Turning innovative tourism ideas into reality

The Experience Development Program will support local tourism operators to develop and sell their latest new tour, accommodation or experience idea. 

Designed to provide tourism businesses with the tools they need to deliver world class tourism offerings, the program will support up to 20 operators across the state, available at no charge to the business. Two people per participating business can take part.

The new pilot program will launch in May. Tourism operators were invited to participate via an expression of interest process which is now closed. Successful applicants will be contacted directly regarding the outcome of their expression of interest. 

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Program overview

The program consists of three modules, and each module will be delivered as a workshop:

  • Module One: Developing Your Tourism Product
  • Module Two: Selling Your Product
  • Module Three: Perfecting Your Pitch

Module One: Developing Your Tourism Product

This module introduces businesses to the program and includes an overview of the visitor economy, pricing and commissions, packaging and collaboration, competitor analysis, unique selling points, and consumer behaviours and expectations.




Frequently Asked Questions

If you own an established tourism business that is already online bookable and selling to domestic trade, this program may not be the best fit. This program is designed to assist businesses to understand product development and develop their capability. 

The program consists of three (3) modules and each module will be delivered as a workshop for each participant to attend. Two of the workshops will be in person, and the third will be held online.

The workshops will be held across regional South Australia and run by SATC staff. Exact locations will be determined and confirmed once the applicants are finalised. 

This program will not assist operators with writing an application for grant funding, however it will assist operators to develop a world class tourism product or experience. Many funding programs require robust product development planning and/or demonstrated experience delivering outcomes.  

 

Priority will be given to applicants that can confirm attendance at all three module workshops. We understand that at times circumstances may change, and the SATC will work with the applicant individually to support alternative ways to attend at that time.

No, there will not be marked assessments. 

No, there is no financial cost to an applicant to take part in the program, however applicants must be able to commit their time to attend three module workshops and complete around 10 hours of work outside of the SATC-led sessions, to further refine their tourism experiences.

Yes, new businesses with a registered ABN can apply. There will be some assumed knowledge in the program that includes business fundamentals. If you are starting a new business and are not quite ready for the EDP, the SATC has a suite of tools for new businesses which can assist.

Developing a business plan can assist prioritising business objectives, goals and a road map to develop and sustain your business. The Australian Government has resources and templates available to help support the development of a business plan. To access these, please click here.

Highly experienced SATC staff will run the program and mentor applicants. Our staff have first-hand experience in running small tourism businesses, marketing, events, business development and international trade.

This program is for experiences and product development. If your new accommodation features an experience element, this could be a right fit. If not, the SATC can still assist you. We encourage you to email us [email protected] to set up a time to discuss further with our staff.

To take part in the Experience Development Program pilot, you will need to have a valid ABN at the time of application. If you are looking at getting started in tourism and understanding the industry, we would recommend looking into some of the SATC’s tools to get you started.

SATC staff can assist with product development enquiries. Please email us: [email protected].

Yes, but you must already have or wish to further develop packaged/bookable experiences beyond a room booking. For example, hosted tours, food and wine experiences or all-inclusive packages.

There are 12 tourism regions in South Australia, each supported by a local Regional Tourism Manager. Contacts for your local Regional Tourism Manager can be found here.



Contact us

For enquiries about the EDP, contact the South Australian Tourism Commission at: 

[email protected]