sb food and wine development plan 2006southburnett.com.au/pdfs/2006winefoodpan.pdf · and wine...
TRANSCRIPT
DRAFT SOUTH BURNETT FOOD AND WINE
DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2006 - 2008
Prepared by:
Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism in consultation with the South Burnett Food and Wine Steering Committee
November 2005
Draft South Burnett Food and Wine Development Plan, 2005-2008 2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 3
Introduction 4
Context 5
Definitions 6
Situational Analysis 7
Strategic Direction 8
Research Sources 9
Critical Success Factors 9
Previous South Burnett Tourism Research 11
Wine and Culinary Tourism Research 12
Drive Market Research 15
Customer Profile 16
Preferred Media 17
Building The Regional Brand 17
Suggested Marketing Approach 19
Recommended Strategies 21
Suggested Budget 22
Conclusion 23
Draft South Burnett Food and Wine Development Plan, 2005-2008 3
Executive Summary
With a domestic visitation growth rate of over 25% and an international
visitation growth rate of over 7%, Fraser Coast South Burnett is one of the
emerging tourism destinations in Australia.
The South Burnett is a region with a diverse range of activities and attractions
that is forming its own identity as tourist destination.
A key driver of visitors to the region is the South Burnett’s strong food and
wine industry. The South Burnett wine industry is young in Australian terms,
but it is Queensland’s fastest growing wine area, and one of its best known.
There are currently 18 cellar doors in the South Burnett region, with the
wineries embracing the wine tourism concept with on-site restaurants and
cafes, accommodation and events.
The South Burnett food industry is less known, but is emerging with a range of
quality produce, from award-winning cheeses and succulent olives to prime
beef and delicious redclaw. Kingaroy, a major town in the South Burnett, is
famous for its peanuts.
This South Burnett food and wine marketing strategy covers a three-year
period, and sets out a blueprint for marketing and promoting the South Burnett
as quality food and wine tourism region. It also nominates the key
stakeholders who will be critical to the region’s on-going growth in the food
and wine sector.
Further, this strategy outlines ways in which the food and wine industry
sectors can work together to develop a united brand, as the two sectors are
not mutually exclusive for the target visitor markets.
The plan provides broad overviews of the current state of the South Burnett
food and wine industry, indicates opportunities for future growth and identifies
Draft South Burnett Food and Wine Development Plan, 2005-2008 4
some critical success factors for the sector to ensure its sustainability as a
tourist destination.
The plan concludes by suggesting a three-year strategic marketing approach,
and recommending a range of specific marketing strategies and actions that
can be introduced by the South Burnett food and wine tourism industry, in
conjunction with its partners, to raise awareness, and increase the profile, of
the region as a food and wine destination, and, in turn, attract increased visitor
numbers.
Introduction
The South Burnett region is located within an informal geographical boundary
known as South East Queensland, and is marketed by Tourism Queensland,
the state’s peak tourism marketing body, under the brand of ‘South East
Queensland Country’ (SEQC), using the strapline ‘Wake Up To The Beauty Of
It’.
Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism (FCSBT), one of 14 statewide regional
tourism organizations (RTO) recognized and supported by Tourism
Queensland, is responsible for the external marketing of the region, with a
primary focus on promoting to intrastate, interstate and international visitors.
Within the South Burnett region, there are three recognized bodies with a
strong interest in tourism marketing:
South Burnett Tourism Association (SBTA), an industry-driven
organization, known as a local tourism association (LTA), that has a joint
membership agreement with FCSBT and is responsible for marketing the
South Burnett within its region. It works closely with FCSBT in marketing to
wider audiences, and has Director-level representation on the Board of
FCSBT.
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South Burnett Local Government Association (SBLGA), represents the
regional interests of local governments in the South Burnett area,
encompassing the shires of Kingaroy, Wondai, Murgon, Kilkivan and
Nanango. Each shire is a council member of FCSBT. SBLGA co-funds the
position of a Tourism Project Manager, who actively works within the region to
further tourism infrastructure and training development. It also has Director-
level representation on the Board of FCSBT.
