- Published:
- Tuesday 13 September 2016
Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Major Events Danielle Green attended the Yarra Ranges Tourism Board’s official launch of its Three Year Strategic Plan last night, which aims to boost tourism in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges.
The new Strategy aims to increase the number of visitors to the area, length of stay and visitor spend. It is underpinned by six key priority areas including industry engagement, product development, visitor servicing, sustainable organisation, digital capabilities and marketing.
Tourism is a key driver of the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges economy, where the sector contributes an estimated $1.1 billion to the region’s economy and employs 10,500 people. This represents 13.4 per cent of gross regional product, and 11.7 per cent of employment.
The Yarra Ranges Strategic Plan aligns with the Andrews Labor Government’s Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy, which focuses on growth opportunities for the visitor economy in Victoria and the importance of government and industry working collaboratively.
The Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy has set a bold goal to increase visitor spending to $36.5 billion by 2025 and increase employment in the sector to 320,700 jobs.
It maps out a clear direction for Visit Victoria, the State’s new entity responsible for ensuring we remain the national leader for tourism and major events.
Victoria’s visitor economy is a key pillar of Victoria’s prosperity. It is a crucial economic driver for regional Victoria and local communities, contributing $11.5 billion to the regional economy each year and generating 114,400 jobs.
Quotes attributable to Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and Major Events Danielle Green
“Maximising the growth potential of the visitor economy depends on a collaborative approach between government and industry and this plan will help work toward that.”
“Together, government and industry bodies can work together to ensure that Melbourne and regional Victoria are in the strongest possible position to make the most of our world-class assets.”