Development & Inspiration

Designing a great agritourism experience is about more than location; it’s about connecting people with place, produce, and purpose.

This section examines what makes an agritourism experience successful and how to create one that aligns with your business objectives and audience expectations. You’ll also find inspiration from local wine regions, national guides, and development-focused training.

In this section

Case studies – Agritourism in Action

These stories showcase how NSW farmers are embracing agritourism changes that make it easier for them to develop agritourism experiences, diversify income, share their land with visitors, and build more resilient rural businesses. Explore these agritourism examples for inspiration and practical insights.

Future-Proofing Farms | Vince Heffernan – Farm Stay Accommodation, Southern Tablelands
Vince, a biodynamic sheep farmer, is setting up on-farm accommodation to provide guests with an immersive rural experience. The changes in planning policies have simplified the process, allowing him to expand his business and share his farming practices with visitors.

Helping Small Family Businesses | Ingrid & John Padovano – Farm Café, NSW South Coast
Ingrid and John are transforming their farm into a welcoming café, offering fresh produce and homemade goods. The updated planning rules have streamlined the approval process, enabling them to create a new income stream while maintaining their farming lifestyle.

Supporting Indigenous Experiences |Tania & Rodney Hartigan – Aboriginal Cultural Tours, NSW Central West
Tania and Rodney are developing Aboriginal cultural experiences on their farm, offering visitors insights into Indigenous heritage and traditions. The revised planning regulations have made it easier for them to establish these culturally significant tourism activities.

Fictional Case Studies

To illustrate the possibilities, the NSW Department of Planning also provides fictional scenarios demonstrating how various agritourism ventures can be implemented:

Farm Stay Accommodation: A family converts a portion of their farmhouse into guest lodgings, offering authentic rural stays.
Roadside Stall and Small Shop: A farmer sets up a stall to sell fresh produce directly to travellers, enhancing farm visibility and income.
Multiple Agritourism Activities: A diversified farm offers a range of workshops, tastings, and seasonal events, creating a multifaceted visitor experience.
Workshops for Visitors: An orchard hosts fruit-picking and jam-making classes, engaging visitors in hands-on agricultural activities.

These examples demonstrate how agritourism can be tailored to fit various farm types and personal interests, providing both economic benefits and enriching experiences for visitors.

Wine Tourism

Wine tourism is a powerful driver of regional visitation, connecting visitors with landscapes, producers, and the stories behind every bottle. Across Southern NSW, wine regions such as the Canberra District and Hilltops are embracing agritourism to share cellar door experiences, host events, and build their brand identity.

This section provides associations, inspiration, practical tools, and examples to help wine businesses expand their visitor offerings, align with national strategy, and prepare for the future.

Canberra District Wines (CDWIA)

A showcase of cellar doors and wine experiences across the Canberra District. CDWIA emphasises the importance of regional collaboration, shared marketing, and storytelling in enhancing the visitor experience and promoting tourism to local vineyards.
Hilltops Wine

This regional collective showcases how wine producers in Young, Boorowa, and Harden collaborate to promote their offerings through wine trails, festivals, and targeted marketing campaigns. A strong example of how coordinated promotion can extend visitor stays and build regional identity.
NSW Wine Industry Association

The peak body supporting NSW’s wine sector. Offers marketing resources, research, industry advocacy, and updates on wine tourism trends. A valuable hub for producers interested in strengthening their visibility and tourism alignment.
One Grape Wine Sector Plan 2024–2030 | Summary

This collaborative industry strategy sets a renewed path toward Vision 2050. Priorities include sustainability, market growth, innovation, community engagement, and achieving a balance between supply and demand. The plan encourages wine producers and regions to adopt new practices, foster deeper consumer connections, and expand both domestic and international markets through experience-based tourism. A strategy summary is also available.
Wine Australia: Wine Tourism Ready is a self-paced online course and toolkit designed to help wineries attract more international travellers and build a profitable tourism offering. Developed in collaboration with the Australian Tourism Export Council and industry experts, the program offers practical guidance on targeting global markets, navigating industry channels, and creating visitor-ready experiences.
Vintuition™ is a purpose-built training program for wine tourism operators that enhances service, sales, and experience delivery at the cellar door. Offered both online and in-person, the program utilises a contemporary learning framework that combines skills assessments, live online tutorials, practical exercises, and in-person team coaching. Designed to support cellar door teams and brand representatives, Vintuition helps identify capability gaps and refine visitor-facing skills, strengthening your direct-to-consumer sales strategy and overall guest experience.

Webinar: Creating Agritourism Experiences

This on-demand webinar shares practical tips and firsthand insights from leading agritourism operators across NSW. Learn how to design experiences that delight visitors, work within the rhythms of your farm, and make the most of seasonal opportunities.

Topics include:

Creating engaging farm gate experiences and guided tours
Developing successful farm-stay accommodation
Leveraging seasonal produce and farm activities

Guide: Creating Bookable Agritourism Experiences

Destination NSW provides a comprehensive guide to help farmers develop bookable agritourism experiences that are practical, profitable, and enhance the visitor journey. These experiences range from farm tours and seasonal events to farm-stay accommodation and immersive hands-on activities.

Key Highlights:

Design visitor-ready farm experiences – from pick-your-own produce and behind-the-scenes tastings to artisan workshops and hosted tours.
Start with your strengths – assess what makes your farm unique, including landscapes, stories, produce, and seasonal moments.
Farm-stay accommodation tips – explore options from camping and tiny homes to hosted stays in converted buildings.
Maximise seasonality – create limited-time experiences around harvest, blossom season, truffle hunts, or shearing days.
Tell your story – visitors value authentic connection; highlight your farm’s history, people, and sustainable practices.
Plan for sustainability and accessibility – design experiences that are inclusive and minimise environmental impact.
Utilise online booking systems – ensure your experiences are easily found and bookable through your website, ATDW listing, and partner platforms.
Consider pricing and commissions – set prices that reflect your time, effort, and allow for distribution partnerships (up to 30% commission).

Tip: Blend ‘bread and butter’ experiences (such as regular farm tours) with ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moments (like seasonal degustations or exclusive events) to appeal to a wide range of visitors.

Sparrowly Regional Agritourism Reports

The following Sparrowly Regional Agritourism Reports provide a series of tailored insights into agritourism opportunities across Destination Southern NSW.

Each report outlines the agricultural landscape, identifies region-specific produce and visitor economy strengths, and explores how agritourism can be leveraged to diversify farm incomes and boost regional tourism. Drawing on national trends and CSIRO projections, the reports highlight potential activities, from farm stays and paddock-to-plate dining to workshops and experiential events, while offering practical guidance for getting started and showcasing successful case studies from across Australia and beyond. Together, these reports serve as strategic snapshots to support councils, producers, and tourism operators in building a vibrant, sustainable agritourism sector.

Destination Southern – Whole of Region

Pathway