The New South Wales wine sector will benefit from a $2 million marketing campaign aimed at boosting international visits to the state’s wine regions.
The NSW Wine Industry Association has secured $1m in funding through the International Wine Tourism State Grants program and $1m in matching state funds through the NSW government to partner with Destination NSW on a targeted international marketing campaign.
The association and the Destination NSW marketing campaign aims to increase international tourists’ overnight stays in NSW wine regions by 12,000 nights in both 2019 and 2020.
Wine Australia CEO Andreas Clark said the NSW application was approved by the Australian government following assessment by an independent expert assessment panel.
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“The $5m state grants program is designed to enhance wine tourism experiences and drive collaboration between key sector partners.
“Wine is a key driver of international visitors to Australia but there’s a relatively untapped opportunity for the wine sector to focus on wine tourism product development. To grow the visitor economy, we need compelling experiences that go beyond the cellar door,” said Clark.
By partnering with Destination NSW on a targeted marketing campaign, the association can ensure the ongoing resilience and competitiveness of the wine tourism sector, he said.
NSW Wine Industry Association executive officer Angus Barnes said the strategy targets the four largest markets for international visitors to NSW – China at 16 per cent, South Korea at 15 per cent, the United Kingdom at 14 per cent, and USA at 12 per cent.
“It is tailored to individual regional preferences within these markets.
“We’ll be using critical data to understand current drivers and visit trends, so we can reposition NSW wines and regional experiences with a sophisticated and targeted marketing campaign,” said Barnes.
“Our campaign has two primary goals – to attract more international visitors to our wine regions and to grow the visitor economy by driving overnight stays and increased spending,” he said.
Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud said good food and wine is meant to be shared, and that’s exactly what this will do,” said Littleproud.
“New South Wales winemakers are among the world’s best and the world should know about it.
“We’re backing NSW winemakers so they can host more foreign tourists in their top-notch wine regions,” he said.
“NSW wine shouldn’t be kept secret – let’s get the word out and the tourists in,” said Littleproud.