THE Coonawarra wine region will share in a $350,000 funding partnership between three tiers of government and the viticulture industry in a bid to boost international wine tourism to Limestone Coast wineries.
It follows a pledge of over $3m from the State Government towards tourism campaigns in the state’s wine regions, dubbed the International Visitation Campaign, which Premier Steven Marshall hopes will play a key role in attracting more international visitors to wine regions and cellar doors.
Allocated to the Mixed Dozen Limestone Coast Wine Trails project, the funding – which has also been supported by Wine Australia – will focus on developing the initiative.
Project manager Toni Duka said the funding would allow the project to incorporate a tool to share knowledge about the region and entice visitors to plan a trip to the Limestone Coast.
“Although there is a focus on boosting tourism from the United States and China, the project is universal and can be enjoyed by international and domestic tourists alike,” Ms Duka said.
“We are looking at creating an itinerary planning tool – possibly map based – to give visitors an idea of where they can go and what is on offer across our region.
“Another exciting aspect of the partnership is we have collaborated across eight wine regions in the Limestone Coast and Western Victoria to create this project.
“I believe this is the biggest collaboration of regions in the campaign.”
Ms Duka believes the project has put an emphasis on building great relationships between wine and tourism.
“I do not want to say that we have started building this relationship on our own as there has been many initiatives and partnerships in the past,” she said.
“But we are committed to continuing the ongoing relationship as wine and tourism go hand in hand and tourism is beneficial for the community as a whole, not just the wine industry.
“We hope this project will increase the length of people’s stays in the region, in turn this will mean more money spent across all industries.”
DiGiorgio Family Wines cellar door manager Ilana Mingey said the funding was a welcome boost for the region.
“Tourism is the life blood of the wine industry,” she said.
“Any boost in funding from the government and Wine Australia is always welcome in the region.
“One of the hurdles we face as a regional area is getting people to the region, being four hours from metropolitan centres is tough but can also be seen as a strength.
“The point of difference in Coonawarra is that we are a regional area, this give tourists more opportunity to explore the area without the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life.
“We are hopeful with the implementation of the funding that it continues to grow tourism for everyone which means boosting the whole region’s economy.”
During a visit to McLaren Vale, Premier Steven Marshall, Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Tim Whetstone and Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, David Ridgway announced the beginning of the ‘International Visitation Campaigns’.
The Premier hoped the funding would help the state’s six wine regions build on the government’s broader focus on attracting visitors to South Australia.
“Our world-famous wine regions are an important part of the state’s economy and this campaign will allow them to continue to grow and create jobs for the state,” Mr Marshall said.
Primary Industries Minister Tim Whetstone said the visitation campaigns had a focus on the Chinese and American markets.
“Almost 40pc of international tourists visit a winery during their stay in South Australia and visitor expenditure supports growth in our regions,” Mr Whetstone said.
“Six wine regions across South Australia are utilising the campaign in a number of innovative ways to attract international visitors, including a sommelier exchange, multi-lingual website, wine trail, virtual reality and online marketing.
“Our wine regions are continuing to be innovative and adapt to changing consumer needs targeting consumers looking for premium products.”
