AGRITOURISM: MORE THAN A BUZZ WORD

AGRITOURISM:

MORE THAN A BUZZ WORD

The Truffle Farm. Photo Credit – Ness Vanderburgh

Not all that long ago, the word agritourism might be presented in inverted commas – a term used by a select group of those in the know to describe an up-andcoming subsector of the tourism industry. These days, though, not only is agritourism a bona fide word accepted by the Macquarie and Oxford dictionaries (via a yearslong transition from a now defunct hyphen), it’s one of the most compelling components of Tasmanian tourism’s current growth status.

Agriculture and tourism are part of Tasmania’s DNA – and agritourism is the vehicle by which visitors can connect with produce and producers on farm, whether on land or sea. Agritourism experiences might be intimate extensions of existing farm-based activities, or larger-scale products in their own right. From foraging from a kitchen garden and preparing a shared meal, to pairing wine

Anna Terry. Photo Credit – Ness Vanderburgh

Photo credit – Jasper Da Seymour

with gourmet food at a winery restaurant, agritourism has broad applications that appeal to equally wide and varied visitor appetites. Consumer research conducted by Kantar in 2021 quickly debunked the myth that agritourism is a niche market. In fact, it not only discovered that it’s a growing market opportunity with 7 in 10 domestic travellers potentially ‘in market’, but also found that agritourism spend by visitors is increasing. It makes sense, then, that the development of agritourism is a priority in the T21 Visitor Economy Action Plan 2020-22, which has been accelerated by funding for regional tourism recovery from the Australian Government through a partnership between the Tasmanian Government and the Regional Tourism Organisation network. Opening the Gate, a statewide product and business development program, has been underway since late 2021 to elevate and enhance existing agritourism products, as well as to develop new ones. While the program was originally projected to attract 40-50 businesses, it ultimately received over 120 expressions of interest from around the state. The businesses engaged to complete the program were required to work through six business development workshops, developed by Regionality over many years of working with agritourism businesses around Australia, to understand why they wanted to get into agritourism, as well as how their product might appeal to the tourist market. For many growers and producers, creating an agritourism product means opening up the space in which they live and work, so Opening the Gate worked with operators to scale a product that worked for them, often coming up with new ideas, or taking an original idea in a slightly different direction. Opening the Gate is being delivered by Tasmanian agribusiness experts Optimum Standard, who partnered with agritourism specialists Regionality, business advisers Collins SBA, and digital storyteller Tom Chapman Film. Anne Greentree is Director Visitor Economy Strategy at Tourism Tasmania, and Project Lead for the T21 agritourism

6 Photo credit – Jasper Da Seymour

work. She said the success of the project depended on the collaboration of many partners including Tasmanian Government agencies, Regional Tourism Organisations, local government and expert contractors, as well as the enthusiasm of the operators involved.

“It was – and continues to be – a huge collaboration between many contributors with one common goal,” she said. “Each partner brings a unique skillset and expertise to this work, regardless of whether they are demand or supply, and their input has been invaluable in developing some of these new ideas into viable and successful agritourism propositions.”

The Truffle Farm. Photo Credit – Ness Vanderburgh

As part of its core brand proposition, Tourism Tasmania continues to feature Tassie’s producers and agritourism experiences, showcasing them in the Tasmanian episodes of the latest “MasterChef” series, agri-stories on the new Discover Tasmania website and a second season of the Network Ten series “Left Off the Map” over summer 2021/22, uncovering the hidden gems of the island, including a number of Opening the Gate program participants. A reference group chaired by Nick Haddow, Founder and CEO at Bruny Island Beer and Cheese Co., informed this work, and identified in the very early stages that agritourism businesses often encountered cumbersome, lengthy and costly development approvals processes that stifled product development and innovation. With this in mind, the Department of State Growth engaged planning experts ERA Planning to consult with businesses and regulators on ways to simplify and streamline processes, and identify how the regulatory environment can be fit-forpurpose in the Tasmanian agritourism context. For regional areas, agritourism presents an especially compelling opportunity to grow the value proposition for its visitor economy. Regional product development has

Photo credit – Jasper Da Seymour

seen a range of different experiences across varying scales build upon one another to tell truly regional stories and connect visitors to place and people in meaningful ways. Anna Terry, owner of The Truffle Farm in Deloraine, sees these regional impacts at play in her own agritourism business. The Truffle Farm offers a range of on-site walking tours, as well as a narrated farm bus tour, allowing guests the opportunity to join the farm’s truffle dogs to unearth a rare black truffle with their own hands, as well as to experience the culinary magic of truffles in various food and beverage offerings. Anna says that creating an off-thebeaten-track destination experience has increased traffic in the region, and The Truffle Farm works closely with other likeminded operators. “We only stock and serve local food, wine and other beverages, and we’re passionate about sharing the provenance stories of other producers,” she says. “Having neighbours who offer their own agritourism experiences means that guests are enticed to spend a night or two in the area, so that they can make the most of what’s on offer.”

The results of the Opening the Gate project will be showcased in a series of events throughout the regions of the state in October. Far from a buzzword of the early 2000s, it looks like agritourism is well and truly here to stay.

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