SA tourism industry supported to deliver innovative world class tourism offerings
A private island holiday stay in Eyre Peninsula, a hands-on nature-based experience in the Riverland, an immersive foraging tour in the Limestone Coast, and other innovative visitor offerings across the state will become a reality as a result of a new tourism development program.
Expressions of interest for the second intake of the South Australian Tourism Commission’s Experience Development Program (EDP) open today, following a successful pilot program.
Launched in May 2024, the EDP provides tourism businesses with the tools needed to deliver world class tourism offerings across South Australia.
The program is open to both new and established tourism businesses with a new and innovative product or experience idea, for example sensory food and drink tasting experiences, on-farm paddock to plate experiences or Aboriginal food foraging and cultural tours.
Tourism operators are invited to participate in the second intake via an expression of interest process which is open from 2 to 20 September 2024. Places are available for up to 20 operators from across the state.
The EDP supports businesses which are committed to investing further in tourism activity such as developing innovative bookable experiences, attending tourism industry events, and marketing their tourism offerings.
With a focus on small group, peer-to-peer learning, the program consists of three modules: developing your tourism product, selling your product, and perfecting your pitch.
By the end of the program, tourism businesses have a fully developed new experience concept and a clear understanding of how to market and sell it through the tourism trade distribution system.
The pilot program received overwhelming positive feedback from the 18 tourism businesses which took part.
Participating operators reported that the peer-to-peer learning aspect was valuable, giving them the opportunity to learn from each other and form new business relationships and collaborative partnerships.
Each business that took part in the pilot has completed the program with a clear plan to take their idea to market. This means there is a pipeline of 18 new tourism experiences which are expected to come online in the short, medium and longer term to entice visitors.
For further information, including eligibility criteria and how to respond to the expression of interest visit: https://www.tourism.sa.gov.au/support/industry-resources-and-tools/experience-development-program.
Minister for Tourism, Zoe Bettison said there is no doubt the pilot Experience Development Program was a great success, so it is wonderful to open applications for a second intake.
"The beauty of this program is that it not only equips our tourism operators with the skills they need to promote their products worldwide but will see new and innovative experiences on offer for visitors to South Australia to enjoy."
Pike River Villas and Riverland Wine Centre Owner, Andrew Caire said "our goal was to develop a unique experience that would attract the international market and stand out as a destination in its own right, drawing more visitors to the Riverland. We also wanted to bolster the range of family friendly experiences on offer in our region."
"Through the Experience Development Program, we were able to have a good think about what we were trying to achieve. The program is informative and provides a fantastic way to take the next step in creating something memorable; I would recommend it to any tourism operator looking to build an experience," Mr Caire said.
"We now have two clear ideas that we will further develop over the long term. The ‘Yabby Dab’ will provide a hands-on experience for families and school groups to get up close to the yabby, an iconic creature of the Riverland. We also have plans to build a sky lounge, taking in 180-degree views of our beautiful river outback landscape along with an up close and personal experience with another of the Murray’s icons - all exciting but still in the planning stage at present!"
Flinders Island Eco Escape Owner, Jonas Woolford said the Experience Development Program has given great insights into tapping into the national and international wholesale booking system, to help attract visitors from across the world to the Eyre Peninsula.
"We’ve found the program really beneficial. It has guided us through the process of discovering our unique selling point, putting together an experience package and knowing where to best promote our new experience once it is ready to take to market," Mr Wooldord said.
"Once booking ready, our new experience will provide visitors with a fully hosted, all-inclusive private island stay on the stunning Flinders Island. With the whole island to themselves, guests can enjoy the natural beauty and wildlife at their own pace through experiences such as fishing, tasting local seafood and historic & wildlife walking and driving tours."