Alexia Roberts. Image courtesy Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism

South Australian winemaker Alexia Roberts has been appointed to the board of Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism, as custodian of the region’s wine tourism portfolio.

The new appointment supports the regional tourism organisation’s mission to further develop the wine and beverage experience sector and lure more visitors to the region and increase tourism expenditure.

Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism chair Matthew Hurley said the agency had been developing its business strategy to attract more tourists to the Peninsula and restore pre-Covid visitor numbers.

“We’re delighted that Alexia has joined our team. As a local winemaker she has a great knowledge base, and her reputation as a dynamic business leader means we’re well placed to grow our wine tourism sector,” said Hurley.

“We’re working hard to rebuild our visitor numbers and our research shows us food and beverage expenditure continues to be the highest growth category for visitor spend. We also know there is latent demand for the region, especially from the eastern seaboard and we want to capitalise on these opportunities.

“Alexia will be working with industry to optimise our wine, craft beer and distillery experiences in the region and promote them to key audiences accordingly.”

Alexia Roberts expressed her excitement to join the board and strengthen the region’s “diverse wine tourism product”.

“We’ll be looking to leverage our rich wine history and promote our new and developing sectors as well, in particular, our emerging craft beer and distillery operators,” said Roberts. “Our mix of product, from cellar doors with restaurants to those with luxury stays and wellness retreats means we have a range of experiences for a broad spectrum of visitors to enjoy. My job will be to ensure we are curating it and marketing it effectively.”

Hurley explained that the new business focus includes investing in the region’s events in line with South Australia’s broader successful event calendar.

“We’ll also be expanding the Fleurieu Food Festival where we can showcase our incredible food and beverage offering in a dynamic festival environment. We know South Australia’s successful event calendar drives visitation and spending and our revamped food festival will be a key attraction for our region.”

He added that the increased focus on the region’s wine tourism experiences will be promoted in conjunction with ongoing key drawcards for the region including adventure and nature-based tourism.

“Our market research also identified the Fleurieu’s coastal, aquatic and food experiences have high appeal for potential visitors, with the self-drive sector a key audience for our marketing efforts.

“We’re really looking forward to working closer with our industry operators and collectively marketing our strong portfolio of tourism assets as we progress restoring visitor numbers to our region.”

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