Tourism leaders rue “lost opportunity” of cancelled Games

TOURISM leaders in Geelong and across the state have expressed their disappointment about Victoria no longer hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The state government cited the ballooning cost of Victoria 2026 – which was to be held in Geelong and other regional hubs – as a driver behind their decision, with the expected $2.6 billion cost more than doubling to least $6 billion.

There were less than 1,000 days until the Games were scheduled to start, and Tourism Greater Geelong and Bellarine (TGGB) executive officer Tracy Carter was among many in the tourism sector who first learned of the cancellation at Premier Daniel Andrews’ press conference on Tuesday this week.

“There was a bit of shock, as many people would have been, and I’m just disappointed, I guess, at the lost opportunity for the region, for the tourism operators in it, for the lost opportunity of showcasing our destination on the global stage,” she said.

The Victorian government’s modelling estimated the Games would attract about 300,000 visitors from outside the host cities, including more than 100,000 to watch the nine sports in Geelong alone, and contribute more than $3 billion to the state’s economy.

Ms Carter said TGGB had not “gone too far down the track” in terms of its marketing or strategic planning for the Games, but some local accommodation operators had gone further.

“So, there’s bit of disappointment that businesses had spent a bit of time preparing for and putting energy and effort into how they would work with the Games, and all those efforts have gone to waste, really.”

On Tuesday, the Victorian government also announced a new $150 million Regional Tourism and Events Fund, but exactly how that will be distributed is not clear.

Ms Carter said she was keen to see more detail.

“There was an obvious fortnight when the Games were on when everything was going to be busy and active, but we saw real opportunity in the destination promotion and capitalisation on that.

“From our perspective, we’d love to see some investment in how we revisit the capacity to build the brands and deliver some of those marketing and promotional outcomes.”

Victorian Tourism Industry Council chief executive officer Felicia Mariani said the cancellation was “disappointing but not a surprise”.

She said the Games’ five host regions would suffer the loss of not only the visitors they expected to welcome but also the global exposure they expected to receive.

“The biggest risk right now for Victoria will be in managing the reputational fallout as a destination for hosting major international events. Pulling the pin at such a crucial time on a major event like this will create concern that needs to be managed carefully.”

Regional Cities Victoria chair Cr Andrea Metcalf said her organisation was “greatly disappointed” with the cancellation of Victoria 2026, as it would have been a “once in a lifetime event” for regional Victoria.

“We look forward to seeing details of the proposed statewide tourism package but recognise this will not deliver the same benefits as broadcasting the best of regional Victoria into billions of lounge rooms around the world.”