Victoria's 2020 Tourism Strategy launched at National Tourism and Events Excellence Conference

The Victorian Government has released its plan to grow the state's overnight tourism expenditure to $24.7 billion by 2020 - representing an annual growth of 6.6%, and conforming with the long term national tourism strategy.

Launched by Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher at this week’s National Tourism and Events Excellence Conference in Melbourne, the Strategy identifies the following seven priority action areas:

Digital Excellence – improving the state's capabilities across all digital platforms and encouraging local tourism operators to adopt capabilities such as online bookings.

International Marketing – investing in activities that raise brand awareness in key growth markets, including marketing campaigns in China, India and South East Asia, as well as direct engagement through Government-led trade missions.

Domestic Marketing – continuing to position Melbourne as a creative and authentic destination, and developing and implementing campaigns that promote regional Victoria to interstate and intrastate visitors.

Major Events and Business Events – continuing to attract major events and business events.

Air Services Attraction – increasing direct air services from key growth markets, particularly China, India and South East Asia.

Investment Attraction and Infrastructure Support – supporting investment, services and products that align with the needs and aspirations of consumers in key markets, including Asia.

Skills and Workforce Development – attracting more people to the industry in occupations that have historically had persistent shortfalls, such as chefs, housekeeping and front office staff.

Introducing the strategy, Minister Asher explained "the Strategy aims to grow the industry so that it contributes a total of $34 billion to Victoria's Gross State Product and generates an additional 109,000 jobs.

"Victoria's 2020 Tourism Strategy has been developed to ensure Victoria realises its full potential as a tourism destination of choice for travellers from fast growing Asian economies and across Australia."

Developed with a range of industry stakeholders, the tourism strategy estimates that in the years to 2021, two-thirds of the growth in Victorian tourism spending will come from international markets, with a strong focus on attracting visitors from China, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Mindful of this growth, the new strategy aims for Victorian tourism "provide a range of experiences and an environment that supports the aspirations and culture of strong growth economies such as China, India and Indonesia".

However, despite Victoria's popularity, Minister Asher, said only 3% of Chinese tourists spent a night outside of Melbourne.

She hopes that opening up private development in national parks would encourage more Chinese tourists to holiday outside of Melbourne, explaining "I'm hoping that we can get an environmentally sensitive, clearly low rise, classy accommodation venue for regional Victoria.

"One of the priorities is getting that spread (of tourists) into regional Victoria and we need to make sure as part of that there is the complete tourism experience and we think a development in a national park will add to that."

Victoria's 2020 tourism strategy will also see stage two of the 'Play Melbourne' marketing campaign encouraging interstate visitors "to take a chance, roll the dice and see where it leads you" in Melbourne.

Here Minister Asher states, "you can go to Sydney and look at the lovely Sydney Harbour and you can go to Queensland and look at the Great Barrier Reef … you can go to central Australia and look at Ayers Rock … but you come to Melbourne to do things."

Melbourne attracts 4.2 million interstate visitors a year, the highest of all Australian capital cities.

The new tourism report highlighted the rapid growth in the use of the internet, including social media, for booking and planning.

In 2012, 71% of international overnight visitors used the internet for research and 53% booked at least one component of their trip online. However, the report noted only 48% of Victorian tourism operators had online booking capability with instant confirmation available for consumers.

Victoria's 2020 Tourism Strategy is available online at www.tourism.vic.gov.au/about/strategies-and-publications.html

Images: Lakes Entrance (top), the National Tourism and Events Excellence Conference logo (middle) and Hanging Rock (below).

22nd June 2013 - GOVERNMENTS TO FACE BACKLASH OVER EXPLOITATION OF NATIONAL PARKS 

10th May 2013 - VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT COMMITS $24 MILLION FOR TOURISM

19th April 2013 - NEW CAMPAIGN TO BOOST TOURISM IN REGIONAL VICTORIA

6th March 2013 - KRYAL CASTLE LOWERS ITS DRAWBRIDGE 

31st May 2012 - TOURISM PLAN TO ADDRESS REGIONAL LABOUR AND SKILLS SHORTAGES IN VICTORIA

11th April 2011 - GREAT OCEAN ROAD EARNS A SPOT ON NATIONAL HERITAGE LIST

11th August 2008 - LANDMARK AGREEMENT TO RESPECT OUR CULTURE 

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