Local tourism numbers, spending exceed pre-pandemic highs

TOURISTS are streaming back to Geelong and the Bellarine, with domestic visitor numbers and spending both up more than 70 per cent compared to the previous 12 months.

The good news for the region is also reflected in the statewide figures, with Victorian visitor expenditure hitting a record high of $35 billion more than a year ahead of the state government’s projections.

Locally, in the 12 months to March 2023, there were 1.7 million overnight visitors (up 45.3 per cent) and 4.5 million daytrip visitors (up 82.4 per cent) for a total 6.2 million domestic visitors – 70.6 per centy higher than the previous 12 months and above the 6.0 million domestic visitors recorded before the pandemic in the year to March 2020.

The total domestic spend of $1.566 billion for Geelong and the Bellarine is driven by a doubling in the amount of spending by daytrippers – from $302 million to $618 million – and is more than $500 million higher than the amount spent in the year before the pandemic hit.

“Coming for a holiday” was the most popular reason to visit regardless of the length of the trip.

The most popular activity for daytrippers was eating out or dining at a restaurant or cafe, with exactly half doing this, with visit friends and relatives making up another third, and going to the beach almost another quarter (23.3 per cent)

A friend’s or relative’s property was the most popular accommodation type used for visitor nights in the region, with nearly half (47.9 per cent) choosing this option, followed by a caravan park or commercial camping ground (11.9 per cent) and a rented house, apartment, flat or unit (10.3 per cent).

“The data is certainly encouraging and tourism operators have worked very hard to build their businesses and the region to these levels, beyond pre pandemic numbers,” Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine executive director Tracy Carter said. “There are some challenging times ahead, though, particularly as Australians have started heading overseas in larger numbers and international visitation to Australia is still recovering.

“We’ll be actively marketing the region as quick and easy short break for intrastate visitation to boost this winter period, and events will continue to be important to drive visitation during these off-peak times.”

Spending is also soaring across the state, according to the latest Tourism National Visitor Survey/International Visitor Survey by Tourism Research Australia.

Released on Wednesday last week, the figures reveal total tourism spend in Victoria has reached $35 billion, 15 months ahead of targets set for the industry in the state goverment’s Visitor Economy Recovery and Reform Plan.

Victoria Tourism Industry Council chief executive officer Felicia Mariani said the results were “nothing short of remarkable” given tourism spending fell to $9.8 billion in the year ending March 2021.

The state’s regional areas are among the primary beneficiaries of the significant increase in visitor spending, with every region peforming above 2019 levels.

“With the confinement of lockdowns and restrictions so many of us were subjected to, the attractiveness of travelling in our own backyard quickly grew in appeal, and that habit has thankfully continued,” Ms Mariani said.