There is a significant amount of research available in Australia, and internationally, that is relevant to the wine and tourism sectors. However, it's impossible to list the many sources and individual documents available.

Research is conducted by the Australian Government through Tourism Research Australia, Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre and others, as well as State and Regional Tourism Organisations, universities, the wine industry and private companies and consultants.

Following are some of the main sources of information that are highly relevant to wine tourism.

Tourism Research Australia (TRA)
Australia's primary tourism research surveys are the National Visitor Survey (NVS) and International Visitor Survey (IVS), conducted by Tourism Research Australia (TRA). For some years TRA has been gathering data on winery visitors, however the information has not been readily accessible by industry. The Australian Government, through the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, has decided to make a comprehensive report available to any winery in Australia through the Winemakers' Federation of Australia.

The report, titled 'A Profile of Wine Visitors in Australia 2003', makes up part of Tourism Research Australia's (TRA) Niche Market Report series. The report profiles domestic and international visitors who visited at least one winery while travelling in Australia. It gives insight into recent trends in wine visitor numbers and expenditure, examines the demographics of wine visitors, provides an estimate of wine visitors' economic contribution to the economy and identifies the main regions wine visitors travel to. The report covers the time period 1999 to 2003 with the majority of the data drawn from TRA's International Visitor Survey (IVS) and National Visitor Survey (NVS).

To access this report, email wfa@wfa.org.au and request a copy.

Niche Market Snapshot on Wine Tourism in Australia, June 2005
The Snapshot on Wine Tourism in Australia is a two page flier providing a brief overview of current data relating to wine tourism in Australia in 2004. The snapshot updates some of the data contained in the TRA Niche Market Report, A Profile of Wine Visitors in Australia 2003, presenting information regarding domestic and international wine visitor trends, origins, destinations, expenditure, demographics and accommodation used. The snapshot also examines the change in the number of wineries and their facilities in Australia between 2003 and 2004. It forms part of an ongoing series, containing top level data on niche markets, and will be updated twice a year.

A copy of this document is available in the Tools & Ideas area.

Decipher - Tourism Business Knowledge
A summary of research related to the tourism industry can be found at www.decipher.biz. This site has an up-to-date summary of what research is available, conveniently categorised into different areas, including Food and Wine. The site is an initiative of the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC), which accesses and catalogues more than 2500 graphs, tables, maps, publications and information from over 100 suppliers. Business planning and modelling tools are also available and the site is highly interactive. Much of the data is free of charge.

Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC)
The STCRC initiates and coordinates an extensive range of tourism research, which also includes wine and food tourism, as well as kits for industry to use. Information can be found at www.crctourism.com.au.

A recent project titled 'Understanding the Impact of Wine Tourism on Future Wine Purchasing Behaviour: Wine Tourism Experiences and Future Behaviour' focused squarely on cellar door. The report clearly demonstrates the positive link between the cellar door experience and future wine purchasing decisions. The report also includes a number of implications and recommendations and is available through the University of South Australia. See the Related Links area for direct access to the report.

State Tourism Organisations (STOs)
The STOs also conduct research on cellar door visitors and collect regional visitor information. Their sites are well worth visiting to obtain relevant, up to date information about your region. For example, the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) produces an annual Wine Tourism Research Fact Sheet that summarises the characteristics of winery visitors throughout the State's wine regions.

For further information on research available in each State, go to the Resources Section of this Toolkit.