South Burnett Wine Industry Association (SBWIA), represents the
interests of wine tourism in the South Burnett region, and engages a wine
marketing consultant to promote the region as a wine tourism destination.
Most wineries associated with SBWIA are members of FCSBT, and SBWIA
has representation on the FCSBT Tourism Advisory Group, as well as an
Industry Representative Director on the Board of FCSBT.
Fraser Coast South Burnett is one of five RTO regions involved in the SEQC
branding, with the others being Brisbane Marketing, Tourism Sunshine Coast,
Toowoomba Golden West and Southern Downs.
A majority of visitors to South Burnett originate from the Brisbane metropolitan
area, other South East Queensland areas and northern New South Wales.
Context
This document arose from strategies and actions identified in the South
Burnett Tourism Marketing Action Plan 2005 -2007, developed by Fraser
Coast South Burnett Tourism, in conjunction with South Burnett Tourism
Association and Tourism Queensland.
The Plan recommended a series of market segments that needed to be
developed individually as a part of the overall strategy, including wine,
gourmet food, festivals and events, bird watching, and fishing and water
sports. Further discussion of this strategy recognized a need to combine the
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food and wine market segments to maximize their complementary appeal to
the target markets.
This document is not intended to be a definitive development or business
manuscript for the South Burnett food and wine industry.
Rather, within the resources available, it is designed to outline, and provide a
foundation for, marketing activities that will assist the region’s food and wine
industry to raise its profile as a vital tourism market segment for the wider
South Burnett region.
Much of the generic information in this document has been incorporated from
the South Burnett Tourism Marketing Action Plan 2005-2007, and adapted to
the food and wine market segment.
It is also recommended that this South Burnett Food and Wine Development
Plan be used in conjunction with the South Burnett Wine Industry Association
Marketing Strategy, developed in May 2003, which includes a valuable SWOT
and competitor analysis of the South Burnett wine industry, provides further
insight into the general wine industry, and identifies goals and actions for the
local wine industry.
Definitions
Wine tourism is defined variously as:
• Domestic or international visitors who visited at least one winery during
a trip in Australia
• A wide range of experiences built around tourist visitation to wineries
and wine regions, including wine tasting, enjoyment of wine and food,
the exploration of regional environments and the experience of a range
of cultural, nature-based and lifestyle activities.
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Wine tourism is not only associated with cellar door wineries, rather all
businesses that are involved in the wine, tourism and associated industries
within the wine region, including accommodation houses, tour operators, gift
shops, and national parks.
Tourism Queensland defines food tourism as travel to specific regions to
sample cuisine unique to the region1.
Further, Tourism Australia separates the definition of culinary tourism:
• Domestic overnight culinary tourism is defined as domestic overnight
visitors who travel for holiday/leisure purposes and one of the reasons
for their trip is to experience Australia’s wine or food.
• International culinary visitors are international visitors who state that
one of their reasons for visiting Australia is to experience Australia’s
food, wines and wineries.
Situational Analysis
Queensland is not globally recognized for its food and wine tourism. States
such as New South Wales (Hunter Valley, Riverina), South Australia
(Barossa, McLarenvale, Coonawarra), Victoria (Yarra Valley, Mornington
Peninsula, Milawa) and Western Australia (Swan Valley, Margaret River) have
significantly more recognition as food and wine regions than Queensland
does.
Therefore, South Burnett operates in an environment that is not regarded by
consumers as a food and wine region, despite a good quality product.
These other regions have built up awareness over a long period, and it must
be accepted that the South Burnett is a relative newcomer in the food and
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wine experience market. It should also be realized that considerable dollars
and resources would need to be invested to seriously raise the profile of the
South Burnett as a prime food and wine destination, particularly in interstate
markets.
However, the elements are currently in place for South Burnett to take a
leading role in the recognition of Queensland as a competitive food and wine
destination.
It has a critical mass of cellar doors, a variety of quality primary producers, a
growing range of accommodation options (including accommodation types
that appeal to the target markets), good support tourism product, close
proximity to one of the fastest growing population growth region in Australia,
and increasing destination maturity.
