Swan Valley Tourism Alliance
The Swan Valley Tourism Alliance (SVTA) is an incorporated not-for-profit membership-based organisation representing the local tourism industry in the Swan Valley and surrounds. Our vision is to promote, preserve and enhance the Swan Valley as a premier visitor destination, and Western Australiaโs oldest wine region.
Established in 2018, the SVTA represents members from a diverse spectrum of businesses including wineries, growers, restaurants and many specialty foods, beverages and experiences on offer. A key focus is to collaboratively work with local, state, and federal governments, as well as tourism-industry organisations, such as Destination Perth and TourismWA. Actively advocating for agri-tourism is an important objective, and preserving the Swan Valleyโs rural ambience, heritage and traditional agricultural activities, such as wine and grape growing.
Fostering positive opportunities, improvements and industry networking is a core goal of the SVTA, as well as providing a strong voice to progress tourism priorities, local events, marketing campaigns, tourism infrastructure, beautification of the valley, arts and culture projects.
Our emphasis is to work collaboratively with local business, groups, government and tourism related organisations to ensure the Swan Valleyโs tourism industry thrives. Our organisation values the positive and productive working relationships with the City of Swan, the Swan Valley & Regional Winemakers Association and the Grapegrowers Association of WA.
๐๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ
Our History
The Swan Valleyโs history and heritage represents a diverse mix of cultures including Noongar Aboriginal people of the Wadjuk Tribe, colonial settlement, pioneers and migrants, many from southern Europe. While the British planted the first grape vines in 1829, the influx of Croatian and Italian migrants in the region from the 1920โs to 1960โs came with generations of knowledge and experience in viticulture, thereby creating a vibrant wine and table grape region, as well as market gardens. As a result, the Swan Valley is Western Australiaโs oldest wine growing region.
Today, the valley is a unique rural enclave including many multi-generational families, winemakers, grape growers, horticulturists, equine, rural residents, as well as an abundant range of hospitality, tourism and boutique businesses. Thereby, creating a colourful blend of history, people, world-class award-winning wines, ale, cider, spirits and delicious food, dining, fresh produce and a bounty of speciality products.
Tourism in the Valley
Effective representation by local business people is an essential ingredient to achieving a prosperous tourism industry. The Swan Valley Tourism Alliance Inc was formed to build on the meaningful work achieved by many dedicated and visionary local personalities who actively worked in the early days to establish a viable tourism industry in the valley.
The Swan Valley has lively history of community events centred around grapes and wine including the Grape Shows held at Baskerville Oval from the 1930โs, to the Western Australia Wine Festival at Lilac Hill held in the 1970โs.
In the early 1980โs, the first tourism organisation was established, known as the Swan Valley Tourism Council Inc which operated for nearly thirty years. This organisation, along with many other groups and local business people were instrumental over the decades in fostering the growth of the regionโs tourism industry. This included significant initiatives including the Spring in the Valley Festival, first colour Swan Valley Brochure and Map, the original Swan Valley Food and Wine Trail, installation Tourism & Business Road Signage and establishing the Swan Valley Art Collection.
The Future
This is an exciting time for tourism, as the Swan Valley has rare gifts of rural landscapes along the Swan River, nestled against the Darling Escarpment set against big blue skies making it the perfect back drop for visitors to experience, taste and enjoy the regionโs culture, plentiful offerings and friendly community, only 25 minutes from Perth.
The Swan Valley Tourism Alliance has a passion for the region, and values its people, history and heritage. We are driven by a vision to actively progress positive results for tourism in the region. To ensure the Swan Valley is beautified and strengthened as a premier visitor destination which attracts visitors to discover and explore this unique vibrant valley.
๐๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