Integrating sustainable marketing and innovative financing to boost agritourism in western Uganda

Abstract

This study examines how the integration of sustainable marketing and innovative financing can drive the growth of agritourism in Western Uganda. Despite the region’s potential in agritourism, entrepreneurs face challenges related to limited market access, weak branding, and inadequate financial resources. The chapter aims to propose a synergistic framework that leverages green marketing and alternative financing models to enhance competitiveness and sustainability in agritourism enterprises. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative interviews with agritourism operators, community-based tourism leaders, and financial service providers in selected districts of Western Uganda including Bushenyi, Mbarara, Fort Portal, Kasese, alongside a quantitative survey of 150 agritourism stakeholders. The study also conducted secondary analysis of tourism development policies and marketing-finance integration models relevant to sustainable rural enterprise. The study finds that sustainable marketing strategies such as experiential branding, eco-labeling, and digital storytelling improve customer engagement and promote destination visibility. Simultaneously, innovative financing models particularly mobile-based microfinance, community crowdfunding, and impact investment offer critical financial inclusion pathways for smallholder agritourism entrepreneurs. The convergence of these strategies significantly enhances the market appeal, scalability, and sustainability of agritourism ventures, especially those aligned with SDG 8 and SDG 12. The study concludes that integrating sustainable marketing with innovative financing creates a powerful model for inclusive and resilient agritourism enterprise development. For meaningful policy impact, the study recommends to government translating national policy into local action through district-level agritourism funds. To enhance the marketing-finance-enterprise linkage in rural agritourism, it is recommended to develop tailored microfinance products and expand financial inclusion through mobile-based tools.