In the last few months of 2019, bushfires destroyed 50,000 square kilometers of Australian land. Since the fires have been confined to the south and east coast, the lushest areas of the country, vineyards, and wineries can be counted among the vegetative victims. Wine is big business in Australia, so not only is a production being hindered by the fires, tourism is presumably suffering the same fate. After all, why tourists want to visit burnt vineyards? Read on to check how Australian Wine Tourism can save Bushfire -Ravaged Wineries.
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How Australian Wine Tourism Can Save Bushfire-Ravaged Wineries
The South Australian Tourism Commission hopes that some people are willing to do so. By running certain promotions, the commission is encouraging tourists to visit some of the more unfortunate wineries. There are also wineries appealing to armchair tourists for financial aid.
People can support Australian wine and Australian wine tourism in many ways, both by visiting in person and from the comfort of their own homes.
Campaign For UK Tourists
Three UK artists have been hired by the commission to create limited edition labels for three South Australia wineries: Bird in Hand, Yalumba, and d’Arenberg. UK wine lovers will then be asked to vote for their favorite label. Those who vote will be entered into a draw for a trip to South Australia and the aforementioned wineries. Although some of them have been maimed by the fires, business and the campaign will go on as usual. In a standard year, 60,000 UK tourists visit South Australia, many of whom indulge in the wine. This is not a number that the Australian government would like to see a decrease.
Online Wine Buying
Wine tourism doesn’t have to be physical, however. Thanks to the magic of the internet, people can tour Australian wineries with the help of a laptop and FedEx driver. This is what Bird in Hand winery advocates for. If wine tourists can’t make it to South Australia, they can buy their favorite wine online. Bird in Hand and various damaged wineries sell white and red wine online from Qantas and many other distributors. “If the community could buy direct online then that’s the best,” says Bird in Hand owner Andrew Nugent. Although Bird in Hand was hit hard by the fires, some wineries were hit even harder. Nugent hopes that tourists’ generosity will extend to these unluckiest of producers. “We’ve certainly been affected,” says Nugent, “[but] there’s a number of producers that have been completely wiped out.”
Bushfires have and continue to sweep across Australia, destroying forests, homes, and wineries. Tourists come from far and wide to enjoy Australian wine, but this doesn’t have to stop on account of the fires. The South Australian Tourism Commission has incentivized trips to affected wineries, while these wineries and others are encouraging people to tour online.