The Far South Coast produces a wide variety of high-quality gourmet food, including truffles.
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"Other areas in NSW and across Australia have built thriving tourism sectors throughout the year based on gourmet foods," Far South Coast truffle farmer Fiona Kotvojs said.
"But we are not making the most of this to build our tourism industry.
"Instead, we have a tourism season that is highly concentrated over the summer school holidays and then largely dies off with the exception of several weekend events throughout the year.
"Gourmet foods provide an opportunity to expand this."
She is working to establish a winter tourism season in this region based on truffles.
Truffles ripen when the region has frosts, from mid-June to mid-August, which is when local tourism is at its lowest.
"Given we have local farms now producing truffles and available for truffle hunts (which are in high demand particularly from people in Sydney and Canberra), this is a perfect opportunity on which we can capitalise," Dr Kotvojs said.
"We can use truffles to develop our winter tourism.
"At the same time, the plan is to develop this in a way that can be expanded.
"Expansion could be through establishing gourmet food trails across the region that bring tourists into the area outside peak period."
For those interested in supporting a winter tourism season a meeting will be held in Bega's main council building in the old council chambers, Bega on Tuesday, November 26 from 10.30am to 12.30pm.
If you are a local producer or processor of high-quality food, tour operator, provider of accommodation or just interested in how you can participate in boosting off-season tourism, come along to the meeting.
For more information, call Dr Kotvojs on 0448 453 422.
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