The Queensland wine industry, in particular, has been boosted by Australia’s
first wine portfolio at State Government level, under the umbrella of the
Department of Fair Trading, Tourism and Wine Industry Development. The
Department provides a range of development and marketing advice and
resources for the Queensland wine industry.
Strategy Direction
The overall strategy should be to actively promote the South Burnett food and
wine experience to to the South Burnett’s regional target markets of Brisbane,
Sunshine Coast and south-east Queensland.
In addition, the strategy should assist the South Burnett to be significantly
recognized as a premier food and wine destination in Queensland, and one of
the leading culinary regions in Australia.
Achievable outcomes such as visitor number increase, volume of
familiarisations, growth of yield and industry cooperation should be set to
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ensure that the objectives of the marketing and development activities are
being attained.
Research Sources
This strategy would like to acknowledge the following research sources for
empirical data provided through this document:
Food Tourism, Tourism Queensland, September 2003
Food & Wine Tourism Fact Sheet, Australian Tourist Commission,
January 2004
Niche Market Snapshot on Wine Tourism in Australia, Tourism
Research Australia, June 2005
Niche Market Snapshot on Culinary Tourism in Australia, Tourism
Research Australia, August 2005
The Drive Market, Tourism Queensland, summary results for the year
ending June 2005
Winemakers’ Federation of Australia website – www.wfa.org.au
Queensland Government Department of Tourism, Fair Trading and
Wine Industry Development website – www.dtftwid.qld.gov.au
Queensland Wine Industry Association website –
www.queenslandwine.com.au
Critical Success Factors
The success of the food and wine market segment in the South Burnett region
to drive greater visitor numbers to the destination depends on several critical
factors:
• A strong and united food and wine market segment, to ensure that
the region is acting with a common goal to promote awareness of, and
increase visitation to, the region
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• Support from key tourism-related associations (SBTA, SBLGA, SBWIA), to ensure that interests of their food and wine members are
represented in the process
• A realistic understanding about South Burnett’s position in the Queensland and Australian food and wine industry, to ensure that
there is a clear vision of what is required to become successful
• The development of a focused food and wine style, to ensure that
there is a clear brand for consumers to connect with
• Co-operative dollars to come from the food and wine industry to support marketing initiatives, to ensure there are adequate funds to
effectively market the food and wine market segment in the South
Burnett region and to ensure that operators become financial
stakeholders in the marketing process
• An understanding that food and wine tourism is part of the wider regional tourism industry, to ensure the visitors are encouraged to
visit the region and increase their length of stay
• A commitment to move forward and to avoid fragmentation, to
ensure that the food and wine market segments collaborate with a
positive, united and forward-looking attitude
• Commitment to a long-term plan, to ensure an adequate timeframe
for the marketing elements to yield results and to ensure planning
objectives
• All promotional elements to focus on the South Burnett food and wine brand, to ensure that a consistent and focused message is
communicated to target markets by all promotional partners
• Membership of tourism industry associations, to ensure that the
food and wine sector has a channel to voice their comments and have
input into the promotional activities
Previous South Burnett tourism research
There is limited tourism research available for the food and wine market
segment in the South Burnett region, and little research for the broader South
Draft South Burnett Food and Wine Development Plan, 2005-2008 11
Burnett tourism industry, with insufficient qualitative data on the South Burnett
area to adequately determine visitors’ knowledge, awareness and perceptions
of the region.
In 2001, a Visitors Survey1 for the South Burnett region was commissioned by
FCSBT, and was conducted by regional high school students with assistance
from Tourism Queensland. Although the sample size was small, it does
provide some historical insights into the travel patterns of tourists to the South
Burnett.
