Agriculture
22 May, 2024
Local perspective: Agritourism a path towards diversity
By ANNE MARIE DAVIS THE demand for agritourism experiences is on the rise and Loddon is well placed to offer a variety of experiences to domestic and international visitors. With our highly productive soils and ideal climate; agriculture...
By ANNE MARIE DAVIS
THE demand for agritourism experiences is on the rise and Loddon is well placed to offer a variety of experiences to domestic and international visitors.
With our highly productive soils and ideal climate; agriculture, horticulture, and livestock industries make up 70 per cent of the Loddon Shire’s economy, creating opportunities for diversification into this rapidly growing market.
Agritourism describes experiences and attractions that bring visitors to regional and rural Australia and provides them with the opportunity to experience elements across the spectrum of food and agribusiness, from primary production to retail.
Be it a farm stay or farm-gate, a cooking class, a self-picking experience, a permaculture workshop, a food and wine festival, a paddock to plate experience matched to local wines or a brewery tour, the potential for innovation in agritourism is almost endless.
Loddon’s central location and accessibility to Melbourne, existing recognition as a food and wine destination and inclusion as part of the Bendigo UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy, is a strong draw for foodie tourists.
With established high-profile brands and producers, and plenty of room for new entrants, the region can further capitalise on the growing number of visitors embracing experience-based tourism.
The CSIRO expects demand for agritourism in Australia to reach $18.6 billion by 2030, an increase of around five cent per annum.
Whilst the domestic day and overnight tourism market will increase, the strongest growth will be seen in international visitation, which is expected to almost double.
The evaluation of the first 12 months of Flavours of Loddon has just been completed.
As project coordinator, I am keen to see an expansion of the program in 2024/25 to include agritourism experiences.
More and more people are seeking to connect with the land and understand where their food comes from and how it is produced.
In addition to events such as Inglewood Alive and the Flavours of Loddon Festival Boort, we would like to include a weekend program on the Labour day long weekend in March 2025, which will show case a variety of agritourism and gastronomy experiences from across the region”
We are keen to hear from businesses who are interested in finding out more about joining in or who have any questions about how they might turn their idea into an agritourism or gastronomy experience.
This weekend will be a great opportunity to test the market and try out an idea. It is also hoped that if the weekend is successful that we can grow and develop agritourism experiences in Loddon throughout the year.
As this sector continues to grow, it will undoubtedly play a crucial role in shaping Loddon’s tourism landscape.
* Anne Marie Davis is the co-ordinator of Flavours of Loddon