The Hon. Senator Joe Ludwig
Minister for Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry
The Hon. Martin Ferguson MP
Minister for Resources and Energy
Minister for Tourism
Australia’s reputation as a first-class wine producer and idyllic tourist destination will receive a boost with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Wine Australia and Tourism Australia.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, and Minister for Resources and Energy and Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson, have welcomed the MoU between wine and tourism, saying the partnership should inspire other businesses and organisations to work collaboratively in tackling the challenges of Australian industries performing on a global stage.
“The organisations have joined forces to promote Australian wine and tourism,” Minister Ludwig said.
“Australia’s wine industry exports around 65 per cent of its production to international markets. In 2011-12, the value of wine exports was close to $1.9 billion and supports thousands of jobs, including many in regional areas.
“Australia is already a leader in wine exports, but we want to see our market reach grow.
“The Australian Government strongly supports industries coming together to capitalise on the opportunities emerging markets like Asia present and helping to build brand ‘Australia’.”
Minister Ferguson said Australian tourism contributes nearly $34 billion to Australia’s GDP and directly employs over 500,000 people.
“Tourism earns nearly 10 per cent of Australia’s total export earnings, making it Australia’s largest service export industry,” Minister Ferguson said.
“This partnership will raise awareness of the strengths of Australia’s wine and tourism industries to growth markets like Asia. It is an example of innovation and foresight by two sectors that make significant contributions to the Australian economy.
“This is an exciting opportunity to help strengthen our industries as they compete for market share in an increasingly volatile and competitive global environment.”
Established in 1981, Wine Australia is the Australian Government statutory authority providing marketing support to the Australian wine sector.
Tourism Australia is the Australian Government agency responsible for attracting international visitors to Australia and encouraging Australians to travel domestically, both for leisure and business events.