From the Big Pineapple and the Melon Festival, to dairy farms and wineries, to providores and farm stay accommodation, regional and rural Queensland is awash with authentic agritourism experiences.
Food, fibre and foliage experiences are being increasingly sought after as consumers desire to better understand where their produce comes from, learn how it is created and experience the environment where it is produced.
Fast becoming an important sector of the Queensland economy and estimated to be worth around $5 billion to the state economy by 2030, agritourism is providing direct and indirect benefits to the state's agribusinesses and regional economies.
To capitalise on the exciting opportunities the sector could provide, the Queensland Farmers' Federation and agritourism specialists, Regionality have partnered to launch the Queensland Agritourism Roadmap.
The roadmap would see stakeholders from across industry, government, tourism, regional development, agriculture, small business, and infrastructure collaborate to encourage more tourists (domestic and international, when permitted), to visit, stay longer and to spend more money in rural and regional Queensland.
It provides the opportunity for interested farmers to explore the viability of agritourism while ensuring they are given training and resources that would enable them to develop profitable agritourism enterprises in Queensland.
It also identifies ways industry and government can work together to create an environment that will support agri-innovation, such as on farm value-adding and agritourism.
Agritourism allows regions to showcase their beautiful and highly diverse natural environment and provides an opportunity for farmers to supplement their income and market their produce through alternative channels, often attracting a premium price, or capturing additional margin, while gathering direct feedback from end consumers about their produce.
QFF and Regionality are looking forward to working with the new Queensland government to unlock the potential for agritourism in the state, add value beyond the farm gate and share the incredible and diverse regions that our farmers call home.
- Allan Dingle, Queensland Farmers' Federation president
