Tourism conference to foster collaboration

TOURISM, hospitality and accommodation industry leaders, operators and changemakers will come together later this month at a conference facilitated by Tourism Midwest Victoria and Daylesford Macedon Tourism.

The one-day Stronger Together – Empowering the Future of Tourism conference aims to create connections, spark new ideas and equip businesses with tools to grow.

Attendees will gain insights into attracting high value visitors and building brand strength, strategies for collaboration, relevant case studies and networking opportunities.

“It’s all about how we can foster collaboration and access to those markets,” Daylesford Macedon Tourism CEO Steve Wroe said.

“The operator will go away with key takeaways on the what the future of travel is, what markets to target and how to collaborate as locals.”

The current economic climate poses challenges to the tourism industry and the conference will provide information about how businesses can come together to face these difficulties.

“There’s been a dip in visitation since probably 2023,” Mr Wroe said.

“Spends have also gone down because people have less money and there’s also a degree of uncertainty in the world.”

Tourism Midwest Victoria executive manager Sarah Pilgrim said she hopes the conference helps tourism operators feel less alone.

“A lot of the people who run businesses in the visitor economy are running small businesses and it can be very lonely,” she said.

“We often think of two restaurants in a strip competing with each other but what we see in the tourism market is all boats rise with the rising tide.

“It absolutely makes sense for the industry to come together.”

The conference will take place Tuesday 24 June at the RACV Goldfields Resort.

To register or find out more information visit the Tourism Midwest Website or Daylesford Macedon Tourism websites.