Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council and Tilma Group won the Economic Development Initiatives – Regions Under 15,000 Residents category. Photo: Tilma Group.
A Riverina council and a regional tourism development consultancy have won a national award for driving sustainable growth and community prosperity in the region.
Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council (CGRC) and the regional tourism development consultancy Tilma Group were awarded the 2024 National Economic Development Award for Excellence (NEDA) at the National Economic Development Conference in Naarm/Melbourne on 17 October. The awards acknowledge Australian economic development professionals who employ best practice innovation and creativity to improve communities across the country.
CGRC and Tilma Group received the prestigious award in the Economic Development Initiatives for Regions Under 15,000 Residents category. The award recognised CGRC’s agritourism (a type of tourism where visitors experience a taste of farm life on their holiday) development initiatives undertaken by the council’s economic development team since 2020.
This included a recent agritourism mentoring project, developed and delivered by Tilma Group for CGRC, and funded through the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grant Program.
“Since 2020, CGRC’s comprehensive, multifaceted, and grant-funded efforts in strategic planning, capacity building, and marketing have been aimed at supporting agritourism growth across the region. Together, these agritourism development initiatives are thought to comprise an innovative first in Australia,” said CGRC’s manager of business, Linda Wiles.
“Council now has a ‘one-stop shop’ for local farmers to find all the information they need in one place to support the development of an agritourism offering on their farm.
“Farmers can use this portal on CGRC’s website to get assistance with developing a business case for a new or expanded agritourism offering, find marketing advice, and be inspired by case studies from successful agritourism business owners from across Australia.”
CGRC’s agritourism development initiatives have highlighted historically overlooked aspects of tourism in the region. The approach aims to boost tourism in a non-traditional way, help farmers diversify their incomes, and educate city dwellers about life on the land and the ‘farm-to-fork’ process.
Tilma Group’s mission is to transform visitor encounters in regional Australia with meaningful experiences. Providing destination development, strategic activation, experience design, and capability-building services, Tilma Group has worked with a range of councils and tourism operators to enhance visitor experiences and attract new visitors to their regions.
“We admire Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council’s strategic approach and consistent efforts to develop agritourism over time to support the local visitor economy,” said Tilma Group director Linda Tillman.
“We commend council for implementing the Agritourism Development Strategy we developed for them back in 2020. It’s a really 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 one and proactive clients like Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council’s economic development team.”
Ms Tillman previously worked for Wagga Wagga City Council and Charles Sturt University in event roles before going on maternity leave. During her leave, Riverina Regional Tourism approached her about assisting with a PR project.
“It was this role and the connections I made that inspired me to start the Tilma Group in 2008 (then called Tilma Management),” Ms Tillman said.
“Tilma Group has evolved over this time, going from a sole operator to having multiple employees, to moving states, but one thing has remained the same – our passion for rural and regional Australia and encouraging more people to explore the real Australia.”
The portal can be viewed at Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council.
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