The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson AM MP, today announced $226,500 in Australian Government tourism funding for Australia's winery cellar doors.
Minister Ferguson told the Winemakers' Federation of Australia in Adelaide, the TQUAL Grants funding will make Australian wineries an even bigger magnet for visitors by:
- Improving cellar door wine tasting experiences to include wine education and local foods;
- Delivering a national workshop program with online materials to improve customer service at the cellar door; and
- Conducting research into market trends for the update of the National Wine Tourism Strategy.
"The livelihoods of hundreds of families depend on the connection between the tourism and wine industries. This TQUAL tourism funding is about increasing cellar door wine sales, increasing tourism expenditure and supporting jobs in regional areas.
"While Australia has some big names in wine, the industry is dominated by small business. That is why as part of the economic stimulus package, the Australian Government invested more than $500 million in small business incentives and support.
"With Easter coming up, wineries will benefit from the "No Leave No Life" campaign by the Australian Government and Tourism Australia. The campaign seeks to unlock the 123 million days of accumulated annual leave worth $33 billion in wages by encouraging workers to rediscover the beauty of Australia - that could mean visiting a cellar door and a farmers market or going to a local café or restaurant.
"The TQUAL Grants Program will help to make the Australian tourism industry more innovative, professional and competitive. Each project will have a flow-on effect - creating new opportunities for job creation and investment. In all, seventy innovative tourism projects are sharing almost $8.3 million in TQUAL Grants funding.
"The more innovative our industry becomes, the greater the economic benefit for our communities - especially in regional Australia," he said.
Tourism is a very important industry for Australia, employing half a million people and generating almost 4 per cent of our GDP. The significance of tourism across Australia is recognised in the Australian Government's National Long-Term Tourism Strategy, which, in partnership with industry and state and territory governments, aims to improve product quality and accreditation, build a skilled and innovative workforce, unlock investment in infrastructure, and make the most of our natural competitive advantages such as our landscapes and indigenous and cultural heritage.