Activating Heritage Tourism Program

Tourism Industry Council SA, in partnership with the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) delivered the Activating Heritage Tourism Program to support the activation and enhancement of our state’s heritage tourism offerings.

Heritage is the heart of the visitor experience. It connects travellers and their passions to the people and places they visit, to the South Australian character and way of life. When we share our heritage, tell our stories, and reveal our truths, we say to visitors, ‘This is who we are. This is South Australia.’  

The Activating Heritage Tourism Program inspired and supported operators of heritage tourism places and products to deliver high-quality, contemporary visitor experiences. It consisted of two main components: Activating Heritage Tourism webinars & workshops and a grant program.

We were pleased to support 13 projects under the Activating Heritage Tourism grants program in 2024-25. Find out more about the successful grant recipients and how they are conecting with South Australia visitors to heritage and history:

• Emu Ridge 
• Seppeltsfield Estate 
• Untamed Escapes 
• Kay Brothers Winery
• Hahndorf Academy
• Sevenhill Vineyards 
• Port Adelaide Football Club Museum
• Ebike passport to the Burra Cornish Mining Heritage Experience 
• Wadna 
• Mary MacKillop Penola Centre
• Yalumba Family Winemakers
• The Museum Project – Telling the Stories of the Barossa from the Old Telegraph Station
• Videography for Taste of the Aussie Camino – Mary MacKillop Pilgrimage

Please note this grant is closed for applications. 

Image of Untamed Escapes Cultural Tour. Image owned by Untamed Escapes.

Other useful information

Support and information about the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW): https://tourism.sa.gov.au/support/atdw

State Tourism Strategies including the Tourism Plan 2030, Regional Visitor Strategy and the Arts & Cultural Tourism Strategy 2025: https://tourism.sa.gov.au/strategies/strategies

Additional grant program

DEW runs the Heritage Conservation Grants Program for owners of State Heritage Places or a place within a State Heritage Area to help rejuvenate the state’s built heritage, ensuring it is protected and preserved for future generations.

Please go to the DEW website to learn more about this program www.environment.sa.gov.au/topics/heritage/heritage-grants.