A NEW partnership will strengthen the bond between agriculture and tourism, and boost visitor numbers to rural and regional areas.
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The Australian Regional Tourism Network and the National Farmers’ Federation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop policy to encourage greater visitor dispersal in rural and regional destinations.
The MoU formalised a partnership between the two organisations on behalf of their diverse industry members and partners.
ARTN chair David Sheldon said the MoU would bring the farming and tourism sectors together to develop an agri-tourism sector to meet growing domestic and international demand.
“We have formally agreed to work collaboratively on projects that benefit economic and social development in rural and regional Australia – creating jobs and better economic outcomes for the regions,” he said.
“The MoU will be a boost to regional areas. We have already shown how our two organisations working together on topics of mutual interest can have an impact, such as the much troubled backpacker tax.”
NFF chief executive officer Tony Mahar said by working together, the agriculture and tourism industires could harness enormous opportunities for growth in a more meaningful way.
“Tourism and farming are large employers across all of Australia, and provide a foundation for the social fabric for communities,” he said.
“With both agribusiness and tourism recognised as vital economic drivers for our future economy, we need to stand united to advocate for strategies that support regional dispersal and enabling infrastructure that will allow our regional and rural tourism sectors to maximise their potential.”