Some of the key demographic data gleaned from the 2001 Visitor Survey was:
• 26% of visitors spent the night before arrival in Brisbane and will return
there afterwards
• 69% of visitors originated from Queensland, including 32% from the
Brisbane metropolitan area, 12% from the Gold Coast and 10% from
the Sunshine Coast
• 45% of visitors were in the 45-64 age bracket
• 29% of visitors were in the 25-44 age bracket
• 44% of visitors had school-age children
• 15% of visitors were young couples
• 32% of visitors had household income between $20,000 and $39,999
• 24% of visitors had household income under $19,999
• 20% of visitors had household income between $40,000 and $59,999
• 44% of visitors visited for ‘holiday’ purposes
• 26% of visitors visited for ‘leisure/recreation’ purposes
• 50% of visitors were traveling as an adult couple
• 59% of visitors were traveling in a party of 2 people
• 35% of visitors spent 2 nights in South Burnett
• 27% of visitors spent 1 night in South Burnett
• 16% of visitors didn’t stay overnight in the South Burnett
1 Fraser Coast & South Burnett Visitor Survey, Brosnan, Pearson, Parfitt, August 2001
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• 57% of visitors had never visited South Burnett before
• 24% of visitors had visited South Burnett one to three times
• 68% of visitors traveled in their own car
Importantly for the food and wine sector, 75% of visitors indicated that they
had visited a winery during their stay, and 23% listed wineries as their main
reason for visiting.
Wine and culinary tourism research
There is a wider variety of research into the general food and wine tourism
industry sector currently in the marketplace.
The Tourism Queensland website (www.tq.com.au) has selected data on the
food and wine market segment including Wine Tourism (2002), Wine &
Tourism (Roy Morgan Research, March 2002), Food Tourism (2003), and
Wine Tourism in South Burnett/North Of Gympie Region (2004).
In addition, there is broader research into related areas of tourism which will
impact on the food and wine market segment, including Tourism Forecasts
(2004), Information Sources and Booking Methods (2003), Road Travellers in
Queensland (2000), Roy Morgan Research Discretionary Expenditure (Roy
Morgan Research, May 2002), Information Sources and Booking Methods
July 2000-June 2001 (Roy Morgan Research, 2001), Bed & Breakfast
Tourism (2003) and Visitation To National Parks (2004).
NFS Market Research (Brisbane) has also prepared a Wine Tourism
Infrastructure Audit (July 2003) for Tourism Queensland, which provides an
overview of facilities and wine tourism operations in Queensland.
Tourism Australia has researched food and wine tourism on a national level.
Their ‘Food and Wine Tourism Fact Sheet’ (January 2004) provides some
valuable insights about international wine and culinary tourism visitors.
Tourism Research Australia has also produced niche market snapshots on
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‘Wine Tourism In Australia’ (June 2005) and ‘Culinary Tourism In Australia’
(August 2005).
The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia also produces a range of wine
tourism marketing and research sheets, which individual wineries may find
useful to build their wine tourism business. These can be found at
www.wfa.org.au
Similarly, the Queensland Government’s Department of Fair Trading, Tourism
and Wine Industry Development has a range of marketing, operational and
research information on its website at www.dtftwid.qld.gov.au
In research released by Tourism Australia on Wine Tourism in Australia,
United Kingdom, Germany and Other Europe were the top three international
source markets for international wine visitors in 2004, which complements the
source markets for international drive market visitation as outlined above.
This research also indicated that the majority of domestic overnight (65 per
cent) and day wine (97 per cent) visitors traveled within their state of
residence in 2004.
It also indicated that both domestic and international wine visitors had longer
overnight trips in Australia in 2004 compared to other domestic and
international visitors, across all age groups.
The majority of domestic overnight wine visitors who traveled as an adult
couple were aged over 45 years (61 per cent), working full-time (54 per cent)
and had an annual income above $52,000 per annum (67 per cent).
Tourism Australia has also released statistics on Culinary Tourism In
Australia, which indicates that, in 2004, there were eight million domestic
overnight culinary visitors in Australia, who accounted for 27 per cent of
holiday/leisure domestic overnight visitors, but 35 pr cent of spend. However,
a large proportion of these domestic overnight culinary visitors (40 per cent)
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were from Sydney and Melbourne, which does not suit the South Burnett
region.
Further, more than 90 per cent of domestic overnight culinary visitors took
their trip to escape and unwind, and more then 70 per cent took their trip for
luxury or indulgence purposes. And over 80% of them used a motor vehicle
(private, company or rental) as their mode of transport.
