Navigating compliance for agritourism experience design
Destination Sydney Surrounds South NSW, Destination Central West NSW, MidCoast Council, Tourism Midwest Victoria, Outback Queensland Tourism Association | Agritourism Development Training and Mentoring Program | National, Australia | 2022 ongoing
Delivered agritourism development programs across regional NSW, Victoria and Outback Queensland
Built industry capability to navigate planning and compliance
Developed Agritourism Readiness Indicator and development pathways
Supported operators through mentoring, workshops and resources
The Challenge
In states including NSW and Queensland, agritourism planning reforms have enabled and created new opportunities for farmers to diversify into tourism. However, many farmers and operators lacked clarity about permissibility, compliance requirements and how to design viable visitor experiences.
Bridging the gap between planning, tourism and economic development systems required practical guidance, shared understanding and capability building across industry and government stakeholders.
Key challenges included
Navigating planning reforms and compliance requirements
Translating policy change into practical on-farm opportunities
Bridging knowledge gaps between tourism, planning and agriculture
Supporting operators to design market-ready visitor experiences
Our Approach
We delivered a structured agritourism development program designed to build industry capability, while supporting operators to identify and progress viable diversification opportunities.
Our methodology included
Statewide and national research and literature review to understand agritourism trends and policy context
Stakeholder engagement across local government planning, tourism, economic development teams, and agriculture and tourism bodies
Development of the Agritourism Readiness Indicator (ARI) to assess suitability and opportunities
Workshops, mentoring and practical resources to support experience design, compliance and market readiness
The ARI results informed strategic Agritourism Blueprint and Roadmaps for regions outlining development pathways, industry priorities and a long-term action plan.
Outcomes and Impact
Key Outcomes
Agritourism programs delivered across more than 40 local government areas
Industry understanding of planning reforms significantly improved
Operators supported to develop viable visitor experiences
Stronger collaboration between planning, tourism and agriculture
Economic and Social Impact
New diversification pathways supporting farm viability and regional resilience
Increased confidence and capability among farmers and operators
Strengthened regional tourism product and experience development
Enhanced alignment between policy reform and industry adoption
Services Delivered
“Destination Central West NSW (DNCW) has observed Sparrowly Group’s exceptional approach to project management, research, stakeholder engagement, resource development and capability building having engaged their services to develop an Agritourism Blueprint and Action Plan to support the development and expansion of agritourism experiences and offerings across Central West NSW. The comprehensive Agritourism Development Program has ensured that Central West operators can leverage the opportunities available through the agritourism sector. Additionally, Sparrowly Group equipped the DNCW team with strategic guidance and the Agritourism Readiness Index (ARI) tool, enabling self-management of the project ongoing”
“Destination Sydney Surrounds South (DSSS) engaged Sparrowly Group to deliver an industry development program as part of our Agritourism Opportunities project in 2023. From this came the Agritourism Accelerator Program which included two in-person workshops held across the region and mentor program for farmers, both online and one-on-one as part of the workshops. The project also included development of internally facing resources to assist DSSS in growing this important and exciting sector for our region.”
“I entered into the program not really knowing what to expect but hoping that I might learn something new. I was completely blown away by how comprehensive, relevant, and useful all of the course content was and by the amazingly helpful and knowledgeable nature of my mentor. The course opened the door to a whole world of information that I was lacking and I wasn’t even aware of it. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn and the way in which the course was conducted made this process feel natural and not at all cumbersome. The teaching resources were modern and the communication from Sparrowly Group, outlining expectations, was always timely and clear. I’m not sure that there was anything I could fault, really. I’m just very thankful to DSSS for making this course available for business owners like myself.”
“Our regional agritourism business (wine, accommodation and hospitality) was fortunate to get a place on Sparrowly Group’s ‘Build Better Business mentoring program’ - a program to build export readiness in the food and drink sector for the South Coast region of NSW. The program was filled with insights and practical know-how of the industry, working in it, with it, and ultimately optimising assisting us to be more strategic in our decision-making.”
