NICE FIGURES

Visitor numbers to the Bellarine exceed expectations

VISITOR numbers to the Bellarine have soared during the past year, along with the amount of money people are spending.

Recent statistics from Tourism Research Australia reveals that 5.1 million visitors travelled to the Bellarine and Geelong during the year ending September 2017 – an increase of 14.1 per cent on the previous year.

Visitors spent an impressive $942 million – an increase of 14.4 per cent on the previous year.

Geelong and the Bellarine also received more than 3.6 million domestic day-trip visitors, who spent $332 million in the region – averaging $91 per trip.

Tourism Geelong and the Bellarine executive director Roger Grant said the growth of the visitor economy for Geelong and the Bellarine had exceeded expectations, and that it was particularly pleasing that, more than ever, the region was being recognised as a major destination in its own right.

He said the aim was to convert those 3.6 millon day trips into overnight stays.

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