More wine businesses that are looking to grow their exports and tourist activity will benefit following a $520,000 funding boost to the Growing Wine Exports and Growing Wine Tourism programs.

The total pool of funding for these programs has increased in recognition of the high demand for skills development workshops that help drive wine exports and capitalise on the growing visitor economy.

Wine Australia Chief Executive Officer Andreas Clark said the $520,000 boost was welcome news for wine businesses.

‘Since the programs opened on 2 October 2018, we’ve delivered 22 workshops and 2 national webinars’, Mr Clark said.

‘This funding boost means we can deliver more regional workshops and support for wine businesses through practical tools, detailed market insights, strategic planning and hands-on advice.

‘Participants have told us that, if they were to try and figure all of this out by themselves, it would take months or years of their time.  

‘Our Growing Wine Exports workshops feature live discussions with our USA Market Entry Program Manager, Chinese dining experiences and insights into Chinese business practices, a review of key market analysis, the ins and outs of identifying and pitching to importers and distributors, and preparing for a market visit. And best of all – a hands-on demonstration of our newly released online Market Explorer tool that offers unprecedented access to export market data.

‘Our Growing Wine Tourism workshops and webinars offer advice on developing or refining your unique value proposition, mapping your visitor journey, pricing for profit, insights into visitor behaviour and perceptions, practical advice for navigating wine and travel distribution systems and more.

‘Wine and tourism are natural allies and we’re backing wineries to leverage the strong international demand for Australian wine and the growing visitor economy.

‘China and the USA are at the top of our list with strong export growth prospects and more than two million Chinese and American tourists visiting Australia in the year ended September 2018. We want them to know that our doors are open for exciting wine tourism experiences.

‘These workshops and webinars apply a strategic approach to wine and tourism – using insights and tools to help businesses capture commercial benefits, grow their exports and extend the spend and stay of tourists in our regions.

‘With Australia’s strong export position, there’s undoubtedly an opportunity for local wine businesses and I encourage people to take advantage of the practical information these workshops are offering’, he said.

The Growing Wine Exports and Growing Wine Tourism programs are funded by the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package and delivered by Wine Australia, in partnership with Hydra Consulting and the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC).  

To register or save the date for workshop or webinar, visit https://www.wineaustralia.com/au/wine-tourism-and-wine-export.