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Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council, located in the Riverina region of New South Wales, has had its agritourism development initiatives recognised with a National Economic Development Award for Excellence.

The award recognised agritourism development initiatives that Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council’s economic development team along with Toowoomba-based regional tourism development consultants Tilma Group, have undertaken since 2020.

Agritourism is a type of rural tourism where visitors experience a taste of farm life on their holiday. 

The prestigious award was for Economic Development Initiatives for Regions Under 15,000 Residents. The awards, run by Economic Development Australia, acknowledge Australian economic development professionals who employ best practice innovation and creativity to improve their communities. 

Tilma Group delivered two projects for the Council: an agritourism development plan in 2020, and a farmer mentoring program in 2024.

Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council’s comprehensive, multi-faceted, and grant-funded strategic planning, capacity building, and marketing activities since 2020 have been undertaken to support growth in agritourism visitation. Together these initiatives are thought to comprise an innovative first in Australia.

Tilma Group’s mission is to transform regional Australian tourism with meaningful experiences. Providing destination development, strategic activation, experience design, and capability building services, Tilma Group have worked with Councils and tourism operators across rural and remote Australia to enhance visitor experiences and attract new visitors to their regions.

Linda Tillman, Director of Tilma Group advised “we admire Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council’s strategic approach and consistent efforts to develop agritourism over time to support their visitor economy.

“We commend Council for implementing the Agritourism Development Strategy we developed for Council back in 2020. Their work provides an exciting opportunity for the region, and the timing is perfect as Destination Riverina Murray recently released their plan to grow agritourism across the broader region. We love projects like this, and proactive, enthusiastic clients like Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council’s economic development team.” 

More information on the project

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