Agritourism development through mentoring
This year and last, I’ve been doing a lot of mentoring of the owners and managers of tourism businesses in Queensland based on Tourism & Events Queensland’s (TEQ) Transformational Experiences Mentoring Program.
The program aims to help operators deliver exceptional, transformational experiences to visitors.
Here are three examples of agritourism businesses I mentored, and how that mentoring supported their growth.
Luvaberry Strawberry Farm
About
Luvaberry is a pick-your-own strawberry farm near Brisbane, but as they say, “We're more than a berry farm. LuvaBerry is a small family-owned farm in Queensland with a mighty mission – to promote a farming culture that values quality produce, community, and sustainability practices that take a stance against waste.”
We love to work with business owners with values like these!
LuvaBerry has a café, farm tours, and a full calendar of events, from the popular Peckish Picking to twilight tasting events and Sunday Yoga & Breakfast.
Mentoring
I worked with Luvaberry’s owner Mandy over 3 months, mentoring her through TEQ’s pilot Transformational Experiences Mentoring Program Plus (TEMP+) which included mentoring to design a new experience offering.
Through this process I helped Mandy to deeply understand her ‘why’ and Luvaberry’s underlying values, which allowed her to embed Queensland’s Travel For Good brand principles into the business and its practices.
For example, Mandy updated the farm story and farmer bios on Luvaberry’s website to include their passion for the ‘war on waste’ and for supporting small farmers.
During the new experience design component of this program we had a blast exploring opportunities for new on-farm experiences, with the result being the launch of a renewed ‘Farmer for A Day’ experience and the introduction of group farm tours for the domestic and inbound markets which Mandy took to the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) this year under the Australian Tourism Export Council’s (ATEC) Tourism Trade Ready program.
Charleys Creek Campgrounds
About
Set on 35 acres of bushlands on the banks of Charleys Creek near Chinchilla, this campground was developed during the last drought by breeders of Angus and Wagyu cattle and Stock Horses.
Owners, Steve and Ursula, offer tagalong farm tours, and guests enjoy fishing, crayfishing, campoven cooking, kayaking, and relaxing beside the creek!
Mentoring
I mentored Steve and Ursula in 2022 and this was perfect timing for the business as they were going through a phase of growth and expansion which included the development of a brewery!
Through this process I encouraged Steve and Ursula to see the business as more than a campground, and to start positioning it as an experience with accommodation, farm tours, paddock to plate dining, and educational talks by the farmer.
In addition, I helped them design new educational farm tours that can be held during local festivals and for groups, as well as design new premium experiences and packages.
We also discussed a refreshed website, proactively encouraging reviews, and pre-experience communication processes as ways to enhance the guest experience in the dreaming, planning and sharing stages of the guest travel journey.
I love their ingenuity! For example, Steve had trouble finding a builder for his new brewery due to the shortage of construction workers, so he came up with an unique offer: free beer for a year to whoever would come and build it!
Rosalie House Vineyard and Cellar Door Restaurant
About
Set in gently rolling hills near Toowoomba, Rosalie House offers intimate dining experiences of high-quality, imaginative food.
Nestled amongst four acres of Shiraz, Chardonnay, Viognier and Grenache grapes is a beautiful heritage railway cottage with a big verandah that offers guests the perfect vantage point from which to admire the picturesque Lilyvale Valley. This is the place to sip a glass of wine while watching the sun set behind the vines.
Rosalie House’s events include Dine in the Vines for groups, Sunset Sessions with music, tapas, share plates, and marshmallows on the campfire, and Bud Burst Festival in spring and Harvest Festival in autumn.
Mentoring
I mentored the vineyard manager Renee, with a focus on supporting her to extend beyond primarily local guests to a visitor market.
This involved
setting up and optimizing an Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) listing for events and tours
developing a premium food and wine experience targeted at high value travellers and packaged with local accommodation
embedding Queensland’s Travel For Good brand principles into the business and its marketing.
During this mentoring Renee realized how much the business does for community and environment, and as a result created the Rosalie House ethos to highlight and share their values and commitment to community and environment. This ethos is displayed on their website, on guest tables, and throughout the restaurant.
Here are the other agritourism operators we've been mentoring through the Transformational Experiences Mentoring Program, or into the Best of Queensland Experiences Program.
