Australian Government grants help promote Barossa wine at home and abroad

The Barossa wine community has shared in more than $470,000 in Australian Government grants to promote Barossa wine in China and USA markets and attract more international tourists to their wine region.

The grants – supported by the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package (the $50m Package) – include:

• a $250,000 International Wine Tourism Grant to support the Barossa Grape and Wine Association in developing a marketing campaign that targets international wine and food (culinary) tourists
• $173,000 in Wine Export Grants supporting 14 Barossa wine producers to market their wines overseas, and
• a $54,000 International Wine Tourism Grant supporting The Barossa Council to upgrade its Visitor Information Centre, enhance international visitor engagement and increase visitor spend and length of stay in the Barossa region.

Wine Australia Chief Executive Officer Andreas Clark said, ‘wine and tourism make a significant contribution to the Barossa economy.

‘These grants are about expanding the promotion of Barossa wine abroad and enhancing the experience of tourists when they arrive, so they spend more, stay longer and return a second or third time’, he said.

In addition to the grants, Barossa businesses looking to develop their wine tourism experiences are being offered new tools to entice the inbound tourism market. As part of the $50m Package, Wine Australia has partnered with the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) to deliver the Growing Wine Tourism program in the Barossa on 1–2 October 2019.

The 1–2 October 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 have 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 said.

To register for the Barossa Growing Wine Tourism workshop, visit https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/62897820073/

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[1] Growing Wine Tourism is the sister program to Growing Wine Exports, a series of practical and hands-on workshops that equip businesses with tools, strategies and insights to help grow their exports in target markets. The Growing Wine Exports program is delivered by Wine Australia in partnership with Hydra Consulting and all workshops are heavily subsidised by the $50m Package. A Barossa Growing Wine Exports ‘Export Ready’ session was held 6 August 2019 and a subsequent Growing Wine Exports ‘Export Plan’ workshop will be held in Adelaide 28–29 October 2019.