Getting Started

This section will help you explore what agritourism could look like for your business and assess your readiness to begin.

While we encourage you to explore each pathway at your own pace, before you begin developing your agritourism experience, we recommend reviewing the Start Here Pathway to make sure your business foundations are in place. This pathway ensures you are well-prepared for your agritourism journey, covering the logical phases of business development from getting started (Develop), effectively marketing your products to the right customers (Promote), to creating and distributing bookable experiences via an online sales platform (Sell).

This page includes content adapted from Destination NSW’s NSW First Program. We acknowledge and thank Destination NSW for providing these resources.

In this section

Southern NSW: A Strong Agritourism Landscape

Southern NSW boasts a rich and growing agritourism sector. From truffle hunts and orchard picking to wellness farm stays and on-farm dining, operators across the region are connecting visitors to the land, its produce, and the people behind it, in immersive, meaningful ways.

From across the Southern Tablelands, to the Far South Coast and Snowy Mountains, our local tourism operators are creating offerings that highlight the region’s diversity through memorable place-based visitor experiences, including:

Wine & Beverage Experiences – Cellar doors, distilleries, and breweries using regionally grown ingredients.
Farm-Based Experiences – Truffle hunts, pick-your-own orchards, and animal encounters.
Paddock-to-Plate – On-farm dining, farm gate tastings, and seasonal cooking workshops.
Immersive Stays – Wellness retreats, working farm accommodation, and agri-based events.

These offerings showcase the variety of agritourism opportunities available and highlight the region’s capacity to deliver authentic, hands-on visitor experiences.

Key Visitor Trends & Markets

Understand the growing demand for authentic, seasonal, and sustainable experiences, from families and food lovers to wellness and international travellers.

What are visitors looking for?

According to Destination NSW, visitors are increasingly drawn to agritourism experiences that are immersive, authentic, and rooted in connection to place, produce, nature, and the people who inhabit it. They seek opportunities to learn, engage the senses, spend quality time with loved ones, and experience life on the land through hands-on encounters with local food and farming.

Destination NSW offers a range of agritourism resources and business support. Please visit the Destination NSW Agritourism Business Support webpage for more information.

Future of Demand

Tourism Australia’s Future of Demand research provides valuable insights to help tourism operators understand where visitor demand exists and how to maximise emerging opportunities. Covering 143 experience types across 20 markets and four key traveller segments, the research explores trends in sustainable travel, Indigenous tourism, and accessibility. Designed with small and regional operators in mind, it offers practical guidance to support recovery and growth in a rapidly changing tourism landscape.

Sensory – Food & Drink Factsheet

This fact sheet examines the increasing significance of sensory-driven food and beverage tourism, highlighting the factors that influence visitors’ choices of food-focused experiences, including authenticity, storytelling, and a connection to place.

Immersive – Agritourism Report

This report explains what makes agritourism immersive and memorable. Key takeaways include the importance of hands-on participation, meeting producers, and the growing appeal of local provenance and sustainability.

Farmer Toolkit

Explore Australian Regional Tourism’s downloadable toolkit, which offers practical guidance for farmers interested in exploring tourism opportunities. Topics include visitor safety, product development, farm presentation, and operational tips to help you welcome guests with confidence. Created for farmers with an interest in diversifying their farm to include a tourism business, the guide is designed to help you bridge the gap between production and experience delivery.

Agritourism Summit Overview

he 2024 Agritourism Summit brought together experienced operators, industry leaders, and government representatives to explore the growing potential of agritourism in NSW. Key themes included branding, biosecurity, insurance, and navigating planning and regulatory frameworks.

Highlights included:

National perspectives from Tourism Australia, introducing the Signature Experiences Program, and Katherine Droga, Founder of Droga & Co. and Well Traveller, who highlighted the global opportunities in agritourism and the linkage with the growing wellness trend.
Planning advice, including tips for navigating exemptions and complying with development.
Authentic success stories from operators such as Ryefield Hops, Rove Numby, Jurlique Farm, Moonacres, and Buena Vista Farm.
Practical tips on starting small, managing space, securing insurance, and engaging with councils and Destination Networks.

The summit showcased agritourism’s diversity, from farm stays and pick-your-own orchards to workshops, tastings, and farm-to-table dining, reinforcing the value of connection, community, and authenticity in delivering meaningful visitor experiences.

Agritourism Readiness Survey

Are you exploring or growing an agritourism business in Southern NSW?

This short survey will help us understand where you are on your agritourism journey, what activities you offer or plan to offer, and what support or infrastructure might assist you along the way. Your responses will help identify common barriers and enablers across the region, shaping future programs and investment. The survey takes around 5 minutes to complete. Once submitted, a Destination Southern NSW Industry Development Manager will contact you to discuss how we can support your next steps. Your input is a valuable step toward growing a thriving, sustainable agritourism sector in our region.

Agritourism Readiness Survey

Pathway