Sunshine Coast Operator Transforms Hinterland Tourism Into Global Destination

A small tourism business operating out of Pomona is quietly doing what Tourism Noosa and Visit Sunshine Coast have spent years trying to engineer: pulling high-yield international travellers directly into the region's hinterland, bypassing the coast's crowded beachfront economy altogether. Immersive Hinterland Escapes, founded by entrepreneur Della Marchetti in 2022, generated $1.4 million in gross bookings in the 12 months to June 2026, up 38 percent on the previous year, with roughly half its clientele flying in from the United States, United Kingdom and Singapore.

The timing matters. Australia's broader property market is cooling, consumer spending is under pressure from persistent inflation, and AI datacentre construction is beginning to compete for industrial land that logistics and tourism infrastructure operators also need. Against that backdrop, experience-based tourism, where the product is time rather than a physical asset, is looking increasingly attractive as a business model. Marchetti's operation runs with no accommodation stock of its own and a core team of seven guides, yet it is booking out three months in advance through July and August.

What the Product Actually Looks Like

The core offering is a two-day guided circuit that begins at the Pomona Railway Station precinct, moves through the Blackall Range via Montville and Maleny, and anchors overnight at a partner property, currently the Spicers Tamarind Retreat on Obi Obi Road. Day two takes guests through working farms near Kenilworth before a late-afternoon return. The full package runs $895 per person, inclusive of meals sourced from properties along the route. A shorter single-day version priced at $395 is sold primarily to domestic drive visitors from Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The farm component has become the circuit's commercial engine. Marchetti struck formal supply agreements with three Sunshine Coast hinterland producers earlier this year, arrangements that see farms receive a guaranteed per-head fee for each group visit, plus a cut of any direct product sales made on-site. One participating grower near Kenilworth told the Daily Sunshine Coast the arrangement had added $28,000 to farm revenue in the first six months of 2026 alone, without the farm needing to carry any marketing cost.

The model echoes a broader trend emerging across regional Queensland. Sunshine Coast Council's 2025-2030 Destination Management Plan explicitly targets a lift in visitor expenditure per trip from $680 to $900 by 2028, with experience-based rural tourism flagged as a priority mechanism. Marchetti's per-head yield of $895 for the overnight product already sits above that target, and her guests are staying longer than the regional average of 3.2 nights recorded by Tourism Research Australia for the Sunshine Coast in calendar year 2025.

Scaling Without Losing the Point

The harder question is whether the business can grow without degrading what makes it work. Marchetti has been deliberately slow to expand guide numbers, running a six-week induction program through the Sunshine Coast TAFE campus at Mooloolaba before any new hire leads a group independently. She has also capped group sizes at 10, a decision that limits revenue per departure but protects the farm relationships that underpin the product's credibility with international buyers.

Visit Sunshine Coast listed Immersive Hinterland Escapes in its 2026 Signature Experiences portfolio in February, a designation that provides access to Tourism Australia's international trade channels and cooperative marketing funds. That listing is expected to open conversations with inbound tour operators in Japan and Germany later this year, markets where interest in food-provenance travel has grown sharply since 2024.

Marchetti is also watching the container-recycling and composting economy that hinterland farmers are increasingly plugging into, restaurant food scrap loops that reduce input costs and improve soil, as a potential story layer she can add to the experience without significant capital outlay. Whether those conversations lead to a product refresh by summer 2026-27 will depend on how quickly her farm partners can formalise the arrangements. For now, the bookings calendar through September is full, and the waiting list has 140 names on it.

This article is general information only and is not personal financial or investment advice. Consider your own circumstances and seek licensed professional advice before making financial decisions.