City aims to capitalise on tourism boom

THE City of Greater Geelong has its eyes set firmly on bringing a five-star brand resort to the region, as it works to address an estimated overnight accommodation shortage of 1,000 beds.

Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine’s (TGGB) 2023-24 annual report revealed a record 6.4 million tourists travelled to the region last financial year, resulting in 6 million overnight stays and contributing $1.83 billion to the local economy.

This marks a 16 per cent increase on last financial year and a 67 per cent increase on pre-pandemic levels, figures that suggest the city is well on its way to reaching its targeted $2.1 billion visitor economy by 2032.

Speaking at the council’s December meeting, Cr Trent Sullivan noted two new hotels had recently opened in Geelong’s CBD, but more needed to be done to address the ongoing overnight accommodation shortage, as tourism continues to boom across the region.

“Geelong is growing not as a drive-through destination, but as an overnight destination in its own right,” he said.

Cr Anthony Aitken celebrated TGGB’s operating surplus of $22,000 over the past financial year but noted the region’s tourism and hospitality sector remains under significant pressure, with several local businesses experiencing a significant decrease in turnover over the past eight months.

He suggested that for some businesses, this decrease could be as large as 35 per cent. “We’ve had a 16 per cent increase in our tourism spend across the whole of the region, but we should acknowledge that individual operators are actually finding it very tough at the present time and it all relates to the cost of living and the pullback of expenditure that’s occurring,” Cr Aitken said.

He said the focus of the city’s tourism strategy remained on trying to attract international and interstate travellers to Geelong, to help ease the “significant” pressures currently plaguing the local market.

TGGB chair Bill Mithen, in a joint statement with executive director Tracy Carter, acknowledged the many challenges facing the sector, citing rising costs, shifting consumer behaviour and workplace shortages, but said the growth in visitors was “encouraging”.

“There are strong indicators of green shoots ahead as we meet the new season.

“We’ve seen the consolidation of flights at Avalon Airport, the completion of the Joel Selwood Stands at GMHBA Stadium, and the rapid progress of the new Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre.

“And… 1,000 new rooms have either been added, approved or commenced construction to meet future demand.

“We will continue to advocate for the needs of our industry, ensuring that the voices of our operators are heard and supported, as we work towards building a resilient and valued visitor economy we can all be proud of.”