BALLARAT tourism has an unlimited potential to grow, but connectivity with major events is a must to encourage tourists to stay says Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) chief executive Felicia Mariani.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ms Mariani visited Ballarat yesterday to speak with tourism industry professionals about the VTIC’s five-point state election plan.
The plan which VTIC will present to all sides of government in the lead up to the state election includes calls for an expansion of the Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund and to invest more in natural assets and regions.
“The regional infrastructure fund was created a couple of years ago and expires the end of June 2019, there are no guarantees that will continue,” Ms Mariani said.
“There was $101 million which was allocated to help regional products undertake feasibility studies and business cases to get projects up.
“There were three major projects in this region that were funded. They were $500,000 to the Craft Brewery, $2.56 million to the Creswick Trails Project and $162,000 to the Little Penguin exhibit at the Ballarat Wildlife Park.
“These are projects that would not have seen the light of day if it wasn’t for this fund. We’re looking for a commitment of $200 million over four years.”
Ms Mariani said tourism in Ballarat was a double-edged sword, but had scope to grow with major events.
“When you couple the history and heritage with food, wine and increasingly major events, this is becoming a real hot bed for tourism growth and development,” she said.
“But one of the pain points, not only for Ballarat, but Geelong, Bendigo, Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley is because we have such good road and train networks... it really does make it easy to be a day visit, so it’s about building those compelling reasons to stay overnight.”
“A project like Sovereign Hill Beyond 50 is so crucial to such a growth. Most destinations across Australia would kill for a big anchor product in their region like Sovereign Hill.
“A project like that will create the compelling reasons to stay longer, but it means that whole region needs to be connected so that when the tourist visits, the whole town is a celebration of that. I think this region is starting to pick up that.
“Regional events are core drivers for visitation, unfortunately there’s no longer such thing as a meandering tourist.”
