring the quality and hygiene of the dishes, some farmhouses have slowly lost customers, which is regrettable.

In the course of the investigation, the reporter found that consumers' demand for farmhouses is undergoing profound changes. The traditional farmhouse model has been unable to meet the needs of modern consumers. People are not only looking for food, but also for the environment, service and experience. For farmhouses, how to innovate the business model and improve the quality of service has become a major issue in front of the operators.

Huata Village in Lingqiu County, Datong City, Shanxi Province, is the fifth batch of traditional Chinese villages and used to be a gathering place for farm stays. With the changing tastes of tourists and the intensification of market competition, many farmhouses have gradually lost their former glory. The farmhouse, which villager Deng Xiaohong had run for seven years, also closed earlier this year. "Most of the customers are locals, and it's hard to attract people from other places, so the current flow of customers is only enough to sustain one or two farmhouses," he said. Deng Xiaohong said frankly that behind the single source of customers, it reflects the shortcomings of the farmhouse in terms of customer expansion and marketing, and also reveals that it is facing fierce market competition.

In the investigation, the reporter found that there is a serious homogenization problem in the farmhouse industry. Many farmhouses lack innovation in terms of dishes and services, resulting in a decline in market competitiveness. At the same time, due to the lack of effective industry norms and regulatory mechanisms, some farmhouses have problems such as shoddy quality and poor service, which further exacerbates the competitive pressure of the industry.

Near the Natian Reservoir in Ganwei Township, Wuming District, Nanning City, Guangxi Province, there used to be some mountain villas and farmhouse restaurants along the road, but now it is rarely visited by tourists. Lu Peizhong, the owner, still sighs when he recalls the grand occasion in the past: "In the first two years, when I arrived at the meal, the customer's car stretched from the yard to the road outside, and it was not uncommon to see the scene of waiting in line. But nowadays, only a few individual customers come to patronize, and business is not as good as before. He said that in the past two years, the number of diners in farmhouses has decreased significantly, and the consumer group has gradually changed to the elderly group with weak spending power. This change not only affects the profitability of the farmhouse, but also reflects the shift in tourist demand.

New Challenges for Farm Stays: "Two-Way Running" between Quality Upgrading and Consumer Demand

In the interview, the reporter deeply felt that the traditional low-end farmhouse has been difficult to capture the hearts of consumers. The simple rural tour model of "looking at the landscape, fishing, and playing ball" is obviously unable to meet the diversified and in-depth needs of today's consumers for travel experience.

Yao Hua, director of the Institute of Sociology of the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, said: "The number of farmhouses is decreasing, and the main reason is the lack of innovation and the ability to keep up with the times. "The same way of entertainment has lost its appeal to the modern consumer, who is looking for freshness and quality.

Consumers generally reflect that the services provided by most farmhouses are too simple, mainly staying in the basic catering and farming experience, lacking creativity and characteristics. In the selection of ingredients, although under the banner of green and original ecology, in fact, many ingredients are purchased from the ordinary market, and more and more consumers are no longer gullible and deceived.

Industry experts pointed out that with the upgrading of consumers' demand for quality and the gradual narrowing of the gap between urban and rural areas, consumers' expectations for farmhouses are getting higher and higher, not only satisfied with eating well, but also paying more attention to eating healthy and interesting. Therefore, the farmhouse is in urgent need of transformation and upgrading to meet the new needs of consumers.

At present, consumers' consumption concepts tend to be rational, and they pay more attention to cost performance. This undoubtedly poses a huge challenge to the farmhouse industry.

Wu Qinggele, a farmhouse operator in Inner Mongolia, said that most of the farmhouses that have closed down in the surrounding area are rented and employed, and the high input costs and expensive dishes cannot withstand market pressure. "My wife and I are responsible for cooking, the elderly at home are waiters, and with our own house, the cost is much less, and we can also ensure that the dishes are large and delicious, otherwise we can't stand it."

In addition, the farmhouse industry also has the problems of low service quality and poor infrastructure. Frequent problems such as food quality, hygiene and low service levels have seriously reduced consumers' confidence and expectations for farm stays. At the same time, many farmhouses are scattered and small, lacking unified industry norms and management standards. Most of the employees have not undergone professional training, lack of service awareness and ability, and the infrastructure in some villages is not perfect, and even there are potential safety hazards, which have become important factors restricting the development of farmhouses.

How to "Happy" Farmhouse: Adaptation and Innovation into Rural Revitalization

With the in-depth implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, the rural leisure industry is ushering in unprecedented development opportunities. While some farmhouses were cancelled and closed, in the first quarter of this year, there were still 1,720 new farmhouses registered across the country. This data shows that the farmhouse still has market demand and development prospects, and its unique rural style and comprehensive leisure experience are still the leisure resorts that many urban people yearn for. However, in the face of new changes in the market and new needs of consumers, the transformation and upgrading of farmhouses is imperative.

From the perspective of the industry, in terms of product strength, farmhouses need to constantly innovate and do a good job in protection and quality control. Deng Xiaohong, the operator, said that having passenger flow and allowing tourists to "stay" is the premise of the development of farmhouses, and he believes that relevant departments such as cultural tourism and scenic spots where farmhouses are located should work together to promote large-scale operations and standardized services according to local conditions. Through the introduction of advanced management concepts and technical means, improve product quality and service level, and create one-stop services such as catering, accommodation and entertainment with characteristic cultural connotations.

Laoniuwan at the junction of Qingshuihe County, Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia and Biguan County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, is a well-known 4A-level tourist area integrating the Great Wall and the Yellow River. In recent years, relying on tourism resources, the local government has worked large-scale operation and standardized services, upgrading farmhouses to high-end homestays and entering the high-end tourism market. Li Yu, the operator, said, "With the upgrading and transformation of infrastructure and differentiated homestays to better meet the needs of various groups, the proportion of tourists from other places has increased." ”

In view of the lack of cohesion of farmhouse operators in the past and the inconspicuous role of catering service associations, many places have begun to actively establish relevant associations to update and absorb members of the associations and give full play to the positive guiding role of the associations. At present, Chiqiao Village has taken the lead in establishing the Jinyuan District B&B Cultural Tourism Association, which focuses on accommodation and catering services. Liang Jindong, secretary of the Party branch of Chiqiao Village, said that the association can put forward targeted assistance plans by understanding the business conditions and existing problems of industry members, so as to achieve resource integration and mutual benefit and win-win results. "At the same time, it is also recommended that the cultural and tourism management institutions be sunk, and the small units should be managed in a unified manner, so as to further provide unified logistics services such as tableware disinfection and linen washing for farmhouses." Liang Jindong said.

According to the latest list of star-picked farmhouses released on the official website of the Guangxi Department of Culture and Tourism, among the review results of four-star and above rural tourism areas (farmhouses) assessed in 2018 and before, 304 passed the review, 73 cancelled the grade, 1 downgraded, and 20 rectified within a time limit. The rural tourism areas (farmhouses) that have been cancelled and downgraded mainly have problems such as imperfect facilities and inability to keep up with products and services that do not meet the current market demand. The star picking and downgrading is also a kind of "reshuffle" for the industry, and the future rural tourism area (farmhouse) also needs to be deeply cultivated in the direction of professionalism and interest, so as to have more market prospects.

Nowadays, many businesses have also moved from the city to the countryside. Urumqi County, located at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, as the "back garden" of Urumqi City, is now gradually changing from a single type based on agriculture and animal husbandry in the past to include fast food, Chinese food, a combination of Chinese and Western food, coffee shops, dessert shops, and homestay catering diversified operations, and catering services have been improved from "eating well" to "eating healthy" and "eating interesting" to meet the diverse needs of consumers.

In terms of marketing model, farmhouses also need to innovate and expand. In view of the current problem of single marketing model and limited publicity channels, Yao Hua and others suggested that farmhouse operators should actively use various online platforms for precision marketing to improve their visibility and reputation, and attract the attention and participation of young consumers by creating concepts such as online celebrity farmhouses and online celebrity check-in places. At the same time, we will actively explore cooperation models with other industries, such as establishing cooperative relations with tourism companies and cultural institutions, and jointly develop rural tourism resources to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

Yao Hua said that in the process of innovation and development, farmhouses should adhere to the principle of adapting measures to local conditions, on the basis of retaining the characteristics of traditional villages, combined with local culture, folk customs and other elements to create a unique consumer experience, and through the introduction of modern technology, to provide tourists with an immersive rural experience. "We should also pay attention to environmental protection and sustainable development, so that the farmhouse will become a green, healthy and environmentally friendly leisure resort." Yao Hua said.

Although the farmhouse industry is facing many challenges and difficulties, it also contains huge development potential and opportunities. Only by continuous innovation and improvement can we adapt to the changes and challenges of the market and win the favor and trust of more tourists. (Source丨Xinhua Daily Telegraph)