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Marijke Dunselman, founder of Agritourism New Zealand, is a seasoned professional in (agri)tourism business and marketing consulting. Having worked with hundreds of farmers and tourism businesses as a consultant, and trained thousands of businesses for over 26 years, she has a profound understanding of the (agri)tourism sector.
In 2019, Marijke took her passion for the field a step further by establishing Agritourism New Zealand. The organisation seeks to uplift farming communities by promoting agritourism opportunities, fostering income diversification, and enhancing resilience. This is achieved through the development of training programmes, speaking engagements, networking, advocacy & research, and marketing. Early 2024, after several years of development, she set up the ‘ Agritourism Academy & Community ’, a first of its kind. It’s an interactive online community helping farmers and landowners start and grow successful agritourism businesses. It includes all the training, planners & resources, making connections with others, and live sessions. Marijke's professional background includes working for international corporates like Heineken and Randstad, and roles in marketing consultancy and research, secondary education (French and Economics), and as Manager of Tourism Southland, a Regional Tourism Organisation. She holds several tertiary qualifications; Bachelor of Business Degree (International Marketing), Diploma of Secondary Teaching (French & Economics) and a Master of Entrepreneurship. Growing up in the Netherlands, France, and the USA, Marijke speaks four languages fluently and brings an international perspective to her work. Her love for New Zealand prompted her to emigrate in 1994, and she continues to cherish the unique lifestyle the country offers. Global Agritourism Network She currently serves as the Chair of the Education Committee of the Global Agritourism Network. Award In December 2023, she was awarded 'Tourism Ticker Person of the year' for her work in growing and elevating the agritourism sector in New Zealand. Qualmark Agritourism NZ was awarded Qualmark Gold in 2024 and has a partnership with Tourism NZ to help agritourism operators achieve Qualmark accreditation |
Marijke Dunselman
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Marijke is an experienced international conference speaker on the subject of Agritourism.
Recent Conferences Marijke has spoken at:
Tourism background
Regional Business Partners Marijke has been registered with MBIE's Regional Business Programme and NZTE prior to that for the past 23 years, working with many businesses and Economic Development Agencies around New Zealand. Click here for more info. Spare time Marijke is a mentor for your professionals through the Young TEC programme. Her dog Jessi is a 'pet therapy dog' with whom she visits the local rest home. Beyond work, she spends time her partner Beau and their dogs, friends and family. They like being active hiking in the mountains, biking, horse riding, paddle boarding, skiing and travelling. Advisory BoardClick here to read about the members of the Agritourism NZ Advisory Board.
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