The first stage of WFA’s wine tourism project has been completed with the release in September 2011 of a new industry strategy entitled Harnessing the potential of wine and food tourism in Australia.

 

The strategy was informally launched in Canberra by the Federal Tourism Minister, Martin Ferguson, before being forwarded in electronic format to regional and state organisations, the trade media and other stakeholders. 

 

 

Work is continuing on the second stage – the development of a new online Wine Tourism Toolkit and complementary Cellar Door Manual – with a view to the full project being completed and launched in November.

 

The strategy was developed in consultation with Wine Australia, Tourism Australia and Restaurant & Catering with input from industry representatives and key regional and state stakeholders through a series of state based workshops.

 

Initial response from the Government and Tourism Australia, among others, has been very positive. 

 

The next step is for the four key stakeholder organisations to agree an implementation plan and identify key areas of influence for direction action. Regional organisations are encouraged to utilise elements of the strategy in the development of local plans and as an engagement tool with industry and government.

 

The ultimate success of the strategy depends on individual enterprises embracing the concept of developing and delivering genuine wine and food experiences that match the needs of visitors, with support from industry and tourism organisations.

 

We believe this is an important step forward as the strategy clearly sets out the change of thinking required to move wine tourism activity from being a useful add-on to a central part of the industry’s future growth. 

 

Developing the new materials has been a significant undertaking, supported in part by a TQUAL grant from the Federal Government.

 

For further information or to arrange a regional presentation, contact Robin Shaw, WFA's Manager Tourism & Business Development on  (08) 8222 9255 or robin@wfa.org.au