Tourism Queensland research into Food Tourism in 2003 also looked at the
type of experience sought amongst visitors classified as food tourists. In terms
of the destination, they rated the following aspects:
• Variety (of eating options) 73%
• Regional Food 36%
• Value For Money 27%
• Reputation 18%
• Partnerships 18%
• Number – access 18%
Further, food tourists were also likely to engage in the following activities
during their holiday:
• Visit museums
• Go shopping
• Attend music and/or film festivals
• Participate in general outdoor recreation
The key inbound markets for culinary tourism in Australia are the United
Kingdom, Europe, USA, Canada and New Zealand, which are all markets that
Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism has identified as its key international
target markets.
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Whilst the above data only provides a thumbnail sketch of broader research
into food and wine tourism, and deeper analysis of available statistics needs
to be undertaken, it is sufficient to conclude that the South Burnett region
closely matches the profile and preferences of typical food and wine tourists,
and the experiences they are seeking.
What the region requires is a focused food and wine identity, and the
marketing resources to communicate that identity, which is what this
Development Plan aims to rectify
Drive market research
Tourism Queensland research for the year ending June 2005 shows that
Queensland receives a total of 21% of all domestic drive visitors in Australia, a
total of 9.8 million visitors. This figure showed an average annual growth rate
of 1.6% from the year ended June 2001 to the year ended June 2005, which
is the highest average annual growth rate in the country.
It is recommended that the Drive Market fact sheet be read in its entirety to
further understand the various segments, touring market demographics and
travel behaviours of both the domestic and international drive markets.
In terms of international drive visitors, the Fraser Coast South Burnett region
ranked number three in the state for United Kingdom Drive Market Visitors
and European Drive Market Visitors, just behind Brisbane and Tropical North
Queensland.
However, most relevant to this strategy is the fact that domestic touring
visitors to Queensland are more likely to participate in a number of activities,
including restaurants/international food/wine and wineries/vineyards, than the
average visitor to Queensland.
Draft South Burnett Food and Wine Development Plan, 2005-2008 16
Customer Profile
At the 2005 Australian Wine and Food Tourism Conference in Adelaide, Mr
Andrew McEvoy, Director, Australasia Marketing for Tourism Australia,
outlined the ideal international food and wine visitor.
The ideal international food and wine visitor is a high value visitor, who has
common values, is easy to talk to, are opinion leaders, and have a higher
spend. They want to visit untouched and undiscovered places, they want to
meet new people, they enjoy nature (especially World Heritage areas), they
like indigenous culture and they are seeking learning experiences, such as
museums, galleries, events and festivals.
From this ideal food and wine visitor profile, the South Burnett region can fulfill
most of these requirements, and therefore is in an excellent position to attract
this type of tourist. The key is not just focus on wine and food experiences, but
to ensure that promotional collateral highlights the other activities on offer
within the area as an added attraction.
Preferred Media
Andrew McEvoy, in his presentation, also outlined the preferred media used
for research and planning by the ideal international food and wine visitor. It
includes:
• Friends or relatives (word of mouth)
• Newspaper articles
• Internet travel sites
• Reading/hearing about famous explorers
• Specialist travel magazines/programs
• TV documentaries
• Clubs and groups they belong to
• History books
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Building the regional brand
At the 2005 Australian Wine and Food Tourism Conference in Adelaide, Peter
Sawrey, Chairman of Wine Barossa, spoke about strategies for building a
regional brand. Following are some extracts from his presentation which will
help crystallize the requirements for the South Burnett region to establish its
regional brand, based on the successes of the building the Barossa and
McLarenvale brands:
“Identifying your natural assets and working with them, then taking your
history, culture and personality and weaving it into a magnificent story, your
regional story, the blueprint of your identity, your DNA unlike any other region.
Your USP, your unique selling proposition, as they say in the music business,
your ‘hook’.”
“Building your regional brand requires time and a critical eye cast widely over
your defined territory that will forever be your region’s mission, vision and
modus operandi. Never stray from this path once it is set but make absolutely
sure you are on the right path. Have the conviction to change the right patch if
you think it’s wrong. It is never too late to check or audit your region.”
“Consider the look of your region, the cards that Mother Nature has dealt you.
