DELIVERING WORLD-CLASS TOURISM EXPERIENCES ACROSS MACEDON

Macedon’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.

Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas today announced the Daylesford Macedon Tourism grant under Stream A and the Goldfields Gateway grant under Stream B of the $3 million Visitor Servicing Fund.

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.Stream A of the program has provided grants of up to $50,000 to nine Regional Tourism Boards and local councils, including Yarra Ranges Tourism, and Strathbogie Shire Council. It supports the development and coordination of new and better ways to access tourism information to get aroundour regions.

Stream B of the program has provided grants of up to $625,000 to four Regional Tourism Boards, local councils and other tourism organisations to develop innovative tools and ideasso that visitorsto easilybook and plan visits, access information and connect with our state’s best tourism experiences.

Projects include improving ways to make bookings and reservations, building online itineraries,creating digital visitor kiosks and enhancing wayfinding and storytelling at key visitation sites.

The Visitor Servicing Fund was a commitment of the $633 million Visitor Economy Recovery Reform Plan, and is key to delivering the new Experience Victoria 2033 strategic plan.

For a full list of successful recipients of the Visitor Servicing Fund, visittourism.vic.gov.au/visitorservicingfund

Quotes attributable to Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas

“Congratulations to Daylesford Macedon Tourism and Goldfields Gateway in securing these grants that will help visitors experience all that the Macedon region has to offer.”

“The fund will help to connect visitors to Macedon to attractions, local businesses and encouraging them to spend more and stay longer by providing high-quality, personalised and timely information about what to see and do around Victoria."

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