Businesses looking to develop their wine tourism experiences are being offered new tools to entice the inbound tourism market. Wine Australia has partnered with the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) and the Limestone Coast Local Government Association (LCLGA) to deliver the ‘Growing Wine Tourism’ program in Coonawarra as part of the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package.

The September 23-24 workshop will offer participants a strategic approach to developing wine tourism products and services during interactive sessions filled with practical tips and tools on how to capitalise on the growing visitor economy.

ATEC Managing Director, Peter Shelley, says food and wine has become a major motivator for international travel.

“Australia has some of the best wine experiences on offer, so it’s the perfect time to build the capacity of our wineries to engage with international visitors,” he says.

The ‘Growing Wine Tourism’ program comprises three modules: Laying the foundations, Setting up your tourism experiences, and Securing inbound business. The LCLGA is a financial member of ATEC, and SA Branch Committee Member, Biddie Shearing, says the workshop is a major coup for the region.

“This workshop has been delivered all over Australia and the opportunity to attract this level of expertise and innovative thinking around wine tourism is really exciting for our operators,” she says. “Participation is not restricted to just wineries; we see real opportunity in building our holistic wine tourism offering that will lead to a more competitive marketing proposition to attract visitors to the region.”

The Limestone Coast Grape and Wine Council has also welcomed the opportunity, saying the tools, case studies and market insights shared during the two-day event will complement ongoing work to develop a cross-border Mixed Dozen Interactive Wine Trail targeting international visitors.

“All of the wine zones in the Limestone Coast plus the Henty and Grampians regions have joined forces to build a digital tool to help attract and disperse international wine travellers, and we welcome any opportunity to further boost our range of tailored experiences relating to wine,” says trail project chair Peter Bissell. “We also encourage any businesses with the potential to diversify and build new compelling visitor experiences featuring wine to participate in these workshops.”

Click Here to book tickets to the workshop.