Flat, hilly, steep, lakes, sea, granite, limestone, forests and gum trees are
potentially your assets.”
“Proximity to your consumer base is a huge bonus. I suggest that one to one
and half hours travel is the maximum for a spontaneous, unplanned visit.”
“Every region needs a decent event and every region needs diversions of a
non-wine nature. Fishing on the sea, the lakes and the rivers. Fishing, the
number one leisure pursuit for Australians.”
Draft South Burnett Food and Wine Development Plan, 2005-2008 18
“Your region needs a specific champion to focus on, then once inside your
region, you can set about regaling the visitor with your complete offering.
Don’t waste precious time trying to be everything to everyone.”
“Do you all have a regional champion? Because you need one. Ideally, you
need a learned, craggy-faced elder who has the industry from the inside for 30
or more vintages and must be a local. This makes for credibility.”
“Your region must be totally integrated. You cannot drive a region when
tourism, winemakers, visitor information, local councils, events committees
and every other driver is working independently.”
This strategy supports these key messages from an experienced winery
region like the Barossa, and these are developed further in the attached
Tourism Marketing Strategy and Action Plan.
Suggested marketing approach
The consistent message from successful regional brand marketers is that the
whole region needs to work together to promote the region. Where there is
relatively low awareness of a region, the best chance of successfully raising
awareness is for all market sectors to work together, that is, attractions,
activities, accommodation, dining and services. Individual market sectors
should identify and cooperate with other common market sectors to ensure
there is a consistent message about the region.
Partnerships are a critical factor for the success of building a regional brand.
Naturally this report focuses on partnerships between the South Burnett food
and wine market sectors; however, the accommodation sector is also a critical
partner, given that the South Burnett is generally outside the 1 ½ hour drive
time suggested for a day trip. This, of course, is a benefit to the region, as it
encourages longer length of stay, greater dispersal throughout the region, and
increased dollar spend.
Draft South Burnett Food and Wine Development Plan, 2005-2008 19
Other attractions and activities in region, both natural and created, are also
key partners for the South Burnett food and wine industry, as the research
indicates that the target audience are enticed to visit by a range of things to do
and see. This means that, whilst food and wine are the main drivers for
visitation, due consideration needs to be given to promoting complementary
attractions and activities, such as markets, festivals and events, the Bunya
Mountains, museums, arts and crafts, lavender farms and fishing.
These partnerships also extend further, by working with key local and state
industry bodies who can provide support and resources to the South Burnett
food and wine industry, such as:
• Queensland Government Department of Tourism, Fair Trading and
Wine Industry Development
• Queensland Wine Industry Association
• Fraser Coast South Burnett Tourism
• South Burnett Tourism Association
• South Burnett Local Government Association
As mentioned earlier, it is important to establish a strong platform that will
support future growth. This involves a couple of basic, yet vital, concepts that
must be rock-solid prior to moving forward:
a) Being realistic about South Burnett’s position in the Australian and
Queensland wine markets.
b) Ensuring the basics right on an operational level and offering consumers a
clean, safe, consistent and courteous experience
c) Understanding the South Burnett region in terms of strengths and
opportunities, and points of difference with other regions
d) Clearly defining target markets for the South Burnett food and wine industry
Draft South Burnett Food and Wine Development Plan, 2005-2008 20
The premise of these foundation blocks is that expectations will be realistic,
we will know who we are talking to, we will know what will bring them to the
region, and we will fulfill their experience.
Once the basics are firmly established, then the promotional and marketing
aspects are logical.
The key marketing approach that should be adopted is to ensure that the
South Burnett food and wine industry provides the consumer with what
Andrew McEvoy calls a “braggable experience”. This means that the
experience has to be so good that the visitor returns home and brags about
their visit to friends, family and work colleagues. This is an attribute of the
ideal food and wine visitor.
There are many ways to achieve this, which are outlined in recommendations.
The food and wine sector needs to tell its story through interpretation and
consumer engagement. It needs to educate visitors through local flavours and
local characters, and by using a variety of elements, such as design, history
and produce, to brand the region. It needs to provide experiences and
facilities that will allow visitors to unwind and be pampered.
It is recommended that there be a three-pronged attack to marketing the
South Burnett food and wine industry over the next three years (2006-2008):
a) Raise the profile of the region as a food and wine destination within its
target markets
b) Promote the complementary key attributes, activities and attractions of
the wider South Burnett region to its food and wine target markets, and
c) Encourage higher yield and increased visitor spending in the region, by
focusing on increased length of stay and promoting the food and wine
experience in the region
Draft South Burnett Food and Wine Development Plan, 2005-2008 21
Recommended Strategies and Actions
Throughout this document, some clear and consistent marketing messages
have emerged, and these are expounded in the attached Tourism
Development and Marketing Action Plan (Appendix 1):
Ensure a strong and united link between food and wine
Consolidate the umbrella promotional name and brand for South
Burnett food and wine – Taste The Magic
Generate more funding for marketing activities
Creation of a wine and food tourism marketing steering committee
Focus on a singular food product and wine variety – own a category
Greater packaging between food and wine producers
Focus on key markets
Creation of a year-round wine events calendar
Development of a signature food and wine event for the South Burnett
region
Celebrity ambassador for the South Burnett food and wine industry
Ensure strong linkages between food and wine
Sell the South Burnett region as a whole
Develop local character stories for publicity
Suggested Budget
An estimated budget for individual marketing and promotional activities is
included in the attached Tourism Development and Marketing Action Plan.
Firm quotes should be obtained for each activity before implementation.
Contributing partners include Tourism Queensland, Department of Tourism,
Fair Trading and Wine Industry Development, Department of State
Development, Trade and Innovation, South Burnett Wine Industry Association,
Draft South Burnett Food and Wine Development Plan, 2005-2008 22
South Burnett Tourism Association, South Burnett Local Government
Association and the South Burnett tourism operators.
It is suggested that the South Burnett Wine Industry Association consider
extending its membership to include a category for primary and
supplementary food producers/providers.
Alternatively, a marketing contribution based on a project-based, buy-in basis
could be requested from participating food and wine operators to contribute to
on-going marketing and promotional activities, including the retention of
SBWIA’s current publicity contractor.
Grants and other funding sources should be explored to extend the amount of
available funds.
Conclusion
This document confirms that the South Burnett region is well-positioned to
become the leading culinary destination in Queensland.
It has a strong, established wine industry, a growing number of quality primary
food producers, and abundant other attractions to fulfill the culinary visitors
needs.
The region needs to harness these outstanding attributes into a single entity
that builds on the experience that is offered to visitors. It has been shown that
the region will gain significant benefits by forming alliances between the wine,
food and general tourism sectors, and being very clear, concise and targeted
in the messages being delivered to its target markets.
The creation, delivery and maintenance of a memorable food and wine
experience are the keys to branding the region as a tourism market leader.
There is a strong need to confirm current culinary attributes, identify market
supply gaps, and seek to fill these gaps with existing or new industry partners.
Draft South Burnett Food and Wine Development Plan, 2005-2008 23
The critical success factors outlined in this document are also paramount to
food and wine tourism growth in the South Burnett region, and given the
limited amount of financial resources, it will be essential that all stakeholders
have a focused, regional approach to the marketing of the region to ensure
maximum return.
Within the Queensland food and wine industry, there is no clearly
recognizable regional brand, and the South Burnett is ideally poised to
assume this mantle.
There are many new opportunities to be explored in further depth, but it is
hoped that this marketing plan provides a platform to achieve the promotional
goals of the South Burnett food and wine industry over the next three years.
Appendix 1 – Tourism development and marketing action plan for South Burnett’s food and wine sector STRATEGY ACTION TIMELINE WHO
Ensure a strong and united link
between wine and food
Establish a South Burnett Food and Wine
Committee with representatives from SBWIA,
RTO, SBTA and industry
February 2006 SBWIA, SBTA,
FCSBT, DSDTI
Develop the South Burnett wine and
food brand
Conduct an audit of all existing food and wine
producers in the South Burnett
Identify and develop potential food and wine
clusters
Focus on a one or two wine styles as the
signature styles for the South Burnett region
Establish an accreditation system that leads
to improved training for food and wine
operators
Further develop the ‘Taste The Magic’
branding to identify the South Burnett food
and wine industry
March 2006
April 2006
On-going
On-going
March 2006
FCSBT, Dev.
