Regenerative tourism in Australian wine regions

Abstract

The tourism industry is complex and deeply embedded into the social, environmental, and cultural fabric of social-ecological systems. Tourism presents an additional rural development pathway for regions to diversify their economies and strengthen resilience at both micro (individual/business) and macro (community/regional) scales. In an Australian context, expansion of the tourism industry is an important strategy for rural development, particularly as the viticultural industry responds to uncertainties in the wine market and climate change. However, the emergence and growth of the tourism industry also creates risks for multifunctional viticultural landscapes. To better understand this complex relationship, regenerative development and place attachment literatures are explored to identify how multifunctional viticultural landscapes can be best supported by tourism for strong sustainable development outcomes. Host and guest values are examined in two prominent Australian food and wine regions, McLaren Vale in South Australia and Margaret River in Western Australia. Both places have a history for driving innovative, regenerative practices for sustainable landscape management, tied to regional identity and marketing. However, a mismatch is apparent between local and visitor values towards a range of regenerative land use and development themes. Locals consider sustainable landscapes and regenerative agricultural practices as more important, in association with their connection to place. Yet, visitors appear less aware of the roles that tourism can have in regenerating landscapes and agriculture, which means they are less likely to make decisions to support those practices. Regional tourism should directly assist vignerons to establish resilient and regenerative viticultural landscapes.