The Goldfield’s tourism industry has been given a boost, with a $50,000 grant from the Victorian Government to Daylesford Macedon Tourism and a $625,000 grant to Goldfield Gateways to develop innovative ways to encourage people to stay longer and experience the best of our region.

Daylesford Macedon Tourism has found that:

  • Overnight visitor spend is almost 5 times more than daytrip spend
  • Daytrip visitors are spending less than the state average while overnight visitors are spending more than the state average
  • 2022 visitation is exceeding 2019 visitation
  • Traditional accommodation is significantly overshadowed by short stay rentals
  • Spring is the most popular time for day trip visitors yet it is the least popular for overnight visitors. Winter is the lowest season for daytrip visitors but the highest season for overnight visitors.
  • Overwhelmingly the strongest target market is adult couples (52%  of visitors)

The $50,000 grant will enable Daylesford Macedon Tourism to deliver the DMT Regional Visitor Servicing Strategy working with both Hepburn Shire Council and Macedon Ranges Shire Council to optimise investment in visitor servicing through both physical and digital channels using insight from the recent Destination Management Plan, past visitor servicing work and new research. The scope of the project will include:

  • New visitor and community research, industry workshops and interviews.
  • Clarity on what visitor services should be delivering.
  • How the region can better work together in delivering visitor service solutions.
  • Delivery of a visitor servicing strategy for the region with recommendations on a range of potential investments with returns to the visitor economy

The $625,00 grant will enable the Goldfields Gateway to present a world class integrated physical and digital wayfinding system that captures and informs the visitor inviting them to explore the Victorian Goldfields. The project covers six local Government areas and the tourism regions of Tourism Midwest Victoria, Daylesford Macedon Ranges Tourism and Bendigo Regional Tourism. This project will identify key visitation sites, develop compelling and beautiful wayfinding and physical storytelling that links to existing digital platforms providing 360 degree visitor servicing.

The fund will help set our tourism industry up to connect with new technologies to improve how visitors can plan ahead and create the trip of a lifetime in regional Victoria.

This article is based on a media release from the office of Mary-Anne Thomas, State Member for Macedon Ranges.