Manager, SBWIA,
SBTA, DSDTI
Use key identifying messages on a regular
basis to build the brand
Identify and focus on identified target markets
Identify and support potential catering
businesses to set up in the South Burnett to
provide greater catering options for
conferences and conventions, including the
establishment and/or upgrade of commercial
kitchens in key public facilities in the South
Burnett
On-going
On-going
On-going
Use other regional attributes to
create a regional brand
Identity other attractions and activities
(natural and created) to provide a complete
regional visitor experience
Promote the diversity of attractions and
activities in the South Burnett, with food and
wine as a key driver
April 2006
On-going
FCSBT, Dev.
Manager
Generate additional funds for the
wine and food sector
Develop a series of project-based, buy-in
opportunities for food and wine operators,
with different contribution levels for members
and non-members of FCSBT
Source appropriate grant funding
July 2006
On-going
FCSBT, SBWIA,
Dev. Manager,
DSDTI
Seek funding assistance from the Department
of Tourism, Fair Trading and Wine Industry
Development, Department of State
Development, Trade and Innovation, and
Department of Education, Employment and
Training
May 2006
Liaise with key stakeholders Participate in regional food and wine
marketing workshops and conferences
August 2006 Dev. Manager,
SBWIA
Ensure better communication of food
and wine activities
Retain PR company to promote food and
wine elements
Maintain food and wine representation on key
tourism and business associations
2006 – 2008
On-going
SBWIA
Provide a genuine food and wine
experience for consumers
Package and partner complementary food
and wine products
Develop existing food and wine events into a
signature events for the region
Create a new event to involve South Burnett
cellar door activities
October 2006
2006 or 2007
2007
Industry, Dev.
Manager, SBWIA,
FCSBT, Qld Events,
WID
Develop a South Burnett Food and Wine Trail
Develop a food and wine brochure,
incorporating all tourism businesses
Incorporate food and wine component in
FCSBT regional guide
Ensure staff receive customer service training
to provide a high-quality interaction with
visitors
Liaise with relevant government departments
to improve signage in South Burnett
Department of Main Roads and Tourism
Queensland representatives to address
SBLGA meeting to encourage consistency in
signage within South Burnett shires
Encourage South Burnett local councils to
provide entry signs promoting food and wine
experiences
November 2006
July 2006
April 2006
On-going
On-going
April 2006
On-going
As above plus DMR
and local councils
As above plus DMR,
SBLGA and TQ
All above plus steering committee
Initiate a set of marketing activities to
promote food and wine experiences
in the South Burnett region
Link with Southern Downs/Granite Belt
wineries to cross-promote experiences
Identify and approach a celebrity to be an
ambassador or spokesman for the South
Burnett food and wine region
Develop a series of local character stories to
be used for publicity purposes
Develop a Masterclass package with
accommodation, food producers and wineries
Develop a consumer loyalty programme to
ensure repeat and on-going business
Develop a Cellar Door Pass concept to
disperse visitation to more wineries and food
outlets
Develop a year-round food and wine events
calendar
On-going
March 2006
May 2006
May 2006
February 2007
February 2007
On-going
SBWIA, Dev.
Manager, FCSBT,
contractors, industry,
WID
Implement a media campaign to promote
food and wine experiences in the South
Burnett
Attend relevant consumer events to promote
South Burnett food and wine experiences,
such as The Ekka
2006 - 2008
As required
Packaging Package food and wine experiences with
accommodation and other attractions and
activities
September 2006 Industry, Dev.
Manager
Investigate wine & food activities in
other regions
Organise & conduct study tour to relevant
regions specializing in food and wine
experiences, eg. New Zealand, Central
Victoria, Mornington Peninsula
2006 FCSBT, Industry,
Dev. Manager,
DSDTI
Research Undertake further research into food and
wine tourism, including visitation, multiplier
effects, spend and operator data
November 2006 FCSBT, Dev.
Manager, TQ,
Tourism Australia,
WID