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Wine tourism in Australia : emergence, development and critical issues

Wine tourism has emerged as a strong and growing area of special interest tourism in Australia, and
as such it has become an increasingly significant component of the Australian regional tourism
product. The Australian Wine Foundation (1996) estimates total Australian wine tourism figures to
be in the order of 5.3 million visits per annum, worth $428 million in 1995 and which is expected
to grow substantially to around $1100 million by 2025. As a consequence, Australia's Federal and
State Governments and regional communities (including regional associations) are recognising the
benefits of promoting their wine districts as tourism attractions in their own right.
While the destinational appeal of wine regions and the concept of wine tourism is generally
acknowledged, research concerning wine tourism development, marketing and impacts is lacking.
Therefore, this thesis examines the nature and potential of wine tourism in Australia, and
documents its historical development and current status. The activities and initiatives of a number
of agencies involved in wine tourism development and marketing are also critically examined, and
significant wine tourism developmental issues are investigated through a case study of the
Canberra District, an emerging Australian wine region.
A number of developmental similarities between rural tourism and wine tourism are noted,
including: a lack of tourism and marketing awareness and knowledge by practitioners, and a lack of
industry integration and cohesion. These issues are compounded by the infancy of wine tourism
and the dominant product focus of wine makers and the Australian wine industry, resulting in the
absence of effective inter sectoral linkages. While a number of tourism agencies and wine industry
associations are pursuing wine tourism development initiatives, the success and sustainability of
these activities is dependent upon addressing various developmental issues.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219170
Date January 1997
CreatorsMacionis, Niki, n/a
PublisherUniversity of Canberra. Communication, Media & Tourism
Source SetsAustraliasian Digital Theses Program
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Rights), Copyright Niki Macionis

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