Successful tourism businesses and regions regularly invest in upgrading their visitor products and experiences.  Two recent announcements are great news for Gippsland’s visitor economy as they represent significant improvements to our tourism product.  Pennicott Wilderness Journeys will be launching a new eco-boat tour at Wilsons Promontory National Park by the end of the year and Phillip Island Nature Parks will be spending $58m on redeveloping the Penguin Parade.  Both projects will complement the news of the expansion of accommodation and guest facilities at RACV Resort Inverloch.  These positive developments will strengthen the surrounding regional economy as well as increase the international appeal of the Gippsland component of the Sydney Melbourne Coastal Drive.   The opportunity now is for all stakeholders to build on the confidence shown by both the government and private sector to keep investing in the Gippsland tourism industry.

Kind regards,
Terry Robinson

We are pleased to announce that the RACV Gippsland Tourism Conference will be held in the Baw Baw Shire Council on the 13 & 14 September 2016.  We look forward to your attendance and contribution so please save the dates now.

For more information contact Janine Hayes: jhayes@destinationgippsland.com.au

The latest visitor numbers have shown growth for tourism in Gippsland. In the year ending December 2015, total travel to Gippsland has seen 5.8 million visitors into the region, an increase of 20.5% on the year before.

Domestic overnight travel to Gippsland resulted in 2.0 million visitors, an increase of 6.7% on the year before and 6.2 million nights, an increase of 8.1%.  Domestic day trips to the Gippsland region remains strong with 3.7 million visitors, an increase of 29.3% on the year before.

The largest percentage change has been in the international market which saw 75,300 visitors, an increase of 36.5%.  International's spent 873,900 nights in the region, an increase of 15.7% on the year before.

For more information contact CEO Terry Robinson: trobinson@destinationgippsland.com.au

Still wondering how your business can be a part of Tourism Victoria's $3million campaign Wander Victoria?  Here are four steps you can take to help your business leverage off this campaign:

• Ensure you have a listing on ATDW - this sits on Inspiredbygippsland.com.au and Visitvictoria.com.au 
• Share a Deal or Package which will be placed on your listing and on the campaign website
• Share your inspiring Gippsland photos on all social media channels by using the campaign hashtag #WanderVictoria and #InspiredByGippsland
• Share your PR stories with us for the opportunity to be featured in the media throughout the campaign. 

For more detail on how to take these four steps read a detailed ‘how to’ here on our blog.
 

We are pleased to launch the 2016 Gippsland International Product Manual which we will be sharing with international buyers at Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from 15 to 19 May.  Destination Gippsland’s Marketing Manager Alison Conroy will lead the Gippsland sales effort.

ATE is Australia’s largest annual travel and tourism business-to-business event.  It brings together Australian tourism businesses in a forum to promote their products directly to tourism wholesalers and retailers from around the world through a combination of scheduled business appointments and networking events.  Gippsland has 86 appointments with key buyer delegates. 

View the 2016 Gippsland International Product Manual here.
For more information contact aconroy@destinationgippsland.com.au

Nominations are open to enter the 2016 RACV Victorian Tourism Awards. 

The Victorian Tourism Awards represent an industry framework for peer recognition which fosters a culture for business development, excellence and innovation. 

We are offering fully subsidised mentoring for first time entrants into the Victorian Tourism Awards.  If you would like more information on how we can help with your submission please contact phoebe@destionationgippsland.com.au

For more information about the awards visit: victoriantourismawards.com.au
(Image: Gold Winners 2015 - Steve & Kim Kleinitz of Jetty Road Retreat, East Gippsland)

A number of Gippsland towns through their local business tourism association, chamber of commerce or local community group have volunteered to partner and participate in a pilot program - the Gippsland Tourism Towns Excellence Project (GTTE).  The project will assist and encourage participating towns across Gippsland to actively provide an excellent visitor service experience.   

Each of the towns has been provided with a resource kit to assist businesses to conduct self-assessment, customer service, digital and accessibility checks to understand where they might improve in the servicing of their customers.   Towns will be visited by an independent auditor who will assess a range of facilities and services in the town, including customer service. 

Towns that are audited and reach a high standard will be awarded a Gippsland Tourism Town of Excellence Award which will be presented at the Gippsland Tourism Conference 2016.

For more information contact jhayes@destinationgippsland.com.au
 

In partnership with Federation University Churchill Campus, we have assisted to develop a Visitor Satisfaction Survey which seeks to understand the visitor experience in Gippsland and to provide data on visitor’s satisfaction, demographics and dispersal throughout the region. 

Support across the six Gippsland Councils in facilitating data collection will be invaluable in gaining insights into the visitor experience and assist in future improvements benefiting the entire Gippsland region.

For more information contact jhayes@destinationgippsland.com.au

We are often asked "if I am listed on visitvictoria.com.au am I also on Inspiredbygippsland.com.au?"  The answer is yes!

The Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) is now housing your listing for both these sites.  Therefore if you are on ATDW you are on both inspiredbygippsland.com.au and visitvictoria.com.au.

Need a little more information on ATDW? Here is a useful infographic, or you can read more on our blog here.

Eco Tourism Pioneer Robert Pennicott has recently announced the launch of Wilsons Promontory Cruises from Tidal River.  Commencing in December 2016, these world class wilderness cruises will allow visitors to explore the spectacular waterways, history, culture, flora and fauna of the Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park.

This will be the seventh product from Pennicott Wilderness Journeys and the first outside of Tasmania.  It will build on the company’s 17 years of ecotourism expertise which has been recognised with multiple accolades including 12 Australian Tourism Awards and 25 Tasmanian Tourism Awards.  In 2014 Pennicott Wilderness Journeys was twice inducted into the Australian Tourism Awards Hall of Fame, for Ecotourism and Excellence in Sustainable Tourism.

For more information visit pennicottjourneys.com.au

Tourism Excellence has been designed to help tourism businesses and destinations get the best from their workforce, deliver the best possible visitor experience, grow tourism by working together, and ensure a sustainable industry.  The Seven Modules of Tourism Excellence are available to tourism businesses.  View them at tourismexcellence.com.au

Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) is the peak body for Victoria’s tourism and events industry.  There are currently two VTIC industry awards open to the tourism industry:

• Lynette Bergin Tourism Award applications
• VTIC Small Business Development Award applications

We wish all Gippsland businesses and individuals luck in applying for these awards.
For more VTIC news visit their website here.

The free government Grant Finder helps find grants and assistance programmes that are relevant to your business.  For more information visit the grant finder website here.  

The Creating Smart Connections program is offering the opportunity for Gippsland tourism businesses to join the online community Tourism Tribe at no cost.  Register as a fully subsidised Gippsland business here.

• Baw Baw Shire 
• Bass Coast Shire - Event Calendar
• East Gippsland Shire - Discover East Gippsland
• Latrobe City - What's on in Latrobe
• South Gippsland Shire - Prom Country
• Wellington Shire Council - What's on in Wellington

The Gippsland Visitor Economy generates an estimated $2.8 billion in total expenditure.  It supports approximately 15,000 jobs in over 3,000 businesses across every community in Gippsland.  Tourism in Gippsland is everyone's business. 

Find out more about our Board of Directors here

Contact our team here