WESTERN Australia’s wine industry came under the international spotlight last week when Margaret River hosted the inaugural International Wine Tourism Conference 2004.
More than 260 delegates from over 14 countries attended the three-day conference.
Federal Trade Minister Mark Vaile told the conference Australian wine exports were booming as a result of the industry’s “tremendous” job of promoting and marketing its product overseas.
However, Mr Vaile said the phenomenal export growth and industry expansion over the past decade also brought new challenges to the industry.
“Two factors are crucial – competitiveness and access to markets,” he said.
Government was working at the local level as well as internationally, he said.
“Internationally, the challenge is to secure better access to overseas markets, as well as a transparent and fair, rules-based trading environment,” Mr Vaile said.
At the conference, Austrade WA manager Jenny Mathews said that a successful exporting industry, like that of the Margaret River Shire, was key to the continuing growth of regional Western Australia.
