The Potential for Olive Oil Tourism as an Economic Diversification for the Cooperative Agricultural Sector: The Spanish Case

Olive oil tourism is a novel tourist practice related to a crop for which Spain is the most productive country in the world and whose international impact represents 5% of the international vegetable oil market. It is a product that transcends the food market and can create around itself an industry dedicated to attracting tourists to simultaneously explain the true meaning of olive oil and create a new commercialization channel for the cooperatives. This study tries to show the prior impact of this tourist practice through research using a sample of 15 countries. Primary data are provided about the degree of acceptance this development would have in the tourist industry through the Spanish olive oil cultivation sector. This strategy could be an effective economic diversification tool for rural areas in Spain.