Draft Heritage Tourism Strategy and Action Plan

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Consultation has concluded

Consultation Process


Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 21 October to 17 November 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.


We are seeking your feedback on a draft Heritage Tourism Strategy and Action Plan for South Australia.

What’s being decided?

There is significant potential to unlock our state’s heritage places and stories. Over the next decade, heritage tourism efforts will focus on these three interconnected goals:

  • Connect: Heritage encounters that deepen the visitor experience.
  • Lead: A tourism industry that benefits from a professional heritage sector
  • Conserve: Tourism activation conserves and enhances heritage places, sites and

Consultation Process


Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 21 October to 17 November 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.


We are seeking your feedback on a draft Heritage Tourism Strategy and Action Plan for South Australia.

What’s being decided?

There is significant potential to unlock our state’s heritage places and stories. Over the next decade, heritage tourism efforts will focus on these three interconnected goals:

  • Connect: Heritage encounters that deepen the visitor experience.
  • Lead: A tourism industry that benefits from a professional heritage sector
  • Conserve: Tourism activation conserves and enhances heritage places, sites and landscapes

Following extensive consultation with the tourism industry and heritage sector stakeholders as well as the feedback received from our previous consultation, we have identified:

  • The strategies that will bolster these goals, and reflect stakeholder priorities for heritage tourism in South Australia, and,
  • The actions that will be accomplished over the next two years.

A strategic, focussed approach to maximising the tourism potential of South Australia’s heritage will achieve the following key intentions:

  • Growth in the visitor economy as a result of outstanding heritage experiences
  • Investment and activity that conserves, retains and takes pride in the sites and stories that shape the South Australian heritage visitor experience.

We have developed a draft Heritage Tourism Strategy and action plan which outline our strategic approach to heritage tourism. We need your feedback to ensure we deliver a strong vision and framework for growing heritage tourism in South Australia.

Get involved

To help inform your feedback read the draft Heritage Tourism Strategy 2020-2030 and Action Plan 2020-2022.

To have your say:

Please note: Your submissions and survey responses may be made publicly available unless you indicate on the submission or survey that you wish for these to remain confidential. Any responses that are made on a confidential basis may still be subject to access under Freedom of Information laws.

How can your input influence the decision?

Your feedback will be used to shape the final version of the draft strategy and action plan, to ensure that we have the right goals, strategies and actions to grow heritage tourism in South Australia to $1.58 billion by 2030.

What are the next steps?

The Heritage Tourism Alliance will review feedback and finalise the strategy and action plan. It will then be presented to the Minister for Environment and Water for approval to release. The strategy will be launched and implementation of action plan will commence.

Contact details

For more information:

Closing date: 5pm, Tuesday 17 November



Background


Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 21 October to 17 November 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.

What is heritage tourism?

Heritage tourism can be defined as activities, attractions and experiences that engage with, use or interpret heritage stories and places, including gardens, landscapes, sites, shipwrecks and objects.

Interacting with heritage can be either the primary tourism experience or an aspect of another tourism experience.

South Australian visitor experiences

Heritage underpins many South Australian visitor experiences, either as a compelling drawcard or intertwined with another reason for visiting.

Whether a visitor is exploring ruins from our mining heyday, staying in a luxurious former bank, visiting a museum, connecting with the ancient past in the outback, shopping in Hahndorf, paddling river and sea ports, or tasting wines produced from 150-year-old vines, SA’s historical legacy delivers memorable experiences by providing deep connections to local places and people.

While many visitors may not currently come to our state specifically for heritage reasons, we can take advantage of the benefits heritage provides by leveraging and repurposing our heritage assets for tourism. Research into heritage tourism consistently shows that visitors who engage with heritage spend more and stay longer than the average visitor.Developing a heritage tourism strategy and action plan will build on previous work including:

  • The discussion paper released by Heritage South Australia in 2015 'Exploring Heritage Tourism Opportunities for South Australia'. This paper found that strategic investment into heritage places with tourism potential would provide considerable benefit, including improved visitor experience, increased time and money spent by international and domestic visitors, as well as helping protect and celebrate the things that are important to the community.
  • The establishment of the Heritage Tourism Alliance (2016 to 2017), a key stakeholder group with an interest in furthering heritage tourism in SA. The Alliance has been reformed as part of this project.
  • A Heritage Tourism Alliance led workshop in 2016 that explored heritage tourism in practice and its benefits, and identified new opportunities for ventures and collaboration.
  • A 2015 economic study by the City of Adelaide which determined $375m of visitor expenditure each year can be attributed to the city’s heritage.
  • A national focused Australian Heritage Tourism directions paper released by the National Trust in 2018.

Further information on these and other relevant studies is available for you to view.

South Australia’s heritage places

While heritage tourism is not limited to recognised Heritage Places, there are more than 2300 State Heritage Places in SA and 17 State Heritage Areas.

Nine sites in SA are National Heritage places, including the Naracoorte Caves which is also a World Heritage site. In addition, there are in excess of 7000 Local Heritage places across the state.

A Heritage Tourism Strategy and Action Plan will help to unlock the potential of heritage places, providing opportunities to establish new businesses that address supply gaps/shortages, and increase the range and quality of unique and engaging experiences available to visitors.

The consultation process

Through extensive consultation with tourism industry and heritage sector stakeholders from across the state we sought to identify how this potential can be realised. During the engagement period, 280 contributions were received through this website and via a series of workshops and webinars, an online questionnaire and emails to the Heritage SA team.

The Heritage Tourism Engagement Summary report summarises the input provided.

We have also created individual reports for:

The Heritage Tourism Alliance

A Heritage Tourism Alliance, comprising representatives of key stakeholders from across the tourism industry and heritage sector, has been formed to work with the government to develop the strategy and action plan.

The following organisations are represented on the Alliance:

  • Department for Environment and Water
  • South Australian Tourism Commission
  • Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation
  • South Australia Heritage Council
  • State Aboriginal Heritage Committee
  • Tourism Industry Council South Australia
  • History Trust of South Australia
  • National Trust of South Australia
  • Adelaide City Council
  • Local Government Association
  • International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
  • Geological Society of Australia
  • Heritage tourism researchers/academics
Consultation has concluded

  • Latest update

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    Growing Our Heritage Future, a 10-year strategy for heritage tourism in South Australia, was launched on 30 April 2021. The strategy is supported by a two-year action plan. Both these documents are available here.


    The strategy and action plan are the result of extensive consultation with tourism industry and heritage stakeholders from across South Australia to understand and identify what needs to be done to grow heritage tourism in our state. Engagement on the draft strategy and action plan helped to shape the final documents.

  • Action Plan

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    Now Closed

    This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 21 October to 17 November 2020. Below is a record of the engagement.


    The strategy and its accompanying action plan were developed in collaboration with the Heritage Tourism Alliance, and through consultation with tourism industry and heritage sector stakeholders from across South Australia.

    It aims to:

    • inform state and local government about heritage tourism objectives in South Australia, and
    • guide stakeholders – including tourism operators, regional tourism organisations, communities, Aboriginal heritage, heritage owners, custodians and managers who wish to capitalise on the potential of heritage – to deliver outstanding visitor experiences.

    The action plan guides the first two years of Heritage Tourism Strategy implementation. Many stakeholders have an interest and role to play in growing heritage tourism in South Australia and the action plan reflects that shared responsibility.

    As the strategy seeks to make a genuine contribution to growing South Australia’s visitor economy, actions are aligned to the strategic priorities of the South Australian Visitor Economy Sector Plan 2030.

    Download and read the full Heritage Tourism Strategy 2020-2030 & Action Plan 2020-2022 in a PDF version.

    Action Plan 2020 – 2022

    Action

    Anticipated outcomes

    Marketing

    1

    Develop marketing materials that enable visitors to connect and engage with heritage.

    • Tourism operators and heritage managers/custodians actively communicate heritage stories and experiences.
    • Suggested ‘hub and spoke’ itineraries/stories connect experiences, precincts and destinations and create journeys.
    • Heritage experiences are reflected in marketing plans and cooperative marketing programs.

    2

    Continue to progress World Heritage listing for globally significant locations with a focus on northern Flinders Ranges nomination.

    • South Australia’s unique natural heritage receives prominence as a result of listing.
    • Visitor experiences leverage from and reinforce World Heritage values and recognition.
    • Flinders Ranges nomination process informs World Heritage listing aspirations for other appropriate sites including Cornish Mining serial listing (Burra and Moonta) and Adelaide Plan and Settlement Landscapes.

    Experience and supply development

    3

    Collaborate with Aboriginal heritage representatives and stakeholders to identify what needs to be done to advance Aboriginal heritage tourism.

    • Workshop with key stakeholders, co- led by DEW, AAR/SAHC, SATC.
    • Understanding of issues and a stepped set of actions to progress opportunities.

    4

    Create tourism specific, best-practice interpretation plans and approaches
    for key heritage sites and assets (both physical and intangible).

    • Interpretation plans support contemporary, creative interpretation of heritage sites and assets, with
    a focus on provision of an experience.
    • Quality interpretation techniques and tools reshape experiences, including digital and performance-based methods.
    • Up-to-date interpretation plans are in place at for prominent heritage visitor sites/attractions, including natural heritage.
    • Interpretation plans provide guidance to support appropriate sharing of Aboriginal heritage.

    5

    Explore ways underutilised government owned heritage sites and properties could be enhanced through tourism activation, especially in regional areas.

    • Audit of government owned buildings and sites to determine opportunities, including assessment of feasibility and viability.
    • Government owned heritage assets are utilised, conserved and accessible to people.
    • Government owned buildings make a positive contribution to local economies, destinations, parks and streetscapes.

    6

    Expand heritage grant programs to fund works that specifically deliver visitor experiences/ services in heritage places.

    • Heritage grant programs fund works that aren’t explicit conservation activities (ie fit- out, upgrade, interpretation plans).
    • Building Upgrade Finance and other investment opportunities maximised for tourism activation of state and locally listed non-residential heritage buildings.

    7

    Promote precinct thinking to maintain and enhance built (cultural) and natural settings, including main streets and gardens.

    • Heritage tourism outcomes are recognised in local economic development initiatives.
    • Experiences within precincts are connected through marketing and collaboration.
    • Investigate a pilot model similar to Mainstreet USA or Heritage Action Zones (UK) to support precinct revitalisation through public-private-community partnerships.
    • Infrastructure renewal/upgrade works are coordinated in high-profile heritage precincts (ie Victor Harbor/ Granite Island/Causeway) to maximise outcomes
    and attract additional private investment.

    Collaboration

    8

    Continue Heritage Tourism Alliance to advocate
    for heritage tourism and lead collaborative implementation of the
    Heritage Tourism Strategy.

    • Continued monitoring and implementation of heritage tourism action plan.
    • Action plan 2022-24 developed.
    • Heritage tourism leaders identified.

    9

    Ensure partnerships support an integrated approach to the implementation of heritage tourism actions.

    • Heritage tourism action plan implementation contributes to achieving other tourism plans and strategies (ie Regional Visitor Strategy, ‘Nature Like Nowhere Else’ Nature-based tourism strategy).

    Industry Capability

    10

    Establish a training program to develop a professional tour guiding/story telling sector in South Australia, including a development component for Aboriginal tour guides, especially at key sites and landscapes.
    Build heritage tourism knowledge and capabilities with a targeted heritage tourism development program.

    • Specific heritage tourism training/knowledge needs and appropriate training responses identified, including those that support Aboriginal heritage tourism.
    • Pilot tour guiding/storytelling training model implemented.
    • Resources that build understanding about how to incorporate local heritage and develop quality heritage experiences are available.

    11

    Establish quality standard program for heritage tourism experiences and incentivise operators who participate.

    • Standards program developed and provider engaged.
    • Minimum standards and training (including for volunteers) support heritage managers and operators to deliver quality experiences.
    • Benefits of standards are promoted and accepted as an indicator of quality heritage experiences.

    12

    Encourage heritage tourism businesses to register with Australian Tourism Data Warehouse.

    • Increase of heritage experiences registered.
    • Greater visitor economy awareness and savviness within heritage sector.

    Promote the value of tourism

    13

    Undertake an economic analysis of the value of heritage tourism, and regularly collect and report data on heritage tourism activity in South Australia.

    • Value of heritage within the visitor economy understood.
    • Impact of heritage tourism strategy measured.

    14

    Integrate heritage into other tourism strategies/ sector plans (both state and local government/region level).

    • Region/destinations have an understanding of their heritage assets and appeal, including how heritage leverage to enhance visitor experiences.

    15

    Identify leaders/mentors/ champions to advocate for heritage tourism savviness, understanding and capabilities.

    • Heritage Tourism Alliance continued.
    • Launch of heritage tourism strategy celebrates the role of heritage (built, cultural, natural and Aboriginal) within the South Australian experience and visitor economy.
    • Establishes what professional and quality heritage tourism looks like.
    • South Australia’s best storyteller competition.

    Enablers of the Visitor Economy: streamlining regulation

    16

    Investigate how barriers can be reduced, processes streamlined and incentives developed to improve
    the ability of heritage operations, access to heritage sites/locations and adaptive reuse of heritage buildings.

    • Requirements, such as certification and insurances that complicate operations of unique heritage experiences (ie steam, trail rides) are understood and appropriate responses developed.
    • ‘Best-practice’ information guidelines developed to demystify and enable economically sustainable adaptive reuse of heritage for commercial activity.
    • Ongoing advocacy by Heritage Tourism Alliance.


  • Updates

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    Heritage Tourism and Action Plan consultation update

    Feedback on the Heritage Tourism Strategy and Action Plan received and in process.