How an Australian Local Government is Supporting Agritourism Development

Local government Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has been a proactive leader in developing agritourism in its rural community. Recognising the potential of agritourism to boost the local visitor economy, the Council embarked on a multi-year agritourism development journey beginning in 2018 when it identified agritourism as a visitor economy development opportunity. Over the years, the Council successfully secured grants to initiate and implement a variety of projects: firstly developing an agritourism development strategy in 2020 and in 2024 implementing actions from their strategy: launching an agritourism development program to support local farmers, creating an agritourism brand for the region (‘Welcome to the Farmily’), capturing marketing content and delivering a marketing campaign, and also master-planning a new visitor experience in a historic flour mill.