Following extensive community engagement conducted in September 2022, Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine has officially released its new Sustainable Destination Master Plan (SDMP).

To form the basis of the SDMP, Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine partnered with urban planning firm Urbis who undertook an extensive consultation process which included:

• 38 Key Stakeholders engaged in one-on-one interviews;
• 20 industry leaders participated in Persona Workshops, which guided the development of our priority visitor markets;
• 58 community online submissions received through the City of Greater Geelong’s Have Your Say Platform;
• 4 Group workshops;
• 51 people engaged through online workshops.

The Sustainable Destination Master Plan was the largest community engagement activity Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine has ever carried out and embraced the views of the whole region.

View the Sustainable Destination Master Plan visit Tourismgeelongbellarine.com.au/SDMP or view here.

Thanks for your patience as we work to finalise our Sustainable Destination Master Plan for release.

We’re at the final step and will be releasing the plan in the coming months, along with a news update summarising how we’ve engaged with the tourism industry and community in developing the plan.

Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine is developing a Sustainable Destination Master Plan for the region, a tourism industry led project that will guide our visitor economy through its recovery and beyond over the next decade.

Utilising industry insights, research and an analysis of current and forecast visitor and workforce statistics, the plan identifies opportunities for our region through investment in infrastructure, established and emerging markets and workforce needs to support our region’s growth.

The plan aims to balance economic priorities with the social, environmental, and cultural fabric of our region to help create a sustainable visitor economy that is prosperous and positive for all.

This new 10-year plan will replace Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine's current Tourism Development Plan 2019-22.

A summary of the overall Sustainable Destination Master Plan has been produced for the purpose of this engagement.

To ensure this plan meets the expectations of those who call our region home and the businesses that are part of our healthy local visitor economy, Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine is utilising the City of Greater Geelong's support and Have Your Say platform to engage with you as local residents and business community.

Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine has engaged Urbis as consultants to prepare the Sustainable Destination Master Plan.

This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions funding.

Earlier this year, Urbis engaged directly with members of our local tourism sector, Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and key stakeholders, to understand the industry's current state, future directions and aspirations.

The outcomes of the stakeholder discussions and detailed research have formed the basis of the draft Master Plan.

Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine would like to know your thoughts on the draft Sustainable Destination Master Plan along with your ideas for the future of the region's visitor economy.

Before completing the survey, you're encourage to please review the draft Sustainable Destination Master Plan Summary (also in document library) as questions are related to content in the plan. You can then provide your feedback via the survey or in-person at one of the drop-in sessions.

Your feedback from this engagement will be used to inform the final Sustainable Destination Master Plan.

As a tourism industry-led and agreed plan for the future, the Sustainable Destination Master Plan will be presented to the Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine board for their endorsement.

To help you imagine where Geelong and The Bellarine's visitor economy will be in 10 years, here are stats from